Over the last few weeks, we have slowly made our way through the letter of 1 John. Whilst it's great to break a book down and look at it section by section, it is also important to remember that John wrote it as a single letter. I would encourage you now to go back and read through the letter in one go. As you do, you will see John’s big picture whilst being reminded of the little pictures we have looked at on our journey through the book.
The overall feel of the book of John is one of a warm conversation that comes from a pastoral heart. John’s overall purpose of the letter is to bring his readers back to the fundamentals of the Christian faith. He wants to remind them of what being a true believer is and along the way he also warns them of those who will try to lead them astray. The apostle in this letter talks in very definite terms and deals with certainties, not merely possibilities. Through this letter John reveals to us the character of a true believer in very simple terms, leaving us in no doubt as to how our lives should look if we truly follow Christ. John’s desire is for people to know God, have assurance of their faith and display God’s love to others.
John communicates three key themes in this letter, which are faith, obedience and love, and he also shows us how these leads to happiness (1:4), holiness (2:1) and assurance (5:13). The message is this: a proper belief in Jesus produces obedience to His commands; obedience then leads us to a proper love for God, for fellow believers and the wider world. John has emphasised these themes over and over again, almost to the point of excessive repetition but that is because they are so important!
At the centre of Christianity is love. First, it is God’s love for us - in the greatest display of love ever known He sent His Son into the world to die in our place. John reminds us that it's not us who love God first, but He who first loved us. The rest of the Christian life is then a response to that love. In response to that love, we put our faith in Jesus, love God and seek to live in obedience to His plan and purpose for our lives. Then the second part of the response is to love as we have been loved. That means a sacrificial, costly love that holds nothing back. That is not easy to do but when it comes from a place of response to the love we have received it comes naturally.
John has taught us that as we love God first and foremost, we will grow in our faith and relationship with Him. As we grow in our relationship with God, we will then love others better. The result of both loving God and loving others is that it confirms our salvation. The ‘good works’ of love are out-workings of salvation and prove our identity as children of God. Just as you can often tell whose parent a child is by their looks, so as we love others we look like God and show our identity as His child.
Love is at the centre of Christianity and it leads to a life of happiness as we serve others, holiness as we love God and in obedience become more like His Son and assurance as we know our future is safe and we have the certain hope of one day seeing God face to face.
Spend some time asking God to increase your love for Him and your love for others.
Prayer for today
Our loving Heavenly Father,
Thank you that you first loved us and held nothing back to redeem us from our sin. We thank you for Jesus. Father, today may we be reminded afresh of your great love for us and may it move us to love others as we have been loved.
We ask that you bring to mind and into our lives today those who you desire for us to display your love to.
Thank you for the assurance we have that we can be called children of God. How we long for the day when we see you face to face but until then we ask that you use us as your willing servants to reveal Christ to those around us.
We pray all this in Jesus’ name,
Amen
Song for today
You can listen and sing along here.
All my attempts to be satisfied
Were vain and empty
Until the moment you rescued me
And your love filled me
My soul sings
Now my soul sings
What blessed assurance
I’ve found in you
I’ve found in you
I won’t be shaken I will not be moved
How steadfast your strong hand
Is keeping me
Is keeping me
I won’t be shaken I will not be moved
Oh blessed assurance
No other love that I’ve ever known
Compares to you God
No other love that I’ve ever found
Has done what you’ve done
Ever my anchor
Ever my strength
Ever my portion
And all I need
Ever my healing
Ever my hope
Ever the truth that leads me home
That leads me home
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
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