1, 2, & 3 John, and Jude

Karen got home yesterday! =)

1 and 2 John are about love. 3 John is a thank you for supporting missionaries. Jude is a warning against false teachers that have infiltrated the church with their message.

Love is defined as what God has shown to us, not what we show to him. True love is demonstrated in actions. We all need God's love because we all have sinned. If we say we didn't, it's the same as accusing God of being a liar.

The false teachers in Jude were spreading the message that because God treats us much better than we deserve, we can go on sinning and being immoral, because he will forgive. They were also going so far to say that Jesus was not Lord.

This is similar to Paul's caution, that we shouldn't sin so that grace could increase. As I've read through these past few letters, one message is consistent: our acceptance of God's love for us and our desire to follow him needs to be demonstrated by a commitment to him, which is evidenced in our actions and day to day life. There needs to be a change. We may continue to make mistakes and fall short of living up to the standard of 'holy,' but God's grace is big enough to cover us. But our intent needs to be to please him.

Jude ends his letter with a great encouragement in verses 24 and 25: "Offer praise to God our Savior because of our Lord Jesus Christ! Only God can keep you from falling and make you pure and joyful in his glorious presence. Before time began and now and forevermore, God is worthy of glory, honor, power, and authority. Amen."