Today’s Reading:
1 John 1:1-10
John is one of the original 12 disciples of Jesus and he could probably be ‘John the beloved’ (John 21:20). He with Peter and James had a very special relationship with Jesus. This letter could have been written between A.D 70 from Ephesus before he was exiled to the island of Patmos (Rev. 1:9). During this period, Jerusalem had been destroyed in A.D. 70, and Christians were scattered all over the empire. At the time of John’s letter, Christianity had existed for more than a generation, and it had faced and survived many severe persecutions.
The major problem facing the church at this time was a decline in commitment to God. Many believers were conforming to the standards and systems of the world as we have today. They compromised their faith and thus failed to stand up for Jesus Christ. And the many false teachers made matters worse by fast-tracking the church’s decline away from the real Christian faith in Christ. John therefore wrote this letter to put believers back on track, to differentiate between light and darkness; truth and error; and to encourage the church to grow in genuine love for God and one another. Also, for genuine believers to know that they have eternal life, and the assurance that their faith in Christ is genuine so that they would be able to enjoy all the benefits of being children of God. The false teachers denied that sin alienates believers from their fellowship with God (v. 6), and that they have a sinful nature (v. 8). They deny that their conduct is not sinful (v. 10). This is an error that denies the basic truth that we are all sinners by nature and practice (Rom. 3:23). When we gave our lives to Christ, our sins are all forgiven. But we have not yet come to the Christ-like nature that God intended for us; because now and again we sin, confess and ask for forgiveness. This kind of confession is not offered to gain God’s acceptance, but it is to further cleanse us and remove the barrier that sin has placed in our fellowship with God.
The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and has appeared to us (v. 2). As an eye witness to the earthly ministry of Jesus, John was in a right place to teach us the truth about Jesus Christ. “… that you may have fellowship with us.” (v. 3) Fellowship is a rich and lively concept in the Bible that tells us of the need for us to share life with God, the Giver of life, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and with each other. Fellowship indicates a very intimate relationship. As a believer, our joy will increase as we have a continued intimate relationship with God (John 3:29; 15:11; 16:24; 17:13; 2 John 12). John gave 3 principles to real Christian fellowship –
Our fellowship should be grounded upon the testimony of the word of God, without which the basic strength of our union will be impossible;
Our fellowship should be mutual, harmonious purposefully dependent on the unity of the body of Christ.
Our fellowship should continuously daily be renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
A genuine fellowship consist of social and spiritual interaction, and this can only be made possible by a living and growing relationship with Jesus Christ, the Light of the world (v.5). Light represents what is good, true, pure, holy and reliable; and darkness represents what is bad, evil, and sinful. Also, wherever light is found, its function is to reveal the true situation of things whether good or bad. In a dark place, good and bad look alike, but when light comes, they can be clearly distinguished. And so, sin cannot exist in the presence of our holy God. if we want to have any relationship with God, we must abandon our sinful lifestyle. We cannot deceive God. For us to claim that we have fellowship with God, and live wild life to satisfy our lust is hypocritical. The Lord will expose and judge such actions (vv. 5-6). But if we walk in the light, as God is in the light, we will have fellowship with each other. The body of Christ will harmoniously unite us for a purpose – to proclaim the Gospel of Truth at this crucial period of persecution and hurt. And the blood of Jesus His Son will purify us from all unrighteousness and sin (v. 7).
However, it is not that easy for us to admit our errors, faults, and shortcomings especially, mature Christians, even before God. It takes humility and honesty to admit our weaknesses; to worsen matters, many would overlook this and pretend they are strong in the Lord. We should not be ashamed to admit our sins before God; He even knows before we confess. Christ will not cast us away from himself, no matter the gravity of our sins. He will with open arms draw us to himself (Luke 23:39-43; Matt. 27:38-44).
OLUFUNMILAYO TITILOLA ADEKUSIBE
Prayer:
I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel; my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
O Lord, let your fire consume every seed of pride in me, in Jesus' name.
Father, empower me to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, in Jesus' name.
Father forgive my sin in speech, in thought and my action, let the blood of Jesus set me free, and cleanse me from all wickedness, in Jesus’ name.
O Lord, gather every disintegrated part of me together and make me function to the glory of your holy name, in Jesus' name.
O Lord, reconcile every Christian marriage and home by the power in the blood of Jesus.
O Lord, make our children, youths and young adults the apple of Your eye and keep them from the deceiver and the destroyer, in Jesus' name.
Father, intervene in the decaying situation of our nation, in Jesus' name.
O Lord, visit every hurting people, especially in devastated nations of the world with Your love, Your mercy, Your healing and transforming power, in Jesus’ name.
Comments