Can you believe it has been 19 weeks already!?! 19 weeks in 1st John! It seems like we just started studying this book a few days ago. It is full of so much wonderful truth — truth that is just as relevant for us today as it was for John’s audience when he first wrote it. What has been your biggest takeaway from this study? Please share with the rest of us in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.

Knowing the True—Rejecting the False

18 We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. 19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. 20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. (1 John 5:18-21)

(NOTE: I encourage you to read these verses in a few translations, such as the ESV or NIV, before continuing with the rest of this post.)

Ideas to Consider

• What is evidence that we are born of God?
• Who protects us from the evil one and the pull of the world?
• Why did the Son of God come into the world?

COMMENTARY

(This is just a little bit of what I took away from the passage. Remember, I’m human and severely flawed. Don’t just take my words as God’s truth. Be sure to be led by the Spirit, not me.)

One evidence that we are born of God is that we no long habitually sin. Yes, we still do sin, but when the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to our wrong doing we can’t stand it. We see our putrid sin and hate it. A born again believer is not ok with doing or living with the things that Jesus died for.

When we become aware of our filth we 1 John 1:9 that junk. We bring it to Jesus, confess it and trust Him for forgiveness and cleansing. He is our Protector. It is His blood, His Spirit, and His power that keep us from the evil one. It is Jesus and our faith in Him alone that keep us from the pull of the world.

It is Jesus. It is always Jesus! We have nothing to offer other than our repentance and our faith. He does the rest.

So if we have so little to offer Him, why did He come? Why did He so willing die on the cross? So that we may know Him. And not just kind of sort of know Him like we know the gal on Facebook who we haven’t actually talked to in ages. Not kind of sort of know Him like we know the distant cousin we only see at family reunions. But know Him know Him like he already knows us — perfectly and fully.

The word for know in the Greek is ginosko and it mean to become acquainted with or to know God and Christ and all thing pertaining to them. Ginosko implies that knowing God comes from being in an intimate relationship with Him. It implies that you do life with Jesus, exchanging thoughts and feelings, sharing desires, and living to love and serve each other.

Jesus came because he wants to do life with each of us.

Jesus came because he wants a personal, intimate, hold-nothing-back, loving relationship with me, with you.

He knows you and wants to be known by you. He’s holding nothing back. He wants you to experience His love fully and deeply.

He wants you to know the truth. He is truth. And His truths is eternal life.

PRAYER

Lord, I am in awe of your love and devotion for me. Thank you for the hold-nothing-back relationship that you pursue with me. Please forgive me for not pursuing you in the same manner. Please reveal to me the idols that I have, the idols I have the prevent me from knowing you and experiencing eternal life. I want to know you more than I want anything else. Please lead to live a life that reflects my desire for you. In the name of your Son I pray. Amen.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. How do idols keep us from knowing God?
2. Do you have an idol or two? How are they impacting your relationship with Jesus?
3. Once you’ve recognized your idols, put some 1 John 1:9 on the fowl junk.

FURTHER STUDY IDEAS

Here are a few study ideas. I suggest doing one or two a day in order to keep you thinking about the passage all week long.

• Start or continue a double entry journal.
• Hand write the passage.
• Did this passage make you think of other passages in the Bible? Share those passages with the rest of us in the comments.
• Write a summary of what you’ve learned from this passage. If you are a blogger, write a post and share it in the next #QuietlyThroughThursday LINK UP.
• Read 1 John 1-5. Yes, ma’am, the whole thing.

See the rest of this online study by clicking the image below.

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