Author Archive for: meiling

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 John 3:1-8.  I used to think that 1 John was an easy book to read.  While there are still parts of 1 John that I find very clear and easy to understand, there are other parts of 1 John that come across to me as a little cryptic and that require us to meditate deeply in order to grasp the deep truths that John is communicating.  So let’s break down this passage verse by verse to uncover what John is talking about.

1 John 3:1a (NIV) 
1  How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

On verse 1a:  When our sin had disqualified us from God’s presence and we had no right to have anything to do with God, God lavished His love on us when He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross.  It is through Jesus Christ that we too can be called children of God.   That’s the identity changing love of our God.  Because of His love, we’re no longer the same.  We go from sinners to saints, from excluded to included, from being orphaned to being part of His family.  It’s not because of anything we have done but because of His grace.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 John 2:18-29.  Let’s go!

1 John 2:26 (NIV) 
26  I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.

What is going on in these verses?  The apostle John is warning his readers about false teachers.  These false teachers were originally part of the church that John led, but they left the church (v19) and were now teaching that Jesus is not the Christ (that is, not the Messiah that the Jews were waiting for nor the Saviour that we all need) (v22). 

These teachers were likely telling the people in John’s church, “You do not know the truth” (v21), accusing John and the other apostles of lying to them.  In response, John reassures his people that “you have an anointing form the Holy One, and all of you know the truth” (v20).  With more reassuring words, John writes, “I do not write to you because you do not know the truth but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth” (v21).   He urges them to continue in the faith and not to feel insecure just because these false teachers were saying “You’re missing something!” (v27-28).   

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 John 2:9-17.  Let’s go!

1 John 2:9-11 (NIV) 
9  Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. 
10  Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. 
11  But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.

On verses 9-11:  Light versus darkness is an ongoing theme in 1 John, the idea that God is light (see 1 John 1:5), that Jesus is the true light (2:5) and that if we are in Jesus we are in the light as well (1:7).  In contrast, the darkness is anywhere where Jesus is not glorified or obeyed (1:6).  How do you know if a Christian is truly in the light or in the darkness?  It’s in how that person loves others.  Here John proclaims that anyone who says he is in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness, whereas anyone who loves his brother lives in the light (v10).  In other words, how we love others is proof of whether we are truly in Jesus or not. 

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 John 2:1-8.  Let’s go!

1 John 2:1-2 (NIV) 
1  My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense–Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 
2  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

On verses 1-2:  The greatest lawyer you will have representing you is Jesus Christ.  When we sin, Jesus acts as our advocate and speaks to the Father in our defense (v1).  Yet unlike lawyers who defend with their words alone, Jesus defended us with His blood, giving Himself as “the atoning sacrifice for our sins”.  What an amazing advocate and Saviour we have in Jesus. 
 

Hi GAMErs,

Today we’re doing a one day look at the book of Obadiah, one of the shortest books in the Bible and the shortest book in the Old Testament.  Here is some background on the book of Obadiah that you may find helpful:

Very little is known about the author of this book, except that his name is Obadiah which means “worshiper of Yahweh”.  Several individuals in the Old Testament were called Obadiah, although it is not clear which Obadiah wrote this book. 

The purpose of the book of Obadiah is to give a prophetic message and warning for the nation of Edom.  The Edomites were perennial enemies of the Israelites.  They were direct descendants of Esau, while the Israelites were direct descendants of Esau’s younger twin brother Jacob (later known as Israel).  Despite Esau being the first born, God blessed and tasked Jacob and his descendants, the Israelites, with the special calling of being His chosen people.  The conflict between Esau and Jacob would carry on for centuries between the Edomites and the Israelites.

It is uncertain when Obadiah was written, although some scholars believe that it was written during the reign of King Jehoram of Judah in approximately 850 B.C.