Category: 1 John

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Behavior, the Test of Belief (1 John 2:3-6)

georgepwood

One of the most common complaints about us Christians is that we are hypocrites. We believe one way but behave another. Unfortunately, this complaint is often true. In 2005, Ron Sider published The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience, which sifted through numerous studies on the belief-behavior gap of American Christians. Here’s his conclusion: Whether the issue is divorce, materialism, sexual promiscuity, racism, physical abuse in marriage, or neglect of a biblical worldview, the polling data point to widespread, blatant disobedience of clear biblical demands on the part of people who allegedly are evangelical, born-again Christians. What are the causes of … Continue reading Behavior, the Test of Belief (1 John 2:3-6)

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Liberator, Defender, Sacrifice (1 John 2:1-2)

georgepwood

Sin has a powerful grip on us humans, which we do not have the power to break free of. Only God has that kind of power. So how does he break the grip of sin on our lives? Answer: through the death of Jesus Christ. We find a brief description of how God overcomes sin through Christ in 1 John 2:1-2: My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice … Continue reading Liberator, Defender, Sacrifice (1 John 2:1-2)

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Two Mistakes about Sin (1 John 1:8-10)

georgepwood

When it comes to the issue of ongoing sin in the life of the believer, Christians often make one of two mistakes: either they claim an easy victory over sin or they concede an early defeat to it. A careful reading of 1 John 1:8-10 is the cure for both mistakes. In the history of Christian theology, people who claim an easy victory over sin have come to be known as perfectionists. They believe that God’s Word and Spirit are so powerfully at work in the life of the believer that he or she can attain sinlessness in this life. … Continue reading Two Mistakes about Sin (1 John 1:8-10)

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Belonging, Behaving, and Believing (1 John 1:6-7)

georgepwood

Many Americans claim to have a personal relationship with God, but how do we know whether they actually do? First John offers two tests of belonging to God: behaving and believing. How we behave is an ethical test. First John 1:5-2:2, which we will begin studying today, is an example of such a test. How we believe is a theological test, and 1 John 2:20-23 and 4:1-3, which we will study later, are examples of it. These tests of relationship with God are not only biblical, they are also common sense. Consider your own relationships. If you belong to an … Continue reading Belonging, Behaving, and Believing (1 John 1:6-7)

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God Is Light (1 John 1:5)

georgepwood

When I was a boy, I was afraid of the dark. Who knew what bogeyman lurked in its shadows, or what under-the-bed monster went bump in the night? Not I. But I always knew the solution for my fears. And what was the solution? God, obviously! Whenever I found myself trembling in bed with fear, I would pray to God or sing a hymn. (I admit I was a weird little kid.) Martin Luther’s A Mighty Fortress Is Our God was particularly effective in dispelling my fears, especially this lyric: The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; … Continue reading God Is Light (1 John 1:5)

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Our Happiness, Others’ Wellbeing (1 John 1:4)

georgepwood

In 1 John 1:4, John writes something that at first glance seems self-centered, but a second look shows us an important truth about the relationship of our happiness and the wellbeing of others. Here’s what John says: “We write this to make our joy complete.” At first glance, doesn’t that look self-centered?  What if I said to you, “I write The Daily Word for you in order to make myself happy”? Wouldn’t that strike you as more than a bit narcissistic? Shouldn’t I have some higher motivation than my own positive feelings? In the Christian tradition, the highest virtues are … Continue reading Our Happiness, Others’ Wellbeing (1 John 1:4)

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The Test of Effective Preaching (1 John 1:3)

georgepwood

As a pastor, I often wonder whether my sermons make a difference in anyone’s life. Do hours of preparation and thirty minutes of delivery change anyone’s mind, feelings, words, or actions? Even more importantly, are those changes made in the right direction? First John 1:3 offers a simple test for effective Christian preaching. “We proclaim to you,” John writes, “what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” According to this verse, the test of effective preaching is fellowship. But what … Continue reading The Test of Effective Preaching (1 John 1:3)

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The Life Appeared (1 John 1:1-3)

georgepwood

According to 1 John 1:1-3, the foundation of the Christian faith is eyewitness testimony about Jesus Christ. But what did the eyewitnesses see: the mere facts of Jesus’ ministry or their spiritual significance? Let’s read 1 John 1:1-3 again for an answer to this question. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was … Continue reading The Life Appeared (1 John 1:1-3)

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Heard, Seen, Looked at, and Touched (John 1:1-3)

georgepwood

Is the Christian faith built upon eyewitness testimony, or is it a decades-later invention of people who never saw or heard Jesus? Several years ago, Dan Brown published The Da Vinci Code, a novel whose climax is the revelation that Jesus and Mary Magdalene married and bore children. Despite the fact that The Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction, many readers took its claims about Jesus and Mary Magdalene literally. Such readers doubted that the whole truth about Jesus could be found in the New Testament Gospels or the creeds of the Christian church. Not long after The … Continue reading Heard, Seen, Looked at, and Touched (John 1:1-3)

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Six Questions about 1 John

georgepwood

Today we begin a devotional study of 1 John. To introduce this New Testament book, I will answer six questions: Who wrote 1 John? What kind of book is it? When was it written? Where was it written to? Why was it written? And how does it apply to us today? [1] First, who wrote 1 John? Formally speaking, 1 John is anonymous. But internal evidence indicates that the author was an eyewitness of Jesus Christ (1:1, 3; 4:14; 5:6-7). Additionally, the authoritative way he addresses his readers indicates that he was a leader of some standing within the church … Continue reading Six Questions about 1 John