Posts from April 2023

The words of 1 John 2:7-11 echo our Lord’s own commandment in John 3:34-35, about His disciples’ responsibility to love each other. The Holy Spirit here “amplifies” the Master’s words by showing that Christians who practice His words amid the present world’s darkness are highlighting the fact that the end of sin’s “darkness” is imminent (vs. 8)! Verses 9-11 caution believers to not be drawn back into ungodly attitudes or actions because those things will make us hypocrites who lose…

Like the gospel record that he penned, John’s first letter to Christians begins with a direct, fundamental statement about the nature and identity of Jesus (1 John 1:1-2). The purpose of this letter is stated plainly in verses 3-4: John is writing to enable those who read these words to share with him in the fellowship extended by both the Father and the Son. At verse 7, he will go on to emphasize that the fellowship Christians share with one…

The conclusion of Peter’s inspired writing ultimately centers around one basic point, found in 2 Peter 3:11-13 – every Christian should soberly consider “What kind of person should I be (since I am a Christian) as I live on this side of eternity?” The preface to our being able to properly answer this question is the reminder in verses 1-7 that… We’ve been warned that “scoffers” (vs. 3) will mock our faith because following it would mean they could not…

The second chapter of Peter’s second letter is one of the most upsetting and distressing passages in the whole new testament, for those who prefer to believe that all people are basically “good,” and that everyone who claims to be a Christian can be trusted and accepted “at face value.” What Peter writes here is a continuation of the thought in 1:19-21, that the Holy Spirit has revealed the Father’s will to us so that we can be sure and…