Unseen

You can't see the wind, you can only see what it does. That truth is found in scripture and a lot of other writings, ancient and modern. To see what the wind is doing, we look at trees and flags to find out how fast and what direction. 

In the same way, people ought to be able to look at me and see what God is doing. After all, I'm one of the ones who gets it, who understands what Jesus did for me, who knows exactly what I owe to God's grace. So when John writes, "Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." (1 John 4:11-12), I have to think that my love is the visible evidence people around me can see of God. 

On the other hand,  when I proclaim my faith with my mouth and then use that same mouth for snarky comments, gossipy innuendo or name-calling, what does that show people? My own weak sinfulness, sure, but they probably see it as evidence that I'm a hypocrite and God doesn't really change hearts. 

Love is serious business for Christians. It's how I know I've been changed, and it's how my neighbors see God is real. 

Love Indeed

It boggles my mind, what Jesus did. What God did in sending Jesus. 

1 John 4:9-10 "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

I’m a Jesus follower, one of His own, and I know how I treat God sometimes. The best I can say a lot of days is I pretty much blew him off; the day got busy and so did I and at the end of it I barely gave God a thought. If I treated Dawn that way she wouldn’t tolerate it for very long.

But what about all the people who scoff and mock, or worse, attack God. The ones who post those “Where is your God now” memes on the Internet? The ones who call belief in God a superstition? The ones who live lives of open, blatant debauchery with no sign of shame?

For all of us, God sent Jesus. Every one of His image-bearers is dear to Him, no matter how odious they are to me. I’m no one to judge. Someone once said if Adolf Hitler marked one extreme and Jesus the other and the rest of us were rated on that scale, all of humanity would be crowded at Hitler’s end. Even Mother Teresa would be 1% removed from Hitler and 99% of the scale away from Jesus.

There isn’t a human being who ever lived who was worth what God did for us. Certainly not me. This is love, indeed.

Love . . . again

Again? Honestly, John was fixated on love. I feel like half the meditations I’ve done on 1 John were on love. And here we are, at 1 John 4:7-8, reading this: "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."

I get it already. God is love, God’s people love.

Except maybe that’s John’s point. After all this ink spent on the topic, when I think of how I act, I’m not a lot different. Maybe I really do need to be beat over the head with this.

Because it’s important, it’s a fundamental behavior that is the basis for a lot of other Christian acts. I need to get it through my thick skull, and then act that way: The defining characteristic of my life has to be love. Any other gift or talent or attribute I have only functions the way God means it to if I first have love. And not just love for God. John says here, “Let us love one another.”

So, here I come. Crabby church member who always complains about the music, I’m going to love you instead of blowing you off. Annoying salesman who commits me to something I can’t get done, I’m going to love you instead of getting frustrated. Loud neighbor who wakes me in the middle of the night, I’m going to love you instead of calling you an inconsiderate jerk.

I don’t know how I’m going to do that, but I will. I have to. If I can’t do that, I don’t even know who God is.

Viewpoints

World view is a big deal. When I was in school teachers talked about it a lot, noting that unless you understand someone else’s world view you’ll never understand them. You need to know what they value, who and how they worship, what their moral code is, to have a chance to understand what they want.

That’s the problem I have as a Christ-follower: So often, I just don’t get why people do things. What made them think that was a good idea? Can’t they see they’re on the road to misery?

That’s because their world view is, literally, the view of the world. Or as John puts it, (1 John 4:5-6): "They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever does is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood."

“They” in this verse refers to false spirits, false prophets, and anti-christs. I used to think of the anti-christs as Satanic cultists in blood-red robes who practice filthy abominations of worship rites. Really, though, they are just people with a worldly viewpoint. They don’t say, “Come to the dark side,” they say, “If it feels good, do it.” “Life’s too short to be unhappy.” “YOLO.” “Show me the money.”

Sounds like pop culture, but that’s because that’s exactly what it is. Pop culture is our world’s culture, the views of the world. It doesn’t reflect God, because those worldly people don’t listen, John says.

That means I have to be careful what parts of our culture I participate in. Even if I don’t completely buy it myself, I can strengthen the message for others. Then I’m at risk of become one more of those anti-christs, preaching a gospel just distorted enough to please worldly ears.

Greater

“My Dad can beat up your Dad!” I never actually said that, nor did any other kid say it to me, but everyone recognizes the phrase. Supposedly that’s what kids say on the playground. It’s what I think when I read 1 John 4:4: "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."

The “them” that we’ve overcome are those false spirits, the ones we talked about yesterday that don’t acknowledge Jesus. To those, and all the people out there spouting that nonsense, I can say, “Hey, my Father in Heaven owns your father in Hell.”

Satan is powerful compared to us, but compared to God he’s just another angel, one that He already beat up twice: Once when He cast Satan out of Heaven, and once when Jesus defeated death on the cross. 

All those false spirits and false prophets, those people telling me there’s a better way than Jesus, those talking heads and bloggers and liberal thinkers mocking me for my faith, all of them are backing the wannabe. The true Lord of this universe is far greater than anything in this world, Satan included.

Spirits

We used to talk about unplanned, spontaneous actions and say, “I just did what the spirit moved me to do.” Back in the day that wasn’t a spiritual thing, it was more rooted in the 60s, but you hear the same thing in contemporary worship these days. Only in that case they’re referring to the actual Spirit.

Here’s the problem with the whole spirit-moving thing: Sometimes the spirits we hear aren’t ones we should listen to. John explains (1 John 4:1-3): "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and even now is already in the world."

There’s only one Spirit I should listen to, and that Spirit will be telling me variations on a single theme. “Jesus is risen! Jesus is Lord! Follow Jesus and live!” He’ll nudge me toward Jesus and discourage me from drifting away.

If I’m getting a different vibe than that, it might very well be a spirit but it’s not one that cares about me. It doesn’t want anything that will be good for me.

Contrary to what we used to think, letting the Spirit move me requires a lot of awareness and careful thought. Acting on a whim isn’t going to do it. Being closely attuned to God, so in touch that I’m Spiritually sensitive, will.

Co-Habitation,The Right Way

Americans make a lot out of the idea of independence, but that's actually kind of an immature notion. Stephen Covey notes that inter-dependence is the sign of a mature, balanced person. When I try to live by myself, to do it on my own, then I will always be limited to what I can do with my own two hands. Join with others, and there are few limits to what we can accomplish. 

That's true in spades when the other person is God; then there are no limits at all. And that's what I gained when I gave up my independence to follow Jesus. 1 John 3:24: "The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us." 

God and I are now inseparable. We're more than joined at the hip; God's Spirit lives in me. He never leaves me alone. That's how things are now: I live in God, and He lives in me. 

Think of what that means. I can do anything God asks me to. Serve at the mission? Sure. Preach? That too. Move to Africa? No problem. Whenever I think I can't do something, that's because I'm looking at it like I need to do it myself. Really, it's God saying, "Hey, I'm going to Africa to save some people. Want to come along?" 

Want to go along with God? Yes. Yes I do.  

One Job

There’s a meme that’s popular on the Internet these days, and it’s “You had one job!” Usually this phrase is tagged to a picture of some sort of spectacular fail, an instant when someone messed something up, and the implication it should have been simple and yet . . . .

Well, the sad thing is that I have one job. Well, kind of two, depending on how OCD you are, but here’s how John puts it in 1 John 3:23 "And this is his command: To believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us."

It’s easy to imagine my face plastered all over Pinterest, or Facebook, or Tumblr. Picture: Me rushing past someone after church. Picture: Me watching TV while Dawn works on supper. Picture: Me zeroed in on the iPad while my grandchild plays on the floor. Picture: Me cutting short someone who walked into my office. Same caption for all of them: “You had one job!”

It’s hard for me to remember that the task at hand isn’t my real job. When I believe in Jesus, when that’s where I put my faith, then I get a new boss and a new job, just one job. And that job is to love and serve his people. How can they see Jesus in me, or even that I’m a Jesus-follower, when I launch into each day with an agenda of tasks that make me impatient or even oblivious to people?

Just one job. The rest is context, meant to get me out into the world so I can do my job.

My Heart Knows

My heart knows. I used to say I could feel it in my gut, but I guess it's really my heart. At least that's what John says.

1 John 3:19-22 "This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. "

Those gut feelings that say, "This isn't a good idea," or, "I don't feel good about what I just did" are my heart condemning me. That twinge of conscience, or the Spirit guiding, or whatever phrase you want to use, is God letting me know that I'm not meeting His standard.

On the other hand, when that hard-to-name voice inside, or feeling, is good, that's really good. That means, John says, that I can be confident of God's affirmation. I can ask anything I want. That sounds like the key to the mint, but there's sort of a catch: When I'm living that way, what I want is what's good for other people, for God's will to be done, for peoples' hearts to be moved, and God will always grant that.

That's the greatest blessing of all, to be so attuned to God that I forget about myself. No way my gut can feel bad about that.

The Gold Standard of Love

There's a phrase from my Army days that moved to business, where it became one of those buzz-words that can get old. I still like it, though, because unlike most buzz phrases, it communicates an idea that's hard to capture otherwise. The phrase is, "Show them what right looks like." In other words, behave rightly, be the good you want to see.

Of course, as a Christ-follower I've been looking to Jesus to see what right looks like for a long time now. And with this topic of love and hate, as with everything else, He doesn't disappoint. 1 John 3:16-17: "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth."

That's what love looks like. Self-sacrifice. Generosity. Service. Action, not words.

What does my love look like? Not always like that. Sometimes it's pretty stingy. Sometimes it's generously giving of my cast-offs, and the dregs of my time. But sometimes I get it right. Sometimes other people get the very best I can give them, and all of it too.

That happens often enough to give me hope, and more and more all the time. But it would never happen at all if I couldn't look at Jesus and see what right looks like.

Why I Can't Hate Back

Here's my problem with this whole topic of love and hate: They can hate me, but I can't hate back.

I want to. Oh boy, do I want to. Someone yells at me, or flips me off, or cheats me, and I want to do some damage. When I read hate speech against Christians, I can start hating people I've never even met. And you don't want to see what's inside my head any time someone hurts one of my family.

John says that's off limits now. That was the old me. "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer,and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him." (1 John 3:14-15)

Hate is the Devil's way, not the way of Jesus. Hate and death are partners; hatred and murder have the same root. One is emotional thought, the other an action, but both are caused by looking at people through worldly, self-centered eyes. Both come from a world-view that says I must be respected and listened to, and even catered to. Don't cross me! Murder is just the ultimate extension of the emotion of hate.

Since I've died in Christ and risen again hate has no place anymore. Jesus was mocked and tortured to death, yet He didn't hate. Instead He forgave; He forgave me. And gave me a simple job: Go and make disciples of other death-deserving reprobates like me. That's hard to do when you want to kill the guy. But it's harder to hate when I remember that I've behaved far worse toward God than anyone ever has toward me. I can't be grateful and hateful at the same time.

Why They Hate Me

1 John 3:13: "Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you."

I'm always surprised when anyone hates me. Why would they? I'm a nice guy! Average, by most measures, reasonably clean, not completely ugly, nice to people, do my work, don't make waves. I can see why maybe they don't love me, by why hate me?

I've noticed something, though: Most of the hatred people express isn't toward other people, it's toward ideas. This is especially noticeable now that the Internet has given everyone a voice, and anonymity to go with it. But when people curse Muslims, they really seem to hate the crazy way the world has changed since 9/11; most of them don't even know any Muslims. When they bash gays, they hate something else that gays represent to them; most don't even know any gays. When they flame the president, what they really hate is that the other party is in control. And when they hate me, what they really hate is what I stand for.

That's what I wrote about yesterday, with Cain and Abel. I don't believe Cain hated Abel;

he hated the fact that God approved of Abel and not him.

The defining characteristic of hate is extremism; when I hate someone, then everything he does is hateful. If I'm being reasonable, then I'll see some good even in people I don't like. That's why I'm embarrassed at the way so many of my brothers talk about Obama.

Because it hurts when the world treats me that way, just because I follow Jesus. But John says I shouldn't be surprised. They hate me because I remind them of Jesus, and that their behavior is sin. If they don't hate me, it's because I seem just like them. Which is worse?

Age-Old Message

"If I told you once, I've told you a thousand times!" My friend's mom used to say that, and then he'd say, under his breath, " . . . to never exaggerate." It's unusual for us actually to say something that often.

There is one thing, though, that any Christian has heard a thousand times or more: Love people. 1 John 3:11-12 says, "For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous."

God's been telling us from the very start of time to love each other. Cain is the poster child for what happens if we don't.  And he's the one who personifies the reason we often refuse to love: The other person makes us feel as bad as we really are.

I wonder how much of the anger I feel is really guilt? How much is rooted in the fact that I know that, at least to some extent, I'm wrong and it seems like the other person might expose that? Or maybe the other person just lives the way I know I should. It's easy to hate the popular group, to hate the one who's both beautiful and smart, the one who never is wrong. But maybe that's because I know if I tried harder that could be me; that person reminds me that I'm lazier than I should be.

But that's the thing about love: it's not about me. It's about the other person. To love is to forget about myself and think about someone else. Anger, jealousy, guilt, hurt - those are all emotions that center on me. Love is the one that doesn't. 

From the very beginning God knew that what would destroy me is my own self-worship, my perspective that all events are centered on me. By loving others, I negate my own self-destructive tendency, and I behave like God. It's how I was meant to be.

God's Seed

Sometimes, for me, the meaning of a verse hangs on the meaning of a word. For example, when John writes (1 John 3:9) "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God," my first reaction is this: Well, I sin so I must not be born of God. I think that because I default to a meaning of the word "continue" that means "if I ever do it again."

Not to continue to sin, though, doesn't mean never sinning. It can mean that if I sin I don't remain there, I feel guilt and return to the foot of the cross. Sin is intermittent, rather than constant. And John is saying here that once God's seed has been planted in me, that precious word of the Gospel, the faith in Jesus' blood that alone can save me, then it's not possible for me to be comfortable with sin. I might do it, but I won't continue in it. And I find that to be true. I don't remember who said it, but it resonates: "Going to church ruined me for proper sinning." 

That's why John can be so definite in the next verse, verse 10: "This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister." John isn't talking about the work of the person here, it's the work of God. It's not that I have become so good, it's that the very nature of God and the salvation He so graciously gives has this effect. 

God's seed has been planted, and it cannot fail to grow. What a comfort!

Jesus' Mission

When it comes to why Jesus came to earth, John is simple to the point of being blunt. "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work."

That's the end of 1 John 3:8, and it couldn't be more clear. Whatever the devil has done in this world, Jesus will wreck. He's already done the work, he's just delaying the final destruction. And he's only doing that to give people time.

See, the rest of John's message in 1 John 3:7-8, the part right before, is just as simple and clear: "Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning." We - I - have what is called in my trade a binary choice. It's a fork in the road, two options only, doing what's right or doing what's sinful. If I choose what's sinful, then I become part of that devil's work that Jesus is out to destroy.

So our merciful God waits. He created time, so he has all of it there is. I'm the one who doesn't. I'm the one who'd better choose carefully.

No More Law-Breaking

I used to read a lot of Westerns, and one of my favorite themes was the outlaw who was trying to go straight.  Usually this was a good-hearted person who got in with a bad bunch, and now, later in life, wants a fresh start.

I like those stories, because, theologically, they are my story. John writes in 1 John 3:4-6,  ^"Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.  No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him."

There I was, riding that outlaw trail, sinning whenever it suited me or best fulfilled my needs, and then Jesus caught me. With a big bounty on my head and a noose waiting me, my goose was cooked, but he showed me a better way, and then, when I pledged to follow him, he turned me loose.

So, now, no more law-breaking. I'm riding on the right side of the law now. I almost lost everything, so now I'm living for the One who spared me.

Child of the King!

1 John 3:1-3 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

What great love, indeed! As if commuting my death sentence wasn't enough, God set me free, he let me out of the jail cell to walk the streets again. But even more than that, He adopted me and took me home to His mansion.

Because I'm still far closer to my life of capital offenses, I can't even imagine what this means; John says what I will be has not yet been made known. Except I do know, because scripture says so, that when Jesus comes back I'll be like him.

That's the gist of these verses, but they also contain a warning and a challenge. The warning, or maybe just an explanation, is that we'll be at odds with anyone who doesn't know God - "The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him." The challenge is to be as pure as Jesus is pure.

So what! The world might be hard on me, and my calling might be hard for me, but I'm a child of the King!

Confident and Unashamed

I remember a time when I was in high school when my parents went away overnight and left me and my older brother, also in high school, at home. This was unusual, so don't think too badly of them. I don't remember what we did, but I remember being really nervous when Mom and Dad came back home. Would they be happy with the house? Would they be disappointed with us? Had we, without realizing it, done something really stupid?

Now, as an adult, I face frequent audits at work, and every time I think of that old high school memory, because the feeling is the same. 

So what am I going to feel when Jesus comes? Somehow, I'm not thinking confident and unashamed, but John says I should. In 1 John 2:28-29 he wrote, "And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him."

It's easy, John says. Instead of being enticed away by the worldly anti-christs, I just have to continue in Jesus, meaning do what's right in the light of His righteousness. That's it. Do that, and I can feel confident before even the Lord of the Universe.

Simple in the saying and understanding. Nearly impossible in the doing. Except every time I get it wrong, it's already been made right by Jesus' blood sacrifice. So as long as I'm trying there's no way to really get it wrong, at least not in a salvation sense. Not so hard after all, praise God!

Anointing

I've written this blog from day one (152 posts now, and counting) simply as my own reflection on scripture. I don't research, don't check other sources, don't even look at the notes. This blog is a journal of my attempt to understand God. Sometimes, I wonder if that doesn't open me up to error, and to giving bad ideas to any readers I might have.

But then I read this (1 John 2:26-27): "I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit–just as it has taught you, remain in him."

John seems to be saying, "I've written a lot about these anti-christs, who would love to trick you. But don't worry too much; you have an anointing, and that means you can figure it out on your own." The anointing, of course, is the Holy Spirit, who counsels me about everything.

So, when someone tries to tell me something about God, the Spirit will wave a red flag if it's false. When I meditate prayerfully on  scripture, the Spirit will help me to see what God is telling me. When I don't know what to do and pray for guidance, the Spirit will nudge me in the right direction. When I'm fearful and need strength, the Spirit will give me the spirit of a lion.

This is Jesus' parting gift to his followers: He gave us this anointing. He sent us a Paraclete (in the lingo of the time, a paraclete was a defense attorney; the actual word means "one who comes alongside - I have that from RC Sproul.) I have the best advisor in the world. All I have to do is listen.

Remaining

I never liked the idea of remaining; it seems too much like being left behind. In the Guard, when my unit moved out, someone had to remain as trail party to clean things up and to hand over the position to someone else, and I hated that duty. I wanted to be moving forward; I vastly preferred the quartering party, which was first into the new position. The word "remain" connotes, to me at least, no change, staying stagnant. 

But John, in the verses I read this morning, encourages remaining. 1John 2:24-25 says "See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us–even eternal life."

That kind of remaining suggests steadfastness. By "heard from the beginning," John means the original Gospel message, not all the recent false gospels of the anti-christs. By remaining in, or clinging to, the true Gospel, I will also remain in, or not drift away from, God. My reward for that is eternal life.

This kind of remaining isn't being left behind; I'm not the trail party. This kind of remaining is more like digging in on a dominant position, refusing to leave a stronghold that controls the battlefield. If I believe the Gospel, I already hold the best possible position; I'd be a fool not to remain.

Lies of the Anti-Christ

You how you know when an Army recruiter is lying? His lips are moving. 

That's an old joke, and not fair to the professional NCOs who comprise the Army's sales force. More accurate to say, until you've been in, you don't have enough context to understand what a recruiter is telling you.

But, John says, there is a fool-proof way to know when you're being lied to about where to put your faith. In 1 John 2:22-23 he says "Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist–he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also."

Anyone who tells me Jesus was just a good man is lying. Anyone who says Jesus wasn't a man at all, but an angel or something else, is lying. Anyone who says there's another way to be saved is lying. Anyone who says I need something else plus Jesus is lying. 

Because here's the deal: God himself testifies that Jesus is the way, the truth and the lire, and that no one gets back to God except through him. If I believe any of those lies about Jesus, I'm calling God a liar.

It's comforting to me to have complete assurance, at least on one point. There's enough uncertainty in the world. And assurance on this point is all I need to handle all the other questions.

We Know

Sometimes we just know. I remember a fellow Guardsman asking how I knew I could trust my wife while I was gone. It had never occurred to me that maybe I couldn't; I just knew she was a faithful partner.

Sometimes we believe when we're told by someone we trust. Your dad says, "That's a good car." Your broker says, " Sell that stock." 

Sometimes, John says, God dwells in us and tells us what's true. In 1 John 2:20-21 he writes, "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth."

Remember, John is talking about false prophets, anti-christs. He's reminding the church of the great gift they have in the Holy Spirit: He won't ever guide them wrong. They will know when those other guys are spouting lies, because the Spirit will wave a warning flag. 

What a gift! If I can just listen to that voice of caution inside my soul, I can navigate safely through all the false messages being spouted from pulpits these days. "Go ahead and chase money; God wants you to be rich." "God wants you to be happy, so do what makes you happy." "Go ahead and sin, so that God's grace may abound." "You're chosen, and it's OK to hate anyone who isn't." 

There are a lot of false prophets out there, but no worries. We know the truth.

Last Hour

Every once in a while, I read something in scripture that might as well be in another language, for all that I understand of it. I had that feeling this morning, when I read 1 John 2:18-19: "Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. "

Problem #1: Almost 2,000 years ago, John wrote that it was the last hour.

Problem #2: The proof it was the last hour was that some unidentified anti-christs left the church.

Obviously the last hour isn't a literal statement; the world didn't end an hour later. Just as obviously, this isn't another case of a false prediction of the end of the world. So "the last hour" must be John's way of saying that with Jesus' death and resurrection we have moved into the final stage, "the last hour," of the redemption story. 

It's like a drama in four acts: Act I was the original sin of Adam and our separation from God, Act II was the covenant made with Israel that would produce a savior, and Act III was the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, which ended that separation from God for Jew and Gentile alike. Now the last hour, Act IV, where the Gospel message goes out and disciples are made.

Act IV, though, isn't a triumphant epilogue, like Aragorn's coronation at the end of the Lord of the Rings. Act IV is a bloody battle, it's the Gospel being counter-attacked by a furious Satan who knows he's losing. That's why these anti-christs (meaning those preaching an anti-Gospel) are the proof that we're in Act IV. And this act will go on as long as it takes for Jesus' harvest of souls to be complete.

That's my best interpretation at the moment. I make it a point in this blog to record only scripture and my own meditative response to it. It will be interesting to look at a commentary and see what the smart people have to say. 

Passing Fancies

I spent the last two days going through an audit of our quality systems. During audits it sometimes takes a lot of effort not to see every comment as criticism, but there was one thing the auditor said that really rankled: She called one of our programs the "flavor of the month," meaning we'd done it when it was new and popular but weren't committed to it. In effect, she called it a fad. My grandma had an older term for the same thing: she would have called it a passing fancy.

Because the audit is so fresh, it was the first thing I thought of when I read 1 John 2:15-17: "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever."

All those glittery, flashy, fleshy temptations the world flaunts are just passing fancies, doomed to extinction. My cravings and lusts, the urge I sometimes have to talk myself up - those are worldly things, and there will come a time when I won't care about them anymore, and neither will anyone else. 

When that day comes, if the world is what I've invested myself in, if the world is what has my heart, then I'll be left with nothing when it all passes away. On the other hand, if I've pursued God's will, I'll live forever. When you put it that way, it's a no-brainer.

Dear Young Men

John has one more specific group of readers he has a word for: Young men. In verses 13 and 14 of 1 John 2 he writes, "I write to you, young men,because you have overcome the evil one. . . . I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one."

I'm not sure exactly what John is trying to say here, but I have a couple of thoughts. First, young men could refer to exactly that, men of a certain age in the church, the ones providing the energy to do the hard work of church building.

The words John has for this group, though, suggest maybe he's referring to a stage of spiritual maturity. Since these young men obviously haven't overcome the evil one in the world in general, it seems John is referring to their personal lives. "You've accepted the Gospel, you've put your faith in Jesus," he seems to be saying. "You've overcome the evil one in your heart and are following Jesus now."

As a result of that personal victory, the word of God now lives in them, and they are strong for the Lord. That too sounds like the enthusiasm of newfound faith. So, these excited new Christians also hear the command that is both old as time and new as they are. 

My challenge: To keep overcoming the evil one in my personal life, and to rekindle that strength of purpose these "young men" of the early church had. It shouldn't be as hard as it is some days.

Dear Fathers

"I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning." John repeats this statement twice, in 1 John 2 verse 13 and verse 14.
On the surface, it seems the same reason John gave for writing the children (same verses), which was that they had known God. The different word choices are interesting, though, and suggest different purposes. Writing to the children, he talked about forgiveness and knowing the Father; the context seems to be that relationship where the father forgives the wrongs of his children. Now, the emphasis seems to be on God's timelessness. Same God, different attribute.
The timelessness of God correlates well with reference to the old command in verse 7. John's point seems to be, "You fathers are primed for what I'm telling you because you're tuned in to the Old Testament God." Remember, the old men in his audience were born in a time before Jesus; they grew to be men before there was a Gospel to proclaim.
 What difference does that make? I think in addition to what the children know (the forgiveness of the Father), the fathers remember also those days of law and judgment. They know that the only reason there is Good News is because the God of old worked out an ages-long plan that brought Jesus to the cross, and brought us redemption.
His reason is the same, though: Love and gratitude. Fathers know the before as well as the after. So do I. That's the whole point of the Old Testament, so that I could know God in the same way He revealed Himself to His people. I know both the God of judgment and wrath, and the God of grace and mercy. How can I not be grateful for the cross?

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Dear Children

After talking about walking in light instead of darkness, and the new command that is the same as the old one (obey God), John takes a minute to talk to his audience, and the first group he addresses as "children." I'm not sure if he means little children, or children of God; there are other places where he starts sentences by saying "Dear children." But since he addresses young men and fathers later on, I'm thinking he means kids. And here's what he says to them (1 John 2:12-13):
"I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. . . . I write to you, dear children, because you have known the Father."

Your sins have been forgiven and you have know the Father? Your sins have been forgiven because you have known the Father? I'm not sure, and I'm not sure it makes a difference. They are secure in the Father's love, all wrongs atoned for, and because of that John writes to them about this new command. "You have good reason to obey the new command, to follow Jesus out of love and gratitude," John seems to be saying. John knows these are people touched by the gospel, people who know their great good fortune. He has chosen his audience carefully.

I have the same reason. My sins have been forgiven on account of Jesus' name. I have known the Father - Jesus said whoever knows Jesus knows the one who sent Him. I have been disciplined and comforted by the Father. What response can there be but love and gratitude? John's words are for me, the new command and the old, are for me. The admonitions about light and darkness are for me. That's the great wonder of the gospel: every word, though written centuries ago to people long dead, are also spoken fresh each time I read them, spoken by God for my ears, and my heart. Love and gratitude, indeed.

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Blind Hate

There's something about strong emotion that makes it hard to think straight, or see right. That's why we say love is blind; people in love can miss, or at least overlook, flaws that seem obvious to the desert of us. But hate can be more blinding than love.

In 1 John 2:9, John writes, "Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him."

I've known people who lost their jobs or spent their savings going after someone they hated. When we get that passionate, it's anyone's guess what we might do. Worse, it's clear proof that we're walking in darkness.

I say "we" because I think we all get blinded by hatred more than we think. I do. I can wish someone would just find another church. I can hate people I've never met, just based on the news. When I get that way, my thoughts, and sometimes words or actions, are the opposite of the fruits of the spirit.

We have to remember that our God isn't just loving, he is love itself. He's the thing that gives the word "love" meaning. That's why hate blinds; it keeps us from seeing others as God does.

 

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New Command

Has John changed his mind? In 1 John 2:8 he writes, “Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.” But just one verse earlier, he said he was giving an old command, one that was given in the beginning. I wrote about that yesterday. What gives?

I think what John is saying that the old, old command to obey God is refreshed by what Jesus did. How? Well, John explains that we can see the truth in Jesus because the darkness is passing and the true light is shining. The truth of what? In some way, of the old command. I think he means that what Jesus changes is that instead of obeying out of fear of God’s judgment, we now obey out of love for Jesus and gratitude for his sacrifice.

You see the difference? The old way was, “Yes, Judge, I’ll do what you say because I’m afraid of what you can do to me; I’ll obey your law because I don’t what what I’ll get if I don’t.” The new way: “Yes, Jesus, I’m so grateful and love you so much I’ll do anything to please you. Nothing you could possibly ask is enough to repay you. Just give me a chance to serve you.”

The first way, we obey because we have to. After Jesus, we obey because we want to; it’s the only reasonable response.

I believe that in my mind; some days my heart wonders (and wanders). Some days my wilful heart doesn’t care what Jesus has done, it thinks what Jesus asks is too much. But that’s because I lose sight of the truth revealed by this new, true light: That all Jesus wants is what I was made for, and that anything that looks better to me is a lie from the Father of Lies. What Jesus really commands me to do is to look to my own joy, because the only way to have it is in obeying Him.

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Old Command

Sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same. Sure, there’s a lot of new stuff going on - social media and electric cars and drones - but in the end it all comes back to people, and how you make them feel. And sometimes the new technology doesn’t help.

When John wrote to the early church, a couple millennia of history had flowed by and, to those early Christians, it was a brand new world. Christ had come, sin and death had been defeated, the old law had been fulfilled and there was a new law of love. To them, the cross was as new and fresh as the Internet is to us. It was a time of new ways and new ideas.

Yet John, after telling the church that Christians will be marked by the way they obey Christ’s commands and by the way they imitate Christ, writes, “Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard.” (1 John 2:7).

This new gospel, John says, and this new law of love, are really no different than the standard set at the very start. In the garden of Eden God made man and told him two things: obey God and be productive (by tending the garden). Now Jesus comes, and the new law of love and the core of the Gospel message is to obey Jesus, and be productive (by making disciples).

Why would I expect anything different? After all, the entire point of Jesus’ sojourn on earth and sacrifice on the cross was to fix what Adam broke when he didn’t obey. It took those thousands of years for God’s plan to reset our relationship to be carried out, but God’s intent for that relationship never changed.

Jesus is now the risen Lord, but he wants from me the same things that God wanted from Adam: Obedience and productivity. Some things never change. Thankfully, one of those is God Himself.

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Proof

My grandma used to say, “The proof is in the pudding.” For a long time, I was skeptical of pudding; I didn’t know what proof was but I didn’t want to eat any of it.

I know now, though, that grandma was right. That’s an old saying that means the results will show what you really put into it. And that’s absolutely true about life.

John writes, in 1 John 2:3-6, “We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says,“I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar,and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word,love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”

That means that we can’t hide what we really think of Jesus. I can wear all the WWJD bracelets I want, and never miss church, but do I give my money? My time? Do I show love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? Do I love people? Do I serve them? Do I turn my back on the things of this world and seek only what God loves?

Jesus told us to do all those things that he modeled for us. How can I claim to carry his name if, today, I didn’t do any of them?

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No-Fault Failure

Other than running, I never was much of an athlete. Some in my family were, and they’ve offered plenty of amateur coaching meant to help me perform better. But I guess there’s something in my mental makeup that resists coaching. I can stand on the tee-box, envision the perfect drive, line up my feet, position the ball correctly, tuck in my elbows, blah, blah, blah. And rip a worm-burner off into the left rough, just ahead of the ladies’ tee. I can see it in my head, I just don’t do it.

 

That’s what life is like for me. I know what right looks like, I mean well, but the results often aren’t what I wanted. That’s why I find comfort in 1 John 2:1-2: “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”

 

It’s like John knows me. He didn’t, but the God who inspired his letter does. He knows that despite my best intentions, I am going to sin. I never accept my failure as pre-ordained; in fact, I succeed more than I fail. But I fail daily. Don’t try to, but I do.

 

When that happens, God sees and judges. But Jesus is right there, John says, and he speaks up. “Yeah, Greg blew it again, but he’s one of mine and I’ve got a tab running for my people. That’s what the cross is all about. True, Greg’s racked up a lot of debt but there’s still enough in my account to cover it. He’s clear with you, Father, and he’s worth it to me.”

 

What I don’t get is this: Why would anyone put their faith anywhere else? Jesus’ account is enough to cover everyone, but it only covers those who believe in his sacrifice. Way too many don’t.

 

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Light and Darkness

I ran in the dark this morning. Actually, there were street lights on parts of my route, but on other parts there was no light and I ran in the darkness. If I strained, I could still see my way, but I had to slow down to keep from going off the sidewalk. If a car came by and blinded me, I couldn’t see anything, and more than once I had to stop and wait.

 

That was my context when I read 1 John 1:5-7 a little later on: “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” God is light; the more light I have, the more boldly and swiftly I go because my footing is sure and my course is obvious.

 

Why, then, do I sometimes choose to walk in the dark? Somewhere else in scripture (Romans, maybe?) it says that men choose darkness to hide what they’re doing. Do I do that? Sometimes, I guess. But mostly, I think, I just go into the dark because I’m curious. I want to see what’s there. I want to know what everyone is talking about. But walking the unlit streets is a choice to move away from God.

 

Darkness can’t coexist with light; light pushes away darkness. If I go with God, I can’t even go into the dark. God’s very presence chases away sin like Light scares cockroaches. That means in order to find sin, even just for a curious look, I have to leave God to get there. That’s a stupid choice; you can get hurt alone in the dark.

 

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