A Warning

Posted on January 12, 2026 by Don Merritt

1 John 2:18-27

So far in this letter, John has given us a reminder of the supremacy of Jesus Christ; who He is, what He is and His nature. John gave us a comparison and contrast of what the “Light” is, and who is and who is not “in the light.” Then John reminded us of who we are in Christ and how amazing that is.  In the previous section, John warns us not to love this world, and now John is taking us to the front lines on a battlefield, where it becomes plain why he has taken us on this journey to show us just who we are, and just who “they” are.

Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.

1 John 2:18-19

This is the first mention of the term “antichrist” in the Bible. It means someone who is against or in place of the Messiah.  In these verses, John mentions twice that we are in the “last hour,” which is interesting when you consider that many will suggest today that there are more hours to come.  Whoever these antichrists were, or are, they appear to have been hanging around us, and then to have gone rogue. If nothing else, in these two verses, we can be sure that these rogues were hanging around, but they were never “us.”  Recall the descriptions of in the light and in the darkness in vv. 1:5-2:11… These characters were the ones in darkness.

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

1 John 2:20-23

Now we have a little more information: The rogues John is talking about deny that Jesus is the Messiah.  That is a bald-faced lie, and those who are in the truth would never make such an assertion, so these guys were not in the light. No person who denies that Jesus is the Messiah is in the Son, and if a person is not in the Son, they are also not in the Father.  They are antichrist, and there are many of those in the world.

As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us—eternal life.

1 John 2:24-25

These two verses are the warming: Make sure that you hang on to what you know about Jesus Christ.  If you do, you will remain in Him and inherit eternal life. Do not listen to the rogues. By the way, this is why I said above that John has taken us to the front lines on a battlefield.  It is a spiritual battlefield in a spiritual war, where the antichrists in our midst will attempt to pry you away from the Truth.  Resist, and do not listen to their lies!

 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.

1 John 2:26-27

John invokes the anointing of the indwelling Holy Spirit in urging us to remain in Christ.  Consider this: Here is a warning that there are those who try to lead us astray, to turn our backs on our Lord.  They are fighting against us in a spiritual war, and this can sound really scary.  Oh, it’s great in the movies, when their innocent victims are lured into evil by magical powers, having no way to resist.  Take heart! John is pointing out to you and me that we have within us, at our disposal greater firepower by tenfold: He is the very Holy Spirit of God, the third Person of the Godhead.  If we are focused on our relationship with our Lord, and we take these “battles” to Him, there isn’t even a contest, for “greater is He who is in me, than he who is in the world.”

One final thought and that’ll be it for now… You know all those stories and books and movies about evil forces that lead the righteous astray?  “The Exorcist” “The Omen” etc., etc…? They really freak people out, which is why they make so much money, right?  People become afraid, and being afraid becomes a distraction for some.  At the same time, you have in these verses a very simple way to discern who the liars and antichrists are; a third grader can understand it.  You also have a solution to defeat the lie that a third grader can understand: stand on the truth of the Word of God, and reject outright the lie.

As simple as this is, many will be so creeped out by the stories and the idea of spiritual warfare, that it almost makes me wonder if these stories of myth, legend and popular fiction are actually part of the lie itself, so that we won’t fight back, and our superior firepower will never be brought to bear on our foe.  Hmmm… do you think we need to have a healthy relationship with the Lord?

I do!

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OK, so what about Christian theology?

Posted on January 12, 2026 by Don Merritt

As we continue on our road trip, we have arrived at the place where we are having a look at the first part of my theory… If you have joined us late, we’re on a road trip for a few days, a journey of discovery examining a theory I posted the other day. The theory is:

“Christian theology is not particularly difficult to understand.  Its precepts and premises are fairly simple, it was given to “regular” guys to share with the world, and they did it.  Yes, of course they had a lot of help from the Holy Spirit, but then so do we. Yet we love to argue, follow tradition and form to avoid spiritual growth and reaching out, because they are counter-intuitive, and the fact that they are counter-intuitive is exactly the point of all things being new, for our human intuition isn’t new, it’s the old thing that Jesus died to free us from.”

What do I mean by “Christian theology?”  For the purposes of this journey, I mean the basic principles of the Christian faith, the bare essentials, you might say.  This is not an academic definition, this is not “systematic theology” and this is not an exhaustive list, credal statement or any of that, so please don’t say that I failed to mention such and such and call me a heretic!  (Or you’ll prove my ultimate point)

Christianity begins with the notion that we have sinned along the way, that we have messed up.  If anyone reading this believes that he or she has NOT sinned, please drop me a comment so that I can post your name here tomorrow so we can all send our congratulations!  (OK, just kidding.  You knew that, right?)  In spite of our imperfections, God loved us so very much that He was willing to go to great lengths to redeem us to that relationship with Him for which we were created, so He sent His Son Jesus to pay the price of our sins.  (I hope this is sounding familiar)  Jesus paid that price to redeem us and by God’s grace has offered us a pardon, and we have accepted that pardon and entered into relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  Now, all things are new, for we have been re-born.  We no longer live according to our old ways, for we know that God loves us so very much, and we love Him in return, and because God loves all of His children just as much as He loves us, we respond naturally and love the rest of His children, too.  Love God, love your neighbor, in other words.

Now, we are trying to figure out how best to do that in a world that is kind of a mess, often confusing and sometimes a little scary… so we have gone on this road trip together.

Now, before you add to this short summary, ask yourself what is complicated about anything I just said.  I’ll give you a moment…

Unless you couldn’t help yourself from wanting to add to this, you surely see that this is not hard to grasp, it’s easy, easy, easy! A child can grasp it; in fact, a child usually gets it more quickly than an adult!  We just can’t help ourselves!  Something this important can’t be simple… it must be hard.

But it isn’t, and that is counter-intuitive.

I’m not a young man any more; I’ve experienced a lot of things, and one thing I’ve noticed about people is that we love to complicate things.  I sometimes suggest to folks that they not overlook the simple solution, because it’s usually the right one to any problem.  It is in this case.  The basics of the Christian faith are very simple, until we go out of our way to make it complicated.

OK, I think that’s good for now, let’s take a break, and then our road trip will move on to the next stop: Precepts, premises, and regular guys.

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Sunday Reflection: January 11, 2026

Posted on January 11, 2026 by Don Merritt
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About This World

Posted on January 10, 2026 by Don Merritt

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

1 John 2:15-17

Now that we are clear on who we are, and what the realities of life in Christ are, John turns to the world around us. John isn’t referring to the natural world, he’s referring to the world of Mankind; the culture, society, the impulses, the way things are here…  in this I don’t mean “culture” in the sense that John is speaking against literature or music or opera or culture in that sense, but instead the impulses and ways of people and society.  If we were to say that we live in a “dog eat dog world,” we would be referring to the impulses and ways of this world; that is more like what John is getting at. John is telling us that we are not to love the world or anything in it and if we do, we have a spiritual problem for sure.

The “lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” are often cited as the three main categories of sin.  Clearly these do not come from God, for as John puts it, they come from the world. If you think about it, so much of what people consider important has more to do with impressing others than with anything else.  Why are we so often driven by career advancement?  Why do we need so much stuff?  Why is your living room fancier than your bedrooms?  Why do you need the fancy car instead of the economy car?  Must I spend $100.00 on a tie? Why do we want what somebody else has? Our knee-jerk answer to these kinds of questions might be “sin”, but John goes deeper than that; this comes from the world.  Jesus nailed the thought down when He said that we “prefer the praise of men.”

In the final analysis, this world, its ways, and everything in it will pass away, but the love of God endures forever. Our Lord showed us a life that was lived for the love of God.  Isn’t that where our love should be? I’ve heard people say that we are here to fix the world, but I must state clearly that this is a mistake. We were never commanded to fix the world, no− the world is passing away!  We are commanded to share the love of God through Jesus Christ with people, so that they may be saved from the world’s fate.

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Love and Hate; Light and Dark

Posted on January 8, 2026 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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Intuitive and Counter Intuitive

Posted on January 8, 2026 by Don Merritt

Welcome to our little journey, ladies and gentlemen.  We are expecting a little cold weather as we begin, but don’t worry about that, our forecast is for “seasonal” weather today.  Before our bus pulls out of the station, let’s review the purpose of our road trip of discovery.  Our quest is to examine this theory:

Christian theology is not particularly difficult to understand.  Its precepts and premises are fairly simple, it was given to “regular” guys to share with the world, and they did it.  Yes, of course they had a lot of help from the Holy Spirit, but then so do we. Yet we love to argue, follow tradition and form to avoid spiritual growth and reaching out, because they are counter-intuitive, and the fact that they are counter-intuitive is exactly the point of all things being new, for our human intuition is not new, it’s the old thing that Jesus died to free us from.”

…and so we begin at last.  If you are dropping in for the first time on this trip, you might want to check out my recent posts for the pre-trip information.

Our first stop is to consider the last part of the theory, the issue of intuitive versus counter-intuitive as it relates to our attitudes, perceptions, and inclinations.

Our natural human inclinations are things like self-preservation, self-advancement, self-aggrandizement, and self in general.  You can see this inclination at work when a couple of toddlers play together and then one of them wants to play with the other’s toy.  The second toddler begins to scream and wail, and if Mom doesn’t intervene, somebody’s going to be hurt.  The second toddler will shout things like “Mine,” “gimme” and NO!  Then Mon swoops in and says something like, “Now Johnny, honey, you have to share…”  And Johnny isn’t buying any of that sharing business.  When we grow up, we usually have learned to share to some extent, but we still don’t always want to be forthcoming with certain things.  Sure, all people are different.  Some are very generous, some are more stingy, and some can make old Mr. Scrooge look like a choir boy!  The important point is that all of us, or nearly all anyway, are more likely to view the world around us in terms that are self-ish rather than self-less.  We often say that this is “human nature.”

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus made comments that seem to run counter to normal “human nature.”  You know the things that He taught, things like the first being last and the last being first.  The guy who finds his life will lose it and the one who loses his life will find it, and how we shouldn’t store up treasures on earth, and how we shouldn’t worry.  Oh, and then there are all those parables about servants and masters, and widows offering everything they had while rich guys tossed in a fraction.  And of course, there is also the part about how hard it is for a rich dude to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, Lazarus and the rich man… and on and on. Remember how people reacted to those things?  Nobody ever seemed to quite get it, it was so different from what they knew about life.  They knew the same things that we know, that you have to get ahead in life, that you have to plan for the future and how you can’t let others stand in your way.  We Americans used to call this “rugged individualism.”

Jesus didn’t teach “rugged individualism,” I’m sorry to say.  That concept holds a lot of appeal for me, to be honest, but Jesus didn’t teach that way. Jesus taught in a way that was counter-intuitive, meaning that it runs against all of our natural human inclinations; it is in opposition to human nature. Would I be stretching the point too far if I suggested that this makes being a Christian who wants to really, seriously, no kidding around, follower of Jesus, encounter some difficulty, some internal struggle, and even experience some conflicts in their thinking?

It seems to me that this counter-intuitive aspect of His teaching is where most of our conflicts come from individually.  I also think it’s where most of our problems come from corporately as well, sometimes with horrifying results.

Can we go back to the very beginning for just a moment?  What was the original sin?  I’m not referring to a doctrinal or academic definition, because if you go there, I’m afraid you’ll have the wrong answer. I mean the very first act of rebellion against God that is mentioned in Scripture; it wasn’t in Eden. (There’s your hint)

It was when Lucifer decided that he was going to be just like God.  He seemed (I’m embellishing somewhat) that he was better looking, smarter and just as strong, and so he should be a co-ruler or something like that… remember?  God didn’t like that too much as I recall, and tossed old Lucifer out of Heaven.  Then, in the garden narrative, when Lucifer, the serpent, tempted Miss Eve, what line was it that made her take that fruit?  It was when he told her that God didn’t want them to eat that fruit, because when they did, they would be just like God, knowing good and evil. So, she grabbed it and gave some to Adam, and the rest, as they say, is history.

You are most welcome to disagree, after all this is a road trip of discovery and good discussion always helps bring things out, but I’d have to say that our human nature, or natural inclinations, our natural intuition, has everything to do with wanting to be just like God.  That is the original sin, in my view.  (My old Dean wasn’t always thrilled when I re-stated the old doctrines like this, but this is my blog, not his department!)

The teachings Jesus gave us run counter to our natural intuition, therefore they are counter-intuitive.

Ladies and gentlemen, our next stop will be at a place called ‘All Things are New.’”

See you there…

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Photo of the Week: January 7, 2026

Posted on January 7, 2026 by Don Merritt
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My Dear Children

Posted on January 7, 2026 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 to 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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It still isn’t always easy, but…

Posted on January 7, 2026 by Don Merritt
1114 118-LR

…that doesn’t mean that it isn’t worth it!  Following our Lord does require some effort, however.

Now before I go too far, let’s be clear that I am not talking about earning salvation here; far from it in fact. Salvation is entirely by grace, and we couldn’t earn it even if we wanted to, no matter how bright and good-looking we might be… not even if we are always seen in the coolest of company wearing the latest fashions; it just doesn’t work like that.  Nor can we buy it by making large, well-placed contributions. No, God’s forgiveness and the gift of eternal life come from a positive response to the Gospel.

Here we are talking about what comes next, the following Jesus part.  Am I saying that if we don’t do certain things, let’s try X, Y and Z again, will they suffice?  Well, sorry, there is no X, Y and Z here either.  Following Jesus is both easier and harder than that!

There are many ways to follow Him, but the important thing to keep in mind is that we follow in response to all that He has done for us, which is to say we follow our Lord and reach out to His children in love,  because we want to, for we love our Lord, not because so and so made a list of “do’s” and rules we must follow.  I think this may be why some people find this a hard subject; oh, why don’t they just give me a simple checklist?

This might help you, I sure hope so.  There isn’t just a simple checklist, do these 17 things once a week and you’ll be fine, for the simple reason that there is nothing to earn here. Another possible reason is that we are all in different places, surrounded by different needs and we all have different gifts.  Besides, if I could finish my checklist faster than you, I’d probably succumb to the sin of pride.

Last time, I proposed a theory. Now a theory might be right and it might be wrong, it might be useful and it might not be.  A theory provides a point to consider, ponder or study.  Through this considering, we can discover answers that might have eluded us before, and we can also find ourselves being led to a new place that He hasn’t previously led us to. Oh yes, let’s take another of our little journeys!  Here’s the theory again in case you missed it:

Christian theology is not particularly difficult to understand.  Its precepts and premises are fairly simple, it was given to “regular” guys to share with the world, and they did it.  Yes, of course, they had a lot of help from the Holy Spirit, but then so do we. Yet we love to argue, follow tradition and form to avoid spiritual growth and reaching out, because they are counter-intuitive, and the fact that they are counter-intuitive is exactly the point of all things being new, for our human intuition isn’t new, it’s the old thing that Jesus died to free us from.

Let’s consider my theory; let’s pray about it, and we’ll get back together tomorrow− hope to see you then!

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Come Into the Light

Posted on January 6, 2026 by Don Merritt

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

1 John 1:5-7

Earlier we looked at the introduction to this letter, and here, we enter the first section of the letter which begins at verse 5 and continues through 2:14. This section is given context in verse 5: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.Thus, this section is all about John’s declaration of light versus darkness, and it contains comparisons and contrasts.

Before we take a look at it, keep in mind what John wrote in John 1:4 “In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” All through the Gospel story, John used “light” as signifying the presence of Jesus, contrasted with “darkness” denoting His absence.  Keeping this in mind, let’s take a look at our text. After proclaiming that God is light, John gets down to his explanation claiming that if we claim to be in fellowship with God, but walk in darkness, we lie, and are not in the truth.  This is a rather easy statement to understand, for if we are in darkness, then we aren’t in His presence, and if we aren’t in His presence, we couldn’t possibly be in fellowship: There is no half-way.

The contrast is that if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship… because we are with Him in the light.  If we have this fellowship in the light of His presence and truth, then His blood purifies us from all sin.  The reality of the statement is that we can’t be in fellowship with Him until our sins have been forgiven by His sacrifice on the cross.

Sometimes, we may walk for a time in darkness, and by this I mean that we may stray from time-to-time.  John doesn’t suggest that our errors kick us out of fellowship as we will see a little farther through this text, but that there is a way to return to the light of His presence, by confessing our sins., as we see in the next paragraph:

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

1 John 1:8-10

I think we all would agree that a claim by any one of us to have never sinned would be little short of crazy.  John seems to think it’s worse than that− all have sinned, but take heart, for there is a way out. Confess your sins and He will forgive; this is our covenant promise.  There is simply no need for us to wring our hands and carry around a burden of guilt and shame before God, for when we confess our sins (acknowledge them) He will forgive; we have His Word on that.

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