Bible study Daily, explanation and encouragement - 1 John
As light, God reveals Himself in His perfect holiness and majesty.
Walking in the light is a test of fellowship with God, since the life of fellowship is the life that is continually cleansed from sin through the blood of Jesus.
It also involves our relationship with others, which indicates that the walk in the light is lived responsibly before God and human beings.
- BE OPEN AND TRANSPARENT IN EVERYTHING YOU DO. ADMIT your weaknesses to God. TRUST Him to cleanse and forgive (1 John 1:5-10).
- Recognize that the devil causes all separation and division in the body of Christ (1 John 2:18-19).
1 John 1:5
THIS IS THE WORD WE HAVE HEARD FROM HIM AND WE PASS ON TO YOU: GOD IS LIGHT, AND IN HIM IS NO DARKNESS AT ALL.
What happens when we turn on the light in a dirty, disorganized room? We see insects fleeing from the light, and we are faced with garbage and filth!
1 John 1:5 says that God is light. When He gets involved in our lives, He shows us things we would rather not look at; things we hide; even from ourselves.
We often deceive ourselves, especially about ourselves. We do not want to deal with our faults, nor do we like to see them exposed. We may feel condemned because of them, but at least we know they are well hidden.
Anything hidden exerts power over us because we fear that it will be discovered. The best and most liberating thing we can do is to face what God wants to bring to the surface and overcome our fear of it (see 1 John 3:20, 1 Corinthians 4:5).
Let God’s light shine on your hidden motives and dark places. He already knows them anyway, but He wants to bring you to a place of deliverance.
1 John 1:7
Make sure you are not living in sin by doing evil.
Sin: hindrance to faith
- Be quick to forgive
- Be quick to repent and confess sin
- Be quick to believe in God.
1 John 2:1
THAT YOU MAY NOT SIN - This word comes as a necessary challenge against doctrines that teach that freedom from sin is considered not only impractical but also impossible. John seems to sense that his teaching on repentance and forgiveness can lead to this kind of doctrine and life. And so he declares unambiguously that the mark of the Christian life is the absence of sin. This should be the goal and heart's desire of every child of God. "The author's aim is to produce sinlessness."
There is the assurance that a sure remedy has been provided for sin in a person's heart and life, both in principle and in action. In contrast to this is the specter that haunts us: the fact that we remain subject to falling. This is not the state described by Paul when he says, "I see another law in my members: that when I would do good, evil is present with me" (Romans 7:21-23). This state is, in fact, the tension between spirituality and humanity. It is the necessary risk every person runs when striving to follow the clear beam of God's revealing light while dwelling in a perishable body in a world of darkness and sin.
The expression "YOU MAY NOT SIN (hina me harmatete)" suggests specific acts of sin rather than a habitual state. It is possible, in this sense, to sin unintentionally. One can succumb because the sinful forces are stronger than oneself. One can be deceived or trapped because of one's ignorance. One can also stray through carelessness or negligence. In any case, restoration is always available in the person of Jesus Christ.
In the previous chapter, the remedy for sin was defined as confession that results in forgiveness and cleansing and the establishment of a fellowship of God's children. In this chapter, the context the present remedy for sin is defined in terms of the personal and redemptive work of Christ. He is called the Advocate, the Righteous One, and the Propitiation.
1 John 2:3
One of the results of Christ's restorative work is knowing Him. For the Greeks, knowledge of ultimate reality came through rational contemplation; for the Gnostics, it came as a result of a mystical experience. For John, ultimate knowledge is the knowledge of God in Jesus Christ, which can be obtained through the process of being saved from sin. Those who enjoy communion with God also know Him.
The term HIS COMMANDMENTS here does not refer only to the Ten Commandments. Keeping the commandments is equivalent to keeping His Word, and this means the truth of God as it is in Christ. It also means continually striving to become more like Christ. Understanding the doctrine of His person and work is no more than mere theory; we learn to know Him and know that we know Him by practicing His precepts. Jesus said: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). Emotional religion without discipline becomes sentimental, and intellectualized religion becomes sterile. MORAL DISCIPLINE IS THE PATH TO CHRISTIAN CHARACTER.
Keeping God's commandments can be equated with walking in the light. The promised results are only for those who "continue to keep". We know Him when we desire above all things to obey Him, and as we continue to keep His word, our love for God is perfected. Obedience, not feeling, is the test of perfect love. God's commandments were all motivated by love, and the only appropriate response is the response of love. Our communion with God is a communion of love.
If a man and a woman are capable of knowing what it means to love each other in such a way that they are willing to seal that love through marriage and remain faithful to each other "till death do them part", it is not too much to expect that the professing Christian will love God with undivided loyalty. Paul said that the fulfillment of the law is love (Romans 13:10). "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37).
1 John 2:14
The Bible speaks of several young people and of the lives of some in their youth.
1. Joseph's faithfulness and strength
2. Joshua was Moses' companion from a young age
3. David faced Goliath and was anointed king at a young age
4. Solomon inherited the kingdom at a young age
5. Jeremiah was called young and inherited a very conflicting message
6. Mary became the mother of Jesus while still a teenager
7. Timothy is one of the young figures of the New Testament
8. John says that young people are strong and have overcome the evil one
9. Proverbs offers a wealth of advice against laziness, against walking in one's own understanding, about disobedience and stubbornness, about choosing a wife, etc.
Practical advice:
1. Be courageous enough to let go of everything that holds you back from serving God better – important decisions are made at this stage of life. Often the decision is not between right and wrong, but about making and taking the decision. For example: you choose your partner and decide you will love. You choose your church and decide you will serve and partake in. It is that simple. You also choose who you won't associate with, what you won't do.
2. Learn, it is time, that we cannot have everything our way and that life is made up of negotiations and character to fulfill our commitments with courage. Life is a dynamic of relationships with parents and family, colleagues, siblings, coworkers, etc. You cannot isolate yourself and live life on your own.
3. John also says you are strong: it is time in life to throw yourself headfirst into projects and a life proposal that is relevant. Trying to do things that give pleasure and that are good for other people, that is not life. Youth is not just about going out and having fun. There are young people who complain that the church, their family, and others do not do anything, but they themselves also do not do anything. Proclaiming action.
4. There is a monstrous struggle for your soul: apathy, rebellion, disintegration, drugs, easy sex, money, etc. You must recognize this. The Devil wants to kill you. Will you let him?
1 John 2:15
DO NOT LOVE THIS WORLD OR THE THINGS IT OFFERS, FOR WHEN YOU LOVE THE WORLD, THE LOVE OF THE FATHER IS NOT IN YOU (1 John 2:15). The Bible says that God loves the world (John 3:16). Would not this be a contradiction? It might seem that we are advised not to love the same world that Christ died to save. But the world the Father loves is the entire human race. The world we should not love is everything that is alienated from Him, everything that prevents man from loving Him in return (...). The world we should not love is His rival. John teaches that Christians should not avoid any place or any man; they should love all places and all people; but in every place and among people there was a world they should not love. This WORLD is the system of life that was established by unregenerate man under the influence of evil. It can be said without a shadow of a doubt about this system: IF ANYONE LOVES THE WORLD, THE LOVE OF THE FATHER IS NOT IN THEM. A heart cannot contain two loves so hostile to each other as is the case with the love of light and the love of darkness. Only God is worthy of being completely loved. No one can serve two masters (...) You cannot serve God and Mammon (Matthew 6:24).
WHAT IS IN THE WORLD - John divides it into three parts.
1- THE LUST OF THE FLESH or the intense desire for physical pleasure. This is sensuality; the desire for the abominable, such as gluttony, drunkenness, various vices, and irregular sexual relations.
2- THE LUST OF THE EYES is illicit, which is a lascivious curiosity, sexual. This desire involves what a person does not have. And it involves not only the eyes but also the mind and imagination.
3- THE PRIDE OF LIFE or the pride of our accomplishments and possessions. This type of lust is the tendency to be captivated by the outward appearance of things, without examining their true value.
Our current society is the very embodiment of this presumptuous and vainglorious spirit.
1 John 2:17
THE WORLD PASSES AWAY - And the world that passes away is the world Christians should not love.
The life that man has built on self-esteem and in opposition to God has no power of permanent survival. The 20th century, more than any other era, bears powerful witness to the transience of all temporal things and the possibility of man destroying the civilization he himself created, including himself. The ways of sin are sown with the seeds of his own destruction.
THE WORLD ALSO PASSES AWAY in terms of the progress of personal history. Time flies, and everything changes. The pride, revelry, and sensual pursuits of youth and middle-aged people soon lose their appeal as age advances, and the years arrive when you will say, "I have no pleasure in them" (Eccl. 12:1).
On the other hand, HE WHO DOES THE WILL OF GOD LIVES FOREVER. Here, John is also speaking in moral rather than physical terms. The person who is in the world but does not belong to it endures all that passes because of the life they have in Christ.
John attributes immortality to the eternal (spiritual) life that man receives through Christ. He seems to be saying that man can live one of two types of life on earth — one will endure, the other will not.
1 John 2:18
IT IS ALREADY THE LAST HOUR - This speech by John denotes a crisis, not the end of the world. John saw this crisis precipitated by the persecution of Christians, culminating in the fatal struggle between the church and the Roman Empire.
Evidence of the last hour is the appearance of many antichrists. These were not world leaders or rulers, but former members of the church who had denied that Jesus is the Christ. They were those who went out from us, but were not of us. The severing of the connection shows that this membership was only external. They were fruits of the crisis from which many had fallen. Although John speaks of a coming antichrist, of whom the people had heard, he does not describe him. His antichrist is far removed from the son of perdition, who rises and opposes everything that is called God.
BUT YOU ARE NOT SO, FOR THE HOLY ONE HAS GIVED YOU HIS ANOINTING, AND YOU ALL KNOW THE TRUTH. IN CONTRAST TO ANTICRISTS, WE READ ABOUT THOSE WHO FOLLOW CHRIST. John says the following about Christians: You have an anointing from the Holy One (v. 20). Just as the antichrist has his representatives, so the Holy One, the Christ, has his.
The anointing with oil under the Mosaic covenant accompanied only the consecration of priests, kings, and prophets. In the Christian dispensation, the anointing with the Holy Spirit is a privilege for all. The result of the gift of the Holy Spirit is knowledge. The knowledge of Christ.
From John's time to today, we can say that the number of antichrists, that is, people who oppose the doctrine and Kingdom of Christ, has increased greatly. We know that in the end there will be the ANTICHRIST, but until then, over the years, there would be many precursors and harbingers of the great Antichrist.
May this warning of seducers arising in the Christian world fortify us against their seduction.
1 John 2:27
Sometimes we pay more attention to what people tell us than to what God tells us. If we pray persistently and listen to God, but then start asking everyone what they think, we honor people's opinions more than God's Word. This attitude prevents us from developing a relationship in which we can listen to God consistently.
1 John 2:27 confirms that we can trust God to instruct us without relying on constant support from others. But does this verse mean we do not need anyone to teach us the Word? No, because God has appointed some people to teach in the body of Christ. But 1 John 2:27 says that if we are in Christ, we have an anointing that dwells within us to guide and direct our lives. We may occasionally ask someone for wise counsel, but we do not need to constantly seek out others to ask them about the decisions we should make in our own lives.
1 John 2:28
As John said at the beginning of the chapter that it is already the last hour, he gives another reason for Christians to abide in Christ. That reason is that Christians must be prepared to meet Christ when He appears. We must be confident and not be put to shame. This confidence must be the fearless one with which the faithful soul encounters God. And why should we have this confidence?
SO THAT WE DO NOT SHRINK FROM HIM IN SHAME AT HIS COMING. Every person who professes to have found Jesus Christ and walks in the light, keeps His commandments, and abides in Him, should be taught by the Spirit in such a way that they have nothing in their life to be ashamed of, here and now or at His coming.
BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT HE IS RIGHTEOUS, WE ALSO KNOW THAT EVERYONE WHO PRACTICES RIGHTEOUSNESS IS BORN OF GOD. A new thought is introduced here. Through the understanding given by the Holy Spirit, the true Christian can determine whether another is a true Christian. This is discerned by observing whether their actions are righteous or not. The Christian will be like his Master, "Jesus Christ the Righteous"; he will keep His commandments and walk as Christ walked.
BY THEIR FRUITS YOU WILL KNOW THEM Matthew 7:20 - A person is not saved by works, but righteous works must follow initial conversion.
The devil planned and strive to destroy God's work in this world. The Son of God engaged in holy battle against him. He came to our world and was manifested in the flesh, so that He could defeat him and dissolve his works. He will loosen and dissolve sin more and more, until He has destroyed it completely. Let us not serve or tolerate what the Son of God came to destroy.
ANYONE BORN OF GOD DOES NOT COMMIT SIN. To be born of God is to be renewed inwardly and restored to a holy integrity or righteousness of nature by the power of the Spirit of God. 1 Peter 1:23 says: "You have been born anew, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God".
And why should a Christian sin no more? The reason is "...because he has been born of God."
1- There is a light in your mind that will show you evil.
2- There is an inclination in your heart to disgust and hate sin.
3- There is a spiritual disposition that breaks the power of sinful acts.
4- There is a disposition for humiliation and repentance of sin, when committed.
THE ONE BORN OF GOD CANNOT SIN. The regenerate person, fortunately, is incapable of serving sin. There is an impediment, an embargo placed on their sinful powers. It goes against their nature to sin calmly and deliberately. And thus, those who remain in a sinful life clearly demonstrate that they ARE NOT BORN OF GOD.
1 John 3:9
Once again, John emphasizes: WHOEVER IS BORN OF GOD DOES NOT COMMIT SIN, but here the apostle adds AND CANNOT SIN. This is a moral and ethical impossibility, not a literal one. According to God's nature, someone born of Him cannot sin, BECAUSE HIS SEED (of God) REMAINS IN HIM. This SEED (God's nature, or divine seed) refers to the eternal life that God promised to those who obey Him and remain in Him. Another way of expressing this truth is to say that one whose life is governed by the law of love — love for God and neighbor — CANNOT SIN, because he cannot simultaneously love his neighbor and intentionally sin against him.
Here, then, is another test to determine who are THE CHILDREN OF GOD and who are THE CHILDREN OF THE DEVIL. THE CHILDREN OF GOD do not sin, while THE CHILDREN OF THE DEVIL continue to sin. They are opposing groups in the sense that one is possessed by the Spirit of Christ and the other by the spirit of the antichrist; they are parallel in the sense that every creature endowed with free will can choose its own father in the moral world.
Another test of the validity of someone being a child of God is that they must love their brother. This is the best illustration of the practice of righteousness — a favorite expression in the epistle — because it can be observed.
WHOEVER DOES NOT DO RIGHTEOUSNESS AND DOES NOT LOVE HIS BROTHER DOES NOT BELONG TO GOD (1 John 3:10).
1 John 3:11
John has been emphasizing the opposite nature of love and hate. It is natural — even if not always manifest — for Christians to love others. It is also natural for people in the world to hate Christians.
V 13 - DO NOT WONDER, BRETHREN, THAT THE WORLD HATES YOU - Perhaps we would have expected John to emphasize the Christian's love for the sinful world (John 3:16) in response to the world's hatred for Christians. And since he did not, one could conclude that love for the world is not commanded of Christians. But this argument from silence is without force. John's point is the evidence of Christian character rather than the evangelistic concern the church should manifest. Love for one's brother is a better argument than love for the sinful world, because if one cannot love "the children of God", how could one expect love from the children of the devil?
Love for one's brethren, then, becomes a criterion for judging whether one has turned from sin.
Any one who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him (v15). This is strong language, but it follows what Jesus said in Matthew 5:28: The motive is always more important than the overt act. And he who has murder in his heart cannot at the same time have eternal life.
BY THIS WE KNOW LOVE, THAT JESUS LAID DOWN HIS LIFE FOR US. v16 - This is love in its essence, in its highest expression. Love that is not willing to give everything, including life and possessions, is not true love. Genuine love shares the goods of this world (sufficient material resources to live). This love loves its brother as himself; and goes a step further, loving his brother more than itself. AND WE MUST GIVE OUR LIFE FOR OUR BRETHREN.
John rejects mere talk about love and demands genuine works of love as evidence of spiritual life.
1 John 3:20
How can someone know if they are of the truth? John says in verse 18 of the same chapter: LET US NOT LOVE IN WORD OR IN TONGUE, BUT LET US DEMONSTRATE THE TRUTH BY OUR ACTIONS.
So, how can a Christian be reassured in his or her heart? How can he or she be protected from self-condemnation? The answer is found in personal knowledge of one's relationship with God. KNOWING is one of the cornerstones of John's testimony to the Gospel. The assurance of being of the truth is a mark of the Christian.
John's answer becomes clearer when we connect the first part of verse 20 with the previous verse: BY THIS WE WILL KNOW THAT WE ARE OF THE TRUTH; AND WE WILL ASSURE OUR HEARTS BEFORE HIM WHEN OUR HEARTS CONDEMN US. BECAUSE GOD IS BIGGER THAN OUR HEART AND KNOWS ALL THINGS. God is greater in the sense of tenderness and understanding. "The worst that is in us is known to God (...) and yet He cares for us and desires to have fellowship with us, and "He observes everything"—He sees the deepest things, and those are the real things. This is the true test of a man: Is what lies deepest truly the best? The answer to any feeling of condemnation, whether real and deserved or a false sense of guilt from confusion due to certain circumstances, is found in our own heart. The heart is often compared to our conscience.
When our heart condemns us, we can be reassured in two ways. If the condemnation is unjustified, God knows and will not condemn us. Not all feelings of guilt are the result of disobedience to God's will. Sometimes they are the result of confusion, fear, or certain types of mental disturbance that provoke feelings of guilt. God knows the deepest intent of the heart and will separate the real from the imaginary.
In the same way, IF OUR CONSCIENCE DOES NOT CONDEMN US, WE CAN COME TO GOD WITH FULL CONFIDENCE (v21). Those who teach that one cannot have a clear conscience before God — that the claim to conscious forgiveness is a sign of pride — have misunderstood John. Forgiveness can be as real as guilt.
One of the gifts that, according to the apostle Paul, is given to the church by the true Spirit is precisely the gift of discerning spirits (1 Corinthians 12:10).
Here, John shows that the confession of Jesus Christ as the incarnate Son of God is evidence that God's Holy Spirit is working through man. The Holy Spirit testifies of Christ and for Christ, and the spirit of the world and the Antichrist, which not only opposes this testimony but spreads the lie that opposes it, does so.
In the world there are many spirits, both good and evil, and some criterion must be found to judge them. There is a diabolical and supernatural power, as well as a righteous and supernatural power operating in the world and in people's lives.
v.2 - BY THIS YOU KNOWE THE SPIRIT OF GOD: EVERY SPIRIT THAT CONFESSES THAT JESUS CHRIST HAS COME IN THE FLESH IS OF GOD, AND EVERY SPIRIT WHICH DOES NOT CONFESS JESUS IS NOT OF GOD. THIS IS THE SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST, OF WHICH YOU HEARD THAT IT WAS COMING INTO THE WORLD, AND NOW IT IS IN THE WORLD ALREADY.
In every generation, lies fight against truth, evil against good, false prophets against true prophets, the spirit of the Antichrist against Christ.
The true prophet confesses that JESUS CHRIST CAME IN THE FLESH. This means that "Christ did not descend into an already existing man, but came in human nature; He became flesh". John is saying that the incarnation is not only the central focus of the Gospel but also encompasses in its broader meaning other great doctrinal truths such as the virgin birth, the crucifixion, and the resurrection. The incarnation is the essential creed of Christianity; on this doctrine, everything that calls itself Christian stands or falls. The incarnation is more than a creed; it is a formulation of faith and a historical fact that CHRIST CAME IN THE FLESH.
God became man. His relationship with humanity is, therefore, active and dynamic. To recognize the incarnation is to enter into this activity of God, to be involved in what God has done and is doing, to be a co-participant and a living witness to the Christian doctrine of salvation.
1 John 4:4
The protection of the child of God.
Little children, you are of God and have overcome them (who are of the antichrist), because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
a. Little children, you are of God and have overcome them: God's children need not fear the spirit of the Antichrist, although they should be warned about it, because they have the Spirit of God dwelling in them (1 John 3:24). This Spirit that dwells in us is greater than the one who is in the world — Satan and all his allies.
b. The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world: The believer has a resource for victory, the vital presence of Jesus dwelling in us, which makes victory always possible — if we trust in the one who is in you instead of trusting in ourselves.
c. This understanding provides great confidence and spiritual power. For those who walk in this truth, victory is assured—they have overcome them. This is a positive statement, not a hope.
d. He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world: This means that the Christian has no place for fear. We have many spiritual enemies, but none of them is greater than Jesus who lives in us.
e. At the beginning of the letter, John addressed the idea of the world and its threat to the Christian life (1 John 2:15-17). He presented the world not as the global Earth or the mass of humanity, which God Himself loves (John 3:16). Rather, it is the community of sinful humanity united in rebellion against God. Here, John suggests that there are forces of spiritual darkness that guide and influence the world.
1 John 4:7
A wealthy farmer lived alone, among hundreds of hectares of cultivated land. He was a greedy and selfish man. He did not allow anyone to enter his farm to collect or even want a piece of firewood. How many times did he shoot to scare women and children who, without knowing the danger, invaded his lands to collect the “chips” for the wood stove. And that man died there, alone. There were no heirs to his fortune. And all of his assets, which he kept with such usury, went to the government. How different his story would have been if he knew the love of God and knew how to share. How he would have spread love and be loved.
What we fail to plant we will never reap. There is so much "firewood" in the lands of your heart! Do not allow them to rot in the open. Let them heat whole houses and be used to make someone's food. Sow love. Worth it!
1 John 4:9
1 John 4:9 is a Biblical passage that speaks of God's love for us. In this passage, it is mentioned that God sent his only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through him. This is a reference to Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross, which was made out of love for us.
The central figure of this passage is Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son. He is mentioned as the one sent into the world so that we might live through him. Jesus is a significant figure throughout the Bible, mentioned in the Old Testament as the one who would come to save God's people.
1 John 4:9 is an expression of God's love for us. He loved us so much that he sent his Son to die for us on the cross. This is proof of God's unconditional love for us, even when we don't deserve it. It is a message of hope and salvation, showing that we can have eternal life through Jesus Christ.
This passage also teaches us about loving our neighbor. If God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us, we should love and care for one another in the same way. We should be examples of God's love to the world around us.
In short, 1 John 4:9 is a message of love and hope. It shows us Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross as proof of God's unconditional love for us. We should follow God's example of love and love one another in the same way.
1 John 4:18
1 John 4:18 teaches that God's perfect love eliminates fear. Persistent fear, especially the fear of judgment, indicates that a person is not fully convinced of God's love. God's love, when fully received, dispels fear, showing that there is no longer any need to fear punishment.
Detailed Analysis of 1 John 4:18:
"There is no fear in love":
This opening statement establishes the contrast between love and fear. God's genuine love is incompatible with constant, paralyzing fear.
"Perfect love casts out fear":
God's perfect love, when experienced in its fullness, has the power to cast out fear. This love removes the cause of fear, which is the feeling of condemnation.
"For fear has to do with punishment":
Fear, especially fear of divine judgment, arises from the awareness of sin and the possibility of punishment.
"He who fears is not made perfect in love":
He who continues to live in constant fear has not fully experienced God's love, for perfect love would free him from that fear.
In summary, 1 John 4:18 tells us that:
God's love is the key to freedom from fear.
Persistent fear is a sign that God's love has not been fully received.
God's perfect love has the power to dispel fear and bring peace.
Trust in God:
The verse encourages believers to trust in God's love and not fear judgment, for Christ has already satisfied the demands of divine justice.
Growing in Love:
The verse also suggests that love is something that develops and perfects. As believers grow in their relationship with God, they experience His love more fully and, consequently, are freed from fear. Brotherly Love: Love for God and love for neighbor are intrinsically linked (1 John 4:20-21). This absence of fear also manifests itself in relationships with others, for perfect love casts out the fear of being rejected or hurt.
1 John 5:3-5
Being a Christian is summed up in practicing what we hear and learn from God. Keeping the commandments means placing them in our hearts and putting them into practice. Love for God consists in obeying His will. To obey is to fulfill what the Lord asks of us. If we love Him, we obey; if we do not, we do not obey.
Understanding may be simple, but practicing this teaching will require detachment, selflessness, and readiness from each of us.
The Word says that the Lord's commandments are not burdensome, that is, they are not bad things to practice; nor are they things that will bring us anguish or sadness. On the contrary, we will find joy, God's approval, and maturity in faith.
Here, "overcoming the world" means overcoming all the temptations, conflicts, and challenges the world presents us. It is a call to triumph over worldly values that are contrary to God's will.
It then continues, "And this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith". This statement reinforces that true victory over the world is achieved through faith.
After all, faith is not just a passive element of belief, but an active agent of victory. Faith is a protective shield, a sharp sword, and the driving force that enables us to overcome adversity.
Therefore, the central message of 1 John 5:4 is that faith in God is not only a means of salvation, but also a powerful tool for overcoming the challenges of the world.
Faith is the key to victory over temptations, fears, doubts, and all the obstacles we encounter in our path. This victory is not a fleeting victory, but an eternal victory that brings us into harmony with God and His will.
Therefore, if you are born of God and have faith in Him, you have the victory that overcomes the world. This does not mean that you will not face challenges, but rather that, with faith, you have the ability to overcome them. This is the wonderful promise found in 1 John 5:4.
How can we become overcomers of the world in Jesus?
"In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). Because Jesus overcame the world, as long as we remain in Him, we are overcomers in Jesus.
1 John 5:6
One of the most prominent ideas in John's writings is the act of testifying. The Gospel is a Gospel of testimony. In Revelation, John testified to the Word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:2). The first epistle begins with the author's testimony: "What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you" (1:3), and now, near the end, John presents the testimony of God Himself — God's testimony to Christ through the Spirit.
There is one primary witness — the Holy Spirit. Throughout the Christian centuries, the Spirit has manifested Himself in every successful witness of the church to Jesus Christ. The church has suffered from extremism and excessive religious zeal, on the one hand, in which the voice of the Spirit was replaced by creeds, and on the other, which "claims that the inner voice of the Spirit takes precedence over the word of Scripture."
The other two testimonies of the Water and the Blood — the baptism and crucifixion of Christ — are subordinate to the Spirit in the sense that they do not contain their own authority. There have been many baptisms and crucifixions, and even the baptism and death of Christ have gone virtually unnoticed in secular history; but the history of the Spirit - inspired church has kept these two great events alive and made them witnesses to the divinity of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, it is the church's task to continue bearing witness to Christ, to the salvation that only He can give us, to His power to lift us out of a miserable and meaningless life and give us meaning and purpose. Since we are so inclined to accept what others tell us as evidence, surely many people will accept the witness of the Spirit. Furthermore, the Christian has the confirming witness in his heart, because he has become a participant in God's eternal life. Anyone who does not believe God's testimony about the divinity of Jesus has made him a liar and cannot be considered a Christian. Whoever has the Son — has believed this testimony — has eternal life (v12). Whoever does not believe does not have life, and all this discussion has no real meaning for him.
1 John 5:14
IF WE ASK ANYTHING ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, HE HEARS US - "Anything" does not refer to every request we make, regardless of how appropriate they may be; this term refers, first and foremost, to anything concerning the salvation of a brother or sister. Here we have intercessory and insistent prayer. We find two limitations in this text: first, prayer must be ACCORDING TO HIS WILL. It is an active identification with the divine will, an elevation of our will to the level of God's desire, not an attempt to persuade God to satisfy our desires. But it is not always possible to know exactly what God's will is. In Paul's words: "We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words" (Romans 8:26). However, in general, we know that it is God's will for all to enjoy eternal life and become children of God (2 Peter 3:9).
Second, our prayers are limited by those for whom we pray — the brethren. Verses 15 to 17 likely refer to those who have sinned inadvertently and, for some reason, persist in that sin. This person continues to be called a BROTHER, meaning that he or she belongs to the community of believers but, at the same time, lives in iniquity. If any one sees his brother committing what is not a mortal sin, he will ask, and God will give him life for those whose sin is not mortal (vs 16).
John distinguishes between types of sin — some are unto DEATH and others are not. The sin NOT UNTO DEATH is not a particular sin, but a habitual sin. We must rid ourselves of the idea that a sin unto death is a sin that can be recognized by those close to us.
Committing a sin unto death is a willful sin (Acts 5), and if one persists in sinning, it will ultimately lead to a definitive separation from divine life. There is also a sin that is not unto death. The difference lies in the motivation of the soul. Some people in sin are struggling to escape, while others allow themselves to sink deeper and deeper into sin. God knows the difference, and we are assured that HE WILL GIVE LIFE TO THOSE WHO DO NOT SIN UNTO DEATH.
1 John 5:18
The reason for this victory over sin is this: HE WHO IS BORN OF GOD KEEPS HIMSELF, AND THE EVIL ONE DOES NOT TOUCH HIM. It is Christ, the begotten (born) of God, who keeps the Christian. Our security does not lie in holding on to Christ, but in Him holding us.
The second fact of which we have certain knowledge is that WE ARE OF GOD AND THE WHOLE WORLD IS IN THE POWER OF THE EVIL ONE (vs 19). John uses the plural "we are," including himself along with all other Christians. All the reasons for communion previously expressed support and confirm the fact that WE ARE OF GOD. In stark contrast, "the world is in the power of the evil one." It is clear, therefore, that the separation between the church and the world must be and tends to be as complete as the separation between God and the evil one.
Verse 20. WE KNOW THAT THE SON OF GOD HAS COME AND HAS GIVEN US UNDERSTANDING. Both revelation and redemption are part of His gracious work. Without Him, we could never know God or overcome sin. Jesus gave us the power to understand, the capacity to know WHAT IS TRUE. With Christ, we possess what we have been empowered to receive, and we know what we have been empowered to understand because of Christ.
God is the Father of Jesus Christ, in whom eternal life has been revealed. We have eternal life when we abide in God, in the Father and in the Son, who has given us his Spirit.
3 John 2
Een van Gods vurigste verlangens voor ons is dat onze ziel voorspoedig is. Dit betekent dat Hij wil dat we geestelijk volwassen worden, dat ons verstand, onze wil en onze emoties volledig ontwikkeld zijn. Hij wil dat we denken met de geest van Christus en volgens Zijn woord, de Bijbel. Wanneer we daartoe in staat zijn, kunnen we onze emoties scheiden van de beslissingen die we moeten nemen en onze wil gebruiken om ons leven in lijn te brengen met Zijn wil voor ons.
Zodra we dit stadium bereiken, wil Hij ook dat we succesvol en (geestelijk) gezond zijn op alle vlakken van ons leven. Er is veel discussie geweest over de vraag of God wil dat Zijn kinderen voorspoedig zijn. Sommigen geloven dat armoede een deugd is, terwijl anderen geloven dat alle christenen rijk zouden moeten zijn. Ik geloof dat we ons moeten richten op geestelijke volwassenheid en God op de eerste plaats in ons leven moeten zetten, en Hij zal ons graag voorzien van alles wat we nodig hebben om een gelukkig, gezegend en voorspoedig leven te leiden. God is meer geïnteresseerd in hoe we ons gedragen dan in wat we bezitten.
De vraag rijst vaak: als God wil dat we voorspoedig zijn, is een arm persoon dan in God? Natuurlijk! Maar we hoeven armoede niet te aanbidden. Zieke mensen zijn misschien van God, maar dat weerhoudt hen er niet van om genezing te zoeken. Mensen zoals Joni Eareckson Tada verkondigen het Evangelie. Heb God lief met heel je hart, ongeacht je levenssituatie, maar streef naar Gods beste en gebruik dat voor Zijn doeleinden.
3 John 11
To imitate something is to copy it or follow it as a model.
Who is the person whose life demonstrates goodness that you can imitate? Do not imitate those who do evil, who gossip, and who seek to control others. By doing good, you will demonstrate that you belong to God.
Today, with social media, we hear the words "follow" or "followers" a lot. When we follow someone, it is because we agree with what that person says or does. And we see followers on both sides: those who set a good example and those who set a bad example. And those who follow these people sometimes also imitate their behavior, their way of speaking, their way of dressing, and it is no wonder they are called "influencers."
The story behind this Biblical reference begins with the figure of Diotrephes, a church leader who opposed John's authority and rejected the missionaries he sent. Diotrephes was an example of someone who did evil, acting out of self-interest and without regard for the well-being of the Christian community.
On the other hand, John mentions the example of Demetrius, a missionary who was well-regarded by his fellow believers and who did good. He was an example of someone who followed the teachings of Christ and sought to live in accordance with God's will.
This message remains relevant for Christians today, who often find themselves faced with situations where they must choose between following the example of good or evil. John's exhortation is clear: we must always strive to follow Christ's example and do good, even if it means going against the prevailing culture around us.
In short, verse 11 of 3 John is a call to do good and reject evil, based on the examples of Diotrephes and Demetrius. Following the example of good is a sign that we are in communion with God, while practicing evil distances us from Him. May we always seek to follow Christ's example and do good, regardless of the circumstances.
Jude 1:1-2
This book warns Christians against false teachings and provides a helpful list of characteristics of false teachers and their erroneous doctrines.
1. Such people are not from God; they want to use God's grace as an opportunity for disobedience.
2. They deny Jesus Christ as the only Sovereign Lord (v. 4) and Son of God.
3. They reject authority (v. 8) and slander what they do not understand (v. 10).
They are like "clouds without water" and like "trees without fruit."
Furthermore, they grumble and complain about their fate, allow their emotions and passions to control them, boast about themselves, and flatter people in a manipulative way to get what they want and create division.
But Jude knows that false teachers will not succeed and encourages Christians to contend for the faith (v. 3) and to fight for what they know to be the truth. To this end, Jude instructs them: "But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life" (vs 20,21).
Jude 1:9
Jude 9 and 14-15 confuse me. Where does Jude get the information in these verses? Paul often quotes from the Old Testament (and we are told in the footnotes of our Bibles where he is quoting from), but I have no idea where Jude gets his information. I have asked others about these texts, and they usually say something like, "Paul quoted pagan prophets", but it seems to me that Jude is indeed quoting Scripture. What do we know? What do not we know?
Pastor John Piper's response: Here is what we know and what we do not know: Jude is not quoting the Bible. That is pretty clear. He does not claim to be quoting the Bible, but we shall get to that in a moment.
Here is what we know and what we do not know: We know that Jude was in the midst of rebuking some arrogant opponents in the church, and we know that in verse 9, he does so by contrasting their willingness to blaspheme what they did not understand with the archangel Michael's unwillingness to even pronounce blasphemous judgment against the devil. So, that is the point: to rebuke the arrogance and presumption of these opponents.
So, we know that Jude refers to a situation at Moses' burial where the archangel Michael and the devil are contending over what should be done with Moses' body. And we know that this is a story not in the Old Testament. Nothing is said except that God took charge of the burial up on the mountain and that no one knows where Moses was buried.
There is a Jewish book called The Assumption of Moses, written between the Old and New Testaments, that has a story like this, but Jude does not seem to be quoting it exactly; so we cannot say for sure that is where he is getting it from. So, the answer so far to verse 9 is this: We simply do not know where he got this story from. But he got it from somewhere, and he makes no claim to be taking it from Scripture.
It may be that, like the apostle Paul in Acts 17:27-29, he uses sources that he himself did not believe were inspired, but which opponents liked to use as arguments, but which he used in a Christian way and turned against them.
Jude 1:9 continue
Paul provides us with much information not found in the Old Testament, as he was personally taught by Jesus Christ for three years (Galatians 1:12-19) and inspired by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 7:40ff.). Jude was Jesus' half-brother; Jesus undoubtedly taught his half-brothers and sisters extensively in the home of Joseph and his mother Mary. Perhaps Jude's knowledge in verse 9 comes from what Jesus taught at home.
The most important thing in this verse is: This happened when Michael was arguing with the devil about Moses' body. What can we learn from this?
First, it is the archangel Michael whom we know as the warrior against enemies in the air and protector of the people of Israel (and believers?) in Daniel 10-12. God buried Moses (Deuteronomy 34:6), and it is Michael, the archangel, who carries the body. He is the archangel who stands against the powers of darkness, Satan. It is not said where Michael takes Moses' body. Nor is it known whether this body is "alive". The prophet Elijah was taken alive. It is unknown whether Moses is alive or asleep today, but he is alive in Revelation 11.
From this, we also know that it are the angels who take the bodies of believers to paradise after death.
Why did Satan want Moses' body? Satan wants to prevent Moses from being one of the two witnesses (Revelation 11) so that he can oppose him and be a powerful witness during the first three and a half years of the Great Tribulation, leading many to faith. The two witnesses, Moses and Elijah, will die at the end of the Great Tribulation (Revelation 11:7) and then go to heaven (v. 12).
Jude 1:11
What did Cain, Balaam, and Korah do that we need to avoid? They all tried to obtain something that God was not giving them. Cain was jealous of Abel, who had God's approval, and so he killed him. He wanted what Abel had, but he was not willing to do what his brother did to get it. Abel gave an acceptable offering, and Cain did not. ENVY IS GENERATED IN THE WOMB OF INABILITY. When we do not want to give God what He asks, we cannot resent Him if others do and are blessed for it.
Balaam disobeyed God to obtain a promotion promised by an earthly king. He preferred a position of earthly honor to doing God's will, and he was so deluded that God had to speak through a donkey to get his attention.
Korah resented Moses because he wanted the position and power that Moses had. The world is full of people like that — they want position and power and compromise their personal integrity to get them. They do things that go against their conscience, and even if they get what they thought they wanted, they are never happy. Korah's rebellion ultimately cost him his life.
We need to learn to wait on God. All these men sinned by trying to obtain something that God was not ready to give. "There is a way which seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death" (Proverbs 16:25).
"Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act (Psalm 37:4-5).
God has an individual plan for each of us, so it is wrong to look at other people's lives and covet what they have. If we are content with the blessings we have received and trust God to provide us with ours, He will take care of us.
Enjoy where you are now, while you are on your way to where you are going, and do not try to get ahead of God. He has a great plan for your life, and although you may have to wait, you will be blessed in the end.
Jude 1:12-13
SUBMERGED ROCKS - or reefs - involve an unsuspected danger of shipwreck in faith and character. These leaders are outwardly wise, having studied theology, etc., but they introduce erroneous teachings into the minds of people who do not study the Bible with discipline and trust what the leader says. Today, when people have access to the internet at their fingertips, it costs nothing to spend time researching Biblical topics.
SELF-SHEPHERDS - They only care for themselves. Perhaps Judas thought of the shepherds in Ezekiel 34:2, 8, 10 who fed themselves and neglected the flock.
WATERLESS CLOUDS - Promising much but delivering nothing. They impress with their beautiful speeches, but are empty when it comes to the benefits of a good rain. They are like clouds driven by the wind, fickle and unpredictable (Hebrews 13:9; 2 Peter 2:17).
AUTUMN TREES - They are in sin, first by nature, and then by apostasy. These deceivers bear no fruit because they have no roots planted in God's grace (Matthew 7:20).
RAVAGE WAVES OF THE SEA - This word suggests the shamelessness with which false brothers, through their words and actions, reveal their inner corruption.
WANDERING STARS - These can be "wandering comets or meteors" that have abandoned their proper orbits and strayed from the Lord's direction. By leaving their proper orbit, they are extinguished in sin and heading toward the blackness of darkness forever.
Jude 1:18
Like Ezekiel, Jude sees himself as a watchman on the walls of Zion. Dangerous underminers are at work in God's house, so Jude urges his readers: REMEMBER WHAT WAS FORETOLD BY THE APOSTLES OF THE LORD (v. 17). He actually means: "Do not be off guard about what is happening. Be realistic!"
IN THE LAST TIMES - These will be the years immediately preceding the Coming of Christ, marked by mockery (2 Peter 3:3) of the faith once delivered to the saints. Faith will be fiercely boycotted as if it were heresy, and the only heresy that will survive. In other words, they will not combat true heresies. But as we are already beginning to see signs today, some leaders are already going against biblical teachings themselves using the excuse that society has modernized and the Bible needs to adapt to the changing times.
If these scoffers transform God's grace into licentiousness, it is clear that in the future they will mock those who hold a firm position on divine commandments; they will dismantle the authorities, treating spiritual things with irreverence, proclaiming arrogant and impious words, and ridiculing the idea of hell and future judgment.
Verse 19 says: IT IS THESE WHO SET UP DIVISIONS, WORLDLY PEOPLE, DEVOID OF THE SPIRIT. They let their corrupt desires dictate what is right and wrong. They are moral and spiritual anarchists! They cause divisions, separating themselves from the living fellowship of Christians. They create factions and lead communities astray. THEY DO NOT HAVE THE SPIRIT. BEING SEPARATISTS IN SPIRIT AND SENSUALISTS IN MIND AND BODY, THESE UNGODLY ARE WITHOUT THE SPIRIT OF GOD (AND OF CHRIST) AND SO ARE NOT HIS (Romans 8:9).
Jude 1:20
Jude 20 instructs us to pray "in the Holy Spirit." It is the Holy Spirit of God within us who motivates and leads us to prayer. We need to learn to surrender to the Spirit's leading as soon as we feel it, not later, when the moment has passed. This is part of learning to pray without ceasing, with all prayer and supplication on all occasions, wherever we are and whatever we are doing. Ephesians 6:18 says: "Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints".
I encourage you to pray in the Holy Spirit; by doing so, you will experience the joy that comes to those who pray according to God's will.
Jude 1:24
Jude 1:24-25 24 Now to him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and power, before all eternity, and now, and forevermore. Amen.
Jude 1:24 extols God's power to preserve believers, keeping them from falling, and ultimately, to present them faultless before his glory with great joy. The verse emphasizes that, despite temptations and human frailty, it is divine omnipotence that guarantees the perseverance of the faithful and their future glorification.
"Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling":
This passage highlights God's sovereign ability to prevent believers from falling into sin or apostasy. God not only offers salvation, but also perseverance, protecting the faithful from various threats and deceptions.
"and to present you blameless":
Divine preservation is not only to prevent falling, but also to ensure that believers are presented in God's presence without spot or blemish. This is achieved through God's transforming grace.
"with joy":
The presentation before the glory of God will be with great joy. This joy refers to complete deliverance from sin, suffering, and the enemy, and to the enjoyment of eternal happiness.
Context of the Epistle of Jude
The book of Jude was written at a time when false teachers were introducing erroneous doctrines into the early Church, seeking to lead Christ's disciples away from the faith.
Verse 24, followed by verse 25, which praises the one God as Savior, serves as an encouragement for believers to persevere, remaining faithful to the truth and trusting in the power of God to keep them.
Practical Implications
The verse is a call to trust and hope for believers.
It reminds us that our ability to remain in faith depends not only on our own efforts, but primarily on God's preserving power.
It also points to the glorious certainty of future glorification, where believers will be in God's presence, free from any imperfection.