Devotionary

We are still looking at 1 John, chapter four, verses 1-6 and this is our fifth episode on this passage. I've entitled it, "True Confessions" because John is going to make a strong distinction between those who confess Jesus and those who confess Him as having come in the flesh. This was a real problem in his day. There were plenty of people who believed that Jesus had been a real-life human being. When John wrote his letter, which was most likely sometime around 67-68 A.D., it had only been three decades since Jesus' death. There were still plenty of people alive who had seen and heard Jesus during His earthly ministry. There were still eyewitnesses to His resurrection around, such as John himself. So, there really wasn't a problem with people saying Jesus never existed. The issue was that there were those who claimed He was not divine. They believed Jesus was just a man – a good man, but a man nonetheless. Their rejection of His deity was a dangerous and rapidly growing problem confronting the church. And John was going to address this problem head-on. Anyone who rejected the idea that Jesus was God, was not speaking on behalf of God.

This is episode four on 1 John, chapter four, verses 1-6 and I've entitled it, "Listen Carefully". John has been discussing the all-important role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. But for us to take advantage of the "helper" as Jesus described Him, we are going to have to learn to listen to Him. And He primarily speaks to us through the Word of God, the Scriptures. In the writings of John, Matthew, Paul, Peter and the other authors of the New Testament, we have the will of God revealed to us. The Holy Spirit inspired these men to pen the words found in their letters and ultimately included in the canon of Scripture. The same is true of the Old Testament. In the writings of the prophets, the historical chronicles of Moses, and the psalms of David, we have the words of God. And while the Scriptures can sometimes be confusing and difficult to understand, the Holy Spirit makes them discernible and applicable to our lives – even in our modern-day context. We have the ability to hear and comprehend the truth of God as revealed in the Word of God because we have the Spirit of God.

This is our third episode on 1 John, chapter four, verses 1-6. It's called "Holy Help" and addresses the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. One of the things all followers of Christ will face in their lifetimes is the presence of false teachers who claim to be speaking on behalf of God. These posers and fakers will look the part, but will present information that is contrary to God's will. Their messages will be subtly deceptive. They will mix falsehood with a little bit of truth. They will sound convincing and come across as loving and caring. So, what are we to do? John would have us rely upon the Holy Spirit, the helper provided to us by God Himself. The Spirit of God lives within each and every believer, providing them with wisdom and empowering them to live godly lives. And that power should not be taken for granted. His strength is what makes it possible for us to thrive in the midst of a sin-filled world. And He is the one who makes it possible for us to spot false teaching by helping us understand the truth of God's Word. He is the holy help we need for living in a less-than-holy world.

This is episode two on 1 John, chapter four, verses 1-6. It's called "Spiritual White Noise" and deals with all the confusing and seemingly contradictory information we receive under the guise of spiritual teaching. The Church, the body of Christ, has always attracted charlatans and wanna-bes. Individuals who claim to speak on behalf of God and try to weasel their way into the good graces of the people of God. They tend to offer novel approaches to the Christian life, not easily supported by Scripture. They give interpretations of God's Word that don't gel with orthodox Christianity, but present a new, more up-to-date take on spiritual life. But John would have us be wary and watchful. He would warn us to test the spirits. Not everybody who claims to speak on behalf of God has been sent by God. And if we're not careful, we can easily find ourselves led astray and captured by the attractive messages of these false teachers. There will always be posers and fakers, masquerading as pastors and teachers. But rather than teach the truth of God and present Jesus as the Son of God and the sole means of salvation, they will offer up alternative gospels. But John says, don't believe them.

This is episode one on 1 John, chapter four, verses 1-6. I've entitled it "That's the Spirit" because John is going to repeatedly use the Greek word, pneuma, which can be translated as Spirit and oftentimes refers to the Spirit of God. But to just what kind of spirit is it that John refers? How are we to know that what we hear preached or taught is of God? How are we to tell the difference between God's Spirit and what John refers to as the spirit of the antichrist? As with everything else John has said in the last three chapters, it all hinges on who we believe Jesus to be. Was He the Son of God and the Savior of the world? Had He been sent by God to sacrifice His life on behalf of sinful mankind and to die as a substitute for the penalty we deserved? If anyone preaches something other than Jesus as Lord and Savior, they are the wrong kind of spirit. They have the wrong kind of message. And they are to be avoided at all costs. The Spirit of God will always lift up the Son of God. And that's the only Spirit worth listening to.

This is the final episode on 1 John, chapter three, verses 11-24. I've entitled it "Kids In A Candy Store" because verses 21 and 22 seem to give the indication that, as God's children, we have been given a no-holds-barred, get-whatever-you-want promise from God that guarantees us that all our prayers will be answered. But is that really what John is teaching? Is he telling us that God is somehow obligated to give us whatever we ask for, no matter what? As usual, the key to understanding these verses is based on context. We have to keep in mind all that John has said so far in his letter. And a big part of what he has been dealing with is the issue of abiding in Christ. Prayer is to be a byproduct of our abiding. And what we pray for should reflect that we are deeply reliant upon and in step with God's will for us. This isn't so much about us getting what we want from God, but about us learning to desire what God wants for us, then asking Him for it. Our willingness to abide in Christ will have a dramatic impact on our ability to pray dependently and receive successfully.

This is episode six on 1 John, chapter three, verses 11-24. I've entitled it "God Knows, Don't Panic" because John is going to give us some much-needed words of encouragement regarding our love for one another. By this point, John's persistent call to love has probably left a few of us wondering whether we have it in us to love like he is describing. It seems impossible, especially if you take into account that our love is to be unconditional and impartial. But John seems to be sending us a message that any love we show for one another is of God. We didn't pull it off on our own. God is revealing His love in us and through us. And as a result, that should cause us to have confidence is our salvation, not to question it. There will be times when we feel unloving. We will experience those moments when it seems as if our love has fallen short of God's high standard. But John would have us remember that even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings. He knows everything. He knows our hearts. And He knows when we are loving, not in our own strength, but as a result of His Spirit's work within us.

In this, our fifth episode on 1 John, chapter three, verses 11-24, we be digging further into John's thoughts regarding love and hate. For John, love was an essential characteristic of the believer's life that was non-negotiable. It came with the territory, because God Himself is love and we are the children of God. As His sons and daughters, we are to love as He has loved us. It is part of our new nature. Our new life in Christ provides us with a new capacity to love one another, no matter how unlovely or unlovable the other person might be. The love of God allows us to love those who don't look like us, act like us, think like us, or even speak the same language as us. This new, Spirit-produced love, is non-judgmental and doesn't show favoritism. It is selfless and gracious. It is forgiving, patient and kind. It knows no boundaries, refusing to let things like race, economic status or educational accomplishment determine its target. This kind of love is addictive and attractive to some, while repugnant to others. It is difficult to comprehend and impossible to replicate. Because it comes from God. It is not of this world. Which is why the world hates it and all those who exhibit it.

This fourth episode on 1 John, chapter three, verses 11-24 deals with love and hate, life and death. For John, these things were real and provided a vivid contrast for what it means to live as a Christian in a disbelieving world. We have new life in Christ. And as a result, we are to love. We live in a world filled with hate, but we are to love. We live, surrounded by people condemned to death for their sins, but we have life – abundant life here and now and eternal life to come. We are to provide a stark contrast to the world around us. Unlike Cain, we are not to hate anymore. Hate leads to murder and death. It was Jesus who said, "You have heard that our ancestors were told, 'You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.' But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment!" (Matthew 5:21-22 NLT). As believers in Christ, we have been called to a new standard and a new life – one marked by love, not hatred. But our new lives in Christ will not be accepted by those with whom we live. They will despise and hate us. They will reject us. Because we represent the light and the light exposes sin.

This is our third episode on 1 John, chapter three, verses 11-24 and we'll be concentrating our attention on verse 12. Here, John brings up two Old Testament characters, two brothers, and uses them to describe what it means to love. I have called this episode "The Cain Mutiny" because it deals with the sin of Cain when he killed his brother in cold blood. This first murder in human history was motivated by hate. Cain hated Abel. But why? That is the important part of John's message that we need to grasp. It would be easy to make the story of Cain and Abel about offerings, but it has far more to do with love. Cain lacked love for his brother, because he didn't know what it meant to love God. He didn't have faith in God. His offering didn't measure up, because he didn't measure up. His offering wasn't given in love and out of faith. It was an attempt to placate God and keep Him happy. But when his offering was refused by God and his brother's was accepted, the true nature of Cain was exposed. He hated. And his hatred led to murder. And it was all rebellion against God.