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

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

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

Dear Church Family, The love of God for His people is a major theme in Scripture. God’s very nature is love (1 John 4:8, 16). Our being predestined to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, is based in the love of God (Ephesians 1:4-5). Because He died for us,

Dear Church Family, Last week, in our look at 1 John 2:28-3:5, we reflected on how as a child of God, “be” comes before “do.” That is to say, according to God’s Word, we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. And then, only after we have

Dear Church Family, In most religions one must “do” in order to “be.” That is to say, most religions are works-based – you have to do things in order to become a new person or gain a reward. The Christian faith, however, is the exact opposite: one must “be” in

Dear Church Family, Quick Review Just a quick review of what we’ve learned and where we’ve been thus far in our study of 1 John. John’s first epistle teaches us about the three main aspects of the Christian life. And, the second chapter of 1 John covers all three emphases

Dear Church Family, As we’ve seen, John’s first epistle teaches about the three main aspects of the Christian life. And, the second chapter of 1 John covers all three emphases of this letter. The first part of this chapter (1 John 2:1-6) emphasizes the important of right morality and learning to walk

Dear Church Family, In the second chapter of his first epistle, the Apostle John talks about the importance or right affections or right relationships. Unfortunately, many people believe that what or who a person loves is outside of his or her control. Surely, you’ve heard this sentiment: “I can’t help

Dear Church Family, As we’ve seen, the first main part of 1 John (1:5-2:6) is about obedience and right morality. God’s Word calls us to examine ourselves (1 John 1:5-10), examine Christ (1 John 2:1-2), and examine our calling to keep and obey God’s commandments (1 John 2:3-6). The Apostle