An in-depth discussion and study of the Bible and related books.
“Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:18, ESV) Our previous discussion related to those who are a child of God or a child of the devil. The two criteria were to practice righteousness and love your brother (1 John 3:10). John now expands on the…
“By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.” (1 John 3:10, ESV) John has pointed out the contrasts between light and darkness (1 John 1:1–2:6), love and…
“Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.” (John 2:22, ESV) We move from considering Light/Darkness and Love/Hate of one another and between God and the world to the idea of the antichrist/Antichrist. John has previously given us the moral test…
“Whoever says, “I am in the light,” while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves a brother or sister abides in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling.” (John 2:9-10, NRSVUE) Here, as elsewhere, John places the contrast before his readers in its ultimate essential form, as of…
“And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.” (John 2:3-5, ESV) Who are the “little children” to which…
“The life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us.” (John 1:2, ESV) This study is based on the belief that John, the brother of James (the sons of Zebedee, Matthew 10:2-4), is the author. He was…
Using the book: 1, 2, 3, John & Jude: Established by Truth … Marked by Love, by John MacArthur These letters are full of insights and direction along with warnings and encouragement . . . all based on two words: truth and love. These words remind us that God supplies all we need. That there…
If the church is to be the non-judgmental, unconditionally loving, corporate body of Christ it is called to be, how will people be motivated and empowered to increasingly grow out of their sin and become more Christ-like? How do we practically grow in Christ-likeness when we are welcoming all into the celebration of the cessation…
The cessation of the ban is only a celebration if it is centered on the life and love God offers to the people for free, without conditions. If we are proclaiming the cessation of the ban faithfully, the Pharisees of our day will be offended. How do we respond to the rage of the Pharisees?…
Fundamentally, the central purpose of the law was to drive us beyond it to Christ. By condemning us, the law exposes the impossibility of our ever living in perfect union with God so long as our relationship is filtered by our knowledge of good and evil. The law thereby prepares us to receive God’s judgment…
