#from esv.org

[hobbitsetal]

Christ and anxiety

so, my dad’s a Biblical counselor (got his doctorate in that field, teaches it to European churches and in the Southeastern US, and so forth) and our Bible study leader thought it’d be a cool idea to have my dad be a guest speaker one evening.

we’re all young adults in this group (aside from the leader and his wife), and every week we’re praying for the same stuff: work, health, school, finances--peace, wisdom, etc. so Mr. Carl asked my dad to speak on anxiety.

i cannot do my father’s lesson justice. let me start with that. i’ve got last weekend’s jumbled synopsis and a handful of verses. but the lesson that stood out to me was the one my dad drew from Matthew 8:23-27:

And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying,“What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

i’ve always heard this passage simply as an example of Jesus’s divine mastery over nature. and it is that, for sure, but my dad used it as an example of anxiety.

the disciples were fishermen. they knew that a storm swamping the boat was bad. they had legit grounds for thinking they were gonna die right then unless Jesus did something. and how did Jesus respond? He rebuked their lack of faith before He calmed the storm.

then my dad moved to Matthew 6:25-34, talking about God’s provision for us and His faithfulness toward us. the main point of that passage is that because God provides, because God loves us, we have no reason to be anxious.

God knows when our circumstances are bad. God knows when our circumstances are stressful, challenging, scary, difficult--you name the bad adjective, the Lord already knows it. but we know that God is sovereign and that He loves us. if we’re anxious, we’re displaying a lack of faith and a lack of trust in the goodness of God. 

the last thing i recall from my dad’s lesson is the prayer acronym he likes to use: ACTS. Adoration Confession Thanksgiving Supplication

because if you start by praising the Lord for Who He is, the great and mighty Ruler of the universe, the loving Father Who died for us, then move to confessing your own sin and your lack of faith, then thank Him for His patience and love and long-suffering, by the time you get to asking? you’re in a different frame of mind. you’re in a better frame of mind.

i dunno, it just helped me a lot today, when work looked crazy, to sit back and remember that my God loves me and my God knows exactly what stresses me out. and my omniscient, loving, sovereign God knows that the best possible thing for me is to face some stress and see how He carries me through it.

“cast your cares upon the Lord, because He cares for you.” it’s got a little more weight to it since last Thursday.

[mikaltom53]

1 Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, "Has not the LORD anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the LORD and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the LORD has anointed you to be prince over his heritage.

2 When you depart from me today, you will meet two men by Rachel's tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah, and they will say to you, 'The donkeys that you went to seek are found, and now your father has ceased to care about the donkeys and is anxious about you, saying, "What shall I do about my son?"'

3 Then you shall go on from there farther and come to the oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine.

4 And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall accept from their hand.

5 After that you shall come to Gibeath-elohim, where there is a garrison of the Philistines. And there, as soon as you come to the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, prophesying.

6 Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.

7 Now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you.

8 Then go down before me to Gilgal. And behold, I am coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do."

9 When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day.

10 When they came to Gibeah, behold, a group of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them.

11 And when all who knew him previously saw how he prophesied with the prophets, the people said to one another, "What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?"

12 And a man of the place answered, "And who is their father?" Therefore it became a proverb, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

13 When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place.

14 Saul's uncle said to him and to his servant, "Where did you go?" And he said, "To seek the donkeys. And when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel."

15 And Saul's uncle said, "Please tell me what Samuel said to you."

16 And Saul said to his uncle, "He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found." But about the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel had spoken, he did not tell him anything.

17 Now Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah.

18 And he said to the people of Israel, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.'

19 But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, 'Set a king over us.' Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your thousands."

20 Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot.

21 He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its clans, and the clan of the Matrites was taken by lot; and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found.

22 So they inquired again of the LORD, "Is there a man still to come?" and the LORD said, "Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage."

23 Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.

24 And Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen? There is none like him among all the people." And all the people shouted, "Long live the king!"

25 Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the LORD. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home.

26 Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched.

27 But some worthless fellows said, "How can this man save us?" And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace. https://esv.org/1Sam10.1-27

[daneiss]

Psalm 101 is one of the texts included in the Thursday Lauds (morning reading) from the Paraclete Psalter for today. It is a prayer of commitment. It is a recognition that I journey through a world that is wayward, that is hostile to the One who created it. Because I, his holy creation, walk through an unholy world, I commit to watch my steps. I commit to avoid close friendships which draw me into an adoration of the world. I commit to keep myself bound to fellow believers so that we might gain strength and encouragement from one another. I need you. You need me. We are the body of Jesus. We cannot travel alone without falling into many dangers, traps, and schemes. But together we make the journey light, joyful, and straight. Walking with you this morning. Grace and peace, friends. https://esv.org/Ps101 https://www.instagram.com/p/COQBSXEnXUm/?igshid=o1ksgawpzqzk

[wordsparks]

From my ESV.org devotions.

[solatgif]

THANK GOD IT’S FRIDAY: WEEKEND ROUNDUP FOR AUGUST 9, 2019

We kicked off our College Month by releasing a SOLA Starter Kit for College Students. Send it to your friends and family who are starting college and may have never heard of SOLA.

Concluding her series on fashion, Judy Lee wrote Rescuing Fashion From Consumerism Through a Gospel Perspective. Continuing his AA Guide to Premarital Counseling, Ben Shin shared Illuminating Relationship Dynamics.

Our monthly newsletter is a great way to stay connected with SOLA. Our August edition is coming soon. Subscribe today so you never miss out. And if you have any links or recommendations to share, please tweet me @musicgoon or email me at aaron@musicgoon.com.

LINK ROUNDUP

1. Ekemini Uwan: How Toni Morrison’s words pierced me, as a black Christian female writer

Writer Ekemini Uwan tweeted, “This is my first op-ed for a national news organization. It’s fitting that my first piece is a reflection on Toni Morrison. Even in death, she has given me a gift. I hope it provides comfort.

‘Toni saw me. Toni read me. Toni pierced me.’”

2. Russell Moore: White Nationalist Terrorism and the Gospel

ELRC President Russell Moore writes on the domestic terror attacks in El Paso and in Dayton.

3. Elsen Portugal: How Should Missionaries Help Create Indigenous Worship Music?

“To be sure, today’s cross-cultural workers need to invite the community’s ownership of their own cultural and church development. Encouraging musical and artistic forms that communicate well within a local culture is an important element of demonstrating love to a community and essential for a healthy partnership with new believers.”

4. Justin Taylor: 15 Pieces of Writing Advice from C. S. Lewis

Justin Taylor writes for The Gospel Coalition. I share this for our SOLA readers are also writers. Would you like to contribute to SOLA? Fill out our SOLA Contributor Form.

5. Sarah Huang: Consuming Culture: Food and the Shaping of Asian American Identity

Writing for Hyphen Magazine, psychologist Sarah Huang shares how food affects our Asian American identity.

WEEKEND RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Crossway: Students: Get Free Digital Access to 7 Study Bibles, Original Language Resources, and More

Crossway is offering students in an accredited college, seminary, or graduate school a free subscription to ESV.org and includes access to 7 study Bibles, A suite of original language tools, The complete interactive Knowing the Bible study series, streaming Bible audio, and dozens of interactive reading plans.

2. The Business Podcast: Director Lulu Wang on making ‘The Farewell’

Podcast host Kim Masters conducts a 20-minute interview with director Lulu Wang for KCRW. In case you missed it, read our article Burdens and Truth: Inspired by "The Farewell" by SOLA editor Hannah Chao.

3. John Piper: The Glory of God and Why We Sing

DesiringGod released this 50-minute sermon from the Belfast Sing! Conference. “The greatness of God’s glory invites a response that moves his people beyond mere words. And so we sing.”

FROM SOLA

1. Hannah Chao: SOLA Starter Kit for College Students

“August means it’s almost time for school to start again. So here at SOLA, we will be featuring articles to help college students stay faithful to the Gospel as they transition back into the academic year.

To kick off our College Month, we’d like to recommend 5 articles to introduce (or reintroduce) our SOLA website and showcase its many offerings.”

2. Daniel K. Eng: When is "Privilege" Not a Problem?

“Yes, my ethnicity puts me at a disadvantage in some areas. But my gender and nationality give me access to opportunities that the majority of people in the world can only dream about. The fact that my parents have advanced academic degrees and a stable marriage has given me more access to opportunities than others.

It’s not productive to feel guilty about my privilege. I can’t change my circumstances or the system we live in. However, what I can do is be responsible. I can ask myself, What am I doing with my privilege?”

3. Ben Shin: Illuminating Relational Dynamics: The AA Guide to Premarital Counseling (Part 3)

“These issues might seem like “done deals” after months or even years of dating. But oftentimes in the course of an engagement, issues that were once hidden by one party suddenly come to the forefront, leading to even more wedding stress. Let us look at some of these potential minefields so we can analyze and defuse them.”

4. Judy Lee: Rescuing Fashion From Consumerism Through a Gospel Perspective

“What is our role as Christians in fashion, and to what extent should we care? Do we really need to research every label we buy and fork over $50 for an ethically-made T-shirt?”

5. Thank God It’s Friday: Weekend Roundup

In case you missed it, here are the highlights from last week: The Workers Who Make Korean Barbecue Possible Deserve Better, On Daughters and Dating: How to Intimidate Suitors, and Bruce Lee’s family calls ‘Once Upon a Time’ ‘a mockery.’ Is it insult or homage?

[musicgoon]

Thank God It’s Friday

Sharing Free Online Resources and Fun Internet Deep Dives.

While I link to fresh weekly content as part of my Recommended Reading, the weekend is here for us to relax, enjoy some free resources, and do some deep dives into the Internet.

You can find all of my Friday posts with the TGIF tag. I love reading links and your comments, so please keep in touch. Have a great weekend!

Crossway: Students: Get Free Digital Access to 7 Study Bibles, Original Language Resources, and More

Crossway is offering students in an accredited college, seminary, or graduate school a free subscription to ESV.org and includes access to 7 study Bibles, A suite of original language tools, The complete interactive Knowing the Bible study series, streaming Bible audio, and dozens of interactive reading plans.

Vogue: 73 Questions With Awkwafina

“In-between taking meetings and running errands in Los Angeles, Awkwafina strolls around K-Town with Joe and answers 73 questions. The Queens-bred rapper and actress talks about her unique moniker, the differences between New York and LA, and what goes into making a killer track.”

Slash Film: How the ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Final Battle Was Made

/Film senior writer Ben Pearson spoke with Matt Aitken, Weta Digital's visual effects supervisor, about how the epic final battle of Avengers: Endgame was made.

Wanaii films: Mont Saint Michel from a drone.

“So the first morning I went there at 5am, walk all the way to the Mount, and wait at the bottom. The water came slowly, and the Mount became again an island, it was very intense, the sun came out, few people were there, and I had a strong feeling to be privileged. I start the drone, and enjoy as much as I could.”

[inmyanguish]

Proclamation Bible and Fear

Proclamation Bible and Fear

ChristianBook.com had a sale on Bibles for Christmas so I got a few. I did not really get to view them all because I fell in love with one — the Proclamation Bible. It surprises me because it is an NIV variant ala the UK. I think the Brits did a better job with the “translation” than the Americans did and I have been enjoying reading it. I started with a program from ESV.org and read all of…

[hobbitsetal]

5:1-3

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. 

[Christianity is polarizing. always has been, always will be. but it’s worth it, y’know?]

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, 

[you can’t consider Jesus as merely a man, a good teacher. Jesus Himself claimed divinity multiple times, meaning our options become the famous “liar, madman, or Christ.”

but if we do believe, then we become the family of God, and the heirs of God. that’s pretty amazing.]

and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.

[my family discusses this often. however much we may have in common with an unbeliever, there’s a certain connection with believers that transcends culture, race, language, or shared preferences. i have several dear friends who are different enough from me that we probably wouldn’t be super good friends apart from our shared love of Christ. 

but what does that look like to love our brothers and sisters in Christ?]

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.

[vertical/horizontal again. to love those around us, we must first love God. when we recognize who and what we are before God, it tinges all other relationships. am i inclined to be arrogant? then i am humbled before the throne of a just and holy God. am i inclined to seek people’s approval? then i am held to a higher standard: God’s standard. i can’t be consumed with mortal men and their changing opinions; i have objective truth before me. do i feel lonely? i’m loved beyond the stars, loved beyond what i can comprehend. i definitely seek out relationships with other people, but God sustains me. do i feel like i don’t know who i am? first and foremost? i am the crafted, created, specially designed and incredibly beloved child of God. i am made in His image, i am given some of His gifts, i am the apple of God’s eye and His incredibly precious love. 

Christ fulfilled the law for us. the Holy Spirit enables us to keep the law now. so when God says “love your neighbor as yourself,” when God says “consider others’ interests more important than your own,” or when He says “forgive your brother seventy times seven,” how can i not heed Him?]

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 

[His commands are not burdensome because our standing before Him doesn’t depend on them. Christ already paid for us. Christ already filled the law. we don’t get kicked out of the program if we fail to measure up. Christ completed the coursework; we’re just here to learn the lessons.

does our performance matter? yeah, absolutely. the Bible speaks of rewards and punishments. Jesus told the parable of servants given sums of money; the one who got in trouble was the one who didn’t do anything with his coin. disciples throughout the Bible are chastised when they sin and praised when they obey.

but the love of God does not depend on our performance. our salvation does not depend on our performance. whether or not we keep His commandments, He loves us. there are consequences to disobeying, but those consequences are never, will never be, losing God and eternal life.

i’d say that takes a lot of the pressure off.]

[hobbitsetal]

4:19-21

We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

[cause and effect. vertical and horizontal relationships. our theology influences every aspect of our lives. any failure to love those around us is a failure to understand Who and What God is.]

We love because he first loved us. 

[i love how simple this statement is. God in His mercy poured love and grace down on us; how can we not love Him back? and God loves perfectly, so God’s love casts out any fear we might have. He loves us because of Who He is, because of What He chooses to be, so we have absolutely nothing to lose by loving Him back. 

He loves us. nothing can change that. God is omniscient (1 John 3:20, “ for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.” also Psalm 139:4, “Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.”) and my omniscient God, Who knows every horrible thing i’ve ever done and ever will do, chose to love me. therefore i love Him.

but what does that look like?]

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 

[when you really think about the implications of this statement, it’s absolutely bring-you-to-your-knees mind-boggling. when you start tugging on the threads that make up grace, it shuts you up.

what has my brother ever done to me that is worse than what i’ve done to God? how do i, a sinful human, deserve less to be sinned against than our holy, righteous, and perfect Lord? and if God can choose to forgive and love us, how can we not do the same?

it’s the parable of the servant who owed 10,000 talents. if we called that a billion dollars in today’s money, that would work. modern terms: a fast food worker who manages to get into a billion dollars’ worth of debt. and the guy whom he owes chooses to forgive the debt.

then the fast food worker walks out, suddenly free from this crushing debt, and runs into a guy who owes him twenty thousand dollars. compared to a billion? not a heck of a lot. it’s still significant, but it ain’t a billion. but the worker starts whaling on his debtor and demanding his money.

in Jesus’s parable, the boss who forgave the huge debt is told of this guy demanding his $20,000, and has him arrested. it’s ingratitude of the highest order.

what God has done for us in canceling out our sin should cause us to forgive sin in other people. it should cause us to be patient, long-suffering, gentle, kind, to rejoice in the truth, not to envy or boast. to be anything less, anything else, is to be unloving.

and that is to hate God, for it is to despise what God has done and the great gift He has given us.]

And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

[God’s love brings change. God’s grace brings change. if we’re forgiven, we have to act like it. we are commanded to live as redeemed people. if we claim to love God, we have to show that through our horizontal relationships.

there are a whole lot of Christian books and Christian authors who talk about what it means to love our brothers, because we all need help at it. but God is gracious and God is love; therefore, we will display grace and love.]

[hobbitsetal]

4:16-19

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us.

[okay. regular devotions. it’s a command, not a suggestion. also i got convicted by a Brad Bigney sermon from his series on work.]

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

[we know and believe because of Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection, because of the indwelling Spirit, because of the nature of God...because God keeps us in Him. nobody can ever question the love of God.]

By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.

[”by this”, that is, by abiding in God, Who abides in us. Clarke puts it well:  “By God dwelling in us, and we in him; having cast out all the carnal mind that was enmity against himself, and filled the whole heart with the spirit of love and purity. Thus the love is made perfect; when it thus fills the heart it has all its degrees; it is all in all; and all in every power, passion, and faculty of the soul.”

God abides in me. Romans 8:1-2, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” therefore, at the day of judgment, we can stand before God in the righteousness of Christ.]

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

[Albert Barnes puts it best: “It is guilt that makes people fear what is to come; but he whose sins are pardoned, and whose heart is filled with the love of God, has nothing to dread in this world or the world to come.”

if we understand the love of God in some small degree, then we understand that Jesus already bore, to the fullest extent, our punishment--that we stand stainless before God. someone once pointed out that it would actually be unjust of God to exact punishment from His redeemed people, for Jesus has paid already. and God is perfectly just in all His ways.

Christ died so that we could stand before God. God looks on us, His children, and sees the righteousness of Christ. we are not blank slates. Jesus’s good deeds and goodness are imputed to us.]

We love because he first loved us.

[there ya go.]

[hobbitsetal]

4:13-16

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

[it’s an echo of 1 John 3:24, as Adam Clarke pointed out: “Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.”

God commands us to love one another as He has loved us. whether by putting others’ needs ahead of yourself, by speaking truth in love even when it’s scary or difficult, or by demonstrating grace in the face of other people’s sins, loving one another shows that we are God’s people, sealed with His Spirit and redeemed by His blood.]

And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

[my bf would get really excited over the Trinitarian implications in these verses. however, i don’t think that’s the focus. in context, John is discussing the concept of God as love, and as the source of love. and the proof of that love is Jesus coming to save the world. that’s honestly one of those things i don’t think any Christian can ever over-think. 

God came to sinful humanity, a people so evil He once wiped all but eight of them from the face of the planet, lived intimately among them, became one, and then suffered the most excruciating death possible to be able to make them His. that’s a heck of a love story, y’all. think of the worst thing you’ve ever done, the most shameful thing you’ve ever committed, and then realize this: God chose to die to wipe that out and make you beautiful.]

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

[i’ve been reading a lot this year about the profound centrality of the gospel. it’s one of those things evangelicals tend to put as a one-and-done deal: you get saved, you move on to other doctrines.

but Tim Keller, my pastor Casey, other people whose names aren’t coming to mind, have all emphasized that everything flows from the fact that we are redeemed by God. we are more sinful than we ever dared to believe, and we are loved beyond what we can ever comprehend. 

and one of the key components of the gospel is that Christ is God, and He is God the Son. to confess Christ as the Son of God carries deeper implications than just “yeah, Joseph wasn’t His dad.” i’d argue that it implies Jesus’s divinity.]

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.

[God is always good. God always loves us. even in the most painful circumstances, we know that He loves us. He proved it at the cross. He proves it every day. He proves it with that one friend who says hi and brightens your bad day. He proves it with the random free coffee you get. (my mom refers to those kinds of things as “happies from God”.) He proves it with that sense of conviction and shame that hits you when you sin. He proves it with that urge to go out of your way to be loving to someone. He proves it with the breath in your lungs and the sun rising and the food available.

God is sovereign. God is good. and God loves you. don’t ever forget.]

[hobbitsetal]

4:1-3

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.

[aaaaand let’s break the commentators back out...]

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

[Clarke, Barnes, and Coffman, from my cursory skim, all agree that John doesn’t have actual spirits in mind.

to quote Clarke, “Do not be forward to believe every teacher to be a man sent of God. As in those early times every teacher professed to be inspired by the Spirit of God, because all the prophets had come thus accredited, the term spirit was used to express the man who pretended to be and teach under the Spirit's influence. See 1 Corinthians 12:1-12; 1 Timothy 4:1.”

to quote Coffman, “means every false prophet, or every false teacher pretending, or seeming, to be inspired. It is a gross misinterpretation of this passage to understand John here as "speaking not of men, but of spirits."[3] The final clause of the verse states flatly that the "false prophets" were in view.”

so the overall meaning of the passage is not to accept someone simply because they claim to be teaching God’s Word, but to compare their words to Scripture and see if it matches up.

this is why i disagree with the Catholic Church, and with people who say you have to be a scholar to read the Bible. yes, there are interpretative difficulties. yes, you have to study the art of reading the Bible. yes, you can read it and draw wrong conclusions. but if you don’t know it at all, you can be mislead colossally.

read the Bible. read commentaries. ask God for wisdom. James promises that He will give wisdom, and that is an absolute promise. ask, and He will be delighted to bestow, will be delighted to illuminate His Word. that is one of the chief works of the Holy Spirit--to give us understanding.]

By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

[well that’s pretty simple. Clarke’s commentary is brief, as well: “We know that the man who teaches that Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah, and that he is come in the flesh, is of God - is inspired by the Divine Spirit; for no man can call Jesus Lord but by the Holy Ghost.”

Barnes gets into refuting the Docetism heresy, the idea that Jesus did not actually come to earth as a man, but was a mere phantasm. the mystery of Christ is that He was 100% human, and 100% God.  Hebrews 5:7 speaks to this: “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications...”

if Jesus were not fully man, He would not be identified with us perfectly. He would not be the representative of our race, and He would therefore not be a fitting sacrifice. the blood of bulls and goats sufficed to pay for our sins for a time, but it wasn’t enough. that’s why the Israelites had to sacrifice so frequently--animals aren’t worth as much as humans. but Christ, being a perfect Man, was able to pay for us. and Christ, being God, was able to pay for all of us, because He is infinite.]

and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.

[the Docetism heresy, for one. heresies that deny the deity of Christ, for another. Barnes puts it very well: “That is, this doctrine is essential to the Christian system; and he who does not hold it cannot be regarded either as a Christian, or recognised as a Christian teacher. If he was not a man, then all that occurred in his life, in Gethsemane, and on the cross, was in “appearance” only, and was assumed only to delude the senses. There were no real sufferings; there was no shedding of blood; there was no death on the cross; and, of course, there was no atonement. A mere show, an appearance assumed, a vision, could not make atonement for sin; and a denial, therefore, of the doctrine that the Son of God had come in the flesh, was in fact a denial of the doctrine of expiation for sin.”

but our God did come in the flesh. our God was fully human and fully divine. and our God suffered on our behalf and paid what we could never dream of paying. 

glory to God alone!]

[hobbitsetal]

4:7-9

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.

[God transforms people. Christians are made different from other people. the most striking thing about a Christian ought to be the love they have for other people.]

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

[1 Corinthians 134-7, the famous love passage, comes to mind: “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

but the really fascinating thing about that passage is how it’s reminiscent of Galatians 5, the fruits of the Spirit passage: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

if we are born again, if we know God, if we are truly Christian, these are the traits that should mark our lives. this is the kind of love we need to show each other.]

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

[not that if i ever fail to be patient with my loved ones, i’m suddenly no longer a Christian. not that if i have a resentful attitude, i’ve been masquerading all along. but if it’s normal for me to be impatient, if i’m always resentful, if pointing out that this behavior isn’t Christlike doesn’t cause me to repent and change? then yeah, i’d question my salvation.

there’s always a before and after with Christians. there’s always a change. God is in the business of conforming us to the image of Christ, and this is what Christ looks like: perfect Love.]

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.

[and we can never question the love of God. He settled it in the most public, most painful way possible. He settled it though we did not deserve any degree of love, but rather His great enmity.

He gave us life and brought us out of death. He changes our rude, selfish, nasty, evil hearts and makes us kind, selfless, glorious, and good.

this is my God. this is Who i serve. this is Who loves me. and because He loves me, how can i not overflow with love and joy for my fellow humans?]

[hobbitsetal]

3:19-22 (adding 16-18 for context)

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 

[eyyy, look who’s actually getting back to a Bible study! go me.]

By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.

[my queen mother used to tell me that our consciences either accuse or excuse us. “by this”, meaning “by our deeds and by the way we show the love of God, we will know we are His.”

my father said that before he was a Christian, he never had a problem with sin. if we struggle with sin, that in itself is evidence that God has sovereignly loved and chosen us. where our heart may say, “i can’t believe i did that; that was such an evil thing to do”, God can say, “it’s by My grace that you don’t do it more.”]

God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;

[sometimes it’s a good thing when our consciences accuse us. sometimes it’s a compass, of sorts, telling us we need to point back toward God. sometimes there’s something we need to repent of.

and the incredible thing about God is that He already knows everything we’ve ever done or will do. so when we come to Him to confess sins, He already knows them. and He already paid for them. and when we confess our sins and know that He forgives us, we can be perfectly confident that He loves us.]

and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 

[a’ight. this is not “ask God for a Mercedes-Benz!” this is “ask God for forgiveness, wisdom, the fruits of the Spirit, strength, our daily needs, and He will give them to us.” (not to say that God won’t give a Mercedes; it’s just not generally what Scripture is indicating when it tells us to ask for things.”

the point of keeping His commandments and doing what pleases Him is becoming more like Christ. the point is loving God as He loves us. the point is showing that love as Christ demonstrates perfect love within the Godhead--through perfect obedience.

and as John says in the next chapter, “we love because He first loved us.” 

what is the first Commandment? “love the Lord your God with all your heart, strength, mind, and soul,” and the second is like it: “love your neighbor as yourself.” we show our love for God by our love for our neighbors.

we keep His commandments because we love Him, because He loves us.]

[hobbitsetal]

4:9-12

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 

[”this” being Christ’s appearance in the world, because i spent a good minute trying to figure out what “in this” was referring to. i need coffee.

but think about that a minute. the holy, perfect God, Who does not dwell among sinful men, Who has a tabernacle that only the high priest may enter (and at that, with a rope around his ankle in case God strikes him dead), the God Who is perfect and cannot abide our sin...that God took on flesh and lived intimately with us.

He nursed at Mary’s breast. He shared meals with people. this holy God let sinful people touch Him because He loved us so much, He was going to wipe out our sins.]

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

[in what universe could we have paid for our crimes? in what universe has man ever even wanted to pursue God, apart from the action of God Himself to draw that man to Him?

even if we desire to chase God, apart from the Holy Spirit it remains a purely self-interested desire. we don’t want to go to Hell. we want the benefits that come from following God. we want to be seen as “good citizens” or “better than you”, or what have you. there’s no true love for God Himself. there’s no desire to learn more about the Creator of the universe, no desire to please Him, to show love.

but God loves us. and God’s love brings change. and God changed the game utterly by taking everything out of our hands (not that it was ever in our hands) and coming down personally to pay for our sins. He appeased Himself. Christ on the cross suffered the just wrath of a most holy God to pay for us. 

and because He did that, God can dwell among us.]

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

[aaaaaand this verse makes me screm. what’s the logical conclusion to “God loves me”? I ought to love God, naturally. but the Lord is bigger than that. we ought to love each other, He says. it’s the parable of the unforgiving servant again (Matthew 18:23-35). we’ve been forgiven such an unimaginable amount, how could we possibly hold our brother’s sin against him??]

No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

[we are the love of God. we are the best representative of Who God is to an unbelieving world. the earth witnesses to His majesty and creativity, the Bible details His great deeds and some small measure of His attributes, but for most people? all they’re gonna know about God is that oh yeah, neighbor Bob says he’s a Christian.

the Christian neighbor who chooses to forgive when your kids ruin his lawn. the Christian neighbor who makes a little extra effort when a lady has a baby, and brings her some food, maybe cleans her house. the Christian neighbor who comes out at dark-thirty to help you when your car breaks down. 

the Christian neighbor who’s so incredibly loved by God, he can’t help overflowing with love and joy.]