John gently nudges us by reminding us of the deep truths about Jesus. Jesus is the Righteous One, our Advocate with the Father, the atoning sacrifice for the whole world. With this in mind, John stresses what Jesus stressed in his gospel's account of the Last Supper: that we should obey His commands and love one another. Once again, love and obedience are central to John's understanding of Jesus' message.
There is also an undercurrent of spiritual warfare here. Jesus has come as God's light against evil. John recognizes that there is opposition to Christ. Sometimes this comes from the world (vs. 16) and sometimes it comes from the spirit of antichrist (vs. 22). John urges us to resist evil in whatever form it presents itself. If we remain in the Son and in the Father, John promises, we will receive eternal life.
As someone who also has in common with John the spiritual care of Christian believers, I can strongly relate to his concern for "continuing" or "remaining" in the faith. It is so disheartening to see people who were once running a good race falter and drop out. Perseverance is a very under-rated value.
Now, here's some fodder for your reflection. You have doubtlessly heard some critics say, "The Bible is full of contradictions," although they rarely advance an example or evidence. But how do you reconcile these two verses we find in John's writings?
- John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
- I John 1:15 "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
What do you think? Is this a conflict?
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