That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life. – 1 John 1:1
Scripture reading: 1 John 1:1–10
During Paul’s missionary work, he warned the churches of the danger from legalism. Having preached that salvation is by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, he discovered some converts had reverted to legalism due to the influence of false teachers who proclaimed another “gospel.”
John was the only living apostle after the martyrdom of Peter and Paul. He had settled in Ephesus during the last thirty years of the first century. He was not spared persecution since for part of those years, he lived as an exile on the Isle of Patmos. He authored the Gospel known by his name, three Letters and the Book of Revelation.
The Church was now threatened by a heresy, known as Gnosticism. The basic teaching of this cult was that evil resided in the material world and that freedom came through a special gnosis, a Greek word for a specific knowledge or enlightenment. In response to the threat of Gnosticism, John emphasized the reality of the Incarnation of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The Saviour possessed a real human body; He could be seen, heard and touched.
Christ’s mission was a redemptive one; it was to be accomplished by His vicarious sufferings and death on the Cross as an expiation for the sins of the world. That was necessary since there was no other way to deal with man’s sinfulness.
Nowadays, Christians encounter various heresies; it’s extremely necessary for the Church to proclaim the clear and unchanging message taught by the apostle John.
Suggestions for prayer
Ask God for discernment so that the Church would stand on the supreme and final authority of the Bible to withstand every attack!
This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Bassam Michael Madany has served as a missionary in Syria, and in 1958 he began a 36-year radio and literature ministry to the Arab world. After retirement Bassam & his wife Shirley began an Internet ministry, Middle East Resources, to provide a “Christian Response to the Global Challenge of Islam.”
