These days, you often hear that we live “in uncertain times.” And though one could argue that “uncertainty” has always been with us, a global pandemic and political instability on an international scale only exacerbate our concern. In the face of such things, can we have any certainty? Is there any assurance that lasts? In…

In Matthew 10:16, Jesus tells His disciples to be “wise as serpents, but innocent as doves.” Sometimes, we focus on the latter and forget the former. In the opening of John 4, John calls the church to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God.” He is calling the church to wise action,…

In 1 John 3:4-10, John addressed the difference between those who are the children of God and those who are the children of the devil. This week, he continues with that theme. But rather than speaking generally about it as “sin,” vs. “righteousness,” he speaks specifically about it as “hate” vs. “love.” The mark of…

In the previous passage, John marveled at the love of God that would see us become “children of God.” In this passage, John presses into the fact that being children of God gives us a new nature – a nature that must take on the characteristics of the Father and His Son. John says very…

In this brief section, John wants his readers to know that they can be assured of their being in Christ. His previous identification of the antichrists ought not to unsettle them, but to exhort them to lean more intently (and intensely) into the One who knows them and Whom they know. They can do this…

In his first letter, John has a goal to identify the people of Christ and what differentiates them from those outside of Christ. He’s talked about walking in the light, confessing sin, and loving our brothers. In this section, he examines the habits of those who are opposed to Christ, and then identifies the church’s…

There’s a common and accurate saying in biblical study: the indicative precedes the imperative. In other words, the declaration of what God has done (the indicative) comes before the commands He gives to us (the imperative). Thus, we are not obeying to earn His favor or salvation; rather we are living out of the rich…

Being able to identify people is important. Mistaking someone’s identity can be embarrassing or even costly. Is there a way to identify the people called out of darkness and into Christ’s marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9)? Do the gathered people of God in Christ have distinguishing, identifiable marks? John would answer, “Yes.” Listen and see…

Far too often, there is a discrepancy between what we say we are (e.g. Christians) and how we act. In 1 John 1:5 and following, John says that this ought not to be so. Those who claim fellowship with the God who is light must walk in the light. Obviously, we don’t always succeed. But…

In the opening verses 1 John, the Apostle John makes a staggering claim: the life has come. In this statement, John grounds Christianity neither in concepts nor in principles, but in a historical Person who is a historical fact. And this Person can and will give not merely extended life, but eternal life to all…