“My dear children, let’s not just talk about love. Let’s practice real love.”
My foray into obedience took me into First John, where the author (probably the apostle John, though it isn’t settled), is working to help early Christians deal with false teachings. The false teaching raised three issues that fostered uncertainty, doubt, and fear in the early Christians. They were told they must not be Christians if they ever sinned at all. But they were also told that they could be Christians without concerning themselves with Jesus’ commandments. At the same time, they were taught that it was foolish to believe Jesus lived in a literal physical body and that his death could atone for their sins.
Many of us today still struggle with the doubts John’s readers were faced with. 1 John beautifully addresses these doubts, telling us the mark of a true Christian is love. John wants to foster growth and fellowship and points us back again and again to Christ as our surety. Thankfully, it is not up to us to keep a perfect record, because Christ did. And yet, because Christ did, we can live in freedom and righteousness, really and truly loving one another. Take heart and move into this day with this assurance.
Trackbacks/Pingbacks