You know sometimes when you read the Bible its easy for your eyes to glaze over and kinda skim read instead of understand read.. FOR me anyhow.. So this was something I did that just like makes the Bible so personal to me...
To: Jen
From: John
My dear Jen,
I am writing this to you so that you will not sin.
But if you do sin, you have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for your sins—and not only your sins but the sins of all the world.
And you can be sure that you know him if you obey his commandments.
If you claim, “I know God,” but you don't obey God’s commandments, then you are a liar and are not living in the truth. But if you obey God’s word you truly show how completely you love him. That is how you know you are living in him. If you say you live in God you should live your life just as Jesus did.
Dear Jen, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before. Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining.
If you claim, “I am living in the light,” but hate a Christian brother or sister,you are still living in darkness. If you love another brother or sister you are living in the light and you do not cause others to stumble. But if you hate another brother or sister you are still living and walking in darkness. If such is the case you do not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness.
I am writing to you - God’s child
because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.
I am writing to you because you are mature in the faith
because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.
I am writing to you who are young in the faith
because you have won your battle with the evil one.
I have written to you- God’s child
because you know the Father.
I have written to you who are mature in the faith
because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.
I have written to you who are young in the faith
because you are strong.
God’s word lives in your heart,
and you have won your battle with the evil one.
Jen,Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But if you do what pleases God you will live forever.
Dear Jen, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.
But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and you know the truth. So I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies. And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist.Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
So Jen, you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. And in this fellowship you will enjoy the eternal life he promised us.
I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray. But you have received the Holy Spirit,and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.
And now, dear Jen, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame.
Since you know that Christ is righteous, you also know that all who do what is right are God’s children.
