I Write to You Because…

Posted on July 31, 2018 by Don Merritt

Today, we have an amazing text, one that I have never really appreciated until a few years ago.  It just hit me: Wow!

I must have been a victim of my training, because this is a transitional passage between John’s introductory section and the rest of the letter.  In verses 1:1-2:11, John has been going through this comparison and contrast that shows his readers who is and who is not in Christ.  Great section, lots of insight! Now, he is giving the reasons he has written the letter, and after this he gets into some very deep thoughts.  We often just blow by this little transition and wade into the content that begins in verse 15 but hold on a minute− the transition is amazing:

I am writing to you, dear children,
    because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
I am writing to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
    because you have overcome the evil one.

I write to you, dear children,
    because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
    because you are strong,
    and the word of God lives in you,
    and you have overcome the evil one.

1 John 2:12-14

Do you see what this is?  It isn’t so much the “who” John is addressing, it’s the “why” that is important, contrary to so much that has been written and discussed over the years.  Let’s restructure these verses:

If you are in Christ, John is writing to you BECAUSE:

1. YOUR sins have been forgiven on account of His name.

2. YOU know Him who is from the beginning.

3. YOU HAVE OVERCOME THE EVIL ONE.

4. YOU know the Father.

5. YOU know Him who is from the beginning.

6. YOU are strong.

7. The Word of God lives in YOU.

8. YOU HAVE OVERCOME THE EVIL ONE.

Did you notice the tense used here?  Each of these “because” statements is either in present or past tense, indicating that they are facts at this very moment, not something to come in the future. I’m sure that I need not mention that there are no “buts” in any of these statements. Now, as for the “who,” there are three “who’s” in the passage, “dear children,” “fathers” and “young men.”

“Dear children” as we have already seen is one of the ways that John addressed the community of believers; it is an inclusive term.  “Fathers” can either be literally a father of children, or it can refer to the head of the household, and in Scripture this is often the case; certainly, it is when referring to a patriarch.  In those cases, something that is true of the father is true of the household.  It seems to me that here, because of the inclusive reference at the beginning, the inclusive meaning is also true of fathers, particularly since there is nothing in the text that would indicate specificity of intent.  “young men” are the heads of households yet to be born, and I think we can take this reference to mean that not only are these things true in believing households of today, but they will also be true of future generations of believing households.  You might wonder about a household of one, but remember that in John’s day, households of one were extremely unusual if not non-existent; they are actually quite a modern development. Looking at the list of statements again, it seems that we can take them to refer to all of us who are in Christ. That is also the context of the previous and following sections…

Notice that there is some repetition.  Numbers 2 and 5 are the same, but 2 comes after a reference to the Son, while 5 comes after a reference to the Father.  If you know Jesus, then you also know the Father.  Having overcome the evil one is mentioned twice also, numbers 3 and 8. Both are directed to young men, and it seems to me interesting that it is repeated the second time in a series of three statements made to young men.  Now if we have an accurate understanding of “young men,” then let’s consider these future heads of household.  They are the future, but they are also young.  They are the ones who need encouragement and the mentoring of the Elder Apostle the most, and so they, who will bear the spiritual battle in the future, need a little more instruction than those who are experienced, the veterans we might say.  Here, John gives an extra assurance that they are strong, filled with the Word, and have overcome.  I would guess that this is as much comfort to John’s “young men” in their day, as this whole list should be to us in our day. This is particularly true when we get into the rest of this letter: John is getting his readers prepared for what is coming.

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TLP Living: July 30, 2018

Posted on July 30, 2018 by Don Merritt

Your Body is a Gift from God

It’s true that our bodies are gifts from God, they are truly amazing in spite of the fact that we tend to focus on our flaws. It was crafted by the hand of God Himself, who placed His image within it. Most of us are ashamed of its appearance and society tells us to hide it from view; it’s bad. Yet we have a huge healthcare industry to care for it and “Health Care” is a huge political issue in our country. I’m probably weird in this, but that has always struck me as an odd contradiction.

Most of us don’t really understand our bodies and how they work, and as a result, we tend to abuse them, even in the most basic of ways, the way we fuel them.

I’ve long thought that one of these days I really should find a sustainable and sensible way of eating so that I can provide appropriate and responsible nutrition, and to do so in a financially responsible way. It just seems like good stewardship, and one of these days real soon, I’m going to get into it.

A quarter century, maybe more, has passed and one of these days still hasn’t appeared on the scene.

There’s no rush for me, I feel fine almost all of the time, I haven’t had a cold since… the Clinton Administration, and I’ve had the flu one time in 10 years, and a bronchitis episode once after sweeping up a dusty basement without ventilation: Not bad for an old guy. I still have a cast iron stomach and I can eat like a teenager, although I’m not as active as I was then so I have to watch how much I eat.

I have no prescriptions, I don’t take anything over the counter, but I do need to lose a few pounds. There isn’t anything new about that, I’ve been on this cycle for years: My pants get a little too tight and I lose 20 or 30 pounds and restart the process. Several years later, I do it again. Last time, I used the junk food diet (of my own creation). I ate anything I wanted: chips, hot dogs, burgers, processed junk of all kinds, but nothing after dinner. I lost enough weight doing that to drop a couple of sizes, and I’m still in those sizes, but I threw away all of the larger sizes, so it’s time to reduce again.

See, I’m doing great!

So why does this little voice in the back of my head keep saying, “Don, you know this is going to catch up with you, right?”

My answer is always the same: “Yes, but I’m not going to let that happen because one of these days I’m going to get this all sorted out and figure out how to eat properly and responsibly.”

That annoying little voice always wants the last word… “Don, didn’t you publish a post 3 years ago that said ‘tomorrow’ never comes because it’s always ‘Today’? Didn’t you also write that ‘one of these days’ is just like ‘tomorrow’, a philosophical illusion that never comes?”

“Shut up!”

“Didn’t you just say that your body is a gift from God and that you should take care of it as a simple matter of good stewardship?”

“I’m not listening to you anymore!”

Am I the only one who has to deal with such an irritating and contentious little voice in their head?

There is however, a catalyst this time around: My wife needs to follow a certain dietary course because of her health concerns, and since I’m the main cook around here, it might just be easier to consider doing the same thing she’s supposed to be doing. Yeah, sadly that would be more practical, but what she’s supposed to be doing, and which she sometimes actually does, is rather extreme; it’s called “Forks Over Knives” and was recommended by her Endocrinologist. On the other hand, we have friends who are doing the opposite and, actually, my daughter is as well, and they are reporting great results. The one they’re doing is the Keto Diet which to me, sounds like certain death.

They are complete opposites that appear to make the same claims about the results; who can make any sense about that?

So, here’s what I’ve decided to do: I will look into both of them and tell you what I learn.

Or I could just lose my pounds by my tried and true method: Eat less and move around more: 30 pounds, 30 days− easy money. I’ve done that at least a half-dozen times…

But then in a few years I’ll be right back where I am now, so I’ll look into the subject just to shut that little voice up.

All right then, that’s what I’ll be writing about this week in my second post: Stewardship and the Human Body. I’d be very pleased to hear any insights or experiences that you have had with this subject, or with either of the approaches I’ve mentioned already; see you next time when we’ll take a look at the documentaries for Forks Over Knives and Keto.

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TLP Inspiration: July 3.0, 2018

Posted on July 30, 2018 by Don Merritt

The Next Move

Here we are at the chess board, looking intently at the pieces on the table and trying to plot our next move… but this is no game−  it’s life.

Each of us has life moves to make; each of us needs a strategy and a plan…

Some people go see their financial advisor to make their plan.  Others speak with their public relations team or their marketing guru.

Paul had a different idea:

 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Philippians 3:14-16

In context (3:1 ff.) he was talking about the ultimate attainment of eternal life in Christ, saying that he hadn’t yet attained it since he’s still living in the physical body.  Then he slipped in that last little line: “Only let us live up to what we have already attained.”

What have we already attained?

We have attained relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  We have attained an inheritance of eternal life and we are His servants on this earth.  As such, it seems that Paul is saying that we need to live accordingly, not trusting in the physical aspect of life but in recognition of the spiritual significance of our relationship with Christ.  Thus, things like financial or business advice might have their place, but it isn’t in planning “life.”  Life is not about our image that we attempt to project to others, it is about the reality of the way we live and behave.

What’s our next move?

To follow Jesus Christ!

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Sunday Sermon Notes: July 29, 2018

Posted on July 29, 2018 by Don Merritt

Title: Jesus Teaches in Parables

Text: Mark 4:1-20

Parallel Texts: Matthew 13:1-23; Luke 8:1-15

With the beginning of chapter four, we see a shift in Mark’s narrative to a battery of parables. Parables are interesting things, little stories that teach a moral lesson. They are not literal, and the stories themselves are not intended to be understood literally; they are instead, metaphors. The literal interpretation, for literalism fans, of a parable is that it is a metaphor… just so we are clear.

Teachers use parables to teach moral lessons in a non-threatening way, so that each listener may perceive the part of the parable that applies to his or her situation, without the teacher needing to point fingers at any certain individual, which enables the lesson to sink in more deeply than if it needed to be filtered through a defensive perimeter. Jesus made frequent use of parables, but He is certainly not alone in doing so; there are parables in both the Old and New Testaments, used by multiple writers, as well as in secular history. In American history, Abraham Lincoln is especially famous for his clever us of parables in both legal and political argumentation. Indeed, modern-day speakers still use parables in their teaching; Ronald Reagan was known to make frequent use of them, for instance.

The parable of the sower is the first in this series and is commonly known in churches today. For our purposes, I’ll let you read the text and then we’ll talk about Jesus’ explanation when you get back…

Jesus explains His parable to a smaller group after His teaching session from the boat beginning in verse 10.  Isn’t it interesting that He begins to explain by quoting Isaiah 6? Jesus ties all of this to His preaching on the Kingdom. For those who are outside of His Kingdom, these matters will be a mystery, but for those within His kingdom, they will be plain.  Doesn’t this remind you of Paul’s discussion of how the things of God are but “foolishness” to the world, and the wisdom of this world is but foolishness to God?

Jesus goes on to elaborate on His metaphor, by describing the various soils that the farmer’s seed contacts, how the birds gobble up the seed on the path, and the lack of roots in the rocky soil and how that causes the seed to sprout quickly and then shrivel and die when the hot sun shines down on the young plants. Then He points out how the seed that falls in good soil develops roots and withstands the sun, growing to maturity.

I’ve heard countless sermons that focus on the rocky soil and that have gone on to discuss those who come to faith, are very excited and then fall away. I haven’t had the pleasure of listening to very many who actually noticed the fact that in verse 11, Jesus tied this into a Kingdom context. His focus wasn’t so much on the products of the rocky soil, but rather on what happens in good soil: Those seeds grow to maturity, and then produce more seeds. Some seeds produce 30 new seeds, or 60, or even 100. These are His disciples, who in turn produce more disciples for the Kingdom, some 30, some 60, and some 100. Disciples who make more disciples are the object of all of this, not the rocky soil and falling away…

What kind of soil are we planted in? Can a mentor (disciple) work with that soil and remove the rocks that are in the soil of a “younger” brother?

Interesting question, wouldn’t you say?

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TLP Op-Ed: July 28, 2018

Posted on July 28, 2018 by Don Merritt

I haven’t done a very good job of keeping up with this column over the last several weeks; it always seems to me that I’m about to write a piece that I’ve already written. Of course, that’s how the news seems these days. The names and faces may change a little bit, but it’s always the same old story: Someone says something, usually it’s Mr. Trump, and then everyone goes crazy with fake horror and phony outrage, and another manufactured crisis is underway, only to be forgotten in three days’ time when it’s replaced with the next one.

Yet this week, there was something that seemed to me to be unusually ominous that sprang up in this story from the New York Times: “Mueller Examining Trump’s Tweets in Wide-Ranging Obstruction Inquiry”.

The gist is that Robert Mueller is now examining Mr. Trump’s Tweets to see if he can pin obstruction of justice on the President. To be sure, Mr. Mueller is fully aware of the fact that even if he managed to do that, he couldn’t indict a sitting president even if he wanted to. With that in mind, how can we not wonder what is really going on in this investigation of his.

Mr. Mueller has long been a highly respected Republican attorney in Washington. He was appointed Director of the FBI by then President George W. Bush in 2001 and severed with distinction until 2013. Yes, he is respected on both sides of the political aisle and is a valued member of the Washington Establishment. When he was appointed Special Prosecutor to investigate allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian Government in an alleged attempt to fix the 2016 election, I was hoping that he would do a comprehensive job of getting to the facts in a timely manner and thought he was a great choice for the job, assuming it was a job that needed to be done in the first place.

So far, however, that has not happened. Yes, there have been some indictments: Michael Flynn has entered a guilty plea for misleading investigators in the matter, investigators who have themselves been charged with various activities, including lying to their own bosses at the FBI and to Congressional investigators, which should bring doubts to the mind of any reasonable observer. Mueller has also indicted Paul Manafort, a political consultant who served as Trump campaign chairman for about 10 minutes, on charges that are completely unrelated to the case, as well as a number of Russian operatives for their alleged attempts to influence the election from afar.  As we know however, none of the Russians will ever have to answer those charges, since extradition is prohibited by the Russian constitution, rendering those indictments rather meaningless.

Now, having apparently found nothing to support the collusion allegations, Mr. Mueller is investing Mr. Trump’s Tweeting habits.

This whole thing would appear comical and stupid, if it weren’t for the fact that U.S. Assistant Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has steadfastly refused to show Mueller’s engagement instructions to legitimate Congressional Oversight investigators and has generally obstructed every attempt to discover what the bounds are for the Mueller probe. This obstruction has become so great that several members of Congress actually tried to introduce Articles of Impeachment against Rosenstein that had to be quashed by Congressional Leadership just yesterday.

When Mueller was appointed by Rosenstein, the American Public was told by Mr. Rosenstein that the investigation was launched for the purpose of investigating the allegations of collusion. Yet now, more than a year later, it has become clear that this was not actually the case, and that apparently, Mr. Rosenstein, deliberately or otherwise, misled the American People.

This all leads me to a question: Mr. Rosenstein, Mr. Mueller and Congressional Democrats: Why shouldn’t the American People suspect that this whole fiasco is nothing more than a coup attempt, to overturn the results of a duly constituted election and undermine the very foundation of this Republic?

Of course, I’m nobody, and my question can only be answered in the way this mess plays out. Yet if any of those good people did actually respond to my question, they would most likely say that I am a kook, a far-out nutjob, unhinged, extreme, out of the mainstream, unstable, racist, sexist, homophobic and of course, dangerous. Sadly however, name calling isn’t an answer− it’s a dodge and that kind of dodge is most often a confirmation.

By the way, have I mentioned recently that I am not a Trump supporter?

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TLP Inspiration: July 28, 2018

Posted on July 28, 2018 by Don Merritt

Beautiful but Deadly

Good Saturday from the Heartland.

There are some things in this life that are absolutely beautiful.  Some are alluring, some are natural while others are man-made.  They might catch our eye or arouse our senses.  They may seem entirely harmless… and they might be good in and of themselves…

…but they can be deadly.

Take this gorgeous tiger for instance, God outdid Himself in the design, it’s simply beautiful, but I don’t think I’d want to walk up and pat him on the head.

Kitty, kitty, kitty!

That beautiful creature just happens to be a killing machine…

More often, we become entranced by things of beauty and make them more important than they are in our lives.  I really enjoy old Victorian architecture; it is beautiful.  Every little detail can be a work of art, and nobody can say it’s immoral.  The question is how important will I allow it to become in my life?

I know people who define life by discovering Victorian treasures in unusual places, who live for the day that they can buy their very own Victorian… be careful what you wish for.

As a follower of Jesus Christ, I can enjoy things, I can appreciate their beauty, but when a “thing” or a pleasure becomes the object of life, I will die spiritually just as certainly as I would die physically if I walked up to a sleeping tiger and patted him on the head.

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The Lessons from Mars

Posted on July 27, 2018 by Don Merritt

It’s been quite a journey and I’d like to thank all of you once again for making it so great with your comments and insights: Wonderful!

We began with a simple hypothetical: Suppose we had the chance to be the first colonists on the planet Mars and we wanted to have a church there. What would we need to establish worship? We began with simplicity in group worship, but as we went along, details began cropping up, and the devil, as they say, is in the details. Soon we began to have disagreements and the notion that these disagreements can never be overcome began to creep into the discussion. After that, we took a side trip into our own individual attitudes about worship and prayer and how we relate to God. What is really important in relating to God? How do we draw close to Him? Then we considered a metaphor for setting aside everything of “self” to draw close to Him, and when we did that, a couple of things began to clear up.

For one thing, we saw that most of us have a number of barriers between us and God, barriers entirely of our own construction. Sometimes, we even try to keep secrets from God, secrets about pride or motives, secrets about holding back and not quite giving Him our all. We might call this ego, we might call it shame or we might call it something else; Paul called it “self”.  “I like this”, “I don’t like that”, “that is a deal breaker”.

No wonder that unity within the Body of Christ is hard to find!

With that said, I must add that it may be hard to find, but it isn’t impossible to find.

So, we come to the real question in this journey of ours: What does it take for us to begin anew as Christ’s followers? Yep, that’s the question.

Paul told us a number of times in his writings that when we are baptized into relationship with Christ, our old man is dead, and our new man rises up, that we are now new creations in Christ. This of course, is what Jesus referred to when He told Nicodemus that he must be born again. Yet people will say that this all goes against human nature, but what Jesus and Paul were both trying to tell us is that our human nature is dead and gone and that the time has come for us to embrace the new nature within us. Sadly however, very few of us ever manage to do that, for we cling tenaciously to that old human nature.

Our metaphor illustrates this so well: Do we dare to be completely naked in the presence of God− naked and unashamed?

This is where unity or disunity is determined− we cannot blame someone else.

As I write this a thought comes to mind: This is just like starting to eat right and loose those extra pounds. Everyone says they’re going to do that− soon. So, what is keeping us from doing it?

Well Don, it’s because of the Western diet; it’s all around us, we just eat too rich a diet, and we eat too much.

I’m so busy that I have to eat out all the time.

I tried but everyone else is bringing donuts to the office; I can’t help it!

I know I should, but I don’t have the time, and besides the family doesn’t like healthy food.

I just don’t want to give up the things I like.

Essentially, these are the same excuses we have for not growing spiritually.

The more I think about it, the one thing we need to accomplish both of these goals is commitment. Can we commit ourselves to an intimate relationship with our Lord? Can we commit ourselves to letting whatever vestiges of “self” that remain, to fall away and stop holding us back? That, dear reader, is what it all comes down to.

I cannot change the world and neither can you: I can only change myself. Even then, I can only do so much, but God is right there with me. He is the One who provides the “New” to the new man, and when God is in the picture, all things are possible. Could it be that if I finally commit myself to getting out of His way, and if you did too, that those around us might be attracted to Him when they see His love working in our lives, and through us to those around us?

Would you like to find out?

I’m in if you’re in.

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Love and Hate; Light and Dark

Posted on July 27, 2018 by Don Merritt

Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.

1 John 2:7-11

In these verses, John gives one more comparison and contrast: This time it is love and hate, light and darkness. If we are in Christ, then we must love our brother and sister.  If we claim to be in Christ, yet we hate our brother or sister, then we cannot be in Christ; I think this is a fair summary of John’s point.

You will recall from the previous passages that John made the point that if we are in Christ, we must live our lives like Christ. In fact, he has made this point several times in various ways, but recall in particular 2:3-6.  Where in the Gospels can we find any indication whatsoever that Jesus ever hated anyone? Far from it!  We see Him showing love in all cases, even when He let the Pharisees have it with the seven woes.  Remember, right after that, Jesus is lamenting the fact that despite all that God has done, they insisted on turning against Him; Jesus was clearly grieved by this.  (Matt. 23:37 ff.)  When you reduce the Christian faith down to its simplest form, and I am a fan of doing this, its central idea is love God; love your neighbor. There is no room for hate in that formula.

Our brother may irritate us now and then, he may also let us down.  In truth, our brother may well be every bit as imperfect as we are, but we are to love him anyway, just as he is to love us anyway, just as Jesus loves all of us anyway. Remember that love means that we put the interests of the other person ahead of our own.

To this message from John, I’d like to add my own observation:  How much damage do you suppose has been done over the years to the Gospel by people calling themselves Christians, who fail to demonstrate His love to others? How many thousands have said “no” to Christ because of some so-called believers, who show an attitude of hatred for other people? How many have left the faith because of this behavior in the church?

Those who hate rather than love can call themselves whatever they like, they may fool many people, but they cannot fool God, and I would respectfully suggest they repent, and do so quickly.

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In the Home Stretch

Posted on July 26, 2018 by Don Merritt

Yesterday I received an amazing comment from paulfg that I’d like to share:

Two thoughts merge.

The first is your picture for these posts. The space-suit. Anyone could be within. That suit brings me naked to this fellowship. I am not “me” with the image to maintain. The suit is my “image” – the same image each of us have. We are – when suited and booted – as good as naked. Our personal appearance does not matter. Ergo – we are naked before each other.

The second is these posts and blogs. How they bring an essence of each, yet leave behind the unnecessary. Leave behind the day-to-day. The “ordinary”. They bring the extraordinary. The common connection between all. The connection of soul and love. A connection where each is heard and each is known. A place of healing and safety.

So why not begin with that stripped-back minimalist worship: (symbolic) “suited” nakedness before each other and God, and (actual) “soul” nakedness before each other and God. Worship that could take place without the need for physical proximity (and all the trappings of personal preference … “baggage”? …) that proximity brings.

And then once that connection is firm and has breached the “ordinary day-to-day stuff” (baggage) … I suspect coming together in physical proximity would no longer give rise to all the obstacles to “worship” that have been discussed here.

Today I am bringing this comment to your attention because Paul has found the whole point of this exercise, as several others of you have as well.  If you take our metaphor of nakedness and compare it to the spacesuit, the two might seem at first to be opposites, but in reality, they are parallel; here’s how:

To be naked is to be vulnerable. A naked person is vulnerable to the environment in a number of ways. There is no protection from the sun, no protection from the cold and no protection from rough or sharp surfaces. Of course, we are also vulnerable socially and emotionally if there are others around. It takes a certain degree of trust to be seen naked, and a certain degree of trust to enter God’s presence naked. If we are wearing a spacesuit we are also vulnerable, for even the slightest puncture or tear means we are literally in a life or death situation. Emotionally, we would be moving around in an environment that is so hostile that we could be killed at any instant, and we would have this terrible reality in the back of our minds at all times.

Socially, wearing a spacesuit with other astronauts takes away our individual identities, for we are part of a team; there is only a group identity. To be “naked” in community is also to set aside our individual images, for all are equal, no one is able to project anything other than humanity, and once again, that is the power of the metaphor.

To be naked before God, in community, does not require, however, any great trust for the community, it only requires that we trust God.

In short, it means that we trust God enough to put the other members of the community ahead of ourselves, leaving the outcome in God’s hands. Can you think of another way to describe this state of being?

Yes, that’s right: It is love in action.

Please take a moment to think this over; feel free to comment, of course. Tomorrow we’ll wrap up our most amazing conversation in what I expect to be the last post of this series; see you then!

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My Dear Children

Posted on July 26, 2018 by Don Merritt

 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 John 2:1-2

Here at the beginning of the second chapter, John restates what came at the end of chapter one about the forgiveness of sins, although here, he adds a different twist.  Rather than simply saying that if we acknowledge our sins God is faithful to forgive them, thus putting forgiveness in a covenant context, (faithful being a covenant term) now John reminds us of how this is accomplished. It is because of our “advocate” Jesus Christ.

He has also spoken as the Elder, starting out with the words “my dear children.”  John is the last of the Apostles of Christ remaining alive in the body, and his writings in this vein are filled with truth, grace and love for his “children.”  His desire is that we shouldn’t sin, thus he compares and contrasts light and darkness that we might clearly understand the difference as we journey through this life.  Knowing that we will all stumble, he gives us the reassurance that all will be right, thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ… and this is always a comfort to me, I don’t know about you, for I am prone to stumbling.

I also would mention that at the end of verse two, John tells us that Jesus has paved the way for our sins to be forgiven, just as He has for the sins of the entire world.  Sometimes, I think that many of us might have the feeling that Jesus has enabled us to have been forgiven, and then we look at the world, and the forgiveness of the world.  We share this with others that they too can be forgiven, and then we stumble ourselves again and forget that our new sin is forgiven also, just like our previous sins.  In fact, I have watched many faithful followers struggle with this concept, and if this is ever our plight, take heart with John’s words here in verse 2.

We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

1 John 2:3-6

I read with interest, and sometimes sadness, when people write that we need ever do anything as Christians, because there are no conditions in the New Covenant.  They seem to suggest that since grace is free, we need accept it, and then we’re set for life, so to speak, with no obligation to ever do anything or behave in any particular way.  Most of the time, I conclude that they are probably just wording things a little bit wrong, and don’t really mean to go quite that far, but sometimes, I think they entirely misunderstand the Christian walk.  John makes it quite clear in these verses that we are to obey the commands that Jesus gave us.  In fact, Jesus commanded that we should teach others to obey Him also. (Matt. 28:18-20)

The overriding standard in this obedience is to live our lives as Jesus lived.  How is that? Love your neighbor; serve others by putting their interests ahead of our own.  Spread the Good News to the lost.  Love God, and place His priorities above our own, and to love our brother.  John seems to me to be pretty clear, that we must live as Jesus did, and if we are not willing to do so, we may have a serious problem.

As John continues, he will elaborate on this theme further, and we’ll see where he takes it when we get together next time…

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