This text picks up on the thought expressed at the end of verse 10 – anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. John in these verses amplifies what it means to love our brother and exposes the difference between those who love and […]
John moves on from his celebration of our status as the children of God to discuss the ramifications of that status. This passage on first reading appears to set a standard of perfection for the believer that is hard to reconcile with John’s statements about sin at the end of Chapter 1. How can we […]
After taking on the heretics directly in 2:18-23 and reassuring believers in 24-28, John pauses for the second time in the letter to celebrate our standing before God. In 2:12-14 he reminded us that our sins are forgiven and we know God and have overcome the evil one. Here he rejoices with us that we […]
For the first time, John confronts the heresy within the churches directly. Up to this point he has mostly defended the faith and discussed tests of the faith that the heretics fail. He now directly addresses the teaching and actions of the ones who have attacked the gospel and disrupted his churches. We get to […]
After encouraging his readers by listing the privileges they have in Christ, John now gives them the first direct exhortation of the letter. Their sins are forgiven and they know God and they have overcome the evil one; consequently, they cannot and must not love the world. He not only tells them they are not […]
These verses are at first difficult to understand. John addresses what looks to be three groups of people and commends/exhorts them for three different aspects of Christianity that are true of each. He then repeats the process while slightly altering the commendations. Why he does this at this point in the letter and who exactly […]
In 2:3-11 John lists and discusses three tests of the faith that he says must be true of the believer. The follower of Jesus will keep His commandments (3-5a); walk in the same manner as He walked (5b-6); and love other believers (7-11). If these three things are not true about a person he cannot […]
In 2:3-11, John lists and discusses three tests of the faith that he says must be true of the believer. The follower of Jesus will keep His commandments (3-5a); walk in the same manner as He walked (5b-6); and love other believers (7-11). If these three things are not true of him, a person cannot […]
John completes the thought expressed in 1:5-10 and makes sure that what he wrote about confession and sin in 1:8-10 is not abused or misunderstood. 1 John’s tone changes in verse 1. He addresses his readers as my little children. John is likely an old man as he writes these words. He is the teacher […]
John discusses the first of two major themes about the nature of God – God is light. John shows how this truth about God has ramifications for those who claim to be His. 5-7 John says the message we have heard from Him – the Word of Life (Christ) – is that God is light. […]
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