Tuesday 29 December 2009
- Bible Book:
- 1 John
"We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life." (v.1)
Background
The theme of embodiment runs through John's first epistle, orletter. It is with the body - the eyes, the ears, the hands - thatJohn says he has been able to testify to the word of life. It isthrough Jesus' blood that John proclaims sin is cleansed. And theinternalisation of the word is the aim of John's message. Johnsays, "If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, andhis word is not in us". He also talks about the truth being insideus - "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and thetruth is not in us."
But the most important embodiment is that of love. In 1 John 4,John explains, "Beloved, let us love one another, because love isfrom God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoeverdoes not love does not know God, for God is love. God's love wasrevealed among us in this way: God sent his only son into the worldso that we might live through him" (1 John 4:7-9).
Through the embodiment of God in human form as Jesus we experiencelove, just as we do through the life of the Holy Spirit, which Johnsays abides in us - "God is love, and those of us who abide in loveabide in God, and God abides in them" (1 John 4:16).
To Ponder
What does love mean to you?
How do you experience love working in you, and inthe external world around you?