Category: 1 John

Dear Church Family, This week we come to the final four verses of 1 John and the conclusion of our study of this epistle. If you’ve been following along in our study, then hopefully by now you might remember the three main themes or emphases of this letter. The Christian life is comprised of: right…

Dear Church Family, As we near the end of this first epistle from the Apostle John, God’s Word focuses us in on the power and privilege of prayer. And, if you give full weight to the meaning of these words, and take God’s Word to heart – it is, indeed, an amazing teaching about prayer.…

Dear Church Family, As we enter the fifth and final chapter in our study of 1 John, we find that the Apostle John wishes to conclude this letter by encouraging and building up the assurance of faith of his readers, “those who believe in the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13). And…

Dear Church Family, Continuing in our study of 1 John, we come to a section in chapter four (1 John 4:7-12) in which John once again takes up the topic of love, specifically, a call for believers to love one another. In fact, that phrase, “love one another,” is repeated three times in these verses.…

Dear Church Family, The Apostle John begins the fourth chapter of his first epistle with a call for discernment, a call for believers to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). As we noted in our last lesson, John…

Dear Church Family, In our study of 1 John, we’ve taken note of how the Apostle John emphasizes the three key elements of the Christian life: right doctrine (what you believe), right relationships (who you love), and right morality (how you live). As we come to chapter four of this epistle, we find that he,…

Dear Church Family, How would you answer this question: “As a child of God, what gives you confidence before God in prayer that He will give you what you ask for?” I suspect that there are many answers to that question, but I doubt that I would get the answer that God’s Word gives us…

Dear Church Family, When C.S. Lewis’ wife died, he kept a journal of his grief. Later, these observations were published in a book, A Grief Observed. In that book, Lewis describes how God feels so very distant in times of mourning and loss, something with which most everyone can relate: “Go to [God] when your need…

Dear Church Family, We’ve seen how God’s love in Christ for His people causes hate (1 John 3:11-15) – how the world hates those who are born of God. And, we’ve seen also how God’s love in Christ for His people causes change: “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for…

Dear Church Family, Last week, in 1 John 3:11-15, we saw how God’s love in Christ for His people causes hate. That is to say, the world will hate those who are loved by God, those who are born again and thus love Him. John goes all the way back to the first example of fratricide…