Author Archive for: meiling

Hi GAMErs,

Today we are looking at 3 John, a very short letter most likely written by the apostle John to his friend Gaius.  Let’s go!

3 John 1:1 (NIV) 
1  The elder, To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

On verse 1:  In this short letter John refers to Gaius as his “dear friend” four times.   Through this letter we learn several characteristics of a great godly friend.  We find the first one here: a great godly friend speaks affectionately to his friend.  John is affectionate in his words for Gaius.

3 John 1:2 (NIV) 
2  Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.

On verse 2:  A great godly friend is concerned about his friend’s entire well being.  He isn’t just concerned about his spiritual health (“even as your soul is getting along well”), but also about his physical health (“I pray that you may enjoy good health”) and his life in general (“that all may go well with you”).

Hi GAMErs,

Today we’re looking at one of the shortest books in the Bible: it’s 2 John, a letter which is widely believed to be written by the apostle John and written around the same time as 1 John (about early 60s AD).   Let’s go!

2 John 1:1 (NIV) 
1  The elder, To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth–and not I only, but also all who know the truth–

On verse 1:  Who is this “chosen lady” that John is writing to?  Many scholars believe that this chosen lady was not an individual but a church community.  This is supported by the fact that there are no proper names given for this chosen lady, John refers to this lady not just in the singular but also in the plural, and the church is called the “bride of Christ” in the New Testament.  Similarly, “your chosen sister” (v13) is probably referring to another church community from which John is writing his letter.
Since this was a time of heavy persecution of Christians, “chosen lady” and “your chosen sister” may have been secret code words to keep this letter from being detected by persecutors of Christians.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 John 5:13-21.  Let’s go!

1 John 5:13-15 (NIV) 
13  I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
14  This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
15  And if we know that he hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of him.

On verses 13-15:  John writes so that his readers would have confidence in their salvation (v13) and confidence that God hears their prayers (v14-15).  As those who believe in the name of the Son of God, we can have the same confidence as well.

1 John 5:16-17 (NIV) 
16  If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that.
17  All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 John 5:1-12.  Let’s go! 

1 John 5:1a (NIV) 
1  Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God…
 
On verse 1a:  I love how simple the apostle John makes it sometimes.  If you believe Jesus is the Christ (the Saviour of the world), you are born of God and have life in Him.  Simple.
 
1 John 5:1b-2 (NIV) 
1…and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 
2  This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.
 
On verses 1a-2:  Earlier John was saying that one important way that we love God is by loving His children.  Now John is taking it in the other direction: he’s saying that to love God’s children is to love God and carry out His commands.  How is it that we love the children of God when we love God and obey His commands?  Here are three ways that works. 

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 John 4:13-21.  Let’s go!

1 John 4:13-14 (NIV) 
13  We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
14  And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

On verses 13-14:  In other words, the faith that John and his fellow apostles preach is not merely about believing in abstract ideas.  Rather their faith comes with a real experience of God’s Holy Spirit (v13), and their testimony is based on having actually seen this Jesus who was sent from the Father to be the Saviour of the world (v14).  In other words, Christian faith is not simply a bunch of philosophical principles and metaphysical ideas.  Rather, the Christian faith is grounded in historical fact and is accompanied by a real, life-changing experience of the Holy Spirit.