God Speaks
Christ was alive when the world began, yet I myself have seen him with my own eyes and listened to him speak. I have touched him with my own hands. He is God’s message of life. 2 This one who is life from God has been shown to us, and we guarantee that we have seen him; I am speaking of Christ, who is eternal Life. He was with the Father and then was shown to us. 3 Again I say, we are telling you about what we ourselves have actually seen and heard, so that you may share the fellowship and the joys we have with the Father and with Jesus Christ his son. 4 And if you do as I say in this letter, then you, too, will be full of joy, and so will we.
5 This is the message God has given us to pass on to you: that God is Light and in him is no darkness at all. 6 So if we say we are his friends but go on living in spiritual darkness and sin, we are lying. 7 But if we are living in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ does, then we have wonderful fellowship and joy with each other, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from every sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he can be depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. And it is perfectly proper for God to do this for us because Christ died to wash away our sins.* 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are lying and calling God a liar, for he says we have sinned.
Source: The Living Bible: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: I call this chapter small but mighty. These 10 short verses contain some of the most powerful truths of scripture. They tell of the Apostle John’s firsthand experience with Jesus. Jesus is, was, and always will be the Word of God, Light of the world, the God who became a man. John’s interaction with Jesus was increasingly intense. It involved hearing from a distance; seeing, closer but still just providing a general impression; beholding, close enough to study the expression on His face; and touching, actually having physical contact. Over the course of about three and a half years, John, who was one of the Twelve, came to know that Jesus of Nazareth truly was one with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. the only source of eternal life. John was declaring in this letter that we too can have fellowship (close interaction) with God the Father and Jesus Christ, His Son and complete joy in Him. The problem is: God is light (holiness), and we are darkness (sin). For us to walk with Him in the light, we must be cleansed by the blood of Christ Jesus. We must own up to our sinful thoughts, words, and deeds (to Him and to other people when appropriate). If we say that we have not sinned, we are calling the holy God a liar.
Prayer: Dear Father God, thank You for sending Jesus, God the Son, to show us what You are really like and what You think of us human beings despite all our faults and sins. Through the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit, may I have a firsthand experience with Jesus like the Apostle John? Jesus, You are, were, and always will be the Word of God, Light of the world, the God who became a man. May my interaction with You, Jesus, be increasingly intense. I have heard preachers teach about You. I have seen You work in other people giving me a general impression of Your power and love. As times, I have felt close enough to sense You were smiling at me. Right now, I really need a touch from You, actual physical contact. May I and others come to know that Jesus of Nazareth truly was (and remains) one with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, the only source of eternal life. May we too have fellowship (close interaction) with You, Father God and Jesus Christ, Your Son and experience complete joy in You. O Lord God, You are light, resplendent in holiness and purity. We human beings are darkness, full of sin and debauchery. For us to walk with You in the light, Holy Spirit must cleanse us with the blood Christ Jesus shed at the cross. I own up to my sinful thoughts, words, and deeds (to You and to other people when appropriate). If I say that I have not sinned, I am calling You, the holy God, a liar, and I certainly don’t want to do that. I want to live to bring You pleasure and glory because I love You, Lord. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will build into my schedule a time each night to ask God to review the day and show me where I sinned or displeased Him. I will confess that, plead the blood of Jesus over it, and thank Him for His forgiveness and grace.
- I will build into my schedule a time each night to ask God to review the day and show me where I have done the right thing or pleased Him and celebrate that with Him.
- I will find a trusted friend (or two) with whom I can meet at least once a week with whom we can confess our sins, celebrate our victories, pray for each other, and be healed.
- I will try to develop that kind of accountability friendship with my spouse (if married to a believer).
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.