1 JOHN 2:3-11Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. In his Gospel, John says ‘in the beginning was the Word.’ Now in 1 John we hear that the old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning, stating that he is and is not writing a new commandment; rather, I believe he is restating and expanding upon what has been said in his gospel along with what Jesus stated as a commandment in Matthew 34:39b ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ In this way he combines Jesus’ simple statement with the allusions to light and dark from John’s gospel and Genesis chapter 1. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. The meaning here is self-evident. It needs no explanation or interpretation. Jesus IS the Word. Jesus IS the light in the darkness, both in what He says to us and in His being. There is no equivocation. It is so. And yet at times we doubt. Is He the Son of God? Really? At other times we know the truth of it and are uplifted to the heavenly realms. We are constantly throwing ourselves from the spiritual to the natural and back again. The disciple Thomas stands in our place in that regard. Our rational minds often find the reality of God a step too far… even when we have experienced spiritual, even miraculous circumstances which deny that rationality. The story of Adam and Eve and their fall by eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil reveals our doubt over this. We want to believe but it can seem so unreal. This is a part of our struggle with darkness and light; but we must train ourselves to focus on the light, for then the darkness recedes and fails. And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Remember always that this is ‘an inside job’ that Jesus is doing — a work of The Holy Spirit to our innermost being. He is the Light of The World and the world’s darkness of hate and self-seeking recedes when He enters, closes the doors and stands in the midst saying “Peace to you!” I KNOW NOT WHY GOD’S WONDROUS GRACE TO ME HE HAS MADE KNOWN — Fountainview Academy A CLOSING WORD from DAVID WILKERSON LISTEN TO ‘THE WORD FROM THE BEGINNING’ — audio not available yet.COMING NEXT… #557 ACTS 6: AND STEPHEN DID GREAT WONDERS |
MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS…Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. Archives
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GEORGE and GILL STEWART |