NT: “But you, dear friends, as you build yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting expectantly for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life. Have mercy on those who waver; save others by snatching them from the fire; have mercy on others but with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.” (‭‭Jude‬ ‭1:20-25‬ ‭CSB)

At the beginning of his letter, Jude challenged his readers to contend for the faith. In order to contend effectively for the faith, one must be built up in faith. How do we build ourselves up in our most holy faith? Jude described three things that we do as believers to build ourselves up. The first is to pray in the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote about praying in the Holy Spirit in Romans 8:26-27. We don’t always know how to pray, and we don’t always know what we need to pray for, but the Holy Spirit within us knows. Therefore, we pray in the Spirit and allow the Holy Spirit within us to pray for what we don’t know or understand fully… and those Holy Spirit informed and inspired prayers will build us up according to the will of God. The second way to build ourselves up is to keep ourselves in the love of God. We remain in God’s love through abiding in Christ as His word abides in us… and we abide in Christ by keeping and obeying His commands. The third way we build ourselves up is by waiting expectantly for the eternal life that has been given us through the mercy of Christ. This world is not our home. We have an eternal destination beyond this world. The more we keep our eyes and our minds set on our eternal destination, the less of a hold the world will have on us and the stronger our faith will become.

What about those who have not contended for the faith… who have not built themselves up in faith… who are on the verge of being pulled into apostasy? Jude gives three responses. There are people who are beginning to waver in doubt. Jude said to have mercy on them and not condemn them for their doubt. In having mercy on them, we give our ourselves to lead them back into faith. There are people that have fallen far enough out of faith that they are in danger of being consumed by their disbelief. Those people need to be rescued, as a person in a burning building needs to be rescued from fire. Finally, there are those who, in their disbelief, have become dangerous. For those people, we show them mercy, but with caution.

In all of that, God is able to protect those who trust in Him from falling – and He is able to give them grace to stand and remain standing until the end. We must do our part in faith, and He will do His. And as we contend and build ourselves up in faith, He will protect us and keep us by grace. As we stand by grace through faith, He will receive glory.

Psalms: “Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy. Though one goes along weeping, carrying the bag of seed, he will surely come back with shouts of joy, carrying his sheaves.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭126:5-6‬ ‭CSB)

Contending for the faith and building yourself up in faith through prayer and obedience to the word of God is hard and often comes with tears. Tears from people who attack you… tears from people who abandon you… tears caused by dear friends who walk away from the faith. Yet, if we continue to sow in faith, despite the tears – those seeds that we sow now in faith will reap a harvest of joy. Don’t lose hope. Don’t lose faith. Continue on with the Lord, and you will receive all that He has promised.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that You able to protect me from stumbling and enable me to stand in the presence of Your glory, without blemish and with great joy. Help me by Your grace, as I build myself up in most holy faith to do all that You have called and instructed me to do to stand. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James: To those who are the called, loved by God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ. May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. Dear friends, although I was eager to write you about the salvation we share, I found it necessary to write, appealing to you to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all. For some people, who were designated for this judgment long ago, have come in by stealth; they are ungodly, turning the grace of our God into sensuality and denying Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord… But these people blaspheme anything they do not understand. And what they do understand by instinct — like irrational animals — by these things they are destroyed. Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, have plunged into Balaam’s error for profit, and have perished in Korah’s rebellion. These people are dangerous reefs at your love feasts as they eat with you without reverence. They are shepherds who only look after themselves. They are waterless clouds carried along by winds; trees in late autumn — fruitless, twice dead and uprooted.” (‭‭Jude‬ ‭1:1-4, 10-12‬ ‭CSB)

This epistle was written by Jude, the brother of James. Jude and James were sons of Mary and Joseph, thus they were biological half-brothers of Jesus. This letter parallels the epistle of 2nd Peter in many ways, therefore it is believed that this letter could have been written after 2nd Peter to the same audience.

Jude’s purpose for writing is clear from the start. He desired to write to them about the salvation they shared, but was compelled to warn them of apostates that had crept into the church. Jude wrote this letter to expose the apostates and challenge the believing community to contend for the faith.

Apostasy, by definition, is the refusal to follow, obey or recognize a religious faith. These apostate people had come into the church by stealth, appearing to be believers and were living in the midst of the believing community and attempting to influence the believers away from the doctrines of the apostles and genuine faith in Christ. They were like Cain, in that they had no desire to obey and honor the Lord, but desired to follow their own ways instead. They were like Balaam, in that they were willing to lead the people into sin for a profit. They were like Korah, who started a rebellion against God-ordained leadership from within the camp. They were like dangerous reefs, lurking just out of sight, threatening to shipwreck people’s faith. In their disrespect and disdain for the grace of God, they were completely empty and fruitless, even though they had the appearance of being full and fruitful.

Jude appealed to his readers to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once and for all. The word contend means to fight earnestly and struggle for something. The Greek word is derived from a word that means to endeavor with strenuous zeal. Jude didn’t want the believers to passively dismiss these apostates as not being a threat. He wanted them to wage war against their teachings and fight earnestly for the once-for-all faith in the gospel of Christ – as if their lives depended on it. When we come into faith in Christ and become citizens of the kingdom of God, we enter a war. There are forces that stand against the purposes of God and want nothing more than to either destroy us or weaken us so much that we have no affect on the world around us. In order to stand strong in the faith and not get blown off course or shipwrecked, we must contend.

Psalms: “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Our mouths were filled with laughter then, and our tongues with shouts of joy. Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord had done great things for us; we were joyful.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭126:1-3‬ ‭CSB)

This song of ascents was likely written by those who had returned to Jerusalem after the exile in Babylon. When they were able to return to Jerusalem after 70 years in exile, it was a dream come true. They were elated. The way that they were able to come back to their land and get quickly reestablished was a testimony to them and the surrounding nations of God’s faithfulness to His people. However, the “honeymoon period” had come to an end and things were becoming challenging.

That is the case with believers in Christ. When we first get saved, we are elated and full of joy – but eventually, the reality that we are at war with the world, the flesh and the devil sets in. Life in Christ is not always easy. There are wars to fight. We have to contend for the faith that saved us. But thankfully, we have the grace of God and the help of other believers to help us, in the end, to remain standing.

Proverbs: “Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭27:17‬ ‭CSB)

We were not made, nor are we graced, to walk this life of faith alone. We need other trusted brothers and sisters in the faith to challenge us and spur us forward. We need people like Jude to appeal to us to contend and not get passive. Sharpening isn’t always pleasant – but it is necessary for us to continue on the the faith and calling of Christ.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You for covenant comrades that spur me on to contend for the faith and stand strong for the things of God. Help me to not grow passive with the things in the world that slowly word at eroding my faith. Help me to recognize them and earnestly fight against them by grace, so that I do not end up blown off course and shipwrecked. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “Dear friend, you are acting faithfully in whatever you do for the brothers and sisters, especially when they are strangers. They have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God, since they set out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from pagans. Therefore, we ought to support such people so that we can be coworkers with the truth. I wrote something to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have first place among them, does not receive our authority. This is why, if I come, I will remind him of the works he is doing, slandering us with malicious words. And he is not satisfied with that! He not only refuses to welcome fellow believers, but he even stops those who want to do so and expels them from the church. Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God. Everyone speaks well of Demetrius — even the truth itself. And we also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.” (‭‭3 John‬ ‭1:5-12‬ ‭CSB)

In 2nd John, John warned the “elect lady” to not welcome deceivers and false teachers into her home. In this letter, John brought up the subject of being hospitable to fellow brothers and sisters who were ministers of the truth. In those days, itinerant ministers would travel from city to city and church to church proclaiming the gospel and teaching the word of truth. They would stay in the homes and were supported by fellow believers. They did not pander to the secular world for aid, and received support from the believing community. In order to legitimize their ministry, they would carry letters of accommodation from their sending church and other believers that knew them. It was through those letters that other believers would know they could be trusted.

Word had gotten back to John from many of these itinerant ministers that Gaius had been very hospitable to them, treated them well, and had generously supported them. John commended Gaius for his hospitality. However, there was another person in their fellowship who was not so welcoming.

Diotrephes, for one reason or another, had a position of influence in the local church. Instead of being a humble and servant-hearted leader, Diotrephes had become a dictator. Dictators, in order to stay in power, will shut down and silence anyone who opposes them or thinks differently than them. That was exactly what Diotrephes was doing. Apparently, John had written something to the church that Diotrephes did not agree with. It could have even been a letter correcting Diotrephes’ behavior. Instead of considering the words of John – one of the original disciples who actually walked with Christ – he rejected John’s letter and began a campaign of slandering John’s name and reputation. Beyond that, Diotrephes refused to welcome in outside voices of truth into the church and even excommunicated those who would offer help and support to anyone that he did not approve of.

There was a good chance that Gaius would run afoul of Diotrephes and suffer for his generous hospitality to fellow believers. John wanted to encourage Gaius and confirm to him that what Diotrephes was doing was evil. It is one thing to reject deception and heresy. It is another thing to reject a proven and respected voice of truth simply because you do not agree with them. By accepting only those who agree with you and not welcoming in the refining power of the word of truth, you end up locking yourself into an echo chamber of your own making and falling into deception. It was good and right that Gaius was welcoming in other proven believers – other trusted voices – other legitimate perspectives on God’s manifold grace. Therefore John said, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good.

Finally, John mentioned another name: Demetrius. Gaius was not alone in his well-doing. There was another brother who was doing good and walking in the truth. All of the believers spoke well of Demetrius. Even the word of God commended Demetrius. And John himself spoke well of Demetrius, as well. If there was someone for Gaius to emulate and take encouragement from, it was Demetrius. When we submit ourself to the fullness of God’s truth – not just the parts we agree with – God will encourage us, lift us up, and give us partners to walk with and older brothers and sisters in the faith to emulate. As we walk in truth, we must make sure that we imitate what is good.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you for the voice of other trusted believers – proven brothers and sisters in Christ – in my life. While I am to reject lies, deception, and heresy; I am to welcome in the voice of truth into my life, even if I don’t like what it has to say. I thank You that through Your Holy Spirit, You give me the ability to discern the voices to accept and the voices to reject. Help me to not imitate evil by surrounding myself only with voices that agree with me, but to do good by welcoming in and supporting voices that agree with You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “The elder: To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth. Dear friend, I pray that you are prospering in every way and are in good health, just as your whole life is going well. For I was very glad when fellow believers came and testified to your fidelity to the truth — how you are walking in truth. I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are walking in truth.” (‭‭3 John‬ ‭1:1-4‬ ‭CSB)

Where 1st John was written to the broader community of faith in Ephesus and 2nd John was written to a family of faith, 3rd John was written to a specific believer that John apparently knew very well. 3rd John, written to Gaius, deals with what a good witness for Christ looks like and what a bad witness for Christ looks like. To John’s delight, it was reported to him that Gaius was being a good witness for Christ.

In John’s greeting to Gaius, he prayed that Gaius was prospering in physical health, just as he was prospering in spiritual and emotional health. This particular translation uses the phrase ‘your whole life,’ but the Greek word there is psyche. Psyche is the soul, or that inner life force that animates the body. In John’s greeting, we see a couple of things: 1) our physical, mental/emotional, and spiritual selves are all tied together and affect each other, 2) when the core of our being is in health, it radiates out in health throughout our body instead of the other way around. Many people will take care of the physical body and pursue material possessions but find that their whole life (spirit, soul & body) is not healthy. Paul said that physical exercise is beneficial, but caring for our spiritual health is more beneficial. We should not neglect physical or soul health – but should put a priority on spiritual health, as it will bring health to our whole being.

The reason why Gaius was doing well spiritually was because he was being faithful to the truth. He not only believed the truth, he was actively walking in the truth and living out the gospel fully in his life. This caused him to be in health, and it also allowed his life to be an unquestioned witness for Christ – so much so, that fellow believers testified of his fidelity to John. May we all hold fast to the truth like Gaius so that we may be in health and good things can be testified of us as well.

Psalms: “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion. It cannot be shaken; it remains forever. The mountains surround Jerusalem and the Lord surrounds his people, both now and forever. The scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous, so that the righteous will not apply their hands to injustice.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭125:1-3‬ ‭CSB)

Jerusalem was built in a very unique geological location. Jerusalem was built on the top of a mountain that was surrounded by several other mountains – seven mountains in total. Those mountains helped to defend Jerusalem against invaders by serving as a natural barrier around the city. As pilgrims ascended to Jerusalem, they would see Jerusalem atop Mt Zion, surrounded by the other mountains.

The psalmist declared that those who trust in the Lord and remain faithful to the Lord’s word, will and ways are protected on every side – just like Jerusalem. When we keep fidelity to the Truth, our lives are built on the unshakable rock-solid foundation of God’s word. When we place our trust in the Lord instead of ourselves, we place our lives under the mighty hand of God and are protected from the wicked one.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you that as I maintain fidelity to the truth and keep my trust firmly planted in You, I will be in health, my life will prosper, and I will be protected by Your mighty hand. Help my life to be a good testimony of Your goodness and faithfulness as I walk faithfully in Your truth. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “Many deceivers have gone out into the world; they do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves so that you don’t lose what we have worked for, but that you may receive a full reward. Anyone who does not remain in Christ’s teaching but goes beyond it does not have God. The one who remains in that teaching, this one has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home, and do not greet him; for the one who greets him shares in his evil works.” (‭‭2 John‬ ‭1:7-11‬ ‭CSB)

Not only is it important for families – whether a nuclear family or a church family – to walk in truth, it equally important to oppose deception. John didn’t say that there were a few deceivers that we had to be wary of. He said that there were many deceivers… and many of the many were probably part of the believing community at one time. It is amazing how quickly a lie will spread and how ready people are to believe it. Fallen human nature wants to believe titillating lies and resist steadfast truth.

John warned that we must vigilantly guard and keep watch over our families so that we don’t lose what we have worked for. False teachers and deceivers – people of the antichrist spirit – will often try to sell you some “truth” or insight that you don’t have. They claim that they can add to your understanding or enhance your experience, but what they actually do is steal all that you have received in Christ by causing you to fall away from the faith. How often I have seen children that were raised in the faith, fall away through lies and deception and end up losing the peace and abundant life they had in Christ.

John warned against going beyond the teachings of Christ. The Greek word there is ‘proago,’ and it means to progress further than what is right or proper. In our world today, we have what is called progressivism. Progressivism seeks to leave behind and reject fundamental truths and values for the sake of making “progress.” John said that if you progress beyond the word, will and ways of the Lord, you leave behind and lose God as well. The fundamental beliefs of the gospel of the kingdom are that Jesus is the Son of God come in the flesh; and that He is the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One of God that sacrificed His life to redeem humanity from sin and set them free to follow and be restored and reconciled to God. There is sin… and humanity is bound in it. Jesus Christ is the way provided by God to set people free from sin. Jesus Christ is the truth of God that sets people free from lies and deception. Jesus Christ is the life of God that rescues people from eternal death. Any teaching that progresses beyond that is void of God.

Finally, John warned to not receive deceivers into our homes, but deny them access. To welcome a false teacher or deceiver into your home and fellowship with them is to condone what they teach and to take part in their evil works. In our age, there are more entryways into our homes than just the front door. Deceptive teachings infiltrate our families through podcasts, social media, radio waves, television programs, school curriculum, and the like. When we “open the door” to lies and deception, we welcome them in to fellowship with us and have influence over our lives. The longer we allow that to continue, the more we begin to walk according to the lies and stray from the life of God that is found in Truth.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I thank You that You are the way to be redeemed from sin and reconciled to the Father. I thank You that You are the truth that frees me and leads me away from deception and darkness and into life and light. I thank You that through You, I have eternal life with You and the Father. Strengthen me and embolden me as I stand against lies and deception, and lead my family into all truth as I follow You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “The elder: To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth — and not only I, but also all who know the truth  —  because of the truth that remains in us and will be with us forever. Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, in keeping with a command we have received from the Father. So now I ask you, dear lady — not as if I were writing you a new command, but one we have had from the beginning — that we love one another. This is love: that we walk according to his commands. This is the command as you have heard it from the beginning: that you walk in love.” (‭‭2 John‬ ‭1:1-6‬ ‭CSB)

The letter of 2 John was, as it says in the introduction, written to a mother and her children – a family within the fellowship of believers. Some scholars suggest that the elect lady could have been symbolic of a church community and the children symbolic of the members of the community. Either way, the addressees of the letter were a family. The senior pastor of the church I attend often says that the church is a family in macro form, and a family is the church in micro form. The letter of 1 John was written to the church. The letter of 2 John was written to a family. Just as John instructed the church against the teachings of false and heretical teachers in his first letter, here he addressed a family and taught them how to recognize false teaching and remain in the truth.

Just as it is the duty of pastors and the elder body to keep heretical teachings and false prophets out of the church, it is the duty of parents to guard their home against the intrusion of heresies and false prophets. John commended this mother for having children that walked in truth by keeping the commands of The Father. John’s challenge and request to this believing mother was that she continue leading her family in the way of truth and to continue walking with the Lord in truth, in obedience, and in love – love for God, love for Christ, and love for one another.

Psalms: “If the Lord had not been on our side — let Israel say — if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us, then they would have swallowed us alive in their burning anger against us. Then the water would have engulfed us; the torrent would have swept over us; the raging water would have swept over us. Blessed be the Lord, who has not let us be ripped apart by their teeth.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭124:1-6‬ ‭CSB)

The psalmist of this song of ascent wrote, “if the Lord had not been on our side, we would have been destroyed.” As Joshua discovered in Joshua 5:13-14, it’s not so much about the Lord being on our side as it is us being on the Lord’s side. The Lord doesn’t take sides. As Jesus said, we are either for Him or against Him. When we choose to be on the Lord’s side, then He will be by our side and not allow us to be overwhelmed, overcome or destroyed. As John wrote, the Lord’s side is the way of truth and love. When we obey the Lord’s commands, walk according to His way and work with Him instead of against Him, we will be on His side and He will be by ours.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that Your “side” is the side of light, life, truth and love. I thank You that when I choose Your side and walk according to Your word, will and ways by faith, You walk by my side and are with me until the end of the age. As I grow in love and faith, help me to walk in love, truth and obedience. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “This is the confidence we have before him: If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked of him. If anyone sees a fellow believer committing a sin that doesn’t lead to death, he should ask, and God will give life to him — to those who commit sin that doesn’t lead to death. There is sin that leads to death. I am not saying he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin that doesn’t lead to death. We know that everyone who has been born of God does not sin, but the one who is born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the sway of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true one. We are in the true one — that is, in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, guard yourselves from idols.” (‭‭1 John‬ ‭5:14-21‬ ‭CSB)

The Greek word for confidence used here means free and fearless confidence to speak openly, freely and unreservedly. In Christ, we have the unfettered freedom to ask God anything according to His will. It doesn’t matter how great and impossible-sounding or minuscule and insignificant-sounding it is. If we ask according to His will, He hears us. And if He hears us because it is according to His will, He will answer and grant our request. How do we know what God’s will is? His will is revealed through His word, His will is revealed as we offer our lives to Him and allow Him to renew our minds (Romans 12:1-2), and His will is revealed through the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26-27). Can we know the will of God? Yes, we can. Can we pray with confidence according to the will of God? Yes, we can. Can we expect our will-of-God-aligned prayers to be answered? Yes, we can.

In that confidence, the children of God are to pray for and intercede on behalf of their brothers and sisters in Christ. When we discover that a brother or sister has committed a sin – if that sin hasn’t caused their death, then we are to pray for them in confidence. We should pray that the Holy Spirit would convict them of their sin and lead them to repentance. We are to pray that through repentance, they would experience the mercy, grace and restorative life of God as they are forgiven of their sin. We are not to condemn a brother or sister… or gloat over their failure. We are to pray for their restoration through repentance and forgiveness. It is God’s will to save, deliver, forgive and restore those who repent – so no matter how great the sin – provided it didn’t lead to their death – God is willing and able to answer our prayers for their souls.

Multiple times in his letter, John wrote that the true child of God, who has been redeemed through faith in Christ and reborn with a new nature into the family of God, does not habitually practice sin. A big part of the children of God remaining in holiness and righteousness has to do with the effective prayer of the saints for one another and the desire and ability of God to keep us close to Him in Christ. As we abide in Christ and His word abides in us, we will not sin. As we abide in Christ and pray according to His will for us and others, God hears our prayers and answers them. As we are kept in Christ through God’s grace, the work of the Holy Spirit, and answered prayer, we are kept out of the sway of the world and the evil one does not touch us. I wonder if we truly understood and were confident in the power of effective according-to-the-will-of-God prayer, if we would spend a lot more time in prayer. May we have confidence to pray for God’s kingdom to come and for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that in You, as a born-again child of God, I have confidence to ask God for anything according to His will. It doesn’t matter how big or how small – God hears me when I align my requests with His will. Help me to not take the gift of prayer for granted, but understand how powerful and effective it is as I pray according to the will of My Father. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Psalms: “I lift my eyes to you, the one enthroned in heaven. Like a servant’s eyes on his master’s hand, like a servant girl’s eyes on her mistress’s hand, so our eyes are on the Lord our God until he shows us favor.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭123:1-2‬ ‭CSB)

This psalm is also a song of ascent – a psalm that would have been sung as pilgrims ascended to Jerusalem and to the temple of God to worship. In the blessing that God instructed the priesthood to proclaim over His people, it says this: “…may the Lord look with  favor on you and give you peace (Numbers 6:26).” The worshippers had faith that as they submitted themselves to the Lord, He would show them favor and give them peace in the midst of all the turmoil that was in the world around them. So as they proceeded up the mountain to the temple to worship, they lifted their eyes to the place where God’s name dwelt and submissively waited on Him. The Greek word used for worship in the New Testament paints a similar picture. It connotes a servant bowing down before his lord, looking up to him and kissing His hand as he awaits his instructions. When we come to the Lord in faith-filled worship, lovingly offering our bodies before him as a living sacrifice, ready to obey His will, He will look on us with favor, fill us with peace, and give us grace to overcome the world.

NT: “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of him. This is how we know that we love God’s children: when we love God and obey his commands. For this is what love for God is: to keep his commands. And his commands are not a burden, because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. Who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? Jesus Christ — he is the one who came by water and blood, not by water only, but by water and by blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water, and the blood  — and these three are in agreement. If we accept human testimony, God’s testimony is greater, because it is God’s testimony that he has given about his Son. The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony within himself. The one who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. The one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (‭‭1 John‬ ‭5:1-12‬ ‭CSB)

In the previous chapter, John wrote about knowing and experiencing the love of God through Christ Jesus. He wrote that God is love and that anyone who is of God will also be of love. Hate has no place in a son or daughter of God. John continued that conversation on love here in the 5th chapter. He wrote that anyone who believes that Jesus is both the Son of God and the Christ will become born again as children of God. And anyone who is born of God will love anyone else who is born of God, including Jesus Christ and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

How do we know that we love God and love His children? John said that we show our love through obedience. Love for God is keeping His commands. When we keep His commands, we love our brothers and sisters in Christ – for that is what He commanded. Our love for God motivates us to obey, and our obedience validates our love. Our love for God was awakened in us by faith. It is through faith that we become God’s beloved children. It is by faith that we are able to obey God’s commands. God’s commands are not burdensome as we remain in faith. It is through faith that we receive grace: grace to will, grace to do, and grace to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil. This is our conquering victory: our faith… faith in who Christ is, faith is what Christ has done, and faith in who we are in Christ. The one who conquers and remains standing at the end is the one who believes that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God.

The word ‘by’ in the phrase “He came by water and blood” denotes the channel through which an act is performed. Moses went through (or came by) the water of the Nile river as a symbol of baptism. Jesus not only went through the waters of baptism – He also went through the sacrifice of His own blood. At Christ’s baptism, God the Father spoke from heaven and said, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” At Christ’s crucifixion, when the centurion saw everything that had happed, he glorified God and proclaimed, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” The Holy Spirit is the One who testifies to who Christ is and brings that revelation to people’s hearts that they may believe (1 Corinthians 2:10). All three of these key elemental forces testify to who Christ is – that He is the Son of God.

When we come to faith in Christ, that testimony comes alive in our hearts and we become part of the compelling witness to the world that Christ is who He claimed to be. That testimony within us is the life and the love that can only come from God. In fact, Jesus said that the world would know that we are His by the way that we love one another. As we overcome the world by faith… as we grow to love God by faith… as we obey God’s command to love one another by faith, we testify to who Christ is to the world – that those in the world may come to faith and be born again into God’s family, experience His love, and be victorious over the world.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that through faith in You – whose identity has been testified to through the Holy Spirit, the waters of baptism, and the sacrifice of Your blood – I overcome the world. I no longer have to conform to the ways and methods of the world, but am set free to love and obey You completely. Help me, by grace through faith, to obey Your word and become a living testimony of who you are to the world. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is made complete in us. This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent his Son as the world’s Savior. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God — God remains in him and he in God. And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. In this, love is made complete with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears is not complete in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and yet hates his brother or sister, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother or sister whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And we have this command from him: The one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.” (‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:7-21‬ ‭CSB)

God is love. John wrote that twice in this passage, just in case the reader didn’t grasp that fully the first time. God is love. He doesn’t just have love – He is love. He doesn’t just give love – He is love. Without God, love would not exist. Apart from God, there is not the fullness of love. If there is love in the world, it is because God is. If we are truly of God, then we will be of love, because that is what God is. To know God is to know love, and to know love is to know God.

John wrote, in this God’s love was revealed among us and in us. The Greek word for revealed means made manifest or realized. God’s love was made real and manifested among us and in us through God sending His own Son into the world that we may live through Him. Jesus Christ was and is God manifested, therefore Jesus Christ is the manifestation or embodiment of Love. No one has ever seen God, but Christ is the very expression and manifestation of God that has been seen. By experientially knowing Christ, we experience and know Love.

John wrote that God’s love consists in this. The Greek word for consists means exists, takes place, and is at hand. God’s love inhabits a place and is at hand through Him loving us first – before we were ever able to love Him. God didn’t wait for us to love Him before He shared His love with us. While we were still sinners and enemies of God, He sent His Love to us to die on a cross to redeem and free us from our sin. Many people reject that act of love and do not love Him back – but He loved us anyway. Those who are truly of God will love others the same way God loved us: we love others first and we love them unconditionally, even if they do not reciprocate love back to us.

John wrote that God’s love is made complete in this. The Greek word for made complete means perfected, fulfilled, and consummated. The love of God is fully consummated and brought to perfect fulfillment as we allow His love to fill us full of confidence in Him and rinse out every once of fear in our lives. Fear involves punishment. Christ, through the love of God, took our punishment. In Christ, there is no punishment, therefore there is no fear – or at least no reason to fear. If we are in Christ and still fear, it just shows that the Love of God has not been fully allowed to have its full work in our lives.

By knowing Christ, and knowing God through Him, we know love. Those who are in Christ are the body of Christ. The way that others come to know Christ… the way others come to know God… the way others come to know true love is through us. Are we being love revealed? Are we the love of God that is in place and at hand? Are we the love of God fully consummated? If we are truly in Christ and of God, we will love. If we have hate, then we are not of God and we are not allowing others to know the God of love. Beloved, let us love one another, that the world may know Love.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You for Your love. I thank You that You loved me before I was ever able to love You in return. I thank You that through Your love for me, I can live in confidence and without fear. Help me to fully walk in Your love and be the expression of God’s love to those around me, that they may come to know You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming; even now it is already in the world. You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world. Therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Anyone who knows God listens to us; anyone who is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.” (‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:1-6‬ ‭CSB)

Once again, John came back to the topic of truth versus deception. One of the main reasons John wrote this letter was to come against heretical teachings that were being introduced. Many people will say that they believe in God. Many people will claim that they are Christian – especially in the United States where Christianity is more of a culture than a core conviction and the way to life. In order to not be caught up and dragged away into deception, John told his readers to test the spirits. By saying “test the spirits,” he was talking about testing the spirit of a teaching, the spirit of a teacher, or the spirit of a certain belief. In this context, spirit means the essence or nature of someone or something. By testing the spirits, you are discerning what is at the core of a person, belief or teaching.

Thankfully, we are not expected to test the spirits with our own limited insight and understanding. In 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, Paul described nine gifts (manifestations) of the Holy Spirit that are available to each and every Spirit-filled believer, and distributed to those Spirit-filled believers as needed. One of those gifts is the distinguishing between spirits. That particular manifestation of the Spirit within a believer is divine discernment on top of already existing human discernment. It is the Holy Spirit empowered and enabled ability to discern whether something or someone is of a human spirit, a demonic spirit, or a divine spirit.

John also gave his readers a simple test. Any prophet, teacher, teaching or belief system that is truly from God will confess that Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh. This confession is much more than just “believing in Jesus.” It is more than acknowledging Jesus as a true historical figure who taught a way of life. It is more than believing in God. It is not a theological statement of belief that someone has ascribed to. It is a confession of fundamental and personal faith that the God of Creation – the second person of the Trinity – came in the flesh as the man Jesus of Nazareth; and that Jesus is the Messiah… the Christ… the anointed One promised from the beginning of creation to save mankind from sin, destroy the works of the devil, and restore mankind to a reconciled relationship with God. Unfortunately, there are many who claim to be Christian that cannot or will not make that confession. Anyone who cannot or will not make that confession, or any teaching or belief system that does not make that confession, is of this world and not of God… and is ultimately of the antichrist spirit.

There are many prophets and teachers that become popular. Their popularity does not legitimize the spirit of what they are teaching. The world will always listen to and accept that which is of the world. That which is truly of God will oftentimes be misunderstood and rejected by the world. Because of that, we who are truly of the spirit of God will be misunderstood and rejected, especially when we refuse to compromise and buy in to the teachings, philosophies, and popular ways of the world. But we don’t need to lose heart and become discouraged. In Christ, we are ultimately the conquerors because He who is in us – the true Spirit of God – is greater than the one who is in the world.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that in You, I do not need to be deceived into believing a lie or led astray by false prophets and teachers. Through Your Holy Spirit, you give me the ability to discern and test the spirits – to know if someone or something is truly of You. Help me to know the Spirit of truth and recognize the spirit of deception, that I may remain walking in the light of truth on the pathway to abundant and eternal life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.