Recent studies in First John have opened my eyes to this disciple of love, who referred to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” After just the first two chapters, John has definitely made an impression on me.
Traditionally, it is believed that John was just a teenager, maybe as young as 15, when he joined forces with Jesus. Another tradition has his mother, Salome, as a sister to Mary, mother of Jesus. If so, imagine how these cousins enjoyed family reunions, eating, playing games, and fishing trips.
John, who was probably nearing 100 years of age when he wrote this, was not always so loving and kind. When he and his brother first followed Jesus, they were known as “sons of thunder!” Zebedee would have been proud that his sons were being schooled by a rabbi, so no wonder he didn’t call them back to work on his boats!
If they were related, no wonder Salome felt free to ask her nephew to put her sons, his cousins, on his right and left in the coming kingdom! No wonder from the cross, Jesus told John to take care of his mother!
One of the reasons John wrote this letter was to prove the Gnostics of that day wrong. Even today, we have false teachers, so John urges knowledge of the Scriptures well enough to be sure we know the truth and can spot a counterfeit. We have to take guarding the Scriptures seriously.
Another reason for the letter was to remind his readers, which includes us if we are believers, that God revealed himself through creation, the Scriptures, and His son Jesus, so that we can have a real experience or relationship with Jesus now. John emphasizes that the Christian life is the real thing and our eternal life starts when we are born again, so we do not have to wait until we get to heaven!
God wants us to share our story about that relationship to those who ask us about it. To those who do not ask, John says we must demonstrate our love for Jesus and others in the way we talk and in the actions we take every day.
John seems to enjoy using contrasts, and the one with light and dark reminded me of the first verse I memorized for my Sunday school teacher, Sis. Betty Istre. It was Matthew 5:16 and we sang about letting our lights shine for Jesus!
In this letter, John tells us that we should walk in the light, which means living with Jesus each day. Our life work will be tried by fire one day and will show if we continued in the light as we should. John shows us that if we wander into the darkness, we should confess it and get the forgiveness we need. Like Naaman, we have to humble ourselves, call on the Lord, and be cleansed and restored. I John 1:7 is my Jordan River and the blood of Jesus is my bar of soap!
Some may try to cover their mistakes, but the Lord sees all. It is always best to admit it and ask for forgiveness. John promises that if we do that and then obey God’s commands, we can overcome the temptations we will face. Jesus paid the debt for our sins, once for all. He did not just make atonement, like the Old Testament priests, whose sacrifices covered the sins but did not do away with them. They had to do it again every year, but the blood of Jesus made His sacrifice redeem us, put away our sins, and now there is no need for an annual sacrifice. Jesus has satisfied the debt we owed and regained God’s good will toward us. John insists that this is wonderful news! We can be sure of our salvation!
John continues with a new interpretation of God’s law of love. He wants us to think of the love Jesus showed on the cross. That is how we should love, including those who are against us. We cannot do this without the help of the Holy Spirit, but if we grow in our daily walk with Jesus, we will. We begin as children, untested and not mature in the Lord, but then as fathers, we experience our relationship with Jesus and grow. Finally, as young men, we have been tested and overcome temptations because the Word Jesus is in us!
Only with study, prayer, worship, participation and sharing our faith can we hope to overcome! That is how we keep from being conformed to the ideas which are against Christ. Three tests that we must overcome include the moral test, which says we are to obey God. Do I? Second is the social test, which says we are to love others. Do I behave toward them with love, especially enemies? And the third test is the doctrinal test, which asks, am I familiar enough with The Word to stay true. Am I?
These loving words from one of the closest followers of Jesus encourage us. John says we just need to know what we have been taught from the Holy Scriptures. We do not need modern day interpretations or visions from anyone who feels he needs to add to God’s Word. And there is a curse for anyone who does try that. We dare not alter or add to that book! Amen? Amen!
The lessons I have learned thus far have filled me with a passion to not only study more, but to tell of the love of Jesus more and of God’s plan for us to live with Him eternally! I pray many others will give their lives wholly to that calling also. May God help us all grow in Him.
Joyce Broyles is a retired High School Librarian and lives in Jennings, LA.