Saturday 05 July 2008

Background

The first letter of John was written to challenge the heresiesof Gnosticism that were rife in the area around Ephesus and werechallenging Christian teachings. Gnosticism was a popular religioussect that taught that divinely revealed knowledge was the way for aperson's spirit to escape from the world. But it could notreconcile Christ's deity with Jesus' humanity. Jesus could not beboth fully human and divine.

In this section of the letter the author is suggesting thateveryone needs to test what they are being taught and firmly statesbelief in the incarnation - that Jesus Christ has come, in theflesh, from God. He was both God and fully human.

In the global village in which we live today we are surrounded by aplethora of belief systems - many more than just this one that waschallenging the early Christians - and it is right that we test thethings we hear both from within our Christian traditions and in ourrelationship with those of other faiths. But what do we test themagainst?

For me, it is the actions that result from faith in God thatprovides an indication of someone's truthfulness. Much of 1 Johnspeaks of love in action, primarily through the life and death ofJesus who has brought salvation and love to the world. Where peoplejoin together in acts of love and compassion, God is in theirmidst.

These could be people of any faith or none but they are living out,whether they know it or not, the teaching of Jesus Christ.

To Ponder

Where do you see the actions of faith and love inthe world around you?

In your experience, in what ways is Jesus fullyhuman and yet also fully God?