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BACKGROUND
The three epistles of John were most likely written by John the Beloved, although, some scholars question that conclusion. In my opinion the writing certainly fits his style, and the writer tells us at the beginning of the letter that the author was an eyewitness of the resurrected Lord, so that fits It’s obvious that the author is heavily influenced and inspired by the teachings of Jesus at the Last Supper, which John was present at, so that also points to the author being John the Beloved. And whoever wrote these books was especially touched by Christ’s teachings on love. He’s really taken by this idea—that love is a central and foundational attribute of God and his Son Jesus Christ. Therefore, hypothetically speaking, When Paul gets up and tells us that the greatest of all spiritual gifts is the gift charity, John stands up and shouts out, “AMEN brother!”
It's unknown exactly when and where these books were written but possibly from Ephesus sometime between 70 and 100 AD. And the audience is most likely Jewish Christians living in the area of modern-day Turkey.
Now the major purpose of these letters was to confront false teachers popping up in the church that are claiming that Jesus Christ was not actually mortal with a physical body, but that he appeared to have one. Therefore, Jesus wasn’t literally resurrected from the dead, a doctrine that was particularly hard for a lot of early Christians to grasp (See 1 Corinthians 15). So John’s message is to address that problem and encourage the members to turn to the living Christ and God the Father, the divine sources of all light and love and choose them over the teachings of these false prophets and worldly philosophies.
ICEBREAKER
For an icebreaker, I like to ask my students the following question. What makes a good parent? And I typically frame it as a sincere question as a current parent. You know, I tell them that, yes, part of the purpose of asking that question is as a means to prepare us to dig into the lesson, but also as a genuine request for help. The older I get, the less I really remember what it was like to be a child or a teenager, so give me some good advice. What could I do to be a better father? Now you’ll have to adjust that question depending on your personal situation and the age of the people that you’re teaching, but I think just about everyone has the ability to weigh in on the question of effective parenting. And then, when I have a good list of everyone’s advice, I like to take a picture of it on my phone and thank my students for helping me to be the best Father that I can be.
TRANSITION
Well, parenting can be one of the most challenging and rewarding responsibilities we may ever experience in this life. The bond between parents and children, and the arranging of mortals into families, we know, is one of the most important aspects of the plan of salvation. As the first paragraph of the Proclamation on the Family teaches us:
“We . . . solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.”
(The Proclamation on the Family)
At this point I like to surprise my students a little bit by informing them that this idea of parenting and family is so important in God’s plan that we actually all have THREE different sets of parents in our lives. To which I always get a lot of confused looks. There is a powerful symbolic scriptural idea that we need to understand if we wish to grasp the imagery and the power of the book of John. And when you understand this concept you’ll actually see it pop up all over the scriptures. And I can’t take credit for this, I have to give a shout out to my cousin Jared Halvorsen and thank him for pointing this out to me. And, by the way, Jared has a wonderful YouTube channel and podcast also, that you may already be familiar with called Unshaken where he walks you through the scriptures verse by verse and just does a phenomenal job of explaining the scriptures.
So what do we mean by “three sets of parents.” We’re going to fill out the following chart to help you better visualize what I’m talking about here. The first two sets of parents are fairly easy to identify when you stop to think about it. Who is a Mother and Father that we all have? And usually the first people that come to mind are our earthly father and an earthly mother. And they are the parents of our bodies. But do we have another Father out there? We all have a Heavenly Father, and we also know doctrinally that we have a Heavenly Mother. And they are the parents of what? Our spirits. And we can’t do much about changing those first two sets of parents, we’re kind of stuck with them, but we do get to choose our third set. We have a choice to make. And there are actually two sets of parents that we can choose from. Now, keep in mind, this parentage is symbolic and figurative. So let’s fill the rest of this chart out. I’ve got a few references that will help us to see this relationship, but I’m not going to read all of them. Just a few to give you the idea. But who is the first of the fathers that we can choose? We’ll start in
Mosiah 5:7
7 And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters.
Isaiah 53:10-11
10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, (or his children) he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Now who is Isaiah referring to there? Who was it that made his soul an offering for sin, and bore our iniquities. Isaiah tells us that HE has seed, children.
And now to our current book of study, 1 John 3:9-10
9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
So who’s also a father? Jesus Christ is a father. And sometimes we know that he is referred to as God in the scriptures, because he is a member of the Godhead, but at times those titles are interchangeable. And you’ll see him referred to in the scriptures as the Father at times, and this is why. Christ has children. We are all children of God, our Heavenly Father, but not everyone is a child of Christ. That distinction is reserved for a group of people that do certain things and make that choice, to choose him as their Father.
Now there’s another father out there that we could choose as well. And he was hinted at in those last verses we read from 1 John 3.
But we can also go to John 8:44 to see this. This is Jesus speaking to the Pharisees.
44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
So Satan is the other father I can choose. It was like Jesus looked at the Pharisees and said, “Satan’s your Dad”! In other places in scripture we see Satan referred to as the father of lies, and the father contention as well. And that’s the easier part to figure out here. But I know you’re all wondering about that next column. This is where things get really interesting. Who are their wives? Who is Christ married to and who is Satan married to?
Let’s start with Jesus. Again, remember, we’re not talking about a physical relationship, but a symbolic one. We’re not going Da Vinci code here. But who is Christ symbolically married to?
Take a look at Ephesians 5:22-25 for some help:
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Now 2 Corinthians 11:2
2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
The “you” Paul is addressing here is of course the Church. The church is the mother figure in this relationship. You know that sometimes Jesus is referred to as the bridegroom in the scriptures, think back to the parable of the ten virgins. Jesus is the groom. That’s because at the second coming he will be united with this wife, his church, the bride. You’re really going to see John call on this imagery in the Book of Revelation. The church is always feminine. And they are the parents of our covenant as stated back in Mosiah 5:7. When you are baptized (or born again) you are born to this new set of parents. Christ becomes your Father, and the Church becomes your Mother. And Jesus, in his role as Father to the Church, presides over it, protects us from death and sin, and provides for us, feeds us his words, so we can “feast upon the words of Christ.” And then the Church, in her divine role as our Mother, nourishes us, cherishes us, and leads us along as we grow up in the gospel.
Now what about the side of the equation. Who is Satan’s symbolic “wife” in this case? You could probably just figure it out by looking at the contrast with the other set of parents. But what other mother might I choose beside the church? Let’s look at 1 John 4:5.
5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
And now Revelation 17:4-6.
4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth.
6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
Who is his companion? It’s the world, or Babylon, the Mother of harlots. And when I say the world, I don’t mean the earth itself, like Mother Earth, I mean the church of the devil, that worldly influence that runs contrary to God’s kingdom. In the scriptures, Satan's church is often depicted as a harlot, the mother of all abominations. And you see that kind of language in a lot of places in scripture, especially the Book of Revelation, also written by John. And together, Satan and Babylon, they are the parents of what? Well, take another look at this passage in 1 John 3:8-10
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
So they are the parents of sin.
And now that we have that all filled out, THEREFORE WHAT? We all have a choice to make in this life. Who will we choose as our 3rd set of parents? And we’ve got to make that choice very thoughtfully and carefully. Now I can’t imagine many people consciously choosing Satan as their father. Somebody might look at that chart and say, “Oh, for sure, I’ve chosen Jesus. Why would I choose Satan as my Dad”. But the real key, is in the Mom’s. That’s where we really get a sense of who we’ve chosen. We may not consciously choose to follow Satan, but how quickly do we choose his wife (the world) not realizing who she’s married to. So which of those two mothers do we spend more time with? Which of the mother’s is more appealing to us? Because one of those moms is strict. She has high expectations, rules, and consequences for breaking those rules. The other mom doesn’t have any rules. She’s the proverbial “cool mom” that lets you do whatever you want. She encourages you to go out and party, stay out all night, no curfew, no expectation. And she’s cool until you realize why she lets you do whatever you want. Because she doesn’t care about you. She could care less what trouble those actions bring into your life. And neither does her husband. Look at Alma’s conclusion about Satan as a Dad in Alma 30:60
60 And thus we see the end of him who perverteth the ways of the Lord; and thus we see that the devil will not support his children at the last day, but doth speedily drag them down to hell.
Satan, is a deadbeat Dad that does not support his kids. The other mother may have high expectations and rules, but why? Because SHE REALLY DOES LOVE US, and knows our potential, and wants what’s best for us. And so does her husband. That will be one of the major themes of the epistles of John. Love. How much this symbolic set of parents really loves US.
So with THAT understanding, let’s finally dig deep into 1 John. The way I’d like to approach this book is with an activity I call a thinking map. And here’s what it looks like. It has a number of boxes to fill in with the related references below it. You read the references and then fill in the box with the main idea. Remember that John is presenting us with a choice, so you’ll be looking for contrasts. If there are no references below one of the boxes, then I invite you to figure out what is implied by the contrast with its corresponding message on the other side. John wants to help us to see why we should choose Christ and his Church rather than Satan and the World. So see if you can fill it out. For you teachers out there, allow me to guide you through this. And you’ll notice that this portion of the lesson is going to be very scripture heavy. I’m mainly going to just let John teach the lesson. He’s a much better teacher than I am anyway.
Now we’ve already identified the two sets of parents with those verses so we can just write them in. We’ve got Christ and the Church on one side, and Satan and the World on the other.
But what distinguishes those two sets of parents? What qualities do they embody?
Let’s start with God and his Church
1 John 1:5
5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
1 John 4:8
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
So the two things they are full of? Light and love. But what about the devil and the world? Let’s take a look at these verses
1 John 2:9
9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
1 John 2:11
11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
1 John 3:13
13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
So what are the two qualities that mark the character of the devil and the world? Darkness and hate. A perfect contrast to the other set of parents.
Now the next question. How do I show my love or my willingness to choose the set of parents that I’ve chosen? And I see three things that show us who we’ve chosen and how we show our love. So let’s start with Christ and his Church.
1 John 2:3-6
3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
1 John 2:29
29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.
1 John 3:9 (JST)
9 Whosoever is born of God doth not continueth in sin; for the Spirit of God remaineth in him; and he cannot continue in sin, because he is born of God, having received that holy Spirit of promise
1 John 5:2-3
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
So what’s the first way that I show my love for God? It’s obedience. I keep his commandments.. And I love that final phrase in verse 3. His commandments are not grievous. Our Heavenly Father doesn’t really ask us to do anything that’s grievous or unreasonable. And perhaps that’s a good question to ask ourselves. How do I feel about God’s commandments? Are they grievous to me? Or do we see them as guidance from a loving Heavenly Father. And I know I’ve said it before, but allow me to say it again. if there was one word that I could change in the gospel, it would be the word commandment. Because when you look at that word, what stands out? The word command, like, you have to do this because I say so. But that’s not really the spirit of the commandments. I would call them divine guidance-ments, or heavenly help-ments, because really the commandments are there to protect and bless and keep us on the right path and bring happiness. So if I really struggle to see the purpose and the love behind the commandments, that may be an indicator of which pair of parents I’ve decided to choose.
And now, you can probably figure out what’s going to be on the other side. How do I know if I’ve chosen the devil as my father?
1 John 2:4
4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
1 John 2:16
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1 John 3:8
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
1 John 3:10
10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
I know we’ve read that one a couple times, but, how do I show that I’ve chosen Satan? I don’t keep his commandments. I’m disobedient. I sin.
Now let’s take a look at the second way I show my love.
1 John 2:10
10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
1 John 4:7-8
7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1 John 4:11
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
1 John 4:21
21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
So the second way I show that I’ve chosen God? I love my fellow man. These first two ideas should probably sound familiar to us. When Jesus was asked which commandment was the most important, how did he respond?
Matthew 22:37-39
37 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.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Now, how do I show that I love my fellowman. John’s going to teach us that as well. Two ways
1 John 3:16
16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
So the first way I show my love to my fellowman is the way that Jesus showed his love for us. Sacrifice. I sacrifice for others. And that doesn’t necessarily have to mean giving our lives physically but sacrificing our needs, our desire, our time, our efforts for other people.
And then the other way is in
1 John 3:17-18
17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
So the other way I show my love for my fellowman? I serve him. I have compassion on him. I love my brother, not just in word, but in deed and in truth. I show that I understand that love is a verb and not a noun
And that’s what Jesus and the Church would encourage to do. But what does Satan and the world urge?
1 John 2:9
9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
1 John 2:11
11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
1 John 3:13
13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
1 John 4:20
20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
So how does the child of Satan and the world feel about their fellowman? Hatred. Hatred for their fellowman.
And how do I show my hatred?
1 John 3:12,15
12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.
15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
John uses Cain as an example of this principle. If I show my LOVE for my fellow man by giving my life for him, then, conversely, I show my hatred for my fellow man by taking his life. And again that doesn’t have to be literal. But I take things from others. Whether it’s their life, or their goods, or their spirit, or their joy. I show my hatred for my fellowman by slaying and stealing.
And then what’s the other way?
1 John 3:17
17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
So the second way, the opposite of serving. I shut up the bowels of my compassion. And since I like the alliteration in this, I’m going to say: We snub our brother. We don’t help . We ignore him and his needs.
Now what’s the third way we show our love for God?
1 John 4:2
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
1 John 4:15
15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
1 John 5:1
1 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.
1 John 5:5
5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
So the third way is, we believe in Christ. We exercise faith in God’s beloved Son and his infinite atonement.
Now to the other side:
1 John 2:22-23
22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
1 John 4:3
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
So rather than believing in Christ, I confess not Christ, or I deny Christ
Those are the three actions that are really going to help us to know which set of parents we’ve decided to follow. Which of those three things do we find ourselves engaging in more often? Do we love, obey, believe, and serve? Or do we give in to hate, selfishness, and skepticism?
One final question. I think John really wants us to understand the consequences of our choice. He wants us to know the results that will come depending on which side we choose—to help us make a more informed decision. I see at least nine different consequences.
Here we go:
1 John 1:4
4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
So one of the results for choosing Christ? Joy, which by implication, if you choose the devil, what will it bring you? Misery.
The second one. A lot of mentions of this.
1 John 1:7
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 2:1-2
1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 2:12
12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.
One of the greatest blessings we receive for choosing Christ is that his blood will cleanse us from our sins. Yes, sin is one of those indications that tells us we’re on the other side. But our Heavenly Father understands that we’re not always going to get it right, that we are going to make mistakes. That’s why he sent his son Jesus Christ to cleanse us and forgive us. We don’t need to get discouraged or overly anxious when we fall short . Jesus Christ our advocate—our lawyer is going to be right there to stand by us at the judgment. To say, “Yes, I know they’re guilty. I know they’ve sinned, but they chose me, they had a desire to follow me, so please forgive them of their sin and allow me to take their judgment on my shoulders. I’ll be the propitiation for their sins. We have an incredible father who is willing to stand up for his children and defend them and help them when they make mistakes.
But if I’ve chosen the devil, the devil has no desire to do anything for us. He seeks us to be miserable like unto himself. And so, our sins will remain. Our sins are not forgiven.
The next result
1 John 2:10
10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
So we get light, and no stumbling. We’ll know where we’re going. We’re not going to get lost in this life. We’ll have a clear idea of the path that we need to take.
On the other hand:
1 John 2:11
11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
I’m going to be lost. I’m going to be blind. I’m going to be stumbling around in the dark.
The next one:
1 John 2:17
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
1 John 2:25
25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.
1 John 5:11-13
11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
13 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.
So one of the greatest gifts of God? Eternal life.
On the other hand
1 John 2:17
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
1 John 3:14-15
14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
1 John 5:12
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
The polar opposite of eternal life? Death. Spiritual death. And they abide in that death forever. Or a separation from their Father in Heaven.
Next
1 John 2:20
20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
1 John 2:27
27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
So those two verses may not be super clear, but I think there’s a hint in the words unction and anointing and also in what that anointing does for us. It helps us to know things, and teaches us what we need to do. But if that’s not clear, you’re definitely going to see it in
1 John 3:9 (JST)
9 Whosoever is born of God doth not continueth in sin; for the Spirit of God remaineth in him; and he cannot continue in sin, because he is born of God, having received that holy Spirit of promise
So what’s one of the results of choosing Christ and his Church? You have the Spirit. What’s the connection between an anointing or unction and the Spirit? Is a huge connection! That’s what oil symbolized. Oil was used for light. So when Kings, Priests, or Prophets were called, they were anointed with oil, so that they would have the Spirit of God with them, to teach and guide them in their leadership.
And by contrast, if you’ve chosen the world. You won’t have the Spirit. You won’t have that guidance. You won’t know things; You won’t be taught.
Next
1 John 2:28
28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
1 John 4:17-18 (And this has both sides in it)
17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
So we’ve got the two sides of the way we’re going to feel at the judgment. If I’ve chosen Christ and his Church I’m going to have confidence and boldness and look forward to the judgment. But if I’ve chosen the world, I’m going to feel fear. Fear is the exact opposite of faith, and confidence, and boldness. Loving God and loving my fellow man is going to fill me with confidence. Hatred and fear go hand in hand.
Next
1 John 3:22
22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
1 John 5:14-15
14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
So another blessing, he hears and answers our prayers. And on the other side. God is going to be slow to hear.
Next
1 John 3:2
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
1 John 4:13
13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
1 John 4:16
16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
1 John 5:20
20 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.
So if we choose Christ and his church, we are going to dwell in them. We become one with God and Christ, and they in us. We have this wonderful unifying bond with our symbolic parents.
On the other hand. I’ll be separate from God and Christ. Which really is the doctrinal definition of spiritual death.
And one more:
1 John 5:4-5
4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
So if I choose Christ and his Church, I’m choosing the winning side. I will overcome the world.
Therefore, on the other side, what will happen to me. I will be overcome.
And that’s got to be one of the most convincing reasons to choose the correct parents. If you were playing a sport and you were given the opportunity to choose a team to play on, but you already knew who was going to be the winning team. Which team would you choose? The answer is obvious—the winning team. Nobody wants to lose. And that really brings us to the crux, the big picture point of 1 John.
TRUTH
Choose your parents wisely. John has beautifully and clearly set before us the choice that we have to make, and he wants us to be as informed as possible. The world is always going to try and obscure this clarity, and make it seem difficult, gray. But really it’s black and white. Look at our thinking map. Which do we want? Do we want light and love, or darkness and hate? Do we want to spend your life sacrificing and serving, or stealing and snubbing? Do we want joy or misery? Confidence or fear? Eternal life or eternal death? Do we want to overcome, or be overcome. Do we wish to be the children of Christ or children of the Devil? Cling to Mother Church or Mother World.
You have your agency, now make your choice. And remember as you make it, Jesus’s daunting statement:
“No man can serve two masters”. (Matthew 6:24) You can’t choose both.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
So, I have a question for you that I would like you to ponder. Which side do you feel you’ve chosen? As you look at that chart, which side do you identify most with?
CONCLUSION
And then, depending on how you’ve answered that, let me say that if you’ve chosen Christ and the Church, stick with that choice! Don’t turn away. Continue down that path and endure to the end. And if you’ve chosen the World, and her companion, I invite you to run away. They don’t care about you anyway. Join the family, I assure you, you are always welcome in the family of Christ. And if you’re still waffling between the two, and you’re not quite sure what to do, then use what John has taught as your guide. This choice reminds me of one of my favorite movies when I was a boy: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. And do you remember that last scene where Indiana has to make a choice as to which cup is the real holy grail. Choosing the wrong one brings death and choosing the right one brings life. I hope that when we stand before Christ at the final judgment and it’s apparent what choice you’ve made, that just like the old knight in the movie, Christ will be able to say of us: “He/she chose wisely”. And hopefully he will not have to sadly look on and declare “He/she chose poorly”. So choose wisely! That’s my hope for all.
2-3 JOHN
Now the other two epistles of John are very short and I’m not going to do much with them. But in them you’ll see that same clear message of choice that we saw in his first epistle. These two letters clearly show that the early Church’s descent into apostasy is becoming more and more of a threat. 2 John is addressed to “the elect lady” which is more than likely a reference to the church. Remember, the church is Christ’s bride. John’s message to her is to stay in the truth and to watch out for deceivers. There’s another contrast that shows up very prominently in both 2 and 3 John. And that is between truth and deception, or lies. Christ and his church are full of truth, as well as light and love. And Satan and the world are full of lies. The word truth is mentioned four times in 2nd John and 7 times in 3 John. 3 John is also a contrast. It addresses two different leaders in the church that exemplify the two sides. Gauis on the side of truth, and Diotrephes on the side of deception. I’ll let you study these two short books with the same approach we took in 1 John and identify the two sides. But if there is one verse that I would draw your attention to in these two books, my favorite would be 3 John 4. There he says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth”. I know this is a message from John speaking to the members, but surely Christ as our Father feels the same way. Nothing makes Christ happier, than when he hears that we walk in truth. When I was younger and ever asked my parents what they wanted for their birthdays or Christmas, I always got the same answer: Good kids. That’s what Christ wants too. I know that as a parent I feel this way. Nothing makes me happier or prouder than to hear that my children are walking in truth.
JUDE
And now the Book of Jude. Again, I won’t do much with this book either. It’s obvious that the writer of Jude was heavily influenced by the book of 2 Peter or vice versa and contains a very similar message. Either way, Jude, like James, was one of Jesus’s brothers. The date of its writing is hard to determine but probably close to same time as the epistle of 2 Peter. The context again is false teachers creeping into the church. In this case, the false teachers are saying that because of Christ’s grace, they were basically free to do whatever they wanted. Jude shoots this down fairly vehemently. And what I like most about the book of Jude are all the creative names he gives these false teachers. Here’s a quick secret phrase activity that highlights these names or descriptions:
Jude 1:4 ungodly men
Jude 1:8 filthy dreamers
Jude 1:10 brute beasts
Jude 1:12 spots in your feasts of charity
Jude 1:12 clouds without water
Jude 1:12 trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots
Jude 1:13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame
Jude 1:13 wandering stars
Jude 1:15 ungodly sinners
Jude 1:16 murmurers, complainers
Jude 1:18 mockers
Some really fun ones in there, huh. He really goes after them, doesn’t he?
Which leads us to our secret message which I feel is the solution to this problem. Jude tells us in verse 3 that we should “earnestly contend for the faith”.
Jude also uses three Old Testament examples to compare these false teachers to. Cain, Balaam, and Korah. And what do each of those three stories have in common? Each was an example of a person that could not submit to Godly authority. They each wanted personal power and gain.
So, just like with the book of 2 Peter, I encourage you to avoid the false teachers and prophets of the world. And just like then, there are forces without and within the church that seek to pull people away. Watch out for the murmurers and complainers, the filthy dreamers, the wandering stars that lead you astray, and those that try to encourage you to rebel against priesthood authority. Instead, let’s do what Jude suggests in vs. 3
“Earnestly contend for the faith”.
