3 By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of […]
I’ve been reflecting on yesterday’s post about 1 John 1:9, and I wanted to round out some of the ideas. Paul makes a great deal about how we have been baptized into Christ’s death, and are raised with Him to newness of life (Romans 6:3-4). I recently (thereforenow.com/2012/03/his-cross-is-my-death/) made the point that it is Christ’s […]
We resist grace because we do not believe He exists, and we suspect that if He does exist, He will manifest His power only to punish and judge. We cannot leave our confession hanging and vulnerable waiting upon the awful silence, we cannot believe that the alien touch from beyond the silence will be a […]
As there has been for literally millennia, there has been a lot of discussion lately in the blogosphere about law and gospel. I’m thinking of a recent post by Tullian Tchividjian: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tullian/2012/03/23/law-and-gospel-part-1 Here’s a thought about how this works. I am convinced, utterly convinced, that it is important that young adult men should not poop […]
Mercury is in retrograde, and this is NEWS! http://shine.yahoo.com/life-made-easy/mercury-retrograde-survival-guide-155500286.html Not that we’re superstitious of course! But, things are going really well the last few days with certain trouble spots at work, KNOCK ON WOOD! Just don’t open an umbrella inside, or walk under a ladder. We’ve really got to get rid of that black cat […]
1 John 1:5-10 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5 God is light: this is the message John heard from Him who was from the beginning. We want to know what God says to […]
1 John 1:1-4 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands 1 John 1:1 We have an amazing statement here to start off 1 John. That which was from the beginning – think about that for […]
1 John 2:1-5 I’m doing a study through 1 John with my men’s group, so I’m posting insights from it here. Maybe it will make a nice little resource going forward. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. 1 John 2:1 John has just finished saying […]
Yet, love cannot be commanded. If you pick up a small child and shake him harshly and demand that he love you, he may eventually pretend love to avoid further abuse, but he will not really love you. A man cannot hold a gun to a woman’s head and command real love. Love cannot […]
I want to make sure I drive home the takeaway point here. It is the great and abundant forgiveness we have received that IS our death. If we make light of our forgiveness, it muddies the water of our ‘baptism’ into His death, and the whole foundation that Paul builds his ideas about sanctification and […]