David Bahn – Reflections

The recent national presidential election has yielded a mixture of relief, fear, anger, and distress, not to mention a reaction of surprise on the part of almost everyone. There have also been demonstrations against President Elect Donald Trump, decrying his misogynistic comments, crude language, and policies. He’s not MY President! is the refrain that is repeated again and again. If ever we need a peace-maker, one who can bring people together, a uniter, it is now.

Peace comes from the one to whom we tie our hearts. That’s true politically: we are far more at peace when our candidate wins. It is even more true, however, with regard to God. If your heart is tied to God you will find true and lasting peace. That’s God’s gift. That’s the fruit of faith. For God’s people, his presence is the realm of peace.

To that end, we both sanctify God – that is we set him apart – and we glorify God in our worship and life. The idea of God being sanctified (set apart) brings a nuance to our relationship with God. We don’t make God holy. We do, however, set him aside in our hearts (1 Peter 3:15), and honor him as Lord. We do properly find the greatest peace in entrusting ourselves to his grace and mercy.

We rightly think of the Holy Spirit’s work as setting us apart, making us holy (“sanctifying us”).  The fullness of the Holy Spirit’s work brings us to faith in Christ and then moves us to enthrone him in our hearts. No political candidate, system of government, peace treaty, wall, or election result or overturn can ever bring such lasting and perfect peace. That’s the message and gift of Jesus, and he is Lord of all.

I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. ¹⁴ And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. ¹⁵ And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.

¹⁶ If you see a fellow believer sinning in a way that does not lead to death, you should pray, and God will give that person life. But there is a sin that leads to death, and I am not saying you should pray for those who commit it. ¹⁷ All wicked actions are sin, but not every sin leads to death.

¹⁸ We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them. ¹⁹ We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.

²⁰ And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life.

²¹ Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.
– 1 John 5:13-21 [NLT]

I have a love/hate relationship with the New Living Translation of the Bible. I’ve been using it for several days now for the simple purpose of slowing me down as I read these texts. I am so used to the NIV or ESV that when the word order is different in the NLT, or the translations are different, and in other words than I am used to reading in a particular text, I slow down and look more closely at that text, and think more carefully about the ideas that are being offered.

In the case of these verses, I was struck particularly by verse 18, “We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them.” This offers a more accessible translation than the ESV, even though the ESV is more accurate in word-for-word translation: “We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.”

The idea that God protects his own from the power of the Devil is a teaching found elsewhere in the Bible, and a real comfort to anyone who would wish to resist the Devil, and who realizes that the Devil is, in fact, a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (cf 1 Peter 5:8). The idea that we do not go on sinning has to do with sin not having the final say in our lives. We may falter, fail, and fall into sin of many kinds. But those who are willing to bring us back to God gently, preserve us from Satan’s and sin’s full destructive power. Even our return to God by our own recognizance through the influence of the Holy Spirit thwarts Satan’s desires to steal, kill, and destroy. Thanks be to God.

In the end, we can know we have the gift of eternal life; not because we never sin – we do; but because we have God’s word and promise: we who believe in the name of the Son of God (read “Jesus”) have eternal life. He promises to hear and answer our prayers. He provides people who help us walk the way of life. Jesus gives us fellowship with God.

And what a great closing thought:  ^“Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.” May it be so in our lives!

This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. ⁷ For there are three that testify: ⁸ the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. ⁹ If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. ¹⁰ Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. ¹¹ And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ¹² Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. – 1 John 5:6-12

All right, already! You’ve made your point. Enough said! Have you ever felt that way? Has someone gone on and one explaining something to you that you’re certain you understand, believe, value, and are willing to accept, acknowledge and allow? They keep saying the same thing, and you keep agreeing, but it doesn’t seem to satisfy them; they still need to make their point.

Perhaps it is because some people just need to speak. They cannot be succinct. They simply must share every nuance and facet of their ideas. It could be, however, that we think we understand things we do not really understand. It might just be that we need to listen more carefully and not tune out when we think we hear the same old same old.

John is making a point – again – about Jesus as the Son of God. He has made that point throughout this letter and he is not finished. The identity of Jesus as the Son of God is testified to by water and blood. Add to that the Spirit’s testimony to the identity of Jesus Christ. The reference to the witness of “water and blood” might be a reference to Jesus’ baptism and death, or to the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, or to Jesus’ death and resurrection (water from his side, and Thomas’ touch of Jesus’ side a week after Jesus’ resurrection). In any case the importance is not in the water and blood, but in the witness: Jesus is the Son of God.

Jesus is the source of life. Jesus is the means of our salvation. Jesus is the Son of God. These truths are based not on human testimony, but the testimony of God, and not a vague spiritual inkling, but the substance of God’s promises and the foundation of our Christian hope. Faith receives this testimony with joy.

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. ² By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. ³ For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. ⁴ For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. ⁵ Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? – 1 John 5:1-5 [NLT]

Where is true home for you? To where do you return at the end of the day, or in a time of retreat, or at the end of your career? I remember a two-story white frame farmhouse in Bollinger County, Missouri. It was the home of my maternal grandmother, and as such it was a place of great comfort, wonderful memories, and security. Whether it is the memory of watching Gun Smoke with my Granddad Dodson, walking down to Crooked Creak, or visiting the spring house only to discover a snake, the memories return easily. Although I know I’ll never return there, there is a sentimental soft spot in my heart for that place. I would love to spend some time just sitting on the second story front porch, and watch the cars go by.

True home for the believer is faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We believe that the God of glory and creation took on human flesh and dwelt among us, and suffered and died to save us is central to all we hope for. That Jesus is not just another religious man, a prophet, or teacher of kindness – though he was all that and more – is essential to our faith. That this Jesus has come to save us, and after dying, rose from the dead is an anchor for our souls.

Because we believe this, we embrace his commandments. We’ll never do that perfectly. But we can do it faithfully. We can love our neighbor because we have been born of God – made new in Christ – and as such deeply aware that our highest calling is to love others for whom Jesus died. As we obey Jesus’ commandments we find them delightful, even though sometimes challenging. But in the end, our truest self – the part of us who has been born of God – does not find obeying God’s commandments burdensome. This is not something we must carry around like a giant weight on our souls. But it is a compelling desire to honor the God who has saved us, and who has brought us into his kingdom of grace.

Our faith in Jesus, the Son of God sustains us. Our true home is faith in Jesus, and we who believe in Jesus desire to honor him in every aspect of our lives, and rejoice in his faithfulness and mercy to us when we fail.

And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us.¹⁴ Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵ All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. ¹⁶ We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.

God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. ¹⁷ And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

¹⁸ Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. ¹⁹ We love each other because he loved us first. – 1 John 4:13-19

When I was in college my dad suffered a series of panic attacks. He would hyperventilate, get light headed, and become emotionally distressed. Some very simple physiological coping tool helped: he would lie down and breathe into a paper bag until the episode would pass. But another thing helped him even more, and helped him eventually conquer these attacks. He memorized various Bible passages; especially 1 John 4:18, “Perfect love casteth out fear.” (He used the King James Version.)

The perfect love of Jesus for sinners casts out fear. Embraced in Jesus’ love we do not fear Jesus’ judgment. Bolstered by his love, we do not fear praying to him (worried that he will find further fault with us if we admit our need to him in prayer). When we embrace Jesus’ love for us we need not fear a what he might bring into our life; it will be good.

The perfect love of Jesus also helps us relate to others in courageous kindness. Motivated by Jesus’ love we are able to switch our focus from our own failures, weaknesses, shortcomings, and deficiencies to the needs of others, and ways in which we can show love to them.

All this is from God. He is the source of love. He is the demonstration of Love. His Spirit points us to God’s love. This power of Jesus’ love is established in Jesus’ identity as the Son of God, and those who believe in him carry that love into their prayers and life. That combination is a powerful antidote to fear, and a beautiful thing to behold.

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. ⁸ But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

⁹ God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. ¹⁰ This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

¹¹ Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.¹² No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. – 1 John 4:7-12 [NLT]

A friend of mine served as an emcee at a retirement of a colleague, and made the following comment: “Sarah got her dad’s good looks; her mom kept hers!” We get our good looks, our hair color, mannerisms, speech patterns and values from our parents. I’ve met parents of folks I have known for a while and immediately see where the resemblances come from.

So it is for God: when we see love, we see a manifestation of God’s nature. Indeed if we know God we will express God’s love to others. God is the source of love.

God is also the expression of love. For when God took on human flesh he was giving himself to the world and through that gift was showing us his love. For God’s gift of his Son was more profound than the mere act of giving; it meant that he was going to sacrifice his Son for the sake of his love and for the redemption of the world. In doing so, he took away our sins.

There is no way we can experience or embrace God’s love and not love others. That means that if someone does not love us, it is because they do not know God’s love. So when we fail to experience love from others they need love from us. For when we express love to others we are expressing God’s love. And if ever the unloving person is going to become loving it will only be by means of God’s love touching his or her heart. Only then can God’s love be fully expressed in anyone – when one experiences his love to us.

Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. ² This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. ³ But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.

⁴ But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. ⁵ Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. ⁶ But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception. – 1 John 4:1-6

Having spent time in Utah, we experienced first hand the claim of those who claimed to speak for God. The testimony of 1846 Joseph Smith’s vision was of an angel telling him that all religions of his day were corrupt and a new faith was in order. While we were there the LDS leaders began saying that they were simply another Christian church. One or the other is not true. This is only one of many false prophets in the world today.

I wish it were not so…for so many reasons. I would like not to have to test the spirits; I want to believe those who come in Jesus’ name are truly serving the cause of Christ. So how do I tell the difference? How am I to test the spirit? Does the spiritual person lead me to a crucified and resurrected Savior? That’s the key.

There are so many other religious offerings: “feel good” religion, “be spiritual” religion, “co-exist” religion, “Mother Nature” religion, “if it feels good” religion to name a few. Some unashamedly offer financial gin for faithfulness to God. Others promise healing. Still others point to achieving a higher consciousness. Still others provide a supposed key to the End Times.

Unless these religions and proponents focus us back on Jesus, calling us to repent and believe in him, they are of greater harm than what they may seem. Anyone who leads us to Jesus has the Spirit of truth. Those who lead us away from Jesus, must be rejected for what they are: Antichrists.

 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. ¹⁹ Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. ²⁰ Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.

²¹ Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence.²² And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.

²³ And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. ²⁴ Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us. – 1 John 3:18-24 [NLT]

Maybe you know someone who is always promising to do something, making excuses for why he did’t, or blaming others for his failures. Perhaps you are tempted to do this yourself. You can face any challenge, other than being thought by others to be deficient, letting them down. So excuses come all too easily. It’s like cheap grace, repentance without true contrition, and without its fruits.

Talk is cheap. I believe that is why Jesus said, “Go learn with this means, ‘I desire mercy not sacrifice.’” (Matthew 9:13) This reveals yet another manner in which we cheapen faith: by talking about what we believe, know we should do, leaving it as only that. Telling your wife that you love her but failing to do anything to show that love, or worse yet ignoring her in her time of need is a lie.

But what shall we do when we realize we have failed despite our greatest efforts to love, to obey, and to honor God. Whether in a moment of weakness, a fury of anger, a daze of forgetfulness, or even a lack of dedication – we all fail. Thankfully God knows all about us and has committed himself to forgive us and sustain us when we falter.

The command to which John points in these verses is to believe. I understand this as the intentional side of faith. Faith is a deep trust in the heart, the foundation of our relationship. It’s like knowing where home is, and believing that good things await us there. Believing is acting on that faith, going home. Living there with confidence that we belong, and even taking responsibility for our part of making the home work.

Through the Holy Spirit we have the confidence that we have a home with God. Faith is knowing that deep in our souls. Believing that is actively living that out because we know Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. ¹² We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous. ¹³ So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.

¹⁴ If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. ¹⁵ Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.

¹⁶ We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?  1 John 3:11-17 [NLT]

The devil’s deceit is to confuse good and evil. He leads people to false conclusions about someone else’s motives, values, beliefs, or actions. He inspires others to accuse falsely, cause doubt, or feign righteousness. He triggers anger and bitterness by any means. Whenever you hear accusations, or confusion over good and evil, or inciting of violence, you know the devil is at work. From the earliest times this has been the devil’s motive. We should not be surprised when the devil does his thing against us, inciting hatred, bigotry, or violence toward us.

From the earliest times God’s desire is for us to serve and love one another. He made a helper for Adam. Their children were a gift for them to further God’s command to subdue the earth. The first recorded death is not a natural death, but a murder; a sad witness to the incursion of evil and the reign of death over sinful mankind. Whenever we harbor hatred in our hearts we give testimony to sin’s presence and death’s reign in the world.

Thanks be to God, we have been redeemed. For Jesus inspires love for brother and sister. Jesus’ influence is toward life. Jesus moves us to compassion for those in need. Jesus’ example is self-sacrificial love. Any time we are moved toward mercy, kindness, and love we show that Jesus’ love is in us. This is God’s desire for us from the beginning. This moved him to redeem us through Jesus’ sacrificial death.

This is so urgent that John will make this point throughout this entire letter. The conditions in the churches and communities of his day must have made this vitally important. I’m wondering if we’re any different today. I know God’s call for us to love our neighbor remains the same.