In this passage we see:

How the world responds to the Gospel.

How the people of God respond to the Gospel.

How the Gospel transforms the people of God as they respond to it.

It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done, you are loved by a king who died for you and is calling you to draw near to Himself.

We have a call to live in unity. When we are united in thought and united in purpose, the result will be that we are united in action.

The focus on Jesus in these verses points us to some amazing things about God’s love and grace:

1. We are entitled - given status or title.

2. We are enriched by the love and grace of God.

3. We are ensured by God’s faithfulness.

In 3 John we see examples of what the truth manifests in God’s people.

We are bonded in truth, partnered with truth, and measured by truth.

We see in 2 John three aspects of truth:

Jesus defines truth.

The truth changes how we live.

We, the church, must protect the truth.

The book of 1 John wraps up with several truths that we can confidently know.

Our eternal life in Christ is known.

Our confidence in our salvation is known.

Our God is a known God.

God’s gift of eternal life brings belief and assurance in Christ which causes people who can love without limits. This creates unity and obedience within God’s people. Through this unity we engage together in world-conquering love.

Our identity as humans is marred by sin and shame, but the identity offered by the Gospel is shaped by the cross and reflects the person and work of Christ. Our Gospel identity is a defined identity, an expressed identity, and an anchored identity.

God’s love is a love that re-creates, a love that restores, and a love that reassures - and we need to let that love do what it wants in our lives.

God wants you to know Him because He loves you desperately - how we think about God and how we relate to and know Him is the most important pursuit in our life.

God’s love sets us apart to know Him, clarifies who He is and what He is like, and abides in us as we abide in it.