John must have been a very special man. His Gospel and this letter show us clearly the love of God and how we are to walk in that love. We are to love fellow Christians and care for each other. We are to be an example of God’s love to unbelievers, and we are to share the Gospel.
Christians are God’s children, and we are a big family. Most of us can understand the difference between the love we have for the members of our earthly family, and while we care about people around us, there’s a special love within a family unit. That’s how our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ should be. Those on the outside haven’t been born into God’s family. Christians make a choice to be a part of God’s family.
“Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments” (1 John 5:1-2).
Belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is the key to being a child of God. To me, that’s a simple fact, but we live in perilous times, and many preachers don’t preach through the whole Bible but pick and choose which verses won’t offend the congregation. One-verse theology is causing false doctrine to be taught. It’s important for every Christian to study Scripture and understand God’s word.
“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous” (1 John 5:3).
Once the Pharisees asked Jesus about the great commandment of the Law. “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37).
Also, when Jesus spoke with His disciples before the crucifixion, He spoke very plainly, and His words touched John deeply. “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you” (John 15:12-14).
Do you love God? Do you love your fellow Christians? Are you a friend of Jesus? I hope so. As this world grows darker, Christians need to stay close to each other in the Light of Jesus.
John tells us of the love of Jesus and how we are to show our love for Him. When we love Him and act on that love, we have power. Think of someone who doesn’t like you. If you make an effort to show kindness to that person, the dislike will melt away. You may even lead that person to faith in Christ. If you love Jesus, then show that love to others.
“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:4-5).
What does it mean to overcome? It’s from the Greek word “nikaō,” which is translated in other places as “conquer,” “prevail,” and “get the victory.” Jesus dictated seven letters to John, addressed to seven congregations. These letters are recorded in the Book of Revelation and are a “picture” of the church age, and each letter contains a promise to those who overcome.
“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7).
Each letter is given a promise to those who overcome. We are living in the times described in the letter to Laodicea. The promise to the overcomer is “To him that overcometh, will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and set down with my Father in his throne” (Revelation 3:21).
Overcoming has many rewards, and each promise from Jesus is an amazing blessing. Get right with God and live as a part of the family. Overcome your carnal desires and love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
One of the hardest truths to grasp in Scripture is the truth of the Trinity. Those who argue against it claim that the word is never used in Scripture. That’s true, but the Trinity is seen throughout Scripture beginning in Genesis.
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).
God is translated from the Hebrew ‘ĕlōhîm, which is a plural noun. In Hebrew, a “plural” is at least three. After verse one, we see the Spirit of God moved on the waters, then God spoke all things into being. Moving to the New Testament, when Jesus was baptized, “…and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven saying, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16b-17).
Again, at the Transfiguration all Members of the Trinity were present. A cloud (the Spirit) covered them, and God the Father spoke. “While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him” (Matthew 17:5).
There are many more verses which describe the Trinity. The next verse in 1 John carries a controversy. “And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one” (1 John 5:8).
It’s omitted from many translations because the translators claim that the “oldest” manuscripts don’t contain it. That’s probably true, but the truth of the verse remains.
God’s truth has never changed. People may say one thing, but God is greater than any mere human or any spiritual entity. God told Adam not to eat the forbidden fruit; Satan twisted God’s truth, and Eve chose to believe the lie. God’s words were true then, and they’re true now. Unfortunately, people still twist God’s truth, and many people are led astray. There are many outright lies being taught today. For instance, all paths lead to Heaven. Wrong.
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).
You may be a very nice person, but if you haven’t accepted Christ for salvation, then you have a very bleak eternity to face. “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 John 5:10-12).
Don’t follow the path to destruction, but place your eternity in the hands of Jesus. Then start living as God’s word directs. You will overcome all the temptations found in the world if you lean on the power of the Holy Spirit living in you.
John didn’t leave anything to the imagination as to whom he was writing, and why he wrote this. “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13).
He wrote to brothers and sisters in Christ, those of us who believe in Jesus. There are some who like to plant doubts in your mind as to whether you’re truly saved. Maybe they say you attend the wrong church, or perhaps they pull out one verse of Scripture and build a whole doctrine around that, and if you don’t follow their thinking, then you must not be saved. That’s why you should study Scripture for yourself.
Baptism won’t save you. If your parents had you baptized when you were a baby, there was no belief on your part. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9).
It must be your own faith. Do you believe? Then read through this letter from John again. Love God, and love your brothers and sisters in Christ. Share the Gospel with the lost.
We have an amazing promise. The God of all creation hears you when you speak to Him. We can go before Him and humbly ask Him for anything that’s within His will. Does that mean if we want fame and fortune, He will give it to us? What if we ask for something sinful? That’s what the name-it-and-claim-it crowd teaches – just tell God what would make you happy, and He will be sure you get it. Do you see that in Scripture? I don’t.
Jesus taught that God provides for the birds, so He will care for His people. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).
The things He spoke of here are the necessities in life, such as food, clothing, and shelter. We don’t need fancy food, expensive clothes, or overpriced houses. We need to learn to be happy with what He provides. God knows all things and knows what’s best. Can you think of any times when you prayed hard for something and got discouraged when God didn’t give it to you? When you look back over your life, you’ll understand that the unanswered prayers are really a blessing. What God blesses us with is so much better.
“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him” (1 John 5:14-15).
Read this carefully: If we ask according to His will. That’s important. He won’t give us anything that’s a sin, or anything that will draw us down a path that will move us away from Him. So, how can we know if something is according to his will? Study Scripture.
God tells us quite plainly what constitutes sin. So, if you’re a man, don’t ask Him for a boyfriend. Learn to love what God loves, and you will become closer to Him. If it seems that God doesn’t answer your prayers, take a look at yourself. Do you have any unconfessed sin that’s standing in the way of God’s blessings? Or maybe you have a worldly attitude. Ingratitude will stand in the way of God blessing you.
We all sin, but we have brothers and sisters in Christ to help us to repent of the sin and ask God to forgive. If we see a fellow Christian embracing a sinful practice, we need to pray that God will help us to help our brother.
“If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death” (1 John 5:16-17).
Sin will always be a problem while we live on this side of Heaven. We need to pray for the brethren. Too often, the first thing we do is gossip about a fellow Christian who is choosing to sin, but our first action should be to pray. When we truly repent of our sins and accept Jesus’ shed blood on the cross as the sacrifice to take our sin away, all of our sins were nailed to the cross. We’re forgiven.
The only unforgivable sin is blasphemy… rejecting God. Can a Christian do that? Is John talking about blasphemy? He’s writing to Christians, and that means they haven’t rejected God.
Let’s look at Ananias and Sapphira. At a time when Christians were in great need, many sold their possessions in order to provide for fellow Christians. Ananias, whose name means “whom Jehovah has graciously given,” and his wife Sapphira sold some property but only gave a portion to help the brethren.
“But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? Why has thou conceived this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God” (Acts 5:3-4).
Ananias dropped dead after Peter rebuked him. Later, when Peter rebuked Sapphira for joining with her husband to tempt the Spirit of the Lord, she also dropped dead. It was their lies to God that caused their death. This leads me to be concerned for the leaders of mega-churches who live in luxury and preach false doctrine. God will deal with deadly sin.
We have a responsibility to walk close to God. “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not” (1 John 5:18).
All our sins are forgiven when we truly give our life to Jesus. That’s a blessing that the people of the world cannot imagine. Satan is real and is trying to get as many people as possible to spend eternity with him in the lake of fire. Christians can be harassed by him, but he can’t take us to Hell with him.
How can we be certain? “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” 1 John 5:19-20.
It’s becoming more and more obvious that the world is in wickedness. I want no part of it. Sin is glorified, while God is mocked. Sin is promoted, while a Christian life is ridiculed. Homosexuality, murder of babies, and worship of demon gods (Allah) is acceptable, but Christianity is deemed illegal. The Satanic hatred of Israel is a plague on the world. We are living in the last days, and soon Jesus will call Christians Home in the Rapture. Study Scripture and learn to be an overcomer. John gives us very good instructions.
John ends this letter with “Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen” (1 John 5:21).
Idols are not real gods. The Psalmist describes the heathen idols as “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat” (Psalm 115:4-7).
Idols just are empty and useless. The Psalmist goes on to say “They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them” (Psalm 115:8).
Anything you put ahead of God in your life is an idol. Do you idolize celebrities? Most live a lifestyle that is far from God. Do you idolize money? “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10).
Idol worship will draw you away from God and His love. You will not be an overcomer.
Study this letter. It’s written to Christians to encourage us to serve Jesus better and how to overcome. John tells us to love our fellow Christians because love is of God. God is love.
God bless you all,
Nathele Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
Recommended prophecy sites:
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com
All original Scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.
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“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.” Psalm 122:6