The
first section is from first chapter of John's account of the life of
Jesus.
Just
read it – it speaks to who Jesus was, where He came from, & His
whole purpose here.
It's
one of the most definitive descriptions in the Bible of who He is.
The
second section is a passage in Johns first letter which talks about
who was are as followers of Jesus & who we are in Him – iow, we
are to be people known as the people who love.
We're
NOT to be a lot of the things it seems Christians say we are supposed
to be.
In
this 4th
chapter in 1 John, John lays it out – we are supposed to be people
who love.
God's
love channeled through us defines us, & defines what we're
supposed to do.
Just
read them both.
Buckle
up – they are pretty strong passages.
Read
them slowly – read them more than once – take your time –
breathe – these are two of the most towering passages ever written
about Jesu, who we are, & what we are supposed to be.
I'm
not going to comment further – you don't need me to authenticate
them.
John 1
1 In
the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He
existed in the beginning with God.
3 God
created everything through him,
and nothing was created
except through him.
4 The
Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought
light to everyone.
5 The
light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can
never extinguish it.
6 God sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony.
8 John
himself was not the light;
he was simply a witness to
tell about the light.
9 The
one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming
into the world.
10 He
came into the very world he created, but the world didn't recognize
him.
11 He
came to his own people, and even they rejected him.
12 But
to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become
children of God.
13 They
are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion
or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
14 So
the Word became human and made his home among us.
He was full of unfailing love and
faithfulness.
And we have seen his glory, the
glory of the Father's one and only Son.
1 John 4
7 Dear friends,
let us continue to love one another,
for love comes from God.
Anyone who loves is a child of God and
knows God.
8 But anyone who
does not love does not know God,
for God is love.
9 God
showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the
world so that we might have eternal life through him.
10 This is real
love;
not that we loved God,
but that he loved us and sent
his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
11 Dear friends,
since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.
12 No one has
ever seen God.
But if we love each other,
God lives in us,
and his love is brought to full
expression in us.
13 And God has
given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us.
14 Furthermore,
we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent
his Son to be the Savior of the world.
15 All who
confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and
they live in God.
16 We know how
much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.
God is love,
and all who live in love live in
God,
and God lives in them.
17 And as we
live in God, our love grows more perfect.
So we will not be afraid on the day of
judgment,
but we can face him with
confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.
18 Such love has
no fear,
because perfect love expels
all fear.
If we are afraid, it is for fear of
punishment,
and this shows that we have not
fully experienced his perfect love.
19 We love each
other because he loved us first.
20 If someone says, "I love God," but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar;
for if we don't love people we
can see,
how can we love God, whom we
cannot see?
21 And he has
given us this command:
Those who love God must also
love their Christian brothers and sisters.
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