Posts from May 2023

The apostle John’s letter to a Christian brother named Gaius is a fascinating window into the uncomfortable reality that sometimes, some Christians don’t act very much like the Christ! Modern Christians sometimes seem to forget that the problems and conflicts that can arise within a congregation are neither unique nor original. In the fourteen short verses of this personal letter, John both extolls the godliness of faithful and consistent brethren like Gaius and Demetrius, and bluntly condemns the arrogance and…

Five times in the first four verses of John’s very brief letter to “the elect lady,” he emphasizes the role truth must occupy in a Christian’s life. He first notes that his love for this “elect lady” is rooted in truth, vs. 1. (The recipients of this letter, whom John addresses as the “elect lady and her children,” are thought by some commentators to be an actual sister in Christ and her family. Those who hold this view generally assign…

“Don’t reflexively believe everything you hear.” This is the gist of the commandment at 1 John 4:1, and the inspired penman goes on in the same statement to explain why Christians should “vet” or verify as true every doctrine or claim made by someone who professes to speak on behalf of God – because many “pseudo” prophets are present in our world. Conscientious Christians try to see the good side of people and give others the “benefit of the doubt,”…

First John 3:4 offers a very practical definition of the word “sin” – a sin is any action that falls outside the boundary of God’s will (including our thoughts, Acts 8:22, and our words, Matthew 12:36). While the KJV translates the last part of this verse as “…sin is the transgression of the law (from a root word meaning “to go over” a boundary), most other English translations use the word lawlessness – acting or being “without,” outside of what…