In this brief letter, John instructs ‘the elect lady’ and her children in how they as God’s children are to walk in the truth. This is no secondary matter for John, for truth and the good news about Jesus go hand in hand, and anyone who does not walk in the truth cannot be considered a genuine follower of Jesus. Discover with us four ways we as Christ-followers today must relate to the truth found in the gospel.
John’s brief letter to a Christian named Gaius introduces us to three members of the early church. In the space of just 15 verses we get clear-cut portraits of these three men. We’ll have a chance to see not only their leading traits, but who it is they are really serving. Each of us will get the chance to ask ourselves, “Which of these three church members am I most like?”
The apostle John wrote a short letter that highlights the basics of Christianity. It is called First John or the First Letter of John. In John’s opening chapter we learn that Christianity is not a religion but a relationship. It is not about worship, offerings, rituals, and things to do, but it is about having close, intimate fellowship or communion with God and with other believers. That’s the heart Christianity, relationship, not religion. We’ll learn that everyone is invited into this fellowship, but that there are two important conditions we must meet to experience this fellowship. So, come learn, then come join the fellowship today!
As we learned last week, sin is a big deal when it comes to having the relationship with God we are invited to have through Jesus. John adds to what he’s said so far about sin in our passage today. In it we learn about God’s goal for sin in a believer’s life, and also how God provides for us when we do sin after receiving Christ as our Savior. As those who want to enjoy an intimate relationship with God today, his words are not to be missed.
In his first letter John gives a number of ways that people who profess to have intimate fellowship with God can evaluate their claim. Each test of genuine saving faith enables anyone who wants to be sure of their salvation another way to gain security. In the first test John, which gives us in today’s passage, he points to love as an indicator of true salvation. He challenges us to evaluate our love in three different directions before we come to our conclusion.
I does matter what we believe. In fact, sometimes what we believe reveals whether or not we are in genuine fellowship with God and with his Son, Jesus. This is the truth of the section of John’s first letter that we’ll examine today. Here John reveals a second test of genuine fellowship with God: the test of right belief. In a time when hundreds of religions exist and tolerance is the mantra of our day, John’s warning could not be more relevant.
The apostle John reminds us of another basic truth of Christianity. Born-again believers have become God’s children. John has known this for 60+ years when he writes, but the fact still awes him. In this short passage John will affirm the fact, speak of the amazing future God’s children have, and close by mentioning the consuming desire of God’s children.
Sin may not seem to be a big deal to us, but it is to God, and so the way God’s children relate to sin says a lot about their claim to know hi and about their ongoing relationship with him. In this passage John continues the theme of why God’s children seek to purify themselves by explaining the nature of sin and why practicing sin is incompatible with a genuine relationship with God. It’s a word for every professing believer today.
In some churches it seems people are in a hurry to leave. At North Park we see folks talking with others and hanging out long after the service is over. A visitor noticed and said, “Your people really seem to love each other.” We’ll see in this week’s passage that love for fellow born-again Christians is exactly what God expects to see among us. As John returns to the theme of love his emphasis changes. He focuses on not one’s claims of love but on demonstrations of love. If our love is genuine, John says, it will show. You can’t fake genuine love.
Insecurity in a relationship can be devastating. It can introduce fear, anxiety, depression, and anger. It can lead us to withdraw from or distance ourselves from the other person and lead us to over analyze and/or sometimes mistake that person’s words or actions. The same can happen to a child of God when he/she is unsure of his/her relationship to God. John’s talk of the love believers are to show each other could lead some sensitive believers to conclude they must not be born-again Christians at all. To counter this, John lets his readers know that God wants them to have a secure relationship with him and he points to the right source of assurance of a genuine born-again experience in this passage.