1 John 3: Born to Grow in Love

 

The children of God are born to grow in love. We read:

18–20 My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.

The children of God may sometimes have worries: Am I pleasing the Lord? Am I really forgiven? Yet when they see themselves growing in love, those worries vanish because that growth reaffirms that the Lord is on their side.

1 John 2: Remain in the Son

We read in the NASB:

26 These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. 27 And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him remains in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you remain in Him.

In verse 27, we read that because of the anointing from Jesus upon the church, the church remains in Him. However, I learned that in Greek, "you remain in Him" can also be translated as a command: "Remain in Him!" The church is commanded to remain in Jesus, and at the same time, Jesus empowers the church to make this happen. This same truth applies to love: a Christian is commanded to love, and at the same time, receives the power to love.

1 John 1: God is Light

God created light, so He is far above light—yet how is God compared to light? Through light, we can see things as they truly are. Through God, we learn to distinguish between good and bad, right and wrong, and fellowship and sin. Sin breaks our communion with the Lord, but repentance restores that bond through Jesus (the Light). As we read in 1 John 1:8–10:

"If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—simply come clean about them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God." (The Message)

2 Peter 3: Is Jesus Really Coming?

The sun rises and sets every day, but will it go on forever? In the first century, many assumed the answer was "yes." The church expected a real change in the world when Jesus returned, but mockers began to ridicule Christians as if the world would never change. Peter wrote:

2 Peter 3:8–9

"Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change."

The Lord is giving time for metanoia—for having a true change of mind. Am I being patient? Am I giving others space and time to repent?

2 Peter 2: False Teachers

How should we deal with false teachers in the church? My initial reaction might be to suggest a movement inside the church to identify and expel false teachers. However, that could be the wrong approach because it relies on human power. On the other hand, Peter focused on the Lord. He described some of their traits—such as arrogance, blasphemy against glorious beings, greed, and lust—and then he wrote:

2 Peter 2:4–5 (MSG)

"God didn’t let the rebel angels off the hook, but jailed them in hell till Judgment Day. Neither did he let the ancient ungodly world off. He wiped it out with a flood, rescuing only eight people—Noah, the sole voice of righteousness, was one of them."

The Lord sees what is happening; He judges and executes justice. In a way, this chapter reminds me how we ought to respond to evil. The first step is to trust that the Lord is holy and that He punishes evil.

2 Peter 1: Peter's farewell

Peter saw churches  beyond Judea with gentiles and Jews. He is very near his death and he wanted to say something before dying. He wrote:

(NASB) 1 To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 for His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 Through these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world on account of lust. 

How can one person please the Lord? As Peter is a Jew, he could have written a lot of things about circumcision, Jewish feasts, etc. however, he first establishes that the church has been received faith (trust) in Jesus and Peter prays asking more grace and peace from the Lord. Peter wrote that a godliness life (a life that pleases the Lord) comes from the divine power of the Lord. Jews and gentiles were called to be partakers of the nature of the Lord in a life that survives the corruption of the world.

1 Peter 5: The Servant Leader

Peter warns church leaders about how they should serve the church:

1–3 (MSG) I have a special concern for you church leaders. I know what it’s like to be a leader, in on Christ’s sufferings as well as the coming glory. Here’s my concern: that you care for God’s flock with all the diligence of a shepherd. Not because you have to, but because you want to please God. Not calculating what you can get out of it, but acting spontaneously. Not bossily telling others what to do, but tenderly showing them the way.

The primary goal of a leader must be to please God. A leader should care for God's flock like a shepherd who loves the sheep—loving them because he first loves the Lord. I once met a pastor who used his own possessions to support persecuted Christians. He truly helped strangers out of his love for God.