1 JohnSample

If you are familiar with the letters in the New Testament, they have this common characteristic of a greeting. I don’t know about you, but when I’m reading, I tend to skim through parts that I think are “less important” so I can get to the “important parts” as fast as possible. When I see a greeting, I can quickly skim over it, but if you do that with the start of 1 John, you will miss some incredibly, rich content because John wastes no time diving right in.

In these first four verses, John lays out some of the most significant ideas in understanding the gospel and what a relationship with Jesus can be.

The first thought that John introduces is that Jesus is God. Jesus isn’t just another religious teacher, prophet, or leader. He is more than that; Jesus is God. Not only is He God, but He is also God in human form, who experienced all the things we experience in life. Things like joy, sorrow, laughter, tears, hope, and loss, so Jesus understands what we’re going through. Through Jesus, we have access to a relationship with God, but not just any typical relationship, a relationship that can change everything about your life. In verse four, John talks about our joy being complete because of this relationship with Jesus.

In John 10:10, Jesus says, “...I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.” That is the life offered to all of us today through a relationship with Jesus, no matter where we’re at on our journey with God.

Prayer Points

• Because Jesus is fully God and fully human, He can understand what we’re experiencing, and He has the power to meet the needs in our lives.
• Take some time to reflect on areas of your life where you need the reminder that Jesus has been through what you are experiencing.
• Talk to Jesus about specific areas in your life where you need Him to move for you.
• Jesus came to give us life to the full. Ask Jesus to help you experience that today.