CHAPTER 2

          Great to have you back once again to share some more Daily Bread! In the first chapter of John’s first letter, John urges us, as we walk in the light, that we need to confess our sins continually, and allow the blood of Christ to cleanse us, bringing us out of darkness. Not only should we walk in the light, but we must walk in love, in the image of our Father. Love was a very important thing to John, as you can tell when you read his Gospel, because he refers to himself several times as the disciple that Jesus loved. Let’s read on and see what John’s message is about love.

          Brethren, this is nothing new that I write to you, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. (Now, John is talking about when Jesus said John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give to you, That you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another.) But, there is a new commandment that I write to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is past and the true light now shines. Whoever claims to be in the light, and hates his brother, is really still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is no need for stumbling in him. But he that hates his brother is in darkness, he walks in darkness and doesn’t know where he’s going, because darkness has blinded his eyes.

I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one.

I write to you, little children, because you have known the Father.

I have written to you, fathers, because you have known Him that is from the beginning.

I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the Word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.

          What does this mean, love not the world. You may be wondering because that ever so popular Bible verse, John 3:16 says, For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Love not the world, is referring to the things that the world teaches. Don’t love things that are ungodly, or any of the things that satan blinds people into believing are acceptable, and are not. It doesn’t mean that you can’t love the countryside or the ocean breeze or a partly cloudy 77° day.

          Little children, time nears the end: and as you have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; so by this we realize that the end is near. They (people who are against Christ) went out from us, but they were not of us. They left us, but they were not part of us; for if they had been part of us, they would no doubt have stayed with us: but they went out, so they’d be made obvious that they were not all part of us. In other words, they may have been friends or family even, but they definitely weren’t Christians.

          But you have an anointing (spiritual passion) from the Holy One, and you know all things. (The Holy Spirit gives you instinct to discern who is a deceiver.) I haven’t written to you because you don’t know the TRUTH, but because you do know it, and there is no dishonesty in the TRUTH. Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son, doesn’t know the Father: he that acknowledges the Son knows the Father also.