1 John 5:21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.
 
THIS is a good verse to memorize, to even print and put in a place where you will often see it. Idolatry is the most persistent and present danger to our relationship with God.
   What is idolatry? God defines idolatry in two parts in Exodus 20:4 You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5a You shall not bow down to them or worship them.” Idolatry is making an image to represent a deity and then it is worshiping that image.
   Idolatry is the sin that brought great judgment and destruction upon Israel. Judges is the story of a nation that turned to idols and lost God’s blessing. They rejected all they knew about God – even his commands and warnings – to worship useless objects that even led to child sacrifice. How was it possible they became so depraved to exchanged life for death?
   Idolatry was the reason God shut the sky from rain for three years in 1 Kings 17. This great abomination was also the reason God scattered Israel’s 10 tribes into exile among other nations. And idolatry the main reason for Judah’s exile to Babylon.
   Sadly, idolatry did not end with the church. Idolatry is the reason some factions of the church have become an ungodly institution. Certain groups have formed images of itself, and worshiped its own power. Some churches have created earthly authorities to be greater than God’s Word. That means these authorities place themselves above God.
   Idolatry stains and corrupts our lives. What do we worship? It’s obvious that in the U.S. many forms of sports have replaced the worship of God. Great stadiums and arenas are constructed for the worshiping masses to attend events. They idolize participants. Images of teams and players become the focus of too many lives. It’s no wonder people feel empty when the games end.
   Idols are any person, activity or object that you place over love for God and for one another. Idols corrupt the mind to seek self pleasure. They consume finances and resources that are better suited to advance God’s kingdom. Idols keep our minds from God and our hearts from each other.
   John’s closing statement is the perfect warning. He has focused his letter on what “we know”. John knows idolatry would corrupt everything we know about Jesus.  
 
Proverbs 8:12 “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion…32 Now then, my sons, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways. 33 Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it. 34 Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. 35 For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord.”  
 

1 John 5:20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true – even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
 
LET’S briefly reflect on the statement, “We Know.” In the English language this is called a declarative sentence. It declares – it proclaims, it announces, it affirms – a truth. In this epistle, John has used “we know” to announce 18 truths of Jesus Christ and the church’s identity in him. These are firm truths gained through knowledge and experience. The evidence of Jesus as Savior, Son of God, is without question. John affirms we know the Son of God has come.
   This is a one-sentence summary of John’s gospel. He wrote the gospel to testify to the Word of God made flesh. John states Jesus’ identity in John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. Then he proves Jesus is that eternal Word through the eight witnesses shown throughout his gospel and named in 1 John 5:8-12. This is the evidence John can say we know he Son of God has come and has given us understanding.
    Because we know this, we may know him who is true. When the risen Jesus met John and the other apostles in the Upper Room, Jesus asked them a very important question: “Why do doubts arise in your minds?” (Luke 24:38b) Then he gave them physical evidence of his bodily resurrection. Luke 24:39 “Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." He then ate some fish to further prove he is really alive. Then Jesus taught t hem: He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:45). For the first time the apostles understood how Jesus fulfilled the law and the prophets. From that moment, they could day, “We know the Son of God has come.” There were no longer doubts of Jesus’ identity. Their complete faith empowered the apostles to help others know the Son of God has come.
   God has given us the Bible, so the knowledge of Jesus can be secure in our minds. When we know the Scriptures we know: 1) the truth – all mysteries of Jesus are gone when we know who Jesus is. 2) our prejudices and opinions are gone when we believe the Scriptures. 3) as Jesus opened their minds, only God can open our minds fully to himself. Pray for this for your own mind and for others. 4) we must submit completely to the Scriptures.
   Because we may know him who is true, we are in him who is true – even in his Son Jesus Christ. We are the branch connected to the vine (John 15). We are the Savior’s friend. We have a family relationship – brother and sister – to the Christ. We are children of God because we know he is the true God and eternal life.
   Be joyful, be content, be confident in this blessed relationship. Because you know this, may it be the key to your life that unlocks any chains of brokenness, worry, limitations and fear. The Truth has come. And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free. (John 8:32)  
    
 

1 John 5:19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.   
 
HOW wonderful to know we are children of God! But does it bother you that the whole world is under the control of the evil one? How is this true when the creator LORD God Almighty is sovereign?
   There are several places in Scripture that speak of the devil’s authority in the world. He is called the god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4a) the powers of this world (Ephesians 6:12) the ruler of the kingdom of the air (Ephesians 2:2b) And Jesus called him “Prince of this world.” (John 14:30) The King of kings recognized the devil is a prince of the world. A prince has power from the king. How does the evil one have this level of authority over mankind? Isn’t it God’s will to destroy him?
   Yes, God will destroy Satan at the time the Father has ordained. In the meantime, God’s will is to allow the devil to have some authority over the world. We can’t fully understand this, but Scripture does tell us there are times when God uses evil to test his people.
   There is an interesting passage that may help us know some of God’s purpose. In Judges Israel has not fully conquered the Promised Land. Some enemies remained. Why? God permitted them to remain. “I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their forefathers did.” (Judges 2:21-22) The LORD tested Israel’s faithfulness. Would they obey his commands? They did not. And when they sinned from generation to generation, God sent to Israel a “savior” – a judge – who led them to victory against their enemies. He made a way for his people to be his people in Israel.
   Satan’s power in the world began under God’s permission when God tested the first couple. Would they obey his commands? They did not. Their sin opened mankind’s heart to the devil’s power to influence people to spiritual death. In his will, God has allowed Satan to remain with granted authority in the world.
   Are you God’s child? Then rejoice God has sent his Savior to defeat the enemy, to be the way for the people of the world to be his people. Around the globe God has quickened mankind’s hearts to confess Jesus is the risen Savior. We are children of God because it is God’s will to make us his children. The Spirit has given birth to our spirits. He commanded, “Be born again.” in the same way he said, “Let there be light.” There is no force that can stop God’s will from becoming reality. You are alive forevermore under his rule.
   Children of God, be very careful of the devil’s authority. A prince can be very attractive to the unsuspecting heart. Be aware he pursues you. He wants you to disobey the Father to disrupt God’s house. Keep your heart and mind on the King.  
   

1 John 5:18 We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them. 19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true – even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 
 
AS John concludes this letter, he reminds the church of three essential “we know” truths he has taught throughout. We’ll examine the first here and the other two in successive lessons.
   In verse 18 John confirms you can know your changed life does not make a practice of sinning. Jesus has secured you. The devil cannot touch you. Do you know this is true?
   Sometimes you may feel you are burdened with the practice of sinning. There are days when it feels as if each thing we say or do is a departure from Jesus’ teachings. Recurring submission to temptation can weaken your resolve to resist the desires of your sin nature.
   This is the enemy’s voice accusing you. The devil wants you sitting down in despair when the Lord wants you rising up in his resurrection power. Jesus has died to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) He has risen and is alive now to send his Spirit to help you live your new life!
   God is in action. You can trust that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16b) That includes you.
   Changing your mind from the things of this world to the things of God requires persistent pursuit to walk in the Lord’s resurrection power. The fact you are aware of your sin indicates you are no longer in the practice of sinning. If you are frustrated and grieved with your transgressions, you will stop to pray, “Father, I confess… Please strengthen my resolve to reject this sin.” You will also gratefully thank God for his great love and mercy to forgive you sins through the blood of Christ. You know the Lord taught us to pray, “Forgive us our sins.” and “Deliver me from evil.” because he knows he has paid the price of your salvation with his Son’s life.
   Know what God knows. You are his. Rejoice he has mercifully directed you to “Go and sin no more.” (John 8:11) because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set (you) free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2-3)
   When you are in Jesus, you know you are not in the practice of sinning. You can tell people, instead, that your life is in the practice of pursuing God. Pursuit is active and steady. You keep going. You strive to reach your goal because you love God.
   Yes, you are set free to love God. Your past sins no longer keep you from his mercy. Instead, you can approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find. grace to help (you) in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16)
           

​He Should Pray  
 
1 John 5:16-17 If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.
 
THIS is a much debated passage. On the surface it seems opposed to the redemptive power of Jesus Christ. Does not Jesus’ blood redeem all who repent? What is sin that does not lead to death, and what is sin that leads to death? Why should we pray for one and not the other?
   Sin that does not lead to death is any act of the will against God’s law. These are the common transgressions mankind commits. We know the confession of our sins and confession of Jesus as Lord will redeem us from all sin. John confirms this in 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. We should pray for ourselves and each other to be free of sin and to be forgiven of sin.
   If confession purifies us from all unrighteousness, how can there be a sin that leads to death? When John says, “I am not saying that he should pray about that.” he seems to be focusing on praying for people in the church. Many think John referred to a specific sin against the church. There are times in the Bible when God quickly judged people who endangered the community. One example is in Acts 5 when the Lord judged Ananias and Sapphira to their deaths for lying about their contributions to the church. There was no prayer for such deceit. Another view of such a sin is regarding the false teachers. John may have referred to those teachings as sin that leads to death. 
   In his gospel, John records Jesus teaching about a sin that leads to death: John 8:23 But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am [the one I claim to be], you will indeed die in your sins.” God will not forgive those who deny Jesus is the Son of God. This is the opposite of Romans 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. There is only life in Christ with the confession of Jesus’ deity and with faith in his resurrection.
   Should we pray for those who do not believe? We certainly want to pray for unbelieving loved ones and friends to confess Christ. Many testimonies tell of dark hearts transformed to the light. 2 Timothy 2:25 Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth.
           The lesson here is pray for one another in your church. Protect them from evil that has no regard for God. Such people’s sins will lead to their eternal death. Pray for the unbelieving to enter into life.
 
            

1 John 5:9-12 We accept man’s testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. 10 Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
 
JOHN follows his affirmation of water, blood and Spirit as three witnesses that Jesus is the Son of God, who gives eternal life. Proper testimony is very crucial in God’s law. One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. (Deuteronomy 19:15) In his gospel, John writes that Jesus affirmed this law when he said, “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid. There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is valid.” (John 5:31-32) Then Jesus named four witnesses to his deity.
   First is John the Baptist: John 5:33 In fact, you sent investigators to listen to John the Baptist, and his testimony about me was true. Second are the works of Jesus: John 5:36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me.” Jesus’ works, including his preaching, miracles, the cross and ascension witness that Jesus is God’s Son.
   The third witness is the Scriptures – the Old Testament: John 5:39 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.  A fourth witness is Moses: John 5:45 “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”  To the Jews, Moses was the greatest prophet. Moses foretold of Jesus through such specific passages as Deuteronomy 18:15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. And Moses wrote about Jesus when he described the Passover, manna from heaven, the high Priest, water from the rock, blood sacrifices and light in the tabernacle.
   Then the gospels give us a fifth witness: the Father. He called out at Jesus’ baptism and Jesus’ transfiguration, “This my Son.” (Matthew 3:7).
   In this and the previous lessons, we have learned of eight witnesses that Jesus of Nazareth is God’s son. 1) water 2) Spirit 3) blood 4) John the Baptist 5) Jesus’ Works 6) Scriptures 7) Moses 8) The Father.  Jesus’ witnesses are true. Life, indeed, is in the Scriptures. That life is Jesus. God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
    
 

 

1 John 5:6-9 This is the one who came by water and blood – Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.
 
THERE was a false teaching in the early church that said Jesus was a man who became divine when he was baptized. And then he lost his divine status before the cross. If this were true, Jesus would not be Savior, the Christ. Christianity would be a useless myth.
   That’s why John wrote specifically of the water, blood and Spirit. They testify to Jesus as fully man, fully God. From the gospels is the evidence of Jesus as God’s Son when he was baptized: Matthew 3:16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” The water and the Spirit anointed the Son of God, and the Father spoke to affirm Jesus is his Son.
   Then John watched the divine Son of God do the Father’s work on earth. John was then a witness of Jesus’ blood and water on the cross. John 19:34 one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. John wrote this to confirm Jesus died. Other false teachings said and still say today that Jesus did not die.
   The cross was not the end of Jesus as God’s Son. The cross is evidence of God’s glorious revelation that Jesus, the Son of God, had come through water, blood and the Spirit to save the world. Even pagans recognized Jesus’ divinity: Mark 15:39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” 
   Three days later John saw the risen Jesus, who had come from the tomb in the Spirit’s power. Romans 1:3 regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
   Jesus was of water, baptized by the Spirit. Jesus was of blood, crucified to be the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. (John 1:29) Jesus is risen by the Spirit and has sent the Spirit to live in us. The mystery of God’s gracious work is revealed in the evidence of prophets who foretold of his work. Jesus’ work is also revealed in the apostles’ testimonies and people who witnessed his life, death, resurrection and ascension. The glory of his work is witnessed in your salvation. In Christ you are made new because he came through water, blood and the Spirit to re-create your soul unto salvation.  
   These are three witnesses to Jesus, the Son of God. We learn of five more witnesses in our next lesson.
           

1 John 5:3-5 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
 
DO you know that Jesus’ true church is the world’s most powerful organization? Yes, it can – and often does - appear weak and fragmented, declining with division and rivalries. But that’s not the true church. That’s the church that follows the world. We want to consider the church that follows God.
   When people obey God’s commands, God’s church is established, built, fortified and multiplied. Look to the early church as evidence. If ever an organization was doomed to fail by the world’s standards, it was the first-century church. Led by generally uneducated amateurs who worshiped a crucified man, the church had no worldly reason to become a nation of influence and power. But from the first 12 apostles, the church has become a nation that circles the globe with about 2.4 billion citizens.  
   How did this happen? People from generation to generation have obeyed God’s commands. His commands are not burdensome, but they are commands of life. God did not command Israel to die. He commanded his people to live into his power. The 12 tribes that entered into Israel had to overcome settled and fortified cities. They had to overcome their own doubts and fears. But when they obeyed God’s commands, Israel overcame the obstacles. When they rejected God’s commands, they died in the desert.
   The same is true for the church. Jesus command to “Go and make disciples.” (Matthew 28:19a) is a command to overcome the enemy, to defeat Satan’s well-fortified nations. The apostles would not overcome on their own. They were too weak and insignificant. But then they had faith in God. And they had God’s power as the Spirit anointed them to their work. Their God-empowered faith propelled them to victory. Yes, most died in martyrdom, but even that is the result of obeying God’s commands. Their faithfulness to the death was a victory banner to raise to the next generation.
           Many forces have attempted to strike down the church. But it prevails and will prevail. God’s commandments are easy and life-giving. When you believe Jesus Christ is Lord, you belong to the nation that will declare the final victory at the end of time. 

1 John 4:19-21 We love each other because he loved us first. 20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? 21 And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters.
 
WE might read these verses aa a nice reminder to love those in our church. “God loves you, so you should love others.” But we must see this is a crucial building block of the church. Just as surely as we must confess, “Jesus is Lord, risen from the dead.” we must truly love one another with the faithful, committed love God commands: “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:4-6)
   God’s love is the fire that ignites your faith. But the unfaithful do not love God, and he does not love them. There is a common statement of false assurance in the church that says, “God loves everyone.” But this commandment tells us that is not true. The LORD God says he will punish the sins of those who hate him for up to four generations. This means a generation’s sins will affect those who follow. God loves those who commit their hearts, minds and souls to him. He commits his love to those who pursue righteousness. God’s love is an active force to heal, redeem and protect. The church also must commit to one another to heal, redeem and protect.  
   Our love for one another, then, is not only a nice smile, a pleasant greeting or a gentle hug. The church is to love one another with a love that is willing to commit to each other’s well-being. This will be an uncomfortable love sometimes. It will mean admonishing one another to encourage each other to seek God’s truth. Loving one another is forgiveness, humility, loving kindness and gentle encouragement. We praise God for each other’s successes and celebrate milestones in each other’s lives.
   Has the God who is love saved you? Then love for others in the church must be your mindset. To hate others is to criticize, minimize or neglect others. But this cannot be when Jesus is alive in you and you are alive in him. That life is a living love committed to obeying God’s commands. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. (1 John 5:1-2)