Knowing the Truth
by Joey Carroll Corinth Missionary Baptist Church
Truth is difficult to come by these days. For instance, no matter what side of the political spectrum you find yourself in, if you were willing to be honest, you would have to admit that truth is not the goal of either party anymore. Instead, the parties desire influence. It’s worth it to both sides to hide the truth, or color it a little, if it will tear down the opponent or build up your side. Others would go so far as to say truth doesn’t matter, or that truth is relative, but that kind of thinking is obviously void of any real depth or intelligence.
Desire for Genuineness
by Joey Carroll Corinth Missionary Baptist Church
Genuineness is an attribute that everyone truly wants from others. We all are exhausted at the endless list of public figures who speak out of both sides of their mouth. We have all been hurt by individuals in our lives that have been so nice to our faces, only to turn right around and condemn us before others. But what about us? Do we have a Jekyll and Hyde, or are we truly genuine from the heart?
What is Love?
by Cody Anderson Corinth Missionary Baptist Church
As we continue discussing John’s contrast between love and hate, we now find ourselves at the love portion. We’ve talked about the negative – what it looks like to hate through the example of Cain and Abel. Now John wants us to consider the characteristic of love, and there is nowhere else we need to turn to other than to Christ Himself. Remember that John has already discussed how love and hate are not limited to just an emotion; rather, they are practical. The actions of people define who is God’s child and who belongs to the devil in a spiritual sense.
Do Not Be Surprised
by Cody Anderson Corinth Missionary Church
This is a good time to remember some of the over arching themes that we see in First John, mainly between light and darkness, love and hatred, truth and falsehood. These were all issues concerning the early Christian community to whom The Epistle of First John was written. These stark contrasts are ways to evaluate our spiritual well-being. Each end of the spectrum represents two totally different souls. Those who love, hold to truth and share the light, can rest on this evidence of their faith. The ones who hate, lie, and cling to the darkness have evidence of a dead soul. The text we are looking at is contrasting love and hate.
A Tale as Old as Time
by Cody Anderson Cornith Missionary Baptist Church
If you’ve been following along with the articles, you may have noticed that John has become very repetitive with the thought of loving one another. Last week’s article talked about there being two spiritual fathers and how their respective offspring are a reflection of their true spiritual father. Again, in these two simple verses, we will see what it means to love and how that relates to the Father.