Welcome to Hank’s Place
At Hank’s Place we love 1 John! Just 5 chapters, but what a challenge — for there’s rarely a clear line of thought for more than a few verses. And it wanders from subject to subject.
Outline for the book? Forget it! Circular reasoning is a good description. It touches on this, then that, then revisits those themes with variations, again and again. Think of 1 John as a symphony, strings sounding here, then woodwinds or brass and so forth – all building toward a marvelous revelation!
1 John is rich in doctrine, ethical challenge, and devotional fervor. But John doesn’t merely state these things, what he writes he is also asking of us, calling us to grow in faith, obedience, and love.
How do we do that? One could easily conclude that this book would be full of instructions and lists of do’s and don’t’s. But it’s NOT! 1 John is a message of grace. Of “DONE.” It is finished, remember?
John is highlighting what the Father has done in sending His Son, offering Jesus up as a sacrifice for our sins, and sending forth the “Word of Life.” 1 John 1:1. This Word of Life is causing the world’s darkness to pass away and the true light of the coming age to shine. Amazingly, John declares that while no one has seen God in His glory, knowing Jesus is to know the true God and eternal life. 1 John 5:20.
There are a great many “if’s” in 1 John. And things that a person “does,” like walking, loving, hating – many more. It’s so easy to begin checking ourselves out. Do I love my brother? Do I hold onto the world’s goods? And so on.
But wait! It’s just the opposite, because John understands the GRACE of God. It’s not us asking: ‘what would Jesus do?’ In each situation. It’s as we come to KNOW God, then we begin to behave more and more, like JESUS! Without thinking about it, we just act and respond – like JESUS.
And that’s the point of today’s Hank’s Place: as we come to know God and receive His love, there is a growing desire for obedience within our hearts. It’s a desire born of God, by His grace.
My friend, lift up your hands in joyful praise, because of Jesus, who loved us and causes us — to COME ALIVE!
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