21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.REFLECTIONSWritten by Stephen SheadEvery time I read this I think: What a strange way to finish a letter! You know … “Dear Claire, it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other – I’m still sad that you had to move so far away. How’s the new job turning out? By the way, stay away from idols.”But as I thought about it more, I realised that this isn’t a strange way to finish at all. John wants us to understand this as a summary of the big message he has been repeating through the whole letter. That is: the only way to know the truth and have life is to believe in God the Father and in his Son, Jesus Christ, and to walk in Christ’s truth and light. For the people John was writing to, it seems there was a lot of pressure to keep saying you believe in God, but to deny Jesus. Some of that pressure came from false teachers who had been in the church. There was also no doubt huge pressure from their pagan neighbours – worshipping idols was a non-negotiable part of life in the Roman Empire.But John has said that the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ is the liar (2:22). It’s only those who believe and remain in Christ who know the Father and have eternal life (2:23-25). In the second-last verse of the book, he says: “And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”That is, denying Jesus is idolatry. Idolatry isn’t just about bowing down to a carved image. Idolatry is allowing anything other than the true God to replace him or rival him in our devotion and our life direction.Living in the truth of God starts with acknowledging – in private and in public – that Jesus is God’s Son and submitting to him as our Lord. That will show itself in the way we live “in the light” – with genuine love for one another, seeking holiness and obeying God’s word out of love for him.I can think of a number of things in my life that threaten to take over my heart and my desires and my decision, but I find it hard to say “no” to them. I’m sure you can too. Spend time identifying what those things are for you, and ask Jesus to help you keep away from them by his Spirit.ABOUT THE AUTHORStephen is our senior minister.