QT 2/10/2025 1 Jn 5:13-21, True belief

1 John 5:13–21 (ESV) —

13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.

18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.

19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

 

NOTE: What is the sin that leads to death? In Matt 12:32 (Matt 12:22 and following verses), it is a rejection of the Messiah in the flesh and calling him Beelzebub. It was committed by "this generation," a specific generation. That generation and its leaders had mostly passed by the time John wrote this letter. Possibly, it is a complete rejection of the Messiah to the point of actively encouraging sin and rebellion to God. Jesus does say something to the extant "woe to them who teach the little ones a new sin …." (my heavy paraphrase). Also, Jesus did tell his disciples to shake the dust off their feet toward communities that rejected the message of the gospel.  John is not forbidding prayer in these cases, but he does seem to be discouraging it. He is clearly not referring to believers as 1 Jn 5:11-12 makes clear. You can't have Jesus and then lose him (since you are sealed by the Holy Spirit). You can fool yourself into thinking you believe and then later reject everything you said you believed. But I don't think one who has truly repented and believed can turn their back completely on the savior.

 

PONDER:

1. Where do I truly stand with the Lord?
2. Am I faking it, going through the motions, or does Jesus Christ affect every aspect of my life?

 

PRAYER: Father, in these last days, however long they are, I pray we would be serious about our faith. I pray we would live it out each day. I pray it would be obvious to those around us.

QT 2/7/2025 1 John 5:6-12, We need rebirth in the blood

1 John 5:6–12 (ESV) —

6 This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

 

NOTE: As Akin relates, this was a passage ("the water and blood") that was clear to the readers, but is not so clear to us today. The best explanation is that Jesus's birth was by water, fully human, and the blood, his death on the cross, shows his existence was also as the son of God, for only God could die for the sins of the whole world and then rise again. Additionally, his death was known from the very beginning when the angels pronounced that he would save his people from their sins. This explanation would also be helpful in refuting false teachers who felt Jesus was only human and fell into the role as Messiah. Jesus always knew the cross was his destiny. His mission was much bigger than living a godly life by example. He was actually perfect (sinless) which ought to dismiss any ideas of "only human." At the baptism, the Holy Spirit descended upon him as a witness and God the Father spoke. The two, in keeping with Jewish tradition, gave him his rabbinic authority (although by virtue of being God, he did not require the testimony of two other authorities). The Spirit did not make him God, only identified him as the son of God.

 

The last two verses contain a very important promise. If you have the Son, you have life, eternal life. Some believe you can lose eternal life, but then it would not be eternal if you could lose it. When you believe, you are sealed by the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of your eternal life.

 

Ephesians 1:13–14 (ESV) — 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

 

What good is a guarantee if you can't keep it?

 

PONDER:

1. Have I believed in the name of Jesus, the only son of God?
2. Do I falsely believe Jesus was only a man or a good teacher?

 

PRAYER: Father, thank you again for my salvation and for the assurance you have given me of eternal life. I pray for a new great awakening in this country where people would return to you as Lord and savior, and shed the evil that has overtaken us.

QT 2/6/2025 1 Jn 5:1-5, Love God, love people

1 John 5:1–5 (ESV) —

1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

 

NOTE: John repeatedly emphasizes two aspects of being a born-again child of God. (Note that the term I use, "born-again," comes from John's gospel.)

 

John 3:3–7 (ESV) — 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

 

John's emphasis is on obedience and love. Again, the gospel of John, quoting Jesus, clearly supports these two points.

 

John 14:21 (ESV) — 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

John 15:12–13 (ESV) — 12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

 

So, how do we know that we are truly born again? If we obey his commandments as laid out in his teaching -- the New Testament teaching. I say New Testament because too many people want to focus on the ten commandments or some other group of the 613 commands in the Old Testament. But the New Testament is clear, we are not under the law, and Jesus redefined the Old Testament laws quite explicitly, especially in the sermon on the mount. Obedience to the law is from the heart, not some outward action. And that is why "LOVE" is so important, because it issues from the heart, not from doing external actions. If you want to sum up the law, it is quite simple, "Love God, Love People."

 

PONDER:

1. Do I focus on love or on the externalities of the law?
2. Do I really know Jesus? Have I fooled myself? Do I see change in my life that comes from the inside out?

 

PRAYER: Father, it is sad to see so many people who want to turn faith into a set of rules. The Old Testament is good and gives us many examples of people who walked by faith, struggled, and continued in faith. But Jesus is our perfect example, and he explains God because he is God.

QT 2/5/2025 1 John 4:13-21, How do we define love?

1 John 4:13–21 (ESV) —

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

 

NOTE: John writes that "we love because he first loved us." Don't miss the significance of that statement. We can't truly love until we understand what he did on the cross for each of us individually. We can't love until the Holy Spirit resides in us, which occurs upon belief in Jesus. And if we are hating our brother, then we really do not love nor know Jesus.

 

There are a lot of "love" religion people on the left side of the political spectrum (probably also on the right). They espouse love but truly hate those on the right (and again, I think it happens in both directions). I am on the right, politically, but I don't hate the left and their vitriol. I hate the policies and ideas because they destroy people. People are made in the image of God and deserve respect. When we promote people on the basis of a gender or race, and not on merit, we destroy their self-worth and others who won a job on the basis of hard work. We create more anger when we elevate people for any other reason than that they deserve it.

 

If we truly love people, we must treat all people with respect, even those who are wildly against our ideas. Everyone deserves to be treated fairly. Everyone has an infinite intrinsic value because they are made in the image of God.

 

PONDER:

1. Do my values come from the world system? Or do they come from God's word?
2. Do I hate people, or do I hate the damage people do to other people?

 

PRAYER: Father, continue to show me where my words and actions do not agree. I want to love, not the fake way that the world talks about love, but the way you talk about love.

QT 2/4/2025 1 John 4:7-12, "Perfecting" love?

1 John 4:7–12 (ESV) —

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

 

NOTE: When I first read verse 10 many years ago, it was an eye opener. I think I loved God, but the scriptures teach that God loved us first. We had done nothing deserving of his love. He chose to love a wretched sinner, me. Along with that realization is that when I say "I love God," that is a paltry statement alongside the statement that "God loves me." Those two statements are light years apart from each other. In fact, I shouldn't even be able to say "I love God," because I have no idea how to love as God loved me. Jesus died for me. Paul says the same thing:

 

Galatians 2:20 (ESV) — 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

 

Of course, the passage also says that if we love one another, his love is perfected in us. That seems impossible, the idea that God's love can be perfected in me. There is too much difference, but that is what it says. Then, the course is clear, I need to start loving others better. I need to sacrifice for them (like Jesus sacrificed for me). I need to consider how to reorder my time to make time for others. I need to pray more for those I love (or say I love).

 

PONDER:

1. Do I really love my brothers and sisters in Christ? (not emotionally, but in deed and truth)
2. How do I know I really love others? What is the evidence?

 

PRAYER: Father, help me as I grow in this area of love to truly love those around me. Help me to see needs. Help me to respond in love.

QT 2/3/2025 1 John 4:1-6, Two claims to truth

1 John 4:1–6 (ESV) —

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

 

NOTE: There are two major voices today, 1) God's message which is the Spirit of truth and is contained in the bible, the word of God, and 2) Satan's message which is the spirit of error and is contained in the worldview, the culture of the day. The latter teaches a false type of love, a false tolerance, and untruths regarding sexuality, gender, marriage, and sin. The culture is in opposition to God and serves the evil one. The battle is waging between these two views (truth and nontruth) and has been over all time. Pilate mocked Jesus by asking "what is truth," believing that there was no answer nor any absolute truth. But there is absolute truth and we must not let the world confuse us. Truth is found in the word of God and it can provide all the answers to life. Jesus' death on the cross can provide the peace and joy we so desperately want if we will only believe on the name of Jesus.

 

PONDER:

1. What view do I spend the majority of my time listening to, the world's false truth (TV, Radio, others) or God's truth (the bible)?
2. What do I espouse to others, a fake truth or God's truth?

 

PRAYER: Father, continue to teach me from you word so that I espouse the truth of scripture and not the lies of this culture. Help me to see where I have unknowingly compromised myself.

QT 1/31/2025 1 John 3:17-24, Do we really believe in Jesus?

1 John 3:17–24 (ESV) —

17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

 

NOTE: Love is the crucial identifying mark of the believer. But it is not talk about love or what others should do, it is what I am doing. What deeds show my love for others? How am sacrificing my time, my energy, my money, my things out of love for others? If I am not sacrificing, am I really loving, or is it all just words?

 

John makes it very clear that there is one commandment that is required -- believe in the name of Jesus and love one another. Why is that one commandment? Because, if you have believed in the name of Jesus, you will love one another. You can't help it. Your life will be changed by the Holy Spirit who will abide in you upon believing in the name of Jesus. Lenski writes, "You cannot believe without loving nor love without believing."

 

Yes, Jesus died for the sins of the world, but there is still one sin that can send you to hell, and that sin is refusing to believe in the name of Jesus.

 

PONDER:

1. Is my faith evident by my life of love?
2. If not, have I ever really had faith in Jesus?

 

PRAYER: Father, help us to see the real self. Do we really love Jesus or do we only talk about it? And if we say we love Jesus, is it seen by our love for others or is it just fake?

QT 1/30/2025 1 Jn 3:11-16, Love is far different from what we think

1 John 3:11–16 (ESV) —

11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

 

NOTE: The underlying message of Christianity is love, but it is not really understood by the masses. They have watered down the word love into some "ooey gooey" feeling. When Jesus talks about love, the definition goes way beyond being nice to people. One of the opposite definitions of love is to envy another, like Cain (as mentioned in the passage above). McGhee writes,

"Let me give you a definition of envy: ‘discontent or uneasiness at the sight of another’s excellence or good fortune, accompanied with some degree of hatred and a desire to possess equal advantages."

Everyone struggles at times with envy, but a born-again believer recognizes the subtle form of hatred. He repents and seeks to love the other. The extreme form of hatred is murder, but even Jesus in redefining one of the ten commandments said,

Matthew 5:21–22 (ESV) — 21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

The definition of love for the Christian is far different than understood by the religious (and non-religious) masses. Jesus gives us our example when he laid down his life for us. True love is sacrificial, not "ooey gooey"-niceties.

 

Christianity is love, but it is not love as people would like to think it is. Christianity is defined by sacrificial love that costs time, commitment, and energy.

 

PONDER:

1. What do I think about the word "love?" How have I defined it?
2. Do I truly love others sacrificially giving time, commitment, and energy to the relationship?

 

PRAYER: Father, help us to better understand love and how to love others. Help us to move from our very shallow definitions of love into your definition and your example of love as sacrificial.

QT 1/29/2025 1 Jn 3:4-10, The conduct of a true born-again Christian

1 John 3:4–10 (ESV) —

4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

 

NOTE: I think the ESV does a good job of capturing the meaning of the Greek words. We know that a Christian sins (1:8-9), but a person who is born again and hence abides in Christ, will be transformed. He will fight against sin and the practice of sin. He will fail, but he will not give up. He will also have victories and will see a life that produces love and care for others and less selfishness. Love for others is a defining characteristic of the believer. Insensitivity to others and their condition in regards to salvation shows either a very young believer or someone who is not truly born again. I think the key point is that a born-again Christian will show a changed life AND an ever-changing life. We don't stand still. We don't plateau. A born-again believer takes sin very seriously and seeks to practice righteousness in order to please his savior.

 

PONDER:

1. Am I growing in Christ? Am I different from I what I was?
2. Do people see a love in me for others or do people see a selfish man?

 

PRAYER: Father, thank you for the confirmation in my heart of my faith. I see it in the changes that you are continually doing in my life. I know I am so different from who I used to be. Thank you!

QT 1/28/2025 1 Jn 2:28-3:3, The rapture is a glorious hope that affirms our faith

1 John 2:28–3:3 (ESV) —

28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

 

NOTE: There are really two separate thoughts in this passage. The first two verses (2:28-29) remind us to abide because that increases our hope and confidence, as we await his coming. I am very assured of his coming. There is a wonder in me of whether the rapture may occur in 2033 or 2040 (note: when Jesus said no one knows the time of his coming, he was referring to the second coming, not the rapture [which precedes the second coming]. In regards to the rapture, we are to understand the seasons, meaning it will become more obvious as we get closer).

 

The second thought regards being children of God. I've written about this before. We are created in the image of God and have great worth and value, but we are not children of God. We are not in God's family just because we are his created beings. A number of passages clearly teach that we are adopted into God's family upon belief (John 1:12, Eph 1:13). A person needs to be born again, born of God, to be child in God's family. Many fool themselves thinking all are children of God -- that is not true. You must know God. At the rapture, we will realize the final aspect of our salvation, the glorification of our bodies as we are transformed fully into his likeness. For now, we continue to be witnesses to our generation in the hope that they will see the change in our lives and come to know our savior.

 

PONDER:

1. Have I been born again or have I just been going through the motions?
2. Do I believe in Jesus or do I believe in churchianity?

 

PRAYER: Father, you are coming soon to rapture your children from the earth prior to your judgment upon the earth. I pray we would be aware that the days may be short and we need to use our days wisely so that others are saved too.

QT 1/27/2025 1 Jn 2:21-27, There are many voices trying to deceive us

1 John 2:21–27 (ESV) —

21 I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.

26 I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. 27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.

 

NOTE: We have a promise from God, "eternal life." Those of us who have confessed the Son, that is, believed upon the Son, we have the Father and an anointing (the Holy Spirit). John says we don't need teaching, I think in context, we have the HS so that we know what is true and what is not true. The only way we can be deceived is to pull away from God and his word. When we started living for earthly gains, we don't lose our adoption into the family, be we become susceptible to the lies of antichrists. We need to be filled with God's word and the Holy Spirit can use it to protect us from these deceivers; teach us; and give us the intangibles that the world yearns for (true peace, true hope, true joy, and true life that we were created for).

 

PONDER:

1. Who do I listen to for truth about the world?
2. God's word is our protection for antichrists, how much time each day do I spend in his word?

 

PRAYER: Father, protect us from the voices out their (the antichrists) who are there to deceive us, confuse us, and draw us away from your truth. Protect us from the evil before us. May the word of God saturate our lives and brings us peace, hope, joy, and a fulfilled life.

QT 1/24/2025 1 Jn 2:15-20, The antichrists are already here

1 John 2:15–20 (ESV) —

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. 20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.

 

NOTE: The warning about the antichrist and the antichrists was written almost two millennia ago. We still have many antichrists teaching against God's word: multiple genders; different definitions of marriage; pride in sin instead of guilt; being their own gods versus serving the one true God; and many other forms of sexual immorality. These antichrists have fooled many people and have prepared the way for the final antichrist which will coincide with the tribulation period, seven years of hell on earth. It sounds like some of these antichrists got their start in the church showing that the church does have room for birds (people who take away the word of God from people).

 

PONDER:

1. What do I believe, the bible or the culture's values?
2. Do I need to repent of my rebellion from God and pursue him?

 

PRAYER: Father, help us to see these antichrists. I pray we will turn from evil and turn to you.

QT 1/23/2025 1 Jn 2:7-14, You want real change -- commit yourself to the word of God

1 John 2:7–14 (ESV) —

7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. 11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

12 I am writing to you, little children,

because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.

13 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, children,

because you know the Father.

14 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 abides in you,

and you have overcome the evil one.

 

NOTE: John addresses three groups: 1) little children, 2) fathers, and 3) young men. I think he is addressing the spiritual maturity of believers in the church: 1) new believers, 2) mature believers, and 3) growing Christians. Why does it seem out of order? Most people are in the last category and so John defines the end points first. At the beginning, our sins are forgiven, but by the end (mature), we know (really know) the person (God) who forgave us. In the middle (growing), we are fighting the enemy and dealing with life. At the beginning, we know we have a true Father, one who loves us deeply, but by the time we are mature, we really know the God of all eternity.  In the middle, we need to be strong, we need to get the word of God into our lives at all costs, and we need to overcome the enemy who wants to distract us from God's word.

 

The most important thing a person can do this year is immerse themselves daily in the word of God. Are you willing to do the most important thing you can for your spiritual growth?

 

PONDER:

1. How often do I get into the word of God on my own?
2. Do I have a plan to get into the word -- listen to it, read it, study it, memorize it, and meditate on it?

 

PRAYER: Father, there is nothing that can impact us more than a regular intake of the word of God. I pray we would be committed this year to allowing it to change us.

QT 1/22/2025 1 Jn 2:1–6, Works are not a way to salvation but an indication of salvation

1 John 2:1–6 (ESV) —

1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

 

NOTE: Once again, behavior (or works) is not a means to salvation but an indicator of salvation. Jesus did all the work on the cross. Salvation is a gift, unearned in any way. The Holy Spirit is given upon belief (Eph 1:13), and that is why "change" should be evident. Another aspect of our salvation is "propitiation." God hates sin and propitiation means that God's wrath against sin has been satisfied by our advocate, Jesus. We are now children of God, we never were before belief. We are created by God but not children of God. When we place our faith in Christ, we are adopted into the family of God -- now we can call ourselves God's children. Most people don't understand that, thinking that the whole world's people are God's children, but they are not.

 

PONDER:

1. Have I experienced transformation?
2. What is my assurance that I believed and received the gift of salvation?

 

PRAYER: Father, transformation is integral to true faith. Without any real change, what does salvation mean?

QT 1/21/2025 1 Jn 1:5-10, Salvation should result in real change

1 John 1:5–10 (ESV) —

5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 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 cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

 

NOTE: Some have suggested that John's teaching is meant to combat antinomianism -- where salvation negates the need for behavioral change. In essence, there is no law after salvation. While it is certainly true that our continuance in the faith is not dependent on keeping any law, it is an expectation that members of the family of God live in a manner worthy of the new name we represent. The New Testament is full of commands and encouragements to live lives worthy of the gospel. Additionally, and I believe this is John's argument, works is a sort of internal proof that we have been born again. If our lives are not changing, we need to ask if the Holy Spirit is truly in us, and if we truly believed, versus an emotional response or forced response or peer pressure. If your life is not changing, then I would be worried:

 

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) — Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

 

Too many so-called Christians don't look any different after salvation than they did before. They are as John says, "deceived."

 

PONDER:

1. Have I experienced a changed life upon salvation?
2. Am I still changing as I grow in my knowledge of the savior?

 

PRAYER: Father, wake up the "deceived" to their lost state. It is not enough to go to church or go through the motions. Religion does not save a person. Only belief in Jesus saves and transforms people. Open people's eyes to the real gospel.

QT 1/20/2025 1 Jn 1:1-4, The word of God is trustworthy

1 John 1:1–4 (ESV) —

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

 

NOTE: One of the important attributes of the New Testament is that every book was written by an eye-witness during a period of time when other eye-witnesses still lived. The archaeological story is seen in that many hundreds and thousands of copies of these book were created in the first and second century. There actually is no dispute about which books should or should not be in -- that issue was decided by the churches in the first century when the Holy Spirit moved the churches to make copies of letters attested by eye-witnesses. There is no Christian book or letter written in the first century by an eye-witness that was copied multiple times that is not included in our bible. The skeptics want to make an issue of various councils held many years later, but as for the true church, God made it very clear what books were true to the body of Christ.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I trust what God has put together?
2. Do I waver in unbelief because I listen to the enemy who tries to throw doubt on God's word?

 

PRAYER: Father, we have complete assurance in the message you have given us. It is made even more true by the change it produced in lives. Thank you for the word and thank you for its impact in my life.

QT 12/9/2020 1 John 5:21, Idols are a great danger to our mind

 1 John 5:21 (ESV) — 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. 

NOTE:  I feel this has been a particular emphasis of mine over the last two years. I like D. Edmond Hiebert's comment:

"Since an idol was anything that represented or took the place of God, it is held that the term here need not be restricted to literal idols but includes any false conception of “the true God” as set forth in the apostolic message." (Hiebert, D. E. (1990). Bibliotheca Sacra, 147, 328.)

This has been my point for a few years now. An idol is not just fashioned out of wood or rock or any other material -- an idol can be fashioned in the mind. I can still remember a class that I was teaching (many years ago) where a woman (with little bible knowledge) stood up and asserted, "well, my God is not like that, He is a loving God." It has happened many times after that, and it usually concerns some action that God takes against sin that the individual disagrees with. The person's error is that he/she fashions an idol out of what he/she believes God to be and not from the Word of God. There are a lot of things that take our attention from the true God. There are a lot of things that have primacy in our life over God. There are a lot of things we love more than God. We have a lot of idols, but the greatest idol is the one we fashion in our mind of who we think God is because we have refused to get to know the true God in the scriptures.

PRAYER: Father, expose our false concepts of who we believe you to be. May we turn to the scriptures daily and see you there. May that be the real love of our life.

QT 12/8/2020 1 John 5:18-19, All sin leads to death

 

QT 12/8/2020 1 John 5:20-21, We can experience eternal life now

 

QT 12/7/2020 1 John 5:13-15, What does it mean to believe in prayer?