EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/13/2024 11:21 PM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-1 “Love As A Way of Life”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
1 John 2:9-11
Message of the verses: “9 The one who says
he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until
now. 10 The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause
for stumbling in him. 11 But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness
and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the
darkness has blinded his eyes.”
This evening I will be looking at the concluding portion
of the passage, John applies the test of supernatural love to those who claim
to be Christians, and as you look at these three verses you will know where he
is applying the test. It’s presence is a
sure indicator of transformation, salvation, and divine life. MacArthur writes that “The false teachers of
John’s day arrogantly claimed a higher knowledge of the divine nature and
communion with deity, but it produced only proud disdain for unenlightened,
common people. But the Christians, most
of whom were slaves or members of the working class (cf. 1 Cor. 1:26-29), were
the truly enlightened who demonstrated their true knowledge of God as they not
only loved one another, but reached out in love to those lost in sin’s darkness
(cf. Matt. 5:44; Luke 6:27, 35).”
Now
think about the truth that it is a meaningless boast for someone to say he is
in the Light if he (or she) hates his brother—meaning that he does not love
saints selflessly as God does—he is not in the divine kingdom of light but remains
in darkness until now. Now that does not
mean that he or she could become a true believer for if a person is alive they
will still have the opportunity to become a believer. Now on the other hand, the one who loves his
brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. Those that truly love and obey God’s Word and
also express selfless love to fellow believers are truly transformed; they are
not going to cause others to fall. I
know that this is one of the things that I desire not to do, that is cause a
fellow believer to fall. In the New
Testament stumbling refers to sinning and this can be seen in verses like
(Matt. 5:29-30; 13:41; 18:6, 8-9; Luke 17:2; John 16:1; 1 Cor. 8:13; and in Rev.
2:14). MacArthur concludes this by
writing “John used the term to explain that the person who truly loves others—as
as a reflection of his love for Christ—will not cause them to sin (cf. Rom.
13:8-10) or reject the gospel. So there
is a love that proves salvation, as the Son of God said, ‘A new commandment AI
give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also
love one another. But this all men will
know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another’ (John
13:34-35).
Lord willing we will be able to finish this section
in the next SD.
10/13/2024 11:44 PM
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