A Complete, Transparent Joy; First John

May the mumbling commence!

Welcome to day one of seven in reading through First John.  Truly, letter writing is a dying art form.  When was the last time you got a letter in the mail from a family member or friend that was not a form Christmas letter? 

Better yet, when was the last time you sent a personal letter to someone or a group of someone’s?  We complain about the rising postal rates.  We slip into writing emails and texting one another.  True heartfelt communication with the written word is often a crapshoot at best. 

And, what about being transparent about our objectives with one another?  It all too often easier to cajole and manipulate than it is to foster true understanding and cooperation toward a common goal.  In the midst of our fractured and lonely world, we can much from the author of First John.  He gave numerous and explicitly stated reasons for writing to his audience.  Read them below:

We write this to make our joy complete. (1:4)  

Writing to others about the Word of life (1:1) is an ever-flowing and bubbling source of complete joy.  The author writes in the first person plural.  But who does this joy belong to?  Does it belong only to John and those who write?  Or can the intended audience claim that complete joy? 

That complete joy comes from fellowship with God and His Son, Jesus Christ (1:3).  But that complete joy also comes from developing fellowship with the people around us.  A related purpose to this quality of joy is seen in the preceding verse.  The audience is invited through this letter to join the fellowship.  The growth of the fellowship between God and His children is the primary source of the quality of joy.

            My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. (2:1a) 

  

There’s that word – sin.  Another goal of this letter is to help us to define what sin is, to help us recognize sin in ourselves, and to help us know whom to go to for forgiveness.  Ignorance of our sinful nature enables us to believe that we are “alive and doing fine” (to quote a sixties song “Signs”).  Awareness of our sinful nature helps us to recognize our need for help.  And the last half of the verse tells us where our hope and help comes from:

            But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense – Jesus  Christ, the Righteous One. (2:1b) 

Then, the author turns poetic in pronouncing his reasons for writing:

I write to you, dear children,

       because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. 

I write to you, fathers,

       because you have known him who is from the beginning.

I write to you, young men,

       because you have overcome the evil one.

I write to you, dear children,

       because you have known the Father. 

I write to you, fathers,

       because you have known him who is from the beginning.

I write to you, young men,

       because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you,

       and you have overcome the evil one. (2:12-14)

The message of this letter is for people of the faith, young and old alike.  Those young in the faith need to be reminded of what Christ has done for them.  Those older in faith must make Christ’s sacrifice plain to people younger in faith. 

Those in the prime of their spiritual lives have an awesome responsibility: They are to connect the young ones with the old ones.  Knowing the both the old ones and the young ones is what makes them strong and aides the word of God living in them. 

Let us make these connections!  It will help us overcome the evil one in our lives together.  What a message for today’s church!  The piece that many churches are missing is the young people!  Until we mend this problem our witness to the world is greatly diminished.

I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. (2:21)

The truth allows for no counterfeits.  Truth is only found through embracing Jesus as the Messiah.  But counterfeits are always a threat:

            I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. (2:26)

Much in our lives leads us astray from the purposes of God in our lives.  We may look around and feel hopeless.  It seems everything leads to death.  It is no wonder to me that many people are depressed.  This thought leads me to the last stated reason by the author of First John for writing this letter:

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. (5:13)

There is much more to life than is at first readily seen.  We have eternal life through our belief in the Son of God.  This letter is meant to remind us of this promise.  And eternal life is defined not only as an infinite time but also as a wonderful quality – a complete joy. 

Enough mumbling for now… 

Peace Out