1 John 5:6-7

Is salvation a gift received by faith alone? Or, is it received by faith plus works, or in tandem with an emotional experience, or in some other way? Free grace proclaims that salvation is not earned. It is the free gift of God, the uncompromised and unrestricted favor of God toward sinners. Scriptures teach us that eternal life comes through the simple act of believing in Jesus Christ, God’s Son.

1 John is one of three letters written by John the Beloved, the same author as the Gospel of John and Revelation. Written as a response to false teaching in the church, John reminds his readers that just as God is both love and light, true believers are to show love and light to the world.

John, the last living apostle, wrote a Gospel. And it seems some people were distorting it. John writes to believers caught in the aftermath, bringing clarity and commentary on what he wrote. He shows them what it looks like to be people of light and life instead of people of death and darkness. This plan takes us through 1 John and how to live in the face of distorted Christianity.

Sometimes life hurts. Sometimes life is hard. Sometimes life can be dark. And it leaves its mark—like ashes of grief—in the deepest parts of our souls, where no one but God can really see. In this plan, Darcie Stephens, Finding Hope Coordinator for Hope is Alive Ministries, shares some of her own story of loving those in the midst of substance abuse and how God brought her HOPE.