Knowing Truth: Day 20
“20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” - 1st John 5:20-21
We are officially at the end of our journey through the book of 1st John. From learning that Christ is life made manifest, being challenged in our faith, being warned against false spirits, being compelled to love others, understanding the importance of community, and finally being confident in the assurance we have in Christ. John covered a lot of ground in this short five-chapter letter. John wanted his readers to be encouraged, and challenged, but more importantly, he wanted them to be confident in their knowledge of Christ. This is evident in how he closes his letter. “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding.” Through Christ’s first coming he revealed to us the great mystery in all of scripture. Himself. Though the Holy Spirit continues to teach us and illuminate the truth of scripture in our hearts, it boils down to a simple truth; Christ is the true living Son of God.
There were many religions that taught that their God was the true God. Yet John, knowing and having walked with Jesus, points to who the one true God is. He testifies to what he saw firsthand. He finishes his letter by acknowledging that Jesus came so that we may know the one true God. Christ revealing himself shows The Father. John draws the progression of salvation in his conclusion. Christ first, our understanding second, confidence and assurance thereafter. Christ came and lived a perfect life, died a gruesome death that we deserved, and rose again from the grave. Through his life, death, and resurrection our sins have been forgiven. We now have an advocate before The Father in Christ Jesus. We then come to full understanding and trust in what Christ did on our behalf. Through this, we are adopted as children of God.
Finally, John’s closing statement. “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” Continuing on the theme of being in the family of God. John writes this as his final piece of encouragement, instruction, and wisdom. We often fall into the trap of worshipping idols. We put things above the place of God in our lives. We get consumed with things of this world and begin to worship the idol of pride, selfishness, self-gratification, or rogue desires. This closing statement from John may seem a little random as it wasn’t necessarily his current topic. However, I do not think it is random at all. In light of everything that we have come to know through John’s letter, we must keep Christ first in our lives. We must not give ourselves away to the temptation of worshipping idols of this world. Rather, we have come to know the depths of God’s love and mercy, thus we must remind ourselves of this truth. How do you keep yourself from idols? Through coming to know the truth, knowing who the truth is. Through Christ.
DAY 21: Reflection. Take the last day to reflect on everything we have walked through. Don’t let this just be material you’ve read through, but truth to grow in.
