John moves from his discussion of loving in deed and truth in verse 18 to now explain how active love (and active obedience overall) leads to assurance of belief. Much like he has stated in other parts of the book, he makes the point here that actions are the proof of belief; without actions there […]
In verses 10-15, John set the contrast between the child of God who practices righteousness and loves his brother and the child of the devil who practices unrighteousness and does not love his brother. He held up Cain as an example of a child of the devil. Cain hated his brother and killed him because […]
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 […]
thegamutblog 