The Word This Week
1 John 1:1...
John was most likely the youngest of Jesus’ apostles. Near the end of first century A.D. he is the only remaining apostle - perhaps because he was the youngest - but also because all the others had been killed in various waves of persecution in the parts of the world they had gone.
It is believed John remained at Jerusalem for quite some time prior to moving to Ephesus and becoming the elder or pastor of the church located there for the remainder of his life.
It has been recorded for us when John was extremely old and feeble, he would be carried into the church there on a litter, and while being borne down the aisle to the front he would be known to exclaim, “Little children, love one another.”
Because of that, and because of the content of this epistle, and because he referred to himself as, “the apostle Jesus loved,” John has since become known as ‘the apostle of love.’
That is quite a title, and it well-reflects a good direction for all our lives – to be both ‘the apostle Jesus loved,’ and to be, ‘apostles of love.’
This is a general epistle. While we cannot be certain, both the Gospel of John and these three epistles of John may have been written after he wrote the Book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ. If this was written following his exile to Patmos, and his return to Ephesus, we can only imagine how his life had been impacted by all the Lord illuminated to him while on Patmos.
It may explain his strong emphasis on the light of truth, and what it means to be illuminated by the light of truth which only God can provide. Since light indicates truth, and since light is the first of God’s creation that He declared in Genesis 1:3, it is imperative we associate light with truth, and likewise all truth with God.
In Him, and only in Him, there is no darkness at all.
Apart from Him there is no light, and none to be had. All the ‘light’ the world attempts to manufacture is darkness, which is sinful – and has caused us all to sin under the beguiling effects of the artificial light which consumes the world in darkness and lies.
But when we come to Christ we escape all darkness, and we receive the promise of total forgiveness simply by possessing the God-given illumination of faith to ask for it.
The only thing which can prevent this is the pride of thinking we have no need to ask.
Pastor Bill
John was most likely the youngest of Jesus’ apostles. Near the end of first century A.D. he is the only remaining apostle - perhaps because he was the youngest - but also because all the others had been killed in various waves of persecution in the parts of the world they had gone.
It is believed John remained at Jerusalem for quite some time prior to moving to Ephesus and becoming the elder or pastor of the church located there for the remainder of his life.
It has been recorded for us when John was extremely old and feeble, he would be carried into the church there on a litter, and while being borne down the aisle to the front he would be known to exclaim, “Little children, love one another.”
Because of that, and because of the content of this epistle, and because he referred to himself as, “the apostle Jesus loved,” John has since become known as ‘the apostle of love.’
That is quite a title, and it well-reflects a good direction for all our lives – to be both ‘the apostle Jesus loved,’ and to be, ‘apostles of love.’
This is a general epistle. While we cannot be certain, both the Gospel of John and these three epistles of John may have been written after he wrote the Book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ. If this was written following his exile to Patmos, and his return to Ephesus, we can only imagine how his life had been impacted by all the Lord illuminated to him while on Patmos.
It may explain his strong emphasis on the light of truth, and what it means to be illuminated by the light of truth which only God can provide. Since light indicates truth, and since light is the first of God’s creation that He declared in Genesis 1:3, it is imperative we associate light with truth, and likewise all truth with God.
In Him, and only in Him, there is no darkness at all.
Apart from Him there is no light, and none to be had. All the ‘light’ the world attempts to manufacture is darkness, which is sinful – and has caused us all to sin under the beguiling effects of the artificial light which consumes the world in darkness and lies.
But when we come to Christ we escape all darkness, and we receive the promise of total forgiveness simply by possessing the God-given illumination of faith to ask for it.
The only thing which can prevent this is the pride of thinking we have no need to ask.
Pastor Bill