Friday 02 January 2009
- Bible Book:
- 1 John
"Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; everyone who confesses the Son has the Father also." (v.22-23)
Background
The whole letter is best read as the writer intended. Itconsists of four sections in symmetrical arrangement: the outer twosections correspond to each other around two inner sections whichcorrespond. (This structure is termed 'chiasm' and the arrangementof ABBA is its earliest classical form.)
A 1:1 - 2:14 GOD IS LIGHT; LIVE INLIGHT
B 2:15 - 3:10 LOVE NOT THE WORLD
B' 3:11 - 4:13 LOVE ONE ANOTHER
A' 4:14 - 5:20 GOD IS LOVE; LIVE INLOVE
Each section is composed of three parts:
A A 1:1-10; B 2:1-6; B' 2:7-14
B A 2:15-23; B 2:24-3.1; B' 3:2-10
B' A 3:11-17; B 3:18-4.3; B' 4:4-13
A' A 4:14-21; B 5:1-12; B' 5:13-20
The appointed reading cuts across two parts. You may like to read
The subject of 'Love not the world' (
'Love not the world' has to be understood as the writer intended.He is not saying that we do not have to love the world and preserveit for future generations. The writer is emphatic: we must be waryof what constitutes 'desire'. We are not to be blinded by theworld's riches.
The subject of 'Love one another' (
To Ponder
What does 'Love not the world' and 'Love oneanother' mean in regard to our everyday living? How could you applythis to your life?
How does this translate in terms of the time wespend on one thing or another? What do we put first in our livesand why?