44 Days Through the New Testament – Day 39

2 Peter 2 – 1 John 1

Like Peter, John is one of the inner three who had the incredible privilege of spending so much personal, intimate time with the LORD while He lived and breathed and walked the earth. When John writes, he doesn’t just write in theory. He writes from personal experience.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life

1 John 1:1, ESV

Sadly, Christianity is often construed in a negative light. Christianity is often unfairly pitted against “science” in some strange face-off that really makes no logical sense. Christianity and “science” are not at odds. True science requires observation. It requires touch. It requires hearing.

John, like a sound scientist, lays out his logical case by starting with the fact that he physically heard, saw, and touched Jesus. The things that Jesus did and the things that Jesus said, they are not fairy tales. They are not made up. They were observed first-hand by many, many witnesses.

Not only was Jesus a living, breathing, observable human being, but He was also the word of life! He was the word of God in the flesh! Just ask John. He saw Him first-hand.

1 John 2-4

I don’t know where the Apostle John ever got the reputation for being a flowery, poetic, almost hippy-ish easy-going peace-child. He was far from that. He was as prophetic as any Biblical author. He saw things in pure black & white.

Personally, I appreciate his straightforward approach.

whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

1 John 2:6, ESV

I would say that is pretty straightforward. If you say that you abide in Christ, then you ought to walk in the same way in which Christ walked.

Well… I certainly want to abide in Christ, so I guess I had better get walking!