True Love (1 John 4:7-21)

'All you need is love' - The Beatles

'Love is friendship set on fire' - Unknown

'We love because it's the only true adventure' - Nikki Giovanni

'Love is the irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired' - Mark Twain

People have all sorts of ideas about what love is but pretty much everyone would agree that love is important somehow and that everyone needs it. In today's reading, John tells us what real love is, where to get it and how to show it...


What is love?
John says, 'This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.' John knows that God's act of coming down to earth in the person of his Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross so that we can have a relationship with him beyond death is the greatest single act of love there has ever been. It is such a great example of love that John uses it as his definition up to which he measures any other idea of what love is.

Where can we find true love?
John knows that God is the expert when it comes to love because love comes first of all from God. Do we really think that human beings just learned how to love all by ourselves because of evolutionary or sociological processes? Personally I don't see how love could have come from anything on the same level as us. It has to be something that comes to us as a gift from our Creator - God. Love is too powerful and too impossible to have simply been thought of or developed by our human brains. We love because God first loved us.

And John says that anyone who knows how to love, knows God in some way because they display one of the hallmarks of God's character. They may not realise that love comes from God, but they show by their own loving acts, that they know something about him, even if they haven't yet understood where their capacity to love comes from.

How should we show love?
We should show love in the same way that God has shown love to us. God's act of love on the cross is the supreme example and definition, so our love should aim for that kind of sacrifice. Sacrificial, effective, pure, selfless, etc. John says it's imperative that we love one another as God has loved us. How can we claim to know God if we hate others? It's hypocritical to claim to know God and yet hold things against other human beings.

Do you ever find it hard to love someone? I do! What about the people who let us down, break our trust, hurt or abuse us or others we care about? I think it's extremely hard to love people like that and yet that is exactly what God expects us to do because he loves them too. But he doesn't expect us to love them in our own strength. Remember, love comes from God and God is love! So it's about letting God love these people through us. We don't (and we can't) do it by ourselves.

So, have you found your true love? Are you looking in all the wrong places? If you want to know what true love is, you need to go to the source of all love - God himself. Take a good look at what Jesus was doing when he died on the cross 2000 years ago and then ask God to help you receive it for yourself and pass it on to others.

Who's Right and Wrong? (1 John 4:1-6)

I once had to lead a school assembly about the holocaust. It was a daunting thing to be asked to do, especially as I didn't want to do something ordinary and expected. I wanted to make people think about their own lives carefully as well as remembering how awful it was for those who died. With this in mind, we made the whole assembly about spotting fakes. Hitler was someone who managed to convince many people that he was doing something really good. He fooled many people into thinking that something really wrong was actually the right thing to do. It's quite a scary thought. How can we be ready to spot the fakes, especially when there's so many worldviews, methods and life-advice competing for our attention?


Today we have so many different religions, belief systems and worldviews competing for our attention. Everyone seems to think they have got the best idea of how to live life. Or even more common these days is the idea that there is no right way to live at all and it's all about personal choice and personal truth. Tolerance these days is probably the most persuasive message out there. It says that all worldviews and claims to truth are equal. It sounds so reasonable and friendly but it's wrong! If there's any such thing as real objective truth at all then it has to be wrong.

John is convinced that there is plenty of real know-able objective truth about God and what he has said and done in our world, especially through his Son Jesus Christ. He also knows that there were so many other mixed messages and stories, ideas and claims to truth out there and he wanted his readers to know how to sort them out.

John says the bottom line is about what people say about who Jesus is. If they acknowledge that Jesus was and is the Son of God (a lot of implications for anyone who believes this!), then they can probably be trusted most of the time when they're talking about direction in life. But if they don't acknowledge Jesus was and is the Son of God (again a lot of implications here too!), then they can't be trusted on these crucial issues because they've ignored or rejected the most important intervention in human history that there's ever been - Jesus!

That's not too say that non-Christians don't ever have valuable things to say. I've learned many wise things from non-Christians. It just means we shouldn't allow non-Christians to convince us about why and how we live for God because he must be the final authority.

It also doesn't mean that Christian teachers don't ever get it wrong. I've heard preachers say the most stupid things over the years. It just means that if someone has accepted Jesus as the Son of God and their own saviour and rescuer, then they can probably be trusted on big matters like why and how to live for God because they're following him too.

In short, we need to measure up all big ideas with what God says in the Bible (the written word of God) and with the live of Jesus (the living word of God) if we want to be sure about them one way or the other.

In the assembly we looked at how to spot fakes. We saw that although there are many tests we can do to spot if a bank note is a fake, the best way by far is to handle real money as much as possible. Then when a fake note comes along, we'll spot it a mile off. This is true in life too. If we want to avoid being taken in by convincing fakes, we must be familiar with the real truth as much as we can. This means knowing God for ourselves, listening to him by reading the Bible, speaking to him in prayer and trusting in him.

Let's go!

Being Different (1 John 3:11-24)

What makes Christians different from everyone else? I bet if you asked a hundred different people, you'd get a hundred different answers but I'd be pretty certain that many would say things like...

- They think they're better than everyone else
- They think they're the only ones who've got it right
- They're arrogant and boring

Having said that, I also think that many others in the survey would say things like...

- They really care about people
- They think of others more than themselves
- They seem to be full of peace/love

What do you think? Maybe it's worth doing the survey to find out!

1 John 3:11-24

I think John suggests three big ideas about what marks Christians out as different from everyone else...

They believe in Jesus (v23). Not just that he existed but they believe in his name. That means they believe in who he is - the Son of God! And believing in doesn't just mean an intellectual agreement with but it means a total trust in and dependence on Jesus. It's like me saying I believe that a chair will hold my weight when I sit in it. It won't do me any good until I actually sit down in the chair! Believing in Jesus means being in Jesus! It's about complete love and trust towards God. Believing is the main command John talks about when he's describing what it looks like to do what Jesus says (v23).

They love people (v11, 14, 16-18). Not just people they like but everyone! Even people who mistreat them and mock them. Even strangers. In fact, anyone who has any kind of need should find that Christians are the first people to step up and care emotionally and help practically (v17). All hatred is gone because we have passed from death into life (v14).

They have the Spirit of God in them (v24). None of this is possible or sustainable without God himself living is the hearts of Christians. Not just his power or his life or some impersonal force, but God himself by his Holy Spirit living in Christians. All Christians have the Holy Spirit living in them and it is he that makes it possible for them to love God and love others the way they should - the way God has loved us first (v16).

If you're a Christian - How are YOU different from anyone else?

If you're not - How different can you be without a relationship with God?

Spot the Difference! (1 John 3:4-10)

See if you can spot the differences in the two pictures below...
How long before you gave up? It wasn't long for me. I think I found one before I couldn't be bothered with it.

Today John talks about spotting the difference, only it's much more important than the one shown above and it's far easier than people think too!

1 John 3:4-10

How do you spot the difference between someone who's a real Christian (forgiven, accepted, etc) and someone who isn't? Surely faith is a personal and private matter that doesn't involve others - wrong! Or at least according to John it's wrong. He seems to think that faith makes a BIG difference to our lives and others around us too. He says 'No-one who continues to sin has either seen Jesus or known him' (v6).

We need to be careful with this one. It's awful when people start judging everyone else about whether they're actually saved by God or not. We'd be wrong to judge other people's relationship with God because...
  1. We can't know for sure. All we can do is have a pretty good guess at where someone's at with God based on the way they live their lives. This can't be fool proof because even the most mature Christian will make selfish mistakes and even the most humanist person will do excellent Godly things for others. People's actions are clues of where they might be at with God and they do add up to quite a clear picture but they don't settle the case! That's between them and God - and even then, it's not about how good they are (because no-one's good enough for God!), it's about whether they've asked for forgivenes or not!
  2. Our motives would probably be wrong. John isn't writing about this because he wants his readers to start playing spot the difference with everyone they meet. He's concerned about people who might try and teach them wrong things about Jesus to trick them into following things that didn't come from Jesus himself (v7). He's saying the best way to spot these fake teachers is not by the eloquence of what they say but by the message of their lives.

It's impossible to have a relationship with God and not to have your whole life changed. Sure, we're not there yet, but if we've really encountered the living God, then the direction, reason and reality of our lives must be completely different from anyone who's living life for themselves or for the here and now.

In my school there's a poster with an old cliche question on it. It's cheesy if you've heard it before but a great question to consider if you're someone who claims to follow Jesus...

'If you were arrested with the charge of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?'

Remember John started this chapter talking about the amazing love of God that has been lavished on us? After meeting a God like that, how can we go on living the way we did before? It must be impossible for our old habits to continue the way they did. In the last bit of the chapter (which we'll look at tomorrow), John talks about what it looks like to live for Jesus and how people will know for sure that we belong to him.

Exeter Passion Play 2008

The Easter 08 Passion Play in Exeter. I edited my footage of the Passion Play and set it all to a song called 'American Jesus' by Bad Religion. Very punk and I think it suits it. Only took 2 hours work in iMovie on the Macbook. Not bad!

Amazing Love (1 John 3:1-3)

My line manager at school is really kind and every now and again, she'll buy me a box of chocolates or something to say a big thank you for the hard work I've been doing. It's something she does for other staff she looks after too (just in case you were worrying)! Earlier this term, God challenged me about doing something kind for her and I decided that before Easter arrives I would buy her some nice chocolates for a change to say thank for her work for me. I thought it was a great idea but then today she goes and gives me a big Easter egg! I wanted to show her my kindness but she beat me to it. Doh!

John talks about the amazing love that God has shown to us and the impact that it has on us and those around us...

1 John 3:1-3

I love the way John uses the word 'lavish'. It makes me think of something really huge and amazing being poured down on us. Maybe like 10 tons of strawberry jelly landing on our house - Brilliant!

What has God done that's more amazing than 10 tons of jelly?! He's made it possible for us to become his children - for us to be part of his eternal family. Awesome! Imagine the safest, best, most loving family ever and then multiply it by infinity and you might get somewhere close to picturing what John's talking about. You really can't explain it properly - You have to experience the reality of it! Having God as our heavenly Dad and best friend in reality is something I really struggle to put words on. It's amazing. I'll have to leave it at that.

Then John talks about some of the impacts that this amazing love has on us if we've received it...
  • It means that people will give us a hard time for loving God because they don't recognise God's love for themselves (v1).
  • It means we have an eternal future with God where we will be completely changed into the person we were created to be - just like Jesus (v2).
  • It means the journey towards that complete change has begun already and we're learning what it looks like to be like Jesus now (v3).
We're never going to out-do God's love. He's loved us from before the beginning of time and he's made a way for us to be in his family. We can't top that! We can't do anything that will impress him enough to be friends with us. It's not about impressing him. It's about accepting him and showing him we're grateful by growing to be more like him.

So will I buy my line manager chocolates anyway? Probably. Even though she's 'lavished' chocolates on me already, I want to let her know I'm grateful. It's not about out-doing her - it's about showing her the kindness she's shown me. Unless I can think of a way I can drop 10 tons of stawberry jelly on her house... hmmm, I wonder...

She's Got Her Dad's Nose! (1 John 2:28-29)

My mum says I've got 'a Pegg nose'! I didn't do anything to deserve it but I'm stuck with it whether I like it or not. It's a natural consequence of me being born. As John rounds off chapter 2, he mentions what should be a natural consequence of being born again...

1 John 2:28-29

John doesn't tell his Christian readers to start realising new things. He's not talking about stuff they don't yet know. Earlier in the chapter he's clear to them that they already know the truth. They've already put their faith in Jesus and trusted him for forgiveness and they have peace with God. John is writing to tell them to 'continue' (v28) in Jesus. It's about continuing on the adventure they've started, without getting distracted by other ideas that seem tempting but are actually not of God.

We all face things that would distract us from doing what God wants for us. The difference between Christians and everyone else is that Christians have asked God to forgive them because of what Jesus has done on the cross (and God has forgiven them like he promised). If you're not yet a Christian, it's about starting but if you are a Christian, it's about continuing.

Becoming as Christian about being 'born again'. Becoming like Jesus is not something we can achieve in our own strength because it flies in the face of our own sinful nature. But when God forgives us and gives us that fresh start that we've been talking about, it's like he creates us all over again, but this time we're born of the Spirit of God and we're a 'new creation' (2 Corinthians 5:17).

So when John talks about being righteous (living right), it's not about us trying our very best not to make mistakes. Instead, it's about being true to our new nature. It's about continuing in Jesus. It's about being our true selves, the way we were made and re-made to be. When we're living this way, it's more about relaxing and resting than it is about working and striving. God is changing us bit-by-bit if we are letting him in. It's about being open to God.

When this is happening, people will begin to recognise features in our lives that come from God (v29). Our lives will have characteristics that look like God's. They will be characteristics, attitudes and actions that point people to our heavenly Dad.

Question to think/pray about: Do you need to 'start' or 'continue' with Jesus and what will that mean in reality for you?

Who is the 'Antichrist'? (1 John 2:18-27)

To my shame I don't mind listening to a quick blast of Slayer now and again. They're a thrash heavy metal band and the drums and energy of the music is incredible! The tragic thing is that pretty much every Slayer album is about how much they hate Christians. Their album 'God Hates us All' is full of songs like this and contains phrases like 'I keep the Bible in a pool of blood so that none of its lies can affect me'. Blimey! They just haven't got anything good to sing about. It's quite sad. All they can sing about is how against Christ they are. They don't seem to be FOR anything.

Thankfully most people aren't into Slayer but there are so many people that are against Christ (or they're not FOR him, which amounts to the same thing actually) and today John speaks about the difference between those who are for and those who are against Jesus...


There's been a lot of talk about 'antichrists' over the years. At various times throughout history, people in the church have asserted that they know who it is. They've been waiting for an incredibly evil figurehead to pin it on. People used to say it was Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin, MacDonald's, Waitrose, the Pope, and the list goes on!

John doesn't tell us to look out for one evil figure. He's a lot more real than that. John basically says that anyone who's not for Jesus is against him. They prove it by their actions because they have no time for him in their lives. They go off on their own way and live life exactly as they want to, with themselves in the driving seat and calling all the shots.

The stunning verse in the middle of this bit is where John tells us who the real liars are (strong words). He says the real liars are the ones who flatly deny that Jesus is the Messiah (or chosen one of God). Blimey!

The thing is, I think God has made it so obvious he loves us and he's spoken with so much clarity to show us that he's real and loves us but people still fail to recognise it. Creation itself, conscience, ethics, guilt, compassion, creativity, love, anger at death, logic. All these are clear reasons we have that God is real. Then we have historical evidence about Jesus. The evidence for his existence is unquestionable and the evidence for his resurrection is overwhelmingly compelling. The empty tomb, the 500 witness, the eye-witness accounts in the gospels (written within living memory of Jesus), the martyrs that died for the story of what happened, the dead body that was never found. It's very obvious that Jesus was and is someone uniquely special that came to save us. Maybe he really was and is the only Son of God who came to save us from our sin - but tragically most people ignore it or hate it so much that they agree with Slayer!

What about you? What do you say about Jesus? Have you explored the evidence or just pushed it to the back of your mind or gone along with what most people believe? The dangerous thing about following common sense is that it's becoming increasingly less common and you might end up missing out on the one truth that could save your life.

Or maybe you've made your mind up already and you're a Christian living for Jesus. John's words are, 'remain in him' (v27). Stay put. Don't stop thinking but also don't forget the biggest truth that you've been shown. Live in it and share it with others who need to know but do so with an open and thinking mind and in a way that shows people what Jesus is like rather than being arrogant and clouding people's vision of who Jesus really is.

Is our world really that bad? (1 John 2:15-17)

What do you think of our world?  Sometimes I love it here - the beauty of tree, the power of the sea, the compassion of people!  Other times it sucks to be in this world - the evil there is - wars, violence, greed, destruction.  How does God feel about the world?  And how should we feel about it? 

1 John 2:15-17


John's words here make it sound like God hates the world but we know from what John says elsewhere that God 'so LOVED the world that he gave his only Son, so that whoever believes in him shall not die but have eternal life'.  God loves the world he made and the people in it but that's not what the word 'world' means here.  He's talking about the sinful and evil WAYS of the world that is in opposition to God. 

God made our world to be good and in the beginning it was perfect.  But these days it doesn't take a genius to figure out that something's gone very wrong and there is plenty of evil around in our world today. Just watch the news or scan the front pages of the papers and we'll see stories of real evil stuff that is destroying lives all around us. And (perhaps on a smaller scale but no less serious) if we're honest with ourselves we can see the same destructive, selfish tendencies at work in our own minds and lives. Much as we might try to always do the right thing, sometimes we are selfish, lazy, rude or whatever.

John mentions 3 areas where we often go wrong:

1. The lust of the flesh - this is obviously about sex and all the ways we're tempted to be ruled by our sexual appetites, rather than by the one who gave them to us.

2. The lust of the eyes - this is about materialism and coveting or wanting more and more money and stuff.  It's a real distraction from what truly matter is life.

3. The pride of life - this is about running our own lives with our own priorities and ambitions with no reference to the God who made us and loves us.

These are just examples of what is wrong with our world.  It's sin: S-I-N:
Shove off God.
I'm in charge.
No to your commands.

John says the world and its desires will pass away.  Everything and everyone that's in opposition to God will go in the end.  And John says that followers of Jesus shouldn't be tempted to love the things this rebellious world loves. As Christians we're likely to stand out a bit if we're living life the way it's made to be lived.

It's about where our focus is. If we focus on only the here and now (like most people do) then we'll probably be concerned with things like money, jobs, houses, families, cars, etc. All these things can be excellent and precious but if this is all that our lives are about then we've missed the point - God. The eternal God (no beginning, no end) has to feature in our agenda in this life. In fact, he deserves to be no less than number one. Unless we put him first in our lives and receive his forgiveness and hope - we will die with this world and be away from him forever. God wants to give us so much more than what we can see now! He wants to give us himself. He wants to give us eternity with him! Life to the full and life forever. A fresh start. Forgiveness. Hope, help, comfort and love like we've never known. Security, peace and joy.

Let's take our eyes off this world for a minute and fix them on God. Stop for a minute and rest. Close your eyes and ask God to show you what he has for you! Don't just read this - try it! God might want to surprise you!

KNOW You Are (1 John 2:7-14)

Do you remember the Matrix films where Morpheus is training Neo (in the first film) to fight? All the time he's training Neo to 'free his mind' and use the bendy rules of the matrix to his advantage, rather than being bound by them. He says things like 'Stop trying to hit me and HIT ME!' and is generally rather annoying and smug as he beats him up with ridiculous anti-gravity karate. Morpheus' point is that Neo needs to stop trying so hard and remember the truth. 

Something similar is going on when Christians try in their own strength to follow Jesus rather than letting Jesus live in and through them.  John writes to remind Christians of who they really are so their identity can shape their activity...

1 John 2:7-14

John says that what he's writing is not some new fad or trend but it's the same old God who has been around since forever.  Jesus is this God.  So he's not new, even though John's readers were new to Jesus.  John wants his Jewish readers to know that trusting and following Jesus is exactly the way they can obey the commands of God they've grown up with.  Their scriptures point to Jesus because Jesus is the same God who wrote them.  So he's not new.

On the other hand, John says, perhaps it IS new in a way because for his first readers, the fresh expression of God's light and love in the person of Jesus Christ was a brand new experience altogether. And the idea that God's Spirit is living in all Christians was a brand new concept too! He says this truth is seen 'in him but also in you'!  It's the same God that they had known all along but now a new depth of personal intimacy with that God was available and this would have blown them away.  This was the new bit for John's readers.  Trusting and following Jesus means that he lives in us!

John then talks about what it means to be walking in the light in terms of loving others, especially other believers and he says anyone who hates their brother or sister is still stumbling about in the dark.  Isn't it sad that Christians so often squabble and fall out or judge each other and stay away from each other?  Aren't we family because of Jesus?  We should ask ourselves who it is that we will enjoy eternity with and then start practicing now!  Why should we exclude those whom God has included?  Why should we draw lines where God hasn't?  Family isn't always easy, but if we're Christians, we ARE family and we should be learning to live like it more and more, refusing to give up on one another.  This is part of what it means to be in the light, John says.

John reminds his readers (who are Christians) who they are in Christ so they can live from this knowledge as people of the light.  He says Christians are a bit like children, a bit like fathers and a bit like young men:
  • We're loved like children because we're forgiven by God
  • We're wise like fathers because we know God who knows everything
  • We're strong like young men because Jesus lives in us
So thankfully, it's not quite like the Matrix but this is the stuff Christians need to remember if they are to free their minds and live well.  Who we are determines what we do.  Identity before activity.

Living in the Light (1 John 2:1-6)

Nearly six years ago I got married to Chrissi and we're very happy together and we have lots of fun! It probably wouldn't surprise you to know that I'm far from a perfect husband! I do plenty (and forget to do plenty) that makes Chrissi upset or cross or whatever. In short, I'm trying to be the best husband I can be, but I frequently need Chrissi's patience, forgiveness and help. Of course, it works both ways and as we work things out, we realise this is what the adventure of marriage is all about. Loving each other in relationship through all sorts of situations life brings - and bringing God glory in the process.

Today's passage speaks of the relationship we have with God if we're Christians, how our mistakes affect that relationship and how our lives are increasingly affected by that relationship...


If Chrissi wanted to divorce me every time I made a mistake, our marriage wouldn't last five minutes! It would be ridiculous if we had to be perfect in order to continue loving each other. It's a bit like this with our relationship with God, except that God is perfect and we're the ones who aren't.

When we make mistakes, the relationship isn't over and God doesn't disown us. This is because the basis of a relationship with God is forgiveness, not performance. This is something that many people don't realise and many Christians are tempted to forget! John reminds us that Jesus has paid the sacrifice that has set us free to be in relationship with God. He has paid the price for our forgiveness and this means we can love God and be loved by him without our mistakes getting in the way.

The thing is, we're still changing. We're still not perfect and we're learning, bit-by-bit to become more like Jesus. We don't have to be like Jesus in order to be friends of God, we just have to ask for forgiveness. After this, we're FREE to learn to grow to become more like the God who has forgiven us. We can make mistakes (forgiven mistakes) and we can grow without any pressure.

John speaks clearly about living as Jesus did and this should be the intention of every believer. The problem is that some people haven't joined up their faith and relationship in God to certain parts of their life. They have areas that are off-limits to God. John challenges this way of living. It's not a real relationship with God unless we have willingly surrendered our whole life to him. Sure, we're not going to become perfect overnight but we ought to be naturally heading in the right direction by opening our lives up to his grace more and more. Remember the 'light' thing from yesterday? It's like that. We may not be as light as Jesus but we should be getting brighter by spending more time with him shining on and in and through us!

Ask God to help you to accept his offer of forgiveness and then enjoy living for him in freedom!

Come into the Light! (1 John 1:5-10)

It's really quite sad when someone is lying to themselves. I remember being very little at school and my class were all making Easter cards. I saw some of my friends' cards and they looked amazing to me and I wished I could draw as good as them but I wasn't patient enough and I didn't think mine was that good. Later on, the teacher was holding them up, one-by-one and asking who's they were. I was so embarrassed by mine that I didn't want to put my hand up. I wanted mine to be one of the nice ones that looked really cool but the reality was that mine was the one with thick black scrawl all over it and it looked pretty ugly. I think I must have gotten into a right strop about it too, because I'd convinced myself it wasn't mine. I was lying to myself. What a sad day!


I love the logic of what John says about the light and darkness, truth and lies. It's not difficult to see the sense in what he's saying if we take a minute to work it through...

John's met with Jesus and he's talking about him. He's seen, heard and touched eternity and he's passing on the message that Jesus is the light. Let's think through what John says about this. Light dispels darkness. Switch on a light in a dark room and all the darkness goes instantly. You can't have both at the same time. It's the same with Jesus. He is the perfect bright light (perfect/righteous/pure) and there can be no darkness (wrongness/sin) in him.
Then John talks about people. If we claim that we're friends of Jesus or Christians or whatever you want to call it, then it follows that our lives should be fairly well 'lit up'. If we're still fumbling around in darkness, making the same old dim mistakes, how can we say we're friends of Jesus? Our habits should be changing because if we've switched the light on, how can our lives still be dark? It's about having a REAL relationship with Jesus, the light of the world, rather than just pretending that we're anything to do with him. It's impossible to encounter Jesus at all and not change! If we say we're Christians and our lives don't look different, John's basically saying that we're liars!

Conversely, if we ARE walking in the light and we DO have a real relationship with Jesus, then not only will our lives be increasingly well lit up but we will be able to see each other more clearly too and our relationships with others will be lighter and better because all the secrets are gone!

John says we should fess up and be honest about our sin, our mistakes, our darkness. And if we do this there's an AMAZING promise from God (and he never breaks them!). If we own up to our sin (mistakes, darkness, badly drawn Easter cards, etc!) then God absolutely promises to forgive us AND more than this, he promises to purify us. That means he'll give our conscience a good scrubbing too so we don't need to feel guilty any more! Absolutely not! This means we can be full of light (full of Jesus!) once more and be walking in light continually, even though we will make mistakes again and again. We don't need to be stumbling around lost in the dark. It's about confession and getting real with God. It RULES! He offers a completely fresh start and the light to walk on into. Let's make sure we do it and not lie to ourselves any more!

Is Seeing Believing? (1 John 1:1-4)

Most people today won't believe anything without clear evidence to support it. They want to see truth, touch it, taste it before they make a decision, especially if it's a decision about their own life. They would agree that seeing is believing. And all this sounds quite reasonable to me.


John seems to think he has overwhelmingly strong tangible evidence and experience of something. He's talking about something that he says he's seen with his own eyes, heard with his own ears and that he's touched with his own hands. This sounds like some solid evidence. The amazing and incredible bit though, is that this thing he's talking about is something eternal! It's not something we would normally expect to be able to see, hear and touch physically. It's not just something godly - John is talking about God himself! John is saying something amazing - that he has seen, heard and touched God himself! He's saying he's had a real encounter with the Creator of the universe - the one who was there in the beginning of time - the one who appeared in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ - the one who gives life to all, the one who offers us eternal life - the one who wants to have a friendship with us all. Blimey!

How can John be so sure? I think it's about two main things:
  1. Reasonable and logical evidence. Most historians agree that the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) were all written within living memory of Jesus. If you read the start of Luke's gospel, you can see the care they took over getting their sources right. Saying something false and wildly wrong about Jesus in the gospels would have been discredited very quickly. It would be the same as writing a biography about John Lennon and claiming that he could fly like a bird and grow a pink beard! People would laugh at it because they knew him personally or knew people who knew him personally and they would know that it was a load of made up rubbish. The gospels were written this quickly after the life of Jesus and so any ridiculous statements about him would never have lasted for 2000 years!
  2. Personal experience. John's writing on a personal level. He's not just got his sources right but he's had a personal encounter with Jesus himself. In John's day, this could have meant that he actually and physically met Jesus Christ in the flesh while he was living on earth 2000 years ago. In our day, people have a similar kind of encounter on a spiritual level and they would say that this is just as real and vivid as meeting him physically.
What evidence do you have for God? Have you got your sources right? Have you carefully examined the story? What are you convinced about? What are you not convinced about?

Have you met God? What experiences have you ever had of him? What conclusions have you come to?

John's point is not to cause arguments or intellectual debates but to bring his readers joy and to 'complete' their joy! What joy do you have from understanding and encountering the living God? Think and pray on this!

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