Daily Scripture Reading 1John 1:1 - 2:11

Many Christians use words or emotions to assess a person’s spirituality. If someone says things that sound spiritual, it is assumed they are spiritual. If someone gets emotional in declaring their love for God, then they are assumed to be highly loyal and devoted to God.

Today, we will start reading through the book of 1John. In this passage we will learn the Biblical standard for evaluating a person’s spirituality. It is not words or emotions. The true test of spirituality is obedience.

1John 1:1 ¶ What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life—

Look at the phrase “from the beginning”. The author of 1John wrote that the Word of Life was from the beginning of time.

Notice the author used the plural pronoun “we”.

Now look at the words “seen” and “touched”. The author was part of a group that saw and touched the Word of Life.

1John 1:2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us—

The Word of Life is eternal.

1John 1:3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.

The author was an eyewitness of Jesus, the Word of Life.

1John 1:4 And these things we are writing, so that our joy may be made complete.

1John 1:5 ¶ And this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

Pay attention to the contrast between light and dark. Throughout the New Testament, God, Jesus, and righteousness are referred to as light. Meanwhile, Satan, demons, and sin are referred to as darkness.

There is a prevalent belief in the modern world that nothing is binary. Adherents to that philosophy argue nothing is either black/white, male/female, or true/false.

This passage in 1John shows that sometimes we need to think in binary terms because the author of 1John used the light/dark binary to teach about God. God is light. He is not darkness.

1John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not do the truth;

Think about the truth of this verse. If a person claims to be fellowshipping with God, and yet lives a life of sin, he is lying. In other words, we cannot live a life that is pleasing to the world, and yet be in fellowship with God.

1John 1:7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

1John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

In other words, all of us are sinners.

1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we confess our sins, Jesus will forgive our sins and cleanse us.

1John 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

1John 2:1 ¶ My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;

Take note of why this letter was written. The author wants us to live a life free of sin. However, we are human and that is not possible. Fortunately, Jesus is our Advocate.

1John 2:2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

This verse states Jesus “is the propitiation for our sins”. Propitiation is the act of appeasing God. Jesus pleased God for us.

1John 2:3 ¶ And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.

This verse gives us a clear test to determine if anyone knows Christ. Anyone who obeys Jesus, knows Jesus. Anyone who does not obey Jesus does not know Jesus.

Many Christians use words or emotions to assess a person’s spirituality. If someone says things that sound good, or express emotion in declaring their love for God, then they are assumed to be highly loyal and devoted to God.

However, the author of 1John gives us a different standard. The Biblical standard for evaluating a person’s spirituality is obedience. People who obey God are the ones who are truly devoted to God.

1John 2:4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;

It doesn’t matter how much emotion or how many words a person uses to profess their love of God, if they do not keep God’s commandments, then their words and emotions are lies.

1John 2:5 but whoever keeps His word, truly in him the love of God has been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him:

1John 2:6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

1John 2:7 ¶ Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard.

This teaching about the importance of obedience was not a new teaching. The recipients had heard this teaching since the beginning of the church.

1John 2:8 On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining.

1John 2:9 The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now.

Just as a person who claims to know God and yet walks in darkness is lying, so too anyone who claims to be in the light and yet hates his brother is also lying.

1John 2:10 The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

1John 2:11 But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness blinded his eyes.

Many Christians use words or emotions to assess a person’s spirituality. If someone says things that sound good, or express emotion in declaring their love for God, then they are assumed to be highly loyal and devoted to God.

However, the author of 1John gives us a different standard. The Biblical standard for evaluating a person’s spirituality is obedience. People who obey God are the ones who are truly devoted to God.

Does your church encourage the thinking that someone who uses words or emotions to declare their love for God must truly love God?

Does your church ever teach that obedience is the true test for determining if someone knows God?

What examples have you seen of a person using many words and much emotion to declare their love for God, and yet their actions betray a different loyalty?

Thanks for visiting Bible Mountain. If you have already joined my email list, thank you and please tell others about Bible Mountain. If you have not joined my email list yet, please do so now. In order to join, go to Bible Mountain dotcom, click on subscribe, and that will take you to a page where you can sign up. Your email address will not be sold nor given away. Once again, thanks for visiting Bible Mountain.

“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”