Text Comment
v.1
Gaius was perhaps the most common name in use in the Roman Empire in the first century. He is here a man who occupies an important position of responsibility and leadership in a local church – either in a particular hous…
Having completed our sermons on 1 John, it seemed sensible to continue with John’s letters and devote a sermon to 2nd and 3rd John as well. These two little letters, of all the letters in the New Testament, bear the greatest resemblance to the conven…
This morning we complete our series of sermons in the first letter of the Apostle John.
Text Comment
v.18
John sums up by repeating points he has made already in the body of the letter. Once again, John’s categorical and unqualified ma…
Text Comment
v.16
We considered vv. 13-15 two Lord’s Day mornings past and their great encouragement to prayer. Here we learn that John assumed that a great object of our prayers would be the spiritual welfare of our brothers and sisters …
The main argument of the letter is now complete, but typical of the writers of New Testament letters John has a few additional thoughts to add before he is done.
Text Comment
v.14
This is the fourth occurrence of the term “confidence” …
Text Comment
v.6
John picks up on his reference to the Lord Jesus Christ in the previous verse. The reference to the Lord having come by the water and the blood evokes our recollection of the blood and water flowing from the Lord’s side w…
What is perfectly obvious to anyone who reads 1 John right through is that the first five verses of chapter 5 are a summation or wrap-up of the whole argument to this point. In these few verses John recapitulates what he has said so far. If there is …
Text Comment
v.7
Once again, the love that John is writing about is a distinctly Christian love and so its practice proves a person a genuine Christian. John is not talking about our love for God – that is assumed – but our love for one a…
We have been away from First John for a month and a half, so let me remind you where we are in the argument of the letter. In the verses we are about to read, John will finish the second cycle of comment on the three “tests of life.” There are three …
We are in the midst of John’s second rendition of the three tests of genuine, authentic Christian faith. How does anyone know whether he is a true believer in Jesus Christ and, therefore, is in possession of eternal life? How can I be sure that I am …