20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Are you certain of the truth about […]
1 John
The Second Birth and its Purposes: 1 John 5:1-5
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not […]
Love Applied – 1 John 4:17-21
17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.19 We love because he first […]
Praying Great Prayers, with Great Confidence, Because we have Great Assurance, from our Great God, Who has Given us a Great Gift: 1 John 3:19-24
Prayer, we would all admit, is one of the most difficult disciplines to maintain in the Christian life. It is one of the most neglected means of grace, and methods of communion with God. And it is the most powerful aspect of the Christian life. Yet, for many, if not most, it is hard to […]
Children of the Devil and Children of God: Commentary on 1 John 3:4-10
Last week as we were in the first three verses of chapter 3, I briefly mentioned the fact that not all people are God’s children; as the text of course talked about how Christians are God’s children. This week as we move in to verse 4-10 we see this contrast made clear between […]