{"id":3598,"date":"2018-08-06T16:14:44","date_gmt":"2018-08-06T16:14:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/takingeverythoughtcaptivetoobeychrist.wordpress.com\/?p=3598"},"modified":"2018-08-06T16:14:44","modified_gmt":"2018-08-06T16:14:44","slug":"the-joy-of-fellowship-in-christ-commentary-on-1-john-1v1-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/the-joy-of-fellowship-in-christ-commentary-on-1-john-1v1-4\/","title":{"rendered":"The Joy of Fellowship in Christ: Commentary on 1 John 1v1-4"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n

The epistle of 1 John is peppered with verses that are well-known and loved by many believers. Maybe some of you have favorite verses found in this book. Verses like 1 John 1v9, \u201cIf we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.\u201d Or maybe 1 John 2v15-17, \u201cDo not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world \u2013 the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life \u2013 is not form the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.\u201d Or maybe it\u2019s 1 John 4v7-8, \u201cBeloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

These verses and many others found in this epistle are beloved verses that do well as stand-alone verses. But what is wonderful about each and every one of these verses is that, though they make for great memory verses, they are woven together in this letter, working together to serve a few specific purposes, as a unit. If we are going to exposit a letter, in the Scriptures, we ought to know the main purpose or purposes that this letter was written for. And understanding the whole letter\u2019s purpose will give us a broader and more deeply rooted understanding of some of our favorite verses as we come along to them throughout the next few months.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s interesting is that there are several purpose statements throughout this letter. But there are two overarching purposes of this letter that I want to consider for a few moments. The first is one at the beginning of the letter, in our passage today; and the other is nearer to the end of the book, but we see it at work, throughout the entire letter. The first in our passage today is in verse 4, \u201cAnd we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.\u201d So that\u2019s the first purpose statement of this letter, that John tells us, right out of the gate. We are writing so that your joy, and our joy, may be full. So in a general sense, as we make our way through this letter, it ought to be serving the purpose of filling us with joy. But the second purpose statement, comes in chapter 5v13, \u201cI write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.\u201d That you may KNOW that you have eternal life. So what\u2019s he talking about there? Knowledge of our salvation. Or in other words, assurance of our salvation. We see all throughout the book, different tests, and ways that a believer can know that have eternal life. And so we have these two purposes at the beginning and the end of the letter, anchoring down the Scripture for us as our guiding theme. So as we make our way through this letter, most everything in this epistle, will work for those two purposes, to fulfill our joy, and to assure us that we have eternal life.<\/span><\/p>\n

And what is very fascinating to me, is thinking about the relationship between our Christian joy, and our assurance of salvation. If you think about it, in many ways, those two things go hand in hand. On the one hand, it\u2019s pretty hard to doubt that you\u2019re a child of God, when you are filled with the genuine joy of the Lord. On the other hand, when we are unsure of our standing before God, it will be very difficult to have happiness in Christ. So these two elements of the Christian life, that are primarily gifts of God, very much work together, and we will see this reoccurring theme, if not overtly, then underlying, this entire letter.<\/span><\/p>\n

And I\u2019ll just say, briefly, as well. One of the other purpose statements of this letter is found in chapter 2v1, \u201cMy little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.\u201d As a Christian, do you ever notice, how there is no joy in your life, when you are in sin? And vice versa, when we are the most happy in Christ, we are not even thinking about sin. I saw Charles Spurgeon quote this week that said, \u201cHe who looks sinward has his back to God. He who looks Godward has his back to sin.\u201d And when our back is toward God, we can easily slip into doubt. But when our back is to sin, we grow in our assurance.<\/span><\/p>\n

So consider that a birds eye overview of the thematic arch of the letter of 1 John, as we look specifically at the opening four verses together this afternoon. As you notice in the opening verses of 1 John, it\u2019s not a typical introduction that we normally see in the New Testament letters. There is no greeting as John immediately jumps into a short doctrinal dialogue. That\u2019s one feature of the letter that I particularly like. This of course is the disciple John, the apostle John, the John that wrote the gospel of John, and the book of revelation. He doesn\u2019t address a specific church that he is writing to, so it is likely that this letter is to be dispersed to multiple congregations at that time. John was most likely living in Ephesus at this time. This is most likely in between the time he wrote his gospel, and Revelation, sometime around A.D. 85-95 more than likely. John being the last living apostle.<\/span><\/p>\n

Doctrine<\/strong><\/p>\n

So as mentioned, John jumps right in with a meaty introduction testifying to Christ. This introduction has quite a bit of similarity to the way John opens his gospel. John chapter 1 begins, \u201cIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God\u2026In him was life, and the life was the light of men\u2026And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father\u2026\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Clearly, here in the beginning of 1 John, we are reading about Christ. But you see this is no mere introduction. John is laying a foundation here. He is laying a foundation for everything else that he is about to write in this letter. And that foundation is the person and work of Jesus Christ. Indeed, this is not merely the foundation of this letter; but this is the foundation of the entire Christian faith. This is the entire foundation of the universe. Matthew Henry agrees, \u201cHe [Christ] is the great subject of the gospel, the foundation and object of our faith and hope, the bond and cement that unite us unto God.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

John is upfront and intentional about his testifying to Christ, because if our doctrine of Christ is wrong, or disagreed upon, nothing else matters. Getting the person and work of Jesus Christ correct is the difference between an eternity in Heaven or Hell. Our doctrine of Christ is the most important thing. If we get Christ wrong, everything else gets off. Christ is the center. If we get Christ wrong we have no basis for fellowship with God, no genuine fellowship with one another, no real joy, and no assurance.<\/span><\/p>\n

And I love that John doesn\u2019t simply give lip service to the name of Christ; but he begins with the definition. It is not simply enough that we believe the name of Jesus; we must believe rightly about who He is, and what He has done. Mormons say they believe in Jesus. I was even talking to a Muslim Friday night who tried to tell me that we were both following Jesus. They both say they believe in Jesus. Now obviously we don\u2019t believe in the same Jesus as Mormons and Muslims. You see the difference is in the doctrine. Neither a Mormon, nor a Muslim will agree with 1 John 1v1-3 being about Christ. And that\u2019s the difference between heaven and hell. Doctrine matters. What we believe about the person and work of Jesus Christ is foundational to everything else. Thus John lays for us this foundation on which we understand the entire letter.<\/span><\/p>\n

Context<\/strong><\/p>\n

It also may help to understand some of the historical context in which the letter was written. Many commentators believe that around this time began the early stages of Gnosticism; which John combats in many ways in his letter. The Gnostics believed that the physical world was evil, and one was saved by some kind of higher spiritual knowledge. Thus they believed Jesus was not really God in the flesh, he just appeared to have a physical body and such. Thus, if John is writing with Gnostics in mind, it really makes even more sense that he would emphasize the physical body of Christ, we heard, saw with our eyes, touched with our hands.<\/span><\/p>\n

Historical Christ<\/strong><\/p>\n

So let\u2019s get specific. What is the doctrine of Christ laid out for us in this text? First things first. That which was from the beginning. Then the end of verse 2, which was with the Father. So here we have the deity of Christ as a member of the Godhead. Jesus was not merely a man upon whom the Spirit of God descended upon, as some heresies of John\u2019s day were saying. Jesus was not merely a prophet as Muslim\u2019s say today. But rather, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And as John records Jesus saying in John 8v58, \u201cJesus said to them, \u2018Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh church, as believers in Christ let His preeminence thrill your hearts! Let this great doctrine turn us to worship. Let this great doctrine fill us with joy! \u201cFor by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities \u2013 all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell\u2026\u201d \u2013 Colossians 1v16-19.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then John says that this eternal Son of God \u201cwe have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life – the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us \u2013 that which we have seen and heard\u2026\u201d So John emphasizes over and over that this eternal Son of God, from the beginning, that was with the Father was made manifest to us. Not in some mystical spiritual type of way. But in the flesh. Christ physically was made manifest to the disciples. This, of course, the incarnation of God. The taking on of humanity by the second person of the Trinity, the Lord Jesus Christ. John is saying, quite possibly to the Gnostics, \u201clook, I was there, I saw him, heard him, and touched him.\u201d My friends, what a solid foundation this is that we have to build our lives upon. Christianity is not mysticism. It is the objective reality of Christ. Christianity is not based on subjective personal experience. It is based on the objective, historical person and work of Jesu Christ, according to Scripture.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thus as one commentator put it, \u201cJohn begins his letter by grounding his readers in the objective historical reality of the gospel. Christianity is not a vague, abstract set of ideas or an ethical system. It is, above all, the good news of what God has done in our space-and-time history in the real, tangible experience of sending his Son to rescue us from the destruction that our own sins are bringing upon us, apart from him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Gospel<\/strong><\/p>\n

You see, if we lose the historical Christ according to Scripture, we lose the gospel. We are real people, with real sins, that need real forgiveness. And in the gospel we have a real Jesus, who died a real death for our sin. I imagine as John is writing this he is playing back all the memories he has of being with Jesus, hearing him, and watching him. Maybe he remembers the many miracles Jesus did, the healings, the teachings. But I imagine, on the forefront of his mind, is the image of Jesus dying on the cross, as John as there watching with Jesus\u2019 mother. John witnessed the gospel happening! And I imagine what a joyful memory it is that he has when Jesus appears to his disciples after his resurrection. We know Jesus invited Thomas to touch his wounds; but I\u2019m sure there were embraces all around from the disciples, and John remembers embracing the body of the risen Jesus.<\/span><\/p>\n

The phrase at the end of verse 1, \u201cconcerning the word of life,\u201d is a way of saying, the \u201cgospel of Jesus.\u201d Whereas at the beginning of verse 2, we see that the word \u201clife,\u201d is specifically referring to Jesus, as it says, \u201cthe life was made manifest.\u201d And so John has in mind, not only the doctrine of who Christ is, but also the gospel of Christ, what Jesus has done. His life, death, and resurrection, on behalf sinners, that grants forgiveness, gives righteousness, and imparts eternal to those who believe. And John was an eye-witness to Jesus accomplishing those things for him, and for all of us who believe. <\/span><\/p>\n

This is the foundation upon which we build the rest of the letter. This is the foundation upon which we are to do all the things in this letter that we will learn, the gospel of Jesus Christ. What Jesus Christ has done for us, is sole basis upon which we are given eternal life, forgiveness of sins, and righteousness before God. It is the sole basis upon which we are able to love God and walk in the light in obedience to Him. Our doctrine of who Christ is, and what Christ has done, is the only fountain out which all godly living can flow.<\/span><\/p>\n

Personal Experience<\/strong><\/p>\n

What\u2019s more about these opening verses is that John does not simply write that Christ came, lived, died, and rose again. But he says, we have heard, we have seen, touched with our hands, we have seen it, it was made manifest to us, we have seen. John really repeats himself several times here as you can see. There are two main reasons. One, for emphasis, letting the reader know that this is important. Secondly, it is not mere repetition, when John repeats a phrase, it works to broaden our understanding of what he is talking about. For example, verse 1, he says, \u201cwhich we have seen with our eyes\u201d \u2013 that is the basic physical understanding of the incarnation. Then immediately following he continues by saying, \u201cwhich we looked upon.\u201d There implying an intent gazing, or a beholding. This was something to behold. Then in verse 2, \u201cthe life was made manifest and we have seen it,\u201d then verse 3, \u201cthat which we have seen\u2026\u201d So now clearly we\u2019re talking about more than physical sight and observation. But a manifestation to his spiritual eyes. He has not only seen with his physical eyes, but with the eyes of faith, Christ has been made manifest to him, in a saving way, by the power of the Spirit. <\/span><\/p>\n

So as John lays out the objective historical facts and theology of Christ, intertwined with that he lays out his personal experience with the objective Christ. You see, while Christianity is not based on personal experience, partaking of Christianity cannot be devoid of personal experience. We of course are not apostles, as John was the last apostle and there are no more, so we do not physically experience Christ as John did. But spiritually, we must, by the Spirit of God, be personally born again. We must be born again, by the Spirit, if we are to see the kingdom of God as John writes in his gospel. In salvation, the objective facts of Christ (the life was manifest) become personally applied to the believer (and we have seen it) by the Spirit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Do you know Christ? Have you seen Him? Not physically, not in dreams or visions, but have you seen him, with the eyes of faith? Have you beheld the son of God? Can you look to the cross and see the Lord Jesus there, bleeding, suffering, and dying with your name written on his hands? Can you look to Calvary and not simply say, \u201cChrist died,\u201d but can you say, \u201cChrist died for me\u201d? Christ died. That is history. Christ died for sinners. That is doctrine. Christ died for me. That is salvation. Take one of them out and you lose them all.<\/span><\/p>\n

Proclamation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Verse 3, \u201cThat which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you\u2026\u201d This gospel is meant to be proclaimed by those who have experienced. John directly obeying the great commission the Lord gave before he ascended to heaven. I mentioned earlier that we of course don\u2019t see Jesus physically as John did. So how does Christ make himself manifest to us today? By his gospel being proclaimed, that has been passed down to us from the apostles, according to Scripture. If we want people to see Jesus, and behold Christ on the cross for them, we must proclaim the gospel, for that is the means God has ordained to use in order to save sinners and reveal Christ to them. Martin Luther taught that \u201cwhere the gospel is preached, Christ is present.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Fellowship<\/strong><\/p>\n

But John gives us further reason why he is proclaiming the gospel to his readers. \u201cThat which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.\u201d Do you want true fellowship with God and with others? Then proclaim a doctrinal, historical gospel of Jesus Christ. First and foremost, one of the results of the gospel is that Jesus has made peace between us and God and thus granting us true fellowship with God. We have done nothing but break fellowship with God because we are sinners. Yet, in his great mercy, God manifested Himself to sinners like us, in the person and work of Jesus Christ to bring us into fellowship with Him. John wants his readers not simply to have fellowship with them, or with one another, but first and foremost with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Without Christ making us sinners right with God, we have no basis for genuine fellowship with one another. That\u2019s why doctrine matters. If you\u2019re not right with God, then it\u2019s impossible for you to be right with others.<\/span><\/p>\n

But John as well hints at the fact that those who have fellowship with God in Christ have a genuine and special fellowship and bond with one another that is facilitated and created by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Fellowship with one another comes from the gospel and it\u2019s proclamation. Indeed, agreement regarding Christ\u2019s person and works is necessary for church fellowship. As John MacArthur puts it, \u201cThe affirmation of a proper view of Christ constitutes the first test of genuine fellowship.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joy<\/strong><\/p>\n

As we touched upon earlier, the purpose of all this, is so that our joy may be made complete. Does it not bring you joy to think about how you were once a rebellious and vile enemy of God, living according to the flesh, deserving the wrath of God in hell; and yet, not because of anything in you, or any movement on your part, God condescended to you in Jesus Christ, living, dying, and rising in your stead, so that He could have fellowship with you. I mean that is just remarkable. How can understanding our fellowship with God not bring us great joy? And to think that God has given us other believers who share in this fellowship with God for us to have fellowship with together as we travel as pilgrims through this difficult world. What a joy. God didn\u2019t have to give us gospel companions. Yet he did. True brothers and sisters bonded together by the blood Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n

All of these benefits that we receive here in this passage \u2013 eternal life, fellowship, and joy \u2013 are all brought to us by Christ. Christ\u2019s life brings us eternal life; eternal life is fellowship with God; and fellowship with God is joy \u2013 it is the fullness of joy, Psalm 16. It should complete our joy to know that we now have fellowship with God in Christ \u2013 not enmity! Not strife! Not fear! Not doubt! But joy! Full joy! Complete joy, not partial joy, not some joy, not occasional joy, but complete joy; fullness of joy. <\/span><\/p>\n

My friends, Christ is the foundation, or fountain of our fellowship and joy with God and others. What we need is not to be told how to do things better, or steps to such and such, what we need is to be told who Christ is and what Christ has done for us. Is there anything more joyful than out of sheer surprise and mercy to be given a great gift? It\u2019s one of the happiest things \u2013 receiving a gift that you weren\u2019t expecting and that the giver was not obligated to give. And we have that ultimately and eternally in Jesus Christ. The gift of eternal life, having fellowship with God, and the fullness of joy.<\/span><\/p>\n

So I ask you today, do you have joy? Do you want joy? Do you have fellowship with God? Do you want fellowship with God? Do you believe the real Jesus? It\u2019s not enough to simply know the facts, but have you experienced the new birth? Have you been born again of the Spirit of God, to behold Christ on the cross for you, thus making fellowship with you, and filling you with joy? I\u2019m not asking you to do x, y, and z in order to have better and more awesome fellowship with joy. I\u2019m asking do you know Christ for yourself? Because if you do, you will have fellowship and joy.<\/span><\/p>\n

I think of that hymn, \u201cwhat a fellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arms.\u201d You know, that\u2019s a good way of putting what it means to trust Christ and have faith in Jesus. Leaning on him. Are you leaning on Christ? Are you throwing yourself and all your hopes and merits upon the everlasting arms?<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Introduction The epistle of 1 John is peppered with verses that are well-known and loved by many believers. Maybe some of you have favorite verses found in this book. Verses like 1 John 1v9, \u201cIf we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":685,"featured_media":3599,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,27,30,32],"tags":[33,34,205,220,274,278,443,474,491,518,538,557,645,678,679,687,699,701,740,880,887,1014,1056,1105,1114,1235],"class_list":{"0":"post-3598","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-commentary","8":"category-gospel","9":"category-preaching","10":"category-theology","11":"tag-33","12":"tag-1-john","13":"tag-bible","14":"tag-book","15":"tag-christ","16":"tag-christianity","17":"tag-epistle","18":"tag-faith","19":"tag-fellowship","20":"tag-foundation","21":"tag-general","22":"tag-god","23":"tag-in","24":"tag-jenkins","25":"tag-jesus","26":"tag-john","27":"tag-joshua","28":"tag-joy","29":"tag-letter","30":"tag-of","31":"tag-on","32":"tag-rags","33":"tag-riches","34":"tag-scripture","35":"tag-sermon","36":"tag-the","37":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/08\/pexels-photo-257360.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3608,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/the-advocate-commentary-on-1-john-2v1-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":3598,"position":0},"title":"The Advocate: Commentary on 1 John 2v1-2","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"August 27, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Introduction The last couple weeks, in verses 5-10, one of the things John brought us to examine was the contrast between the life of the unbeliever and the believer: the unbeliever walks in darkness, the believer walks in the light. The unbeliever may deny that he has sin, the believer\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/08\/books.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/08\/books.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/08\/books.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/08\/books.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/08\/books.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/08\/books.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3601,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/light-and-darkness-commentary-on-1-john-1v5-7\/","url_meta":{"origin":3598,"position":1},"title":"Light and Darkness: Commentary on 1 John 1v5-7","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"August 13, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Verse 5 begins as a link to the previous 4 verses where the apostle John laid a foundation of the person and work of Christ as the foundation upon which what we read here today is built upon. In the opening verses we were also introduced to the theme of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/08\/office-wood-table-with-blank-notepad-pencil-glasses-and-cup-of-coffee_1627-105.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/08\/office-wood-table-with-blank-notepad-pencil-glasses-and-cup-of-coffee_1627-105.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/08\/office-wood-table-with-blank-notepad-pencil-glasses-and-cup-of-coffee_1627-105.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3605,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/sure-sin-surer-savior-commentary-on-1-john-1v8-10\/","url_meta":{"origin":3598,"position":2},"title":"Sure Sin, Surer Savior: Commentary on 1 John 1v8-10","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"August 20, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"In Context In verse 5-7 that we looked at last week, there is a real emphasis on the importance of holy living. John stresses that true Christians walk in the light, and live lives that are consistent with the fellowship they have with God. 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