Thoughts from 1st John Part Three

Because of the attack from the groups mentioned in yesterday’s post on the core of Christian belief, John’s letter gives us a lot of information about Jesus Christ. That Jesus was who He was from the beginning and when a man is confronted with Jesus, he is confronted with the eternal.

For John it is essential to know that Jesus is the Son of God and Jesus is the ever-seeking and ever forgiving heart of God. Also for John it is an essential belief that Jesus is the Messiah. He is the culmination and the realization of the hopes and prayers and dreams and visions of the prophets and the longings of the people of God.

It is also the conviction of John that Jesus was truly and fully man. Yet He was without sin. He is the final atoning sacrifice that restores our relationship with God.

While we live in an evil and hostile world we as Christians possess the way to overcome the world and when the destined end of the world comes, we will be safe because we are already members of the new world.

Also John stresses that the only way a man can prove he loves God is by loving his fellowmen and that love is practical action. For John, knowledge of God and obedience to God go hand in hand. We prove we really know God by keeping His commandments.