In real estate terminology, John’s letters do not enjoy the benefits of location, location, location. They’re small, tucked back by the concordance, somewhere after Paul and before Revelation.
While they’re often quoted, full of bite-sized nuggets you can grab in a pinch, as a whole they aren’t as well known. Furthermore, John’s letters can be hard to understand. I’ve often struggled with him: Why did you write that? What do you mean? Can you give this to me in layman terms?
Some of his words shake me to the core and in the next breath wash me with comfort. His warnings are fiery and his affirmations fatherly. Though his letters were written in another era, I’ve found his message squarely for today.
So whether you’ve come to these books because you already love John, are a fan of the notable verses, or have always wondered what those books near the back were about, I’m wholeheartedly ecstatic for you. Because I’m not sure if any other study has changed me so.
John’s themes of fellowship, light, assurance, abiding, and love are wonderfully grounding. And if you’ve ever heard words like atonement, propitiation, incarnation and thought they were only for smart, stuffy academics, you’ll discover how the meanings of these words have the power to change all of life for us.
John’s heart is pastoral, his voice pleading. He’s the coach who makes you stay after practice to run the bleachers, but only because he sees your potential. And his message couldn’t be timelier.
In an age when opinions fly at us unbridled, John gives us the immutable gift of truth. When science and philosophy and your social circles say you can’t really know God, John says, yes you can. Dear child, he continues, I’ve touched Him.
Where we’ve not only settled for living in the gray, but have formed our identity in it, John points us to light and dark—you’re walking in one or the other. And perhaps most importantly, at a time when the word love means just about anything under the sun, and therefore almost nothing, John tells us “this is what love is….”
And then he shows us Jesus.
From Kelly Minter’s NEW study What Love Is. Download a free sample!
Kelly Minter is an author, speaker, songwriter, and singer based in Nashville, Tennessee. She is passionate about women discovering Jesus Christ through the pages of Scripture. Kelly also partners closely with Justice and Mercy International (JMI)—a ministry that serves in the Amazon jungle. When home, her days are spent writing, cooking, gardening, enjoying her neighborhood, and loving her community. Check out all of Kelly’s Bible studies HERE!
