THE BOOKS OF I, II, & III JOHN

John |jän| noun an Apostle; son of Zebedee and brother of James; known as St. John the Evangelist or St. John the Divine. He is traditionally credited with having written the fourth Gospel, Revelation, and three epistles of the New Testament. 

These three books are known as the letters of love. 

The author of 1, 2, and 3 John was the Apostle John, the brother of James. John was also known as the disciple Jesus loved. 

John understood something that a lot of people miss out on and he wrote about it in these books. He understood the importance of having a deep, authentic relationship with Christ. And he understood the power of living in God’s LOVE. 

No other book in the Bible so clearly describes this truth: God is love! 

“God is LOVE, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 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. 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.” 1 John 4:16-18

Perfect love casts out fear. When we accept God's love for us—knowing we are completely loved, just as we are—we learn to live in His love. We know we’re not perfect, but as we live in God, our LOVE becomes more like His as we learn to love the way He does. 

Learning to love the way God does means learning how to give this love away. God gives us His love, not just for us, but for others too… 

“We love each other because He loved us first. 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? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters.” 1 John 4:19-21 

Everything we do should be rooted in love. After all, the God we serve is the source of love itself. His love is the very reason He sent His Son, Jesus, for us. 

“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. 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.” 1 John 4:9-10 (NLT)

Pray with me today, as we grow to understand this incredible love… 

Dear Lord, help me to understand Your love. Help me to love others the way You love them. Help me to see others the way You see them. I know You—so I know what true love is. I pray everything I do would be rooted in love. Help me to put others’ needs above my own. Help me to be kind and generous with my time, talent, and treasure. Thank You for loving me and teaching me what true love is. Amen!  

XO-

Sabrina