Tuesday May 26, 2020

1 John 1

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.

The fellowship John has with Jesus motivates him to share all that he has seen and heard concerning the Word of life with others. He writes to make his joy complete. It’s easy for me to fall into introspection where I’m so concerned with my own relationship with God that I neglect shepherding others into fellowship with Him. The forgiveness we receive from God is never only just for us. God wants to forgive others but fellowship is needed first. The fellowship between us and God versus us and others is meant to be alike. Loving God and loving neighbor. We can’t love one and not the other or the love of God isn’t in us.

The part God wants us to play in inviting others into the faith is through fellowship. Many of our brothers and sisters need to feel like they belong before they can take further steps of faith and believe the doctrines of the Christian faith. Walking in the light means we have fellowship with God AND one another. Sometimes fellowship with your grown children, relatives, and/or close friends is what you have to fight to keep in order to care for their souls. I’ve counseled many who brought their concerns to me about the direction their loved ones were heading. Often, the answer is to be persistent in prayer and keep fellowship! Don’t give up. Ensure the bond of love through their wandering.

It’s not only for them but it’s for you too. Keeping fellowship through difficult times strengthens our character. It’s evidence of God’s sanctifying grace at work in our lives. “8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). This doesn’t mean we enable their wandering in darkness. Christ didn’t become a sinful man to save us. He was tempted in every way and had every opportunity to sin like we do but chose the will of the Father instead. Enabling isn’t loving. When we keep fellowship and love others through their wandering, we are living like Christ.

‘Lord, it belongs not to my care
Whether I die or live;
To love and serve Thee is my share,
And this Thy grace must give.
If life be long, I will be glad,
That I may long obey;
If short, yet why should I be sad
To welcome endless day?

Christ leads me through no darker rooms
Than He went through before;
He that unto God’s kingdom comes
Must enter by this door.
Come Lord, when grace hath made me meet
Thy blessed face to see;
For if Thy work on earth be sweet
What will thy glory be!

Then I shall end my sad complaints
And weary sinful days,
And join with the triumphant saints
That sing my Savior’s praise.
My knowledge of that life is small,
The eye of faith is dim;
But ‘tis enough that Christ knows all,
And I shall be with Him.’