Light and Dark
# 13 2021 Dev. 1 Jn.2:1,2. Atonement! Read verses 1-14 first. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.
1 Jn.1:1,2 “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”
John is writing to followers of Jesus in the Roman providence of Asia between AD 85 and 95. The first two verses is the introduction to chapter two. John’s intention is to encourage us to avoid sin, yet he knows for himself, and for us, that as long as we live in this broken world sin is too much with us. He therefore reminds us of our advocate, Jesus interceding with the Father and He stands in our place making complete reparations for all our sins. He is capable of forgiving everybody’s sin. It is therefore, a great source of comfort when we confess all our shortcomings.
In vs. 3-11 John speaks of love and hate. “Whoever says, ‘I know him’, but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.” John, not only uses contrasting language, he uses strong language as well. Those who hate live in darkness and those who love live in light. Those living in the light of love see the way clearly but those in the darkness of hate are “blinded.” It is not a new command because, love is rooted in God’s love for us, yet, it is new and radical. We are to love all, not only brother and sister but the unlovely, the reprobate and the enemy. That means not to love means to hate, there is no in-between. In today’s world and now also among followers of Jesus, to have a different opinion makes one the enemy, cancel culture is with us, it is the worst kind of hate disguised as righteousness.
Vs. 12-14 is the reason for writing: “I am writing to you, dear children,
because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.” He writes to the fathers and mothers, to the young men and women and to the children and it all is repeated for emphasis in v,14. He is writing to us, we are reminded that our love is rooted in God’s love for us, that we live in the light because of the love of God, we live in forgiveness because of God’s love, and we live forever because of the love of God. Amen and Amen!
© cgvanwyk, all rights reserved
Heavenhigh 