Who Is It From?
Opening Prayer
Thank God today that, as you read his Word, you can be certain that it is entirely true and trustworthy.
Read 1 John 1:1-10
[1] That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched-this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. [2] The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. [3] We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. [4] We write this to make our joy complete. [5] This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. [6] If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. [7] 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. [8] If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. [9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. [10] If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
Reflect
How does John vouch for the reliability of his account?John understands the suspicions of the churches, so he lays out his credentials in the first four verses. His authority is that he has actually lived with Jesus from the beginning (1). He knows that Jesus was both God and man. And he was a close friend. Having assured his readers of his authority, John goes straight on with his message. God is light, he says (5); he is completely pure, good and holy. But it is not a spotlight, just illuminating one thing. God’s clear, piercing light illuminates everything around. There are no shadows with this light (5). Darkness, that is, wickedness, sin and evil, cannot exist in God’s light. So it follows that if we live sinfully we cannot be in God’s light and therefore do not have the privilege of being in fellowship with him (6). Although everyone sins (8), because we have admitted our sins we can live our lives as forgiven people (7b,9) in fellowship with God. Moreover, spiritual union with God means friendship, empathy and a sense of belonging with all other Christians, whatever their denomination (7a).
Apply
Pray for those Christians who live in countries where they are in a minority and may face persecution.
Closing prayer
Lord Jesus, how grateful I am for our fellowship. May it be clear to all that I “walk in the light.”
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