Category: 1 John
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Walk in the Covenant
In Deuteronomy, Moses recounts God’s establishment of His covenant with His people and the giving of the Ten Words. He walks them through a covenant renewal ceremony, rehearsing Israel’s disobedience and urging them to trust God, to obey, and to remember what God has done for them in their deliverance from bondage in Egypt. Moses […]
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The Implanted Word
Jesus points to the shema‘, the Hear, O Israel, as the greatest commandment, “You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” And the second is like it, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” All the rest of the Law and Prophets is an expansion […]
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The Heart with the Treasure
It’s easy to see the law as harsh and oppressive. Martin Luther counted it as an enemy sided with the flesh and the devil, set against us to destroy us. It’s understandable. We are sinners. We have broken the law. We carry guilt with us. So, when we read things like, if you turn away […]
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Brother’s Blood
In chapter three of John’s first letter, he draws a clear line between the righteous and the unrighteous. He lays it out in black and white, not black and shades of black, or white and off-white. Those who practice sinning are of the devil and those who practice righteousness are of God, children of God. […]