1 John 3:1-3
The first ten verses of Chapter 3 describe a wonderful Journey. As the description contains a lot to discuss, I am going to break it up into smaller chunks, starting with verses 1 to 3.
These verses follow on perfectly from 2:28-29 where John speaks of the future, when Jesus will return and we will be able to stand confidently as His. Now we are being reminded that God’s love is boundless. How great is that love, the love that led God to lavish on us the gift of salvation through Jesus! How great is that love that we should be called Children of God by God Himself!
Being Children of God has a cost. The world does not know God and therefore does not know Jesus and therefore does not know us. For the time being, the world laughs at our faith and at our belief. There are people who think it is perfectly permissible to make jokes about Christians and their faith. We endure mockery and sometimes downright nastiness. But this is because the world does not know Jesus.
John offers us the hope that comes from being Children of God. Our place as Children of God is not understood by the world, but a day is coming when it will be understood. We continue in this Hope and it purifies us.
We know that what we have now is imperfect but the hope of what will be when Jesus returns purifies us because we trust in the salvation of Jesus and we seek a growing relationship with Him. Our hope is in what is to come when Jesus returns. We know that this world will make it hard for us and tell us we believe in something that is not real, but we know that our faith in Jesus is the most solid thing in this world. Our faith rests on the one true solid foundation. All else will pass away, but God will remain (1 Corinthians 13:8-10).
Our lives continue to be lived out in a world that does not recognise Jesus. Knowing God does not bring spiritual complacency and if it does, you do not really know God. Knowing God leads to a purity of life and the challenges that come from living in this fallen world in that purity. The pure in heart are the ones who see God (Matthew 5:8)

1 John 2:28-29
“And now, children, stay with Christ. Live deeply in Christ. Then we’ll be ready for him when he appears, ready to receive him with open arms, with no cause for red-faced guilt or lame excuses when he arrives. Once you’re convinced that he is right and righteous, you’ll recognize that all who practice righteousness are God’s true children.” The Message
After the reformation, the Protestants who became part of the break away from the Catholic Church became known for one thing – their fear that they were not saved. The break away from a church that interpreted God for the people and did not allow them to have an individual relationship with God failed in that, instead of encouraging that relationship, it continued one of fear. (The Catholic Church taught that people were only saved through works). In today’s world there are many church groups that still cling to this fear of maybe not actually being saved. Yet Jesus was very plain in what He spoke about that was necessary for salvation.
To be saved we must recognise that Salvation is found only in Jesus. Remember, He died on the cross for our sins.
Following on from that recognition of Jesus as our Saviour, the natural response of the saved follower is to form a personal relationship with God through Jesus.
In case this truth has not fully sunk in consider these verses:
John 14:6 “… I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” NIV. Forget about political correctness that says we offend those of other faiths if we state this truth. It is the truth and never forget it!
Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” NIV. It is not easy following Jesus and requires sacrificing self but that is what is required to “take up your cross and follow Jesus” Matthew 16:24-25.
Matthew 7:21-23. Here Jesus tells his listeners that not everyone who calls out to God will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. To enter you must do the will of God. Notice that Jesus tells the people that prophesying in His name or driving out demons and performing miracles will not get you into heaven because Jesus does not necessarily know these people. So how do you get into heaven? You form a personal relationship with Jesus. Which, as to know the father is to know the son, is a personal relationship with God.
In the Amplified Bible, John’s words are translated as Jesus being made visible because we live and remain permanently in Him. Because He is made visible we have perfect confidence and assurance that we are saved.
So live deeply in Christ. Seek every day to deny your self, submit to Jesus and seek to follow Him. Read your Bible, pray, seek His guidance. Do this on your own. Do not rely on some intermediary such as a church organisation, or any other person, to contact God for you. If you do that then when Jesus returns He will say He does not know you. Jesus called YOU to come to Him. He sent the Holy Spirit to enable you to recognise God and to recognise Jesus’ redeeming work of Salvation. He called You. He did not call a church organisation, or any other person on your behalf, He called You. So make sure you answer Him personally and speak to Him daily. Never, ever, use another person as an intermediary to God. The door is opened for you. Remember in John 10, Jesus told His disciples that He is the good shepherd and anyone who enters through Him is saved. Those who belong to Jesus know Him. Have confidence in your own faith. Do not allow others to undermine it. You must enter the gate that is Jesus. No one else can do that for you. You have entered the gate and you know Jesus, because He called you and you came. Trust in that and trust that if you speak to Jesus, He will hear you and respond.

1 John 2:18-27
This section talks about the fact the believers are living in the end times and warns them to be alert for danger. The end times are the period between Jesus work of salvation and his return to end all things. In the Old Testament prophesies there was no prophesy showing anything else after Jesus but His return so therefore the work of salvation is complete and all that happens now is the end. The old prophets spoke of the presence of antichrists in the end times and the presence of antichrists is proof that we are in end times.
John speaks of an Antichrist and many antichrists. The antichrist is to arise before Christ’s return. This is something all believers of that time knew and John is working on the assumption that his readers know this also. However, prior to this antichrist, there were to be many antichrists. They are characterised by:
• denying the incarnation and that Jesus is the divine Christ;
• denying God, the Father;
• not having the Father;
• being liars and deceivers;
• being great in number;
• and in John’s day those who did not work in unison with the Ekklesia (the body of believers that existed then).
In John’s letter, the antichrists he referred to were the early Gnostics.
John stressed the importance of being alert to the presence of antichrists and resisting their lies. Note verse 27: “As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you.” This is referring to the fact that the Gnostics claimed people needed extra special teaching in addition to what the apostles had taught. John wanted to emphasise that what the Holy Spirit taught through the apostles (because then they did not have the scriptures to refer to) was the only reliable truth and was enough teaching. Under the ministry of the Holy Spirit believers learn and develop the capacity to appreciate and use God’s truth that has already been revealed to them. The source of this instruction for us today is the Bible. We should have a personal knowledge of the Bible and seek it for instruction in addition to time spent in prayer. Just as the Gnostics teaching was harmful, so is the belief that you can only glean knowledge about God and following Jesus through a pastor or church hierarchy. If you feel comfortable being a member of a church that is fine, but if you use that membership to replace this personal relationship with God then it is time you considered leaving the established church before you fall away from Jesus.
I conclude today’s blog with verses 24 and 25 from The Message:
“Stay with what you heard from the beginning, the original message. Let it sink into your life. If what you heard from the beginning lives deeply in you, you will live deeply in both Son and Father. This is exactly what Christ promised: eternal life, real life!”