This One is the true God
and life eternal.
Little children,
guard yourselves from idols.
1 John 5:20f-21 lks
1 John 5:18-21
Outline:
We are able to guard ourselves from idols (21)…
…when we know who we are (18).
…when we know who we are from (19).
…when we know who we know (20)
We think of knowledge as a mental construct. I prove that I know by producing a list of facts. But this is an insufficient understanding of knowledge, for knowledge is not mere information. Knowledge is lived information. When we know math, we can figure the volume of a box. When we know history, we can make informed voting decisions. True knowledge always has a behavioral dimension.
So what does it mean to know who we are, who we are from, and who we know? At the very least this knowing is expressed in guarding ourselves from false gods. When I know these things, I do not seek worldly consolations. If I am seeking worldly consolations, the response is NOT trying harder to avoid them. The proper response is working hard at remembering who I am, who I am from, and who I know. The proper response is to gather with those who will remember with me. Together WE know who WE are, who WE are from, and who WE know. Following Jesus, being part of the people of God, is NEVER, and can never be, a solo affair. It always takes place in community, in relationship with one another and in relationship with the One who is the true God and eternal life.
Tag(s): lectio
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“Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” http://www.esv.org/
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