God Speaks
My little children, I am telling you this so that you will stay away from sin. But if you sin, there is someone to plead for you before the Father. His name is Jesus Christ, the one who is all that is good and who pleases God completely. 2 He is the one who took God’s wrath against our sins upon himself and brought us into fellowship with God; and he is the forgiveness for our sins, and not only ours but all the world’s.
3 And how can we be sure that we belong to him? By looking within ourselves: are we really trying to do what he wants us to?
4 Someone may say, “I am a Christian; I am on my way to heaven; I belong to Christ.” But if he doesn’t do what Christ tells him to, he is a liar. 5 But those who do what Christ tells them to will learn to love God more and more. That is the way to know whether or not you are a Christian. 6 Anyone who says he is a Christian should live as Christ did.
7 Dear brothers, I am not writing out a new rule for you to obey, for it is an old one you have always had, right from the start. You have heard it all before. 8 Yet it is always new, and works for you just as it did for Christ; and as we obey this commandment, to love one another, the darkness in our lives disappears and the new light of life in Christ shines in.
9 Anyone who says he is walking in the light of Christ but dislikes his fellow man is still in darkness. 10 But whoever loves his fellow man is “walking in the light” and can see his way without stumbling around in darkness and sin. 11 For he who dislikes his brother is wandering in spiritual darkness and doesn’t know where he is going, for the darkness has made him blind so that he cannot see the way.
12 I am writing these things to all of you, my little children, because your sins have been forgiven in the name of Jesus our Savior. 13 I am saying these things to you older men because you really know Christ, the one who has been alive from the beginning. And you young men, I am talking to you because you have won your battle with Satan. And I am writing to you younger boys and girls because you, too, have learned to know God our Father.
14 And so I say to you fathers who know the eternal God, and to you young men who are strong with God’s Word in your hearts, and have won your struggle against Satan: 15 Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love these things you show that you do not really love God; 16 for all these worldly things, these evil desires—the craze for sex, the ambition to buy everything that appeals to you, and the pride that comes from wealth and importance—these are not from God. They are from this evil world itself. 17 And this world is fading away, and these evil, forbidden things will go with it, but whoever keeps doing the will of God will live forever.
18 Dear children, this world’s last hour has come. You have heard about the Antichrist who is coming—the one who is against Christ—and already many such persons have appeared. This makes us all the more certain that the end of the world is near. 19 These “against-Christ” people used to be members of our churches, but they never really belonged with us or else they would have stayed. When they left us it proved that they were not of us at all.
20 But you are not like that, for the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you know the truth. 21 So I am not writing to you as to those who need to know the truth, but I warn you as those who can discern the difference between true and false.
22 And who is the greatest liar? The one who says that Jesus is not Christ. Such a person is antichrist, for he does not believe in God the Father and in his Son. 23 For a person who doesn’t believe in Christ, God’s Son, can’t have God the Father either. But he who has Christ, God’s Son, has God the Father also.
24 So keep on believing what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will always be in close fellowship with both God the Father and his Son. 25 And he himself has promised us this: eternal life.
26 These remarks of mine about the Antichrist are pointed at those who would dearly love to blindfold you and lead you astray. 27 But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, in your hearts, so that you don’t need anyone to teach you what is right. For he teaches you all things, and he is the Truth, and no liar; and so, just as he has said, you must live in Christ, never to depart from him.
28 And now, my little children, stay in happy fellowship with the Lord so that when he comes you will be sure that all is well and will not have to be ashamed and shrink back from meeting him. 29 Since we know that God is always good and does only right, we may rightly assume that all those who do right are his children.
Source: The Living Bible: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: The Apostle John is very tender here as he writes to his children in the faith, both instructing and encouraging them. He addresses three levels of maturity: fathers, young men, and little children. It’s not certain if he means spiritual or physical maturity. John did not want these people he loved to sin. But he knew they would. He wrote how they could be forgiven. He told them about Jesus speaking to the Father on their behalf. Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross wasn’t just for those to whom John was writing but was for the whole world. How could they know if someone really knew the Lord? They should ask, “Does this person obey God’s commands? Do they speak and act like Jesus, doing what He would do?” John was not giving them a new command from God; he was referring to what Jesus called the Great Commandment found in Leviticus 19:18 and Deuteronomy 6:5. When he was asked, “Of all the commandments, which is most important? Jesus replied, “The one that says, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only God. And you must love Him with all your heart and soul and mind and strength.’ The second is: ‘You must love others as much as you love yourself.’ No other commandments are greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31 The Living Bible) As we seek to obey these commandments, the darkness in our lives will dissipate. That doesn’t leave any room for hatred, jealousy, blaming, or shaming: doing so means you are not walking in the light of Christ. John wanted his children to always remember that their sins have been forgiven in the name of Jesus our Savior. The key things John wanted his children in the Lord to know were these: 1) Christ has existed throughout eternity. 2) The war with Satan has been won. 3) We can know God as our Father. 4) We can really know the eternal God. 5) We can be strong and overcome the wicked one by staying in the word of God. 6) We need to avoid craving physical pleasures, craving to possess everything we see, and boasting about our possessions and accomplishments. These cravings are not of God, but only draw us away from Him. 7) The last days are near when there are more and more against-God people even in the church. 8) With the help of the Holy Spirit we can know and stand up for the truth. 9) We can and should maintain fellowship with the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and other believers. 10) Jesus is coming back, and we should continue living in Christ, avoiding sinning until He does.
Prayer: Dear Holy and Righteous God, You do not want the people You created to sin (rebel against You), but because You knew we would, You provided a way for us to be forgiven. Thank You, Jesus, for speaking up for me to Father God. Your sacrifice on the cross wasn’t for just a select few but was for the whole world. Holy Spirit please take over my thoughts and actions so that I obey God’s commands, like Jesus did. May I live out the two great commandments in some way every day. Please forgive me for the ways I have not loved You or others as I should today. Help me to always remember that my sins have been forgiven in the name of Jesus my Savior. Jesus, help me to walk in Your light. Thank You, Jesus, for winning the war with Satan for mine and others’ souls. Thank You God for being such a good father to me. I am so glad for the privilege of knowing You. Help me to overcome the wicked one by staying in the word of God. Please give me the proper perspective on my possessions and finances. Holy Spirit, please help me and others to know and stand up for the truth. Thank You that I can have fellowship with You, the triune God, and other believers. Come back soon, Lord Jesus. 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 memorize one or more of the following verses in a translation or version I find easiest to remember: Leviticus 19:18, Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, 33, Luke 10:27.
- I will spend time daily in the word of God so that I can combat Satan’s lies in mine and others’ lives.
- I will confess my sins to God as soon as I am aware of them and claim the forgiveness Jesus obtained for me through the cross.
- I will maintain fellowship with another believer by extending the grace and mercy God has shown me.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.