But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist – denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginni

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – comes not from the Father but from the world. (verses 15-16) - Again, we come upon a contrasting tension – love of the world vs love of the Father. We can go with one or the other, but not both. It reminds us of Jesus’ own teaching: “No one can serve two masters. Eith

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (verses 1-2) - “I write this to you so that you will not sin.” Wow. What an amazing statement. What an amazing goal. As I think about all the possibilities for sin before me this very day – in thoug

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But 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. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithf

That 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. The 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. We 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 So

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. (verses 11-13) - The background to this passage is the cataclysmic end of t

But there were also false prophets among the people just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Sovereign Lord who bought them – bringing swift destruction upon themselves. (verse 1) - These strong words of warning lead into a whole chapter that alerts us to the poisoning corruption of false teachers and confirms the judgement that falls upon them. The danger is real and “their destruction has not been sl

We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honour and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. And we have the word of the prophets made more certain,

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (verses 10-11) - “You will receive a rich welcome.” What a warm, compelling phrase. Who wouldn’t want such a greeting? I remember about eight years back travelling with my wife all the way to England to meet our son. He’d spent more th

For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. (verses 8-9) - Peter urges us to pursue the layering on of spiritual qualities, one after another, drawing us closer and closer to our Lord, adding to our faith goodness, knowledge, self-contr

Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (verse 4) - (I’m lingering for several days on these verses in 2 Peter 1:3-11. They’ve become dear friends, often recited in my morning devotions.) Everything. (See yesterday’s post.) That’s what Peter has said. Everything we need for life and godliness has been given to us. Amazing. It

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who has called us by his own glory and goodness. (verse 3) - Think of the power of God. Power that, with a word, called light into existence and caused worlds to be. Power that sustains all creation, throughout all universes, in all time. Power whose creativity is repeated endlessly in infinite variations of snowflakes and fingerprints and sunsets and dawn-light. Power that ra

Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. - Simon Peter is a key player in Jesus’ ministry and in the development of the early church. He calls himself a “servant” of Jesus Christ, knowing that he has been specially chosen and called into service, and also an “a

With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it. She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark. Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ. - These are Peter’s final words in this letter. As he concludes, he mentions two men as close associates whom we’ve met elsewh

… All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. (verses 5-6) - There are two contexts for humility in these verses, each necessary, but difficult. The first, foundational, is humility toward God. “Humble yourselves … under God’s mighty hand.” This, of course, is the doorway to salvation in the

It's a day-off ... have an extra cup of coffee! We'll return tomorrow. - Photo by Mike Kenneally on Unsplash

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. (verses 10-11) - I grew up in a congregation with no one on paid pastoral staff, so we knew t

For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (verses 10-12) - To “love life and see good days” seems like an obvious choice. If so, here are three steps along the pathway: guard your tongue, gua

Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behaviour of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives … For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do no