All love is a gift of God to the human race, like sunshine and rain, food, resources, everything that makes life beautiful, happy and wholesome. #1 John #WhatisLove #Agape
1 John Bonus: What is Love? (Part 2 of 3)
Probably the best-known passage on love in the Greek scriptures is found Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, 1 Corinthians 13. #WhatisLove #Agape #1Corinthians13
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1 John Bonus: What is Love? (Part 1 of 3)
For many, the question of love begins with thoughts of romance. What is the nature of attraction, of desire, of “falling in love,” and of the enduring bond that can last a lifetime? #1John #WhatisLove #Agape
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3 John: Perceiving God
The elder said to Gaius, "Beloved one [agapete], do not imitate the bad." Any exclusion of members of the Body from fellowshipping with the whole Body of Christ is bad. It is not perceiving God.
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3 John: Hierarchy’s Harm
Over the centuries, beginning with Ignatius’ letters in the second century, this crucial aspect of the church gave way to the surrounding culture, so that one of Christianity’s distinctives was eroded to mere words, tucked away here and there among the gospels and epistles.
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3 John: Lord It Over
Much harm has come to the church because of this hard stop put upon the organic growth of the Body of Christ, which had been meant to be nonhierarchical in its life.
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3 John: Gaius the Beloved
John was particularly thankful for Gaius, for there was a serious matter John would need someone like Gaius to handle—a matter that was threatening to tear the church apart, and had little to do with Gnosticism.
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2 John: Keep in Step With Christ
John’s message is particularly relevant today, as we also try to navigate increasingly treacherous times for Christians, seeking to embrace each other in love while also protecting those whom God has placed in our care from being deceived.
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2 John: Remember Christ’s Command
Apostle John, speaking as an elder to the lady, his coworker in Christ, reminded her of the paramount commandment they had received from Jesus: Agape one another, for this is our signature as those who walk in the light, who live in truth, who have put our faith in Christ, who have received the Spirit of God.
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2 John: The Elder and the Lady
Though 2 John is not a long letter—thirteen verses in all—it is both theologically rich, and a window into how John pastored the believers in his care. This letter also carries one or two surprises
