1My dear children, I write th...

1My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. - P26

5But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him:

6Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. - P26

10Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.

11But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.

- P27

The writer says he writes so that believers will not sin, but if anyone does, theyhave an advocate with the Father. He writes that the evidence that someoneknows God is their obedience to His commands. Those who claim to live inthe light must love their brothers and sisters. Hatred is evidence of darknessand blindness. - P27

John encourages the believers not to sin. He reminds them that the evidence that we truly know Jesus is our obedience to His commands. Disobeying Him while claiming to walk with Him is hypocrisy. In other words, what assures us of the genuineness of our faith in Jesus is obedience to Him. - P28

Faith is not inherited from our parents or acquired by growing up in a Christian culture or attending church. - P28

What identifies a true believer is whether their life aligns with and is patterned after the life of Christ. Those who say they follow Jesus must live as Jesus did. - P28

As we mature in faith, we should be growing to become more like Him in character and service. - P28

Someone who hates others is still in the darkness, even though they claimto be in the light. To love one‘s fellow believers is to walk in the light andtherefore be less likely to stumble. If anyone claims to be a Christian butdoes not love others, this puts their Christian faith into question. Theirattitude shows that they are still blinded by darkness (v. 11).  - P28

When we giveour life to Jesus, we are filled with the Holy Spirit, who gives us the capacityto love others. This is why John says that loving others is a marker of truefaith.  - P28

When conflicts or misunderstandings arise, settle the issue quicklyand peacefully, letting God work greater Christlikeness in you and in thosearound you - P28

Father God, You call me to live as Jesus did, but I fall short of this calling so many times. Empower me with Your Holy Spirit to restore my broken relationships and serve others with compassion just as Jesus came not to be served but to serve. In His name, amen. - P29

1That which was from the begi...

1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.

2The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.

3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

- P22

4We write this to make our joy complete.

5This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. - P22

7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

- P23

8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. - P23

When the apostle John wrote this epistle, false teachers were claiming that Jesus was a spirit and did not exist in a fully human body. So, the first point John makes as he introduces his letter is that Jesus came in the flesh. Like most writers of the New Testament, John was an eyewitness with the authority to claim that this is true: Jesus is fully human and fully God. - P24

During His earthly life, He experienced the events recorded in the Gospels. He ate and talked and walked and performed miracles in real historical places, many of which still exist today. One cannot be considered a Christian without believing in this reality (v. 3). - P24

God is light, meaning He is holy and without any impurity. Just like turn-ing on a light banishes the darkness, God‘s purity and sin‘s impurity cannotcoexist. No one can claim to have fellowship with God and yet walk inthe darkness. Those who walk in God‘s light walk in fellowship with otherbelievers and trust in the blood of Jesus to purify them from all sin.  - P24

Whenour lives display holiness, it shows that we truly have fellowship with Godand one another. We also need humility in our fellowship because none ofus can claim perfection by God‘s standards (v. 8).  - P24

We are dependent uponJesus for forgiveness in order to continue in fellowship with God and withHis people. - P24

Heavenly Father, it is only by Your grace that I dare to approach Your throne or even call You my Father. I know that when I come to You in humble confession, You forgive me and welcome me as Your child. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, amen. - P25

[오늘의 한문장] 오늘도 마음연습

자기 비난은 채찍이 아니라 ‘‘다. 진정한 성장은 자기 연민과 건설적인 피드백에서 나온다. 자기 비난에 빠진 사람은실패할까 두려워 새로운 도전을 피한다. 창의성도 떨어지고, 비판이 무서워 위축되고, 우울과 불안이 늘어나며, 타인과의 관계도 나빠진다. 자신을 미워하는 사람이 어떻게 타인을 온전히사랑할 수 있겠는가! - P32

[오늘의 한문장] 오늘도 마음연습

우리는 자신을 미워하는 걸 겸손, 혹은 발전의 동력이라고착각한다. 하지만 그것은 ‘자기파괴‘일 뿐이다. - P30

가뭄의 장기화라는 위기 자체가 종교적 분위기의 변화를...

가뭄의 장기화라는 위기 자체가 종교적 분위기의 변화를 촉진했을 수도 있다. 경제 위기 역시상당수의 백성 사이에서 야훼를 더욱 배타적이고 공격적으로 신봉하는 변화가 일어나는 데 기여했을 수 있으며, 그런 변화는 농민들의가장 강력한 지지를 받았을 것이다. 이 이야기에서 엘리야는 가난한사람 17장에 속하며, 바알을 숭배하는 엘리트들이 무자비하게 착취한전통적인 농업 공동체의 경제적 이익을 대변한다. 21장 - P341

전체적으로 볼 때 후기(기록) 예언서(이사야서부터 말라기서까지)는 전기 예언서 (여호수아서부터 열왕기까지)의 일부인 열왕기와 같은시기를 다룬다. 이 두 가지 정경의 단위는 구별되면서도 보완적이다.
이 둘은 주전 8세기부터 6세기까지 이스라엘과 유다의 통합 역사에관한 두 가지 예언적 개관이다. 이 책들은 왕의 녹을 받지 않는 독립예언자들의 목소리가 어떻게 야훼의 이름으로 주어진 도전, 곧 이스라엘 국가 지도자들의 근시안적인 종교적, 정치적 정책과 그들을 무비판적으로 따르는 이들의 잘못된 경건과 애국심에 대한 도전으로등장하게 되었는지 보여준다.  - P349

전기 예언서와 후기 예언서의 가장 중요한 차이점은 산문과 시의 차이에 있을 것이다. 산문은 전기 예언서에서, 시는 후기 예언서에서 우세하다. 하지만 성서 문학에서 이 두 가지 담론 방식은 극과극이라기보다는 연속선상에 있는 경우가 많다.  - P350

 머레이 리히텐슈타인Murray Lichtenstein 은 성서의 시가 지닌 특징을 통찰력 있게 기술한다. 그에 따르면 성서의 시는 본질적으로 하나의 "관계적 현상"이다. 왜냐하면 "그것은 그 형태와 내용을 통해 청중을 감정적 대화 속으로 직접적이고도 즉각적으로 끌어들이는 특별한 능력을 지니고 있기 때문이다 - P350

아모스의 메시지는 오늘날 관습적으로사용되는 단어의 의미에서 ‘예언자적‘이었다. 그는 엄청난 비전을 품고 사회 정의를 외치는 설교자였고, "힘없는 자를 학대하며 가난한자를 압제하며", 4:1 "정의를 쓴 쑥으로 바꾸며 공의를 땅에 던지는"57자들을 고발하는 공적 시인이었다. 아모스는 성서에서 정의를 가장탁월하게 설교한 예언자이므로, 마틴 루터 킹이 그의 말을 인용해 자신의 비전을 거듭 표현한 것은 당연했다.
오직 정의를 물 같이공의를 마르지 않는 강 같이 흐르게 할지어다. 5:24 - P353