Thoughts on 1st John

This has nothing to do with travel, but I thought it was timely in light of some of the discussions between traditional Churches of Christ and those less traditional.

John wrote this first letter while obviously upset about something - he was upset that his readers were being swayed - or at least tempted - by those who claimed to have a special knowledge of God and so were causing strife among the brothers. When someone is upset, it is not unusual for them to repeat themselves to emphasize their key points. John does this throughout the letter.

It is easy to see this by copying the letter into a word processor and searching for key words or phrases, and seeing how often they reappear. These repetitions help us see what John is trying to tell his readers, and us.

Here are results of some of my searches:

Who is a liar (search for "liar" or "lie")?
1. Those who say they have fellowship with Jesus while they walk in darkness
2. Those who say they have not sinned.
3. Whoever says, "I know Jesus" but does not keep His commandments.
4. He who denies that Jesus is the Christ.
5. Whoever says, "I love God," and hates his brother.
6. He who has not believed in the testimony that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

Who knows the truth (search on "truth" or "true" or "truly")?
1. Whoever walks in the light, as Jesus is in the light.
2. Whoever confesses their sins.
3. Whoever keeps Jesus' word.
4. Whoever says he abides in Jesus and walks in the same way in which He walked.
5. Whoever confesses the Son.
6. Whoever abides in the Son and in the Father
7. Whoever loves in deed.
8. Whoever believes in the Son of God.

What we know (search on "know" or "knowledge" or "known")?
1. What John has proclaimed to us - the life of Jesus.
2. We have fellowship with the Father and with Jesus.
3. God is light.
4. If we walk in the light, as God is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
5. If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
6. We have an advocate with the Father.
7. Jesus is the propitiation for our sins.
8. If we keep Jesus' commandments, we have come to know him.
9. If we keep Jesus' word, the love of God is perfected in us.
10. We ought to walk in the same way in which Jesus walked.
11. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.
12. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light.
13. We know our sins are forgiven for Jesus name's sake
14. We know Him who is from the beginning.
15. We have overcome the evil one.
16. We know the Father.
17. We are strong.
18. The word of God abides in us.
19. If we love the world, the love of the Father is not in us.
20. Whoever does the will of God abides forever.
21. We have knowledge because we have been anointed by the Holy One.
22. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.
23. We know the promise that Jesus made to us-eternal life.
24. Everyone who practices righteousness has been born of Jesus.
25. We are called children of God.
26. Jesus appeared to take away sins.
27. No one who abides in Jesus keeps on sinning.
28. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous.
29. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil.
30. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning.
31. We should love one another.
32. We have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers.
33. Jesus laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
34. We are of the truth.
35. God knows everything.
36. Whatever we ask we receive from God.
37. Whoever keeps Jesus' commandments abides in Him, and He in them.
38. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.
39. He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world.
40. Whoever knows God listens to the letter John has written.
41. The Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
42. Love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God.
43. God is love.
44. God sent his only Son into the world.
45. We ought to love one another.
46. No one has ever seen God.
47. God has given us of his Spirit.
48. The Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
49. Everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning.
50. The whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
51. The Son of God has come and has given us understanding.

What is right? What pleases God? (search on "right" or "command")

1. Believe in the name of the Son Jesus Christ.
2. Keep His commandments.
3. Love one another.

It is my guess that we do the first two very well. It is the latter than Christians have struggled with the most. It only takes a quick look at how Christians have misused the name of Christ through the Inquisitions, the Crusades, the opposition against the Reformation, multiple divisions of Christ's body through the centuries, and even modern day "Demas" lists to see how we do NOT love one another. We see too much "our side" and "their side."

I think much of 1 John is similar to Paul's thoughts to the Galatians in 3:26-29. To paraphrase, "We are all sons and daughters of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of us who have been baptized into Christ have clothed ourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, Democrat nor Republican, American or European, rich or poor, male nor female, educated or uneducated, 'our corner' or 'your corner', for we are all one in Christ Jesus. If we belong to Christ, then we are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

As I mentioned before, the main theme of John's first epistle seems to be who is of Christ and who is not (IOW, who we should fellowship with). What is right? What pleases God?

1. Believe in the name of the Son Jesus Christ.
2. Keep His commandments.
3. Love one another.

John seems to be explaining to his readers, "Who is a true Christian."

1. We should not sin, but still we do.
§ 1:8-10 – the liar claims he is without sin. We confess our sins
§ 2:1-6 – Jesus speaks to the Father on our behalf, and we walk as Jesus did.
§ 2:29 – we do what is right. We are born of Him.
§ 3:4-6, 9-10 – we live in Him and do not continue in a lifestyle of sin
§ A true Christian knows that sin separates us from the Father. We all sin, and Jesus speaks to the Father in our behalf when we sin. When sin becomes our lifestyle, however, we no longer live in Him. A true Christian does not continue in a lifestyle of sin.

2. We know the truth of Jesus.
§ 2:18-23 – We know Jesus has come in the flesh
§ 2:26-27 – Our anointing from Him teaches us all things.
§ 3:7-8 – we know he who does what is right is righteous
§ 4:1-6 – we know that not every spirit is of God, and we know Jesus came from God
§ A true Christian knows Jesus came in the flesh and that Jesus is the Son of God. We should not believe every spirit, because some spirits deny either of the previous truths. Any spirit that denies either of these is the anti-Christ.

3. His Spirit is in us.
§ 3:21-24 - We know Christ lives in us by the Spirit God gives us.
§ 4:13-16 – We know we live in God and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit.
§ A true Christian has the Spirit that God gave us.

4. Call to purity and eternal life
§ 2:15-17 – if we love the world – cravings of sin, lust of the eyes, boasting of what we have done - the love of the Father is not in us.
§ 2:24-25 – if we remain in the Son and the Father, we are promised eternal life.
§ 3:1-3 – because of this hope, we purify ourselves.
§ A true Christian lives a life that is called to purity

5. The new command
§ 2:7-8 – a new command, yet an old one we have had since the beginning. A new command seen in Jesus.
§ 2:28 – We continue in Jesus.
§ 3:11-15 – We should love one another. Failure to love leads to death.
§ 3:16-22 – Love is Jesus laying down His life for us, so we should lay down our lives for each other
§ 4:7-12 – Everyone who loves has been born of God
§ 4:16-21 – God is love, so we love
§ God loves us, so the true Christian loves each other. We see God when we see love in each other.

Look at the Good Samaritan. Who is my neighbor? How do I lay down my life for my brother?
§ A living sacrifice – Romans 12:1
§ An active faith – James 2:14-26

What is right? What pleases God?

John said that he has written these things in this letter, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life."

John says we have confidence before God of our salvation:

1. There is no salvation apart from Jesus Christ (4:15; 5:1, 5, 13)
2. We keep His word and commands (2:3-5; 3:24; 5:2)
3. We walk after the example of Jesus (2:6)
4. We love the Father and His will, rather than the world (2:15-17)
5. We habitually practice righteousness rather than sin (2:29; 3:8-10)
6. We love the brethren (2:9-11; 3:14, 15, 18, 19; 4:8, 11, 12, 16, 20; 5:1)
7. We are conscious of the dwelling presence of the Holy Spirit (3:24; 4:13; 5:10)

These can be summed up in two points:
1. Live the fruits of the Spirit – love one another to the point of laying down our lives for one another; and do what pleases God – do what is right.
2. Profess in Jesus Christ as the Savior – anyone who does not acknowledge that Jesus Christ came in the flesh and also in God's one and only Son in whom we have faith of atonement of our sins does not have God, is the anti-Christ, and is not a Christian.

(sounds a lot like the two greatest commandments Jesus taught about – "Love the Lord your God with all you heart, soul, mind, and strength; and love your neighbor as your self – on this hang all the Law and the prophets.")

We measure all who call themselves Christians by these two standards – their lifestyle and the stance on the divinity of Christ.

But how doctrinally correct must we be to have confidence before God and know we are true Christians and thus saved? John lists nothing other than the two above points.

How do I apply the words of John to my life? I believe a few items that I consider the basic essentials:

I believe that Jesus is the Son of God (Matthew 16:16).

I believe that Jesus poured out His blood for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:28).

I believe that we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:4-10).

I believe that our faith must include turning from trusting whatever we did in our old life to trusting in Jesus (Acts 2:38).

I believe that our faith must include being immersed in water in the name of Jesus as a representation of His death, burial, and resurrection to be raised to a new life so my sins will be forgiven (Acts 2:38; Romans 6).

I believe that there is one God the Father, maker of heaven and earth (Genesis 1 & John 1).

I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Word, who was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man (John 1, Matthew 1, Luke 1).

I believe He suffered crucifixion, was buried, rose again on the third day, ascended into heaven, and will come again to judge the living and the dead (1 Corinthians 15: 1-8; Luke 24:50-53; Acts 1:9-11; 2 Timothy 4:1).

I believe in the Holy Spirit whom God has promised to give to dwell in the hearts of all Christians (John 7:38-39; Acts 2:38-39; Acts 5:32; Romans 5:5; Romans 8:9-11; 1 Corinthians 6:18-20; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; Ephesians 3:14-21).

I believe in the one Church, the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 5:23).

I believe in and look forward to the coming resurrection of the dead and eternal life (1 Corinthians 11:26; Hebrews 9:28).

My beliefs are founded upon what is written in the word of God and only on what is written in the word of God rather than on the traditions of man or human logic (2 Timothy 3:16-17, Romans 15:1-6, Psalm 19:7-11).

I strive to handle any issue not found expressly in the scriptures in a manner that does not produce contention or division (Romans 14).

We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But we have confidence in our salvation when we believe Jesus came in the flesh, that Jesus brings eternal life, we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, and we live a lifestyle consistent with what pleases God.

Forgiveness

I struggled with the forgiveness issue almost from the beginning of my separation from my ex-wife in 1988. Holding on to my resentments gave me a feeling of power and control, but it was just an illusion. It did not take me long to realize that these feelings were consuming nearly ALL of my mental activity to the point that I was even dreaming about it. A trusted friend (RE accountability) asked me if I enjoyed spending so much time thinking about someone who had caused me so much pain and who wanted nothing to do with me. That was the wake-up call. I did NOT want to be so consumed with my ex-wife. I wanted to be consumed with the Lord, who was the only one who I could still rely on.

But the resentments kept coming back - anniversaries of our marriage, our separation, other painful dates, and anything dealing with our children. When I went through divorce recovery classes, the group leader suggested a way to physically rid my self of the resentments. I wrote each and every resentment, “I resent you because you did…,” down on a piece of paper in a letter format. I took the UNMAILED letter and burned in my fireplace. As the flames consumed the paper, I prayed that God would consume my resentments.

This worked for quite a while, but maybe my heart was not in it, because a few years later a situation came up that brought many of these resentments back to the surface.

I decided to do an integrity check on myself to confirm that my motives were pure - I wanted peace and time with my children and that was all. So I wrote my ex-wife a letter of several pages detailing every action she had made since our separation that I resented. But this time, after each sentence, “I resent you for what you did,” I also wrote, “I forgive you for …” I placed the letter in a envelope, sealed it, addressed to her (did NOT mail it), and went for a drive.

My wife and I drove for 2-3 hours down the Texas coast until we reached the mouth of a river. We had stopped several times before, but each place we stopped just didn’t seem right. When we arrived at this beach side where the river flowed into the gulf, I knew this was the right place.

We walked along the edge of the river and stopped along the bank. I dug a deep hole in the sand and buried this letter. We prayed over this “grave” and asked God to take away these resentments, just as the gulf takes away the waters of the river. We prayed that these resentments would be swept away into the gulf of God’s forgiveness. AND THIS IS IMPORTANT: I prayed that God would forgive my ex-wife of all that I forgave her for.

I wept with my wife as I have seldom wept. But it was tears of relief. To this day I do not remember what was in that letter. God had taken them away.

And I discovered a key benefit: I cannot stay angry with someone that I have forgiven and that I have asked God to forgive, even though they have never asked or indicated an interest in asking for forgiveness.

This is symbolized by a recent event. My daughter just married last month, and my ex-wife was part of the celebration. We got along well, especially my wife and ex-wife (the two mothers-of-the bride). Later the same month, we were driving through my ex-wife’s home town and we stopped to drop off some pictures from the wedding, and she gave us some old baby clothes that had belonged to our daughter. We treated her to lunch, and she even hugged us both as we left. When we told our daughter about this, she was pleasantly surprised, and very grateful.

The events that contributed to a peaceful reunion at my daughter’s wedding and afterwards could not have happened had I not forgiven my ex-wife years ago.

For more on forgiveness, see the blog by Dr. John Mark Hicks at http://johnmarkhicks.wordpress.com/2008/11/11/forgiveness-participating-in-the-divine-life/

This is a picture taken on a vacation trip to Rome with my wife Cindy in 2006. This was at the Colosseum where tradition says Ignatius was martyred in the early 2nd century. We also visitied Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica on Sunday. How many years, how many days, how many times has the Nicene creed been repeated in this place?

Blessings.

Looking back over 10 years of travel

My journals began as just simple e-mails home to describe for my family what I had done during the week or weekend. It has now evolved to not just an outline of what I have done, but to word-pictures of what I have seen, thought, and felt in the new places I visited. And through word-of-mouth, thanks mainly to my wife’s efforts, I send these journals not just to a dozen or so family and friends, but to nearly 80 family, friends, and co-workers.

What follows is a brief summary of some of the moments that left an impact on me:
• Contemplating a blown out sneaker while exercising, then seeing a shoeless man sleeping on the beach in Rio de Janeiro
• Swarmed by begging children in Cameroon
• An English speaking Christian fundamentalist sitting in a Catholic mass in a French-speaking West African country
• Having dinner with a friend from church who happens to be in Lima, Peru for one night the same time you are.
• Driving through a beautiful mountain valley in Puerto Rico before realizing you made a wrong turn, haven’t a clue where you are, and not sure you will ever find the same spot again.
• Watching people post written prayer requests in a cathedral in Lima along with a photograph so God will see their face and hear their prayers.
• Washing your dishes with hot water in an air-conditioned apartment in Lagos, while watching a woman across the street washing her dishes in the backyard in a rain barrel.

These are some of the memories I have written home about. I encourage you to experience the culture when you travel. And capture those experiences and memories in the way that will best stay with you. I think that it is when you are touched, whether you call it spiritual or emotional, and you take note of that moment that the experience becomes a part of you.

Abigail Adams, wife of the 2nd President of the United States and mother to the 6th, once encouraged her grandsons to keep diaries of their travels overseas. She said that if they did not keep a written record of their journeys through other countries, their trips would not be much better than that of the birds that pass over head and then are gone.

Many of us today remember our journeys not through diaries but through our photographs, videos, and souvenirs. While the photographs capture the memories of what we saw, they may fail to capture what we felt at those moments.

Several years ago, when I began traveling on business, I began to supplement by photographs with written journals of my thoughts and experiences in the new lands I visited.

These are my experiences of what in the world God has shown me on my business trips, and vacations with my wife, Cindy.