1 John 5:21 [21] “Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” John is closing this great epistle with a final word of warning. He reminds us to keep ourselves from idols. This may seem like a warning that would not be relevant for us today. I am sure that most readers would say that they do not have wooden statues, or graven idols, hanging on their wall, or sitting on the mantle in their living room. Most of us would agree that we do not bow down to an image each morning, or pray to idols of this kind. Although …

1 John 5:20 [20] “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” Our verse contains two great finds, and two great facts. First, we that are saved have found the Son of God, and through him we have found spiritual understanding. These are riches that money cannot buy! To be saved, and have understanding removes all fear, and gives us hope in …

1 John 5:19 [19] “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.” When you read this verse, notice that there are two separate truths placed before us. The first truth is about the saved, and the second truth is about the sinner. We are reminded of the great difference between the child of God, and the world that we live in. While we may be in this world, we are definitely not of this world. As the song writer has said, “This world is not my home”.  God’s children live in complete assurance …

1 John 5:18 [18] “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.” I see two facts, in this verse, that prove that a believer belongs to Christ. What a blessing to be able to read the Bible and find the blessed assurance that we have been born again. This gives us great comfort, and victory, over the wicked one mentioned here in our text.  The first fact is that a true child of God cannot continue on a course of sin, without …

1 John 5:17  [17] “All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.” The question is often asked, “Does the Bible say this is wrong?” Or, you might have heard this one, “Where in the Bible does it say that this is sin?” Usually these questions are attached to hard subjects with little reference to them, if any at all. They are gray areas that most would rather avoid than try to answer. Others feel that if they cannot find a chapter and verse that spells it out in black and white, they can automatically assume that …