Posts from 2023 (Page 3)

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…

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…

Peter declares in 2 Peter 1:3 that it is God who supplies everything we could ever need to live satisfying and contented lives. In a world where many people believed in and worshipped imaginary “gods” who never actually existed or had any power to aid anyone (cf. Acts 17:24-31), Peter is emphasizing to Christians that there is NO “other” source of blessings to equip us to cope with the challenges of life in this world. The blessings and benefits God…

“Love covers a multitude of sins.” The words of 1 Peter 4:8 actually command Christians to “grasp” or “hold onto” fervent love toward fellow-Christians, and then states that such love covers – hides or veils – a “multitude,” many sins (the definite article “the multitude” is not present in the Greek text). The love in view here is “agapé,” the Christ-like care that puts another’s welfare ahead of our own, and if Peter is not directly quoting from Proverbs 10:12,…

The middle section of Peter’s first letter (chapter 3) begins with an instruction to Christian women that much of our modern society considers outrageously offensive and “sexist:” “…wives, be in subjection to your own husbands…”. What this socially-aggrieved response does not generally take into consideration is the overall thematic context of the Holy Spirit’s instruction; the instructions in chapter three continue the theme that actually began at 1 Peter 2:11. This theme speaks to the motivation of each group addressed…

In 1 Peter 2:11-12, the Holy Spirit sets up a contrast between the typical Gentile approach to life in the first century and the attitude God desires to see in His children. The heathen perspective of the Greco-Roman society was that it was “normal” (even expected and “desirable”) for a person to embrace and indulge every physical desire, and yield to every temptation. Hedonism was the standard for human behavior throughout most of the Gentile world, and self-restraint was seen…