Commentary on "Jesus and the Johannine Letters"

COLLEEN TINKER

 

Day 2: Sunday, June 28, 2009

The lesson introduces the writer, the apostle John, and explains why scholars believe he was the author even though he does not give his name. The lesson concludes by pointing out that John loved and cared for his readers and stresses that his model is a lesson for us to develop kind, caring relationships with people. The day's thought questions ask, "Maybe you have propositional truth? That's good, but how much love and concern for others come with your expression of that truth?"

 

Problems

Again, this lesson does not explain how to develop the sort of love it extols in the apostle John. The lesson makes a distinction between having propositional truth and love and concern for others.

It is ironic that Seventh-day Adventism claims to have propositional truth when its core doctrines of the investigative, pre-advent judgment, the requirement of "keeping" Saturday as the mark of loyalty to God, and its doctrine of soul-sleep which denies that any part of man survives his death except as he is recorded in God's memory cannot be supported by Scripture. Moreover, their core doctrines are endorsed by their extra-biblical "messenger" who claimed to speak to the early Adventists for God.

Foundationally, Adventism is incongruent with the Christian faith. One cannot build principles for Christian living on top of a foundation that is disjunct from the Christian faith and end up with classic Christianity.

The love which John demonstrates and which Jesus taught is possible only when one is born again by being brought to spiritual life by the indwelling Holy Spirit when one accepts Jesus' sacrifice as the atonement for one's sin (John 3:3-5; Ephesians 1:13-14) and is then united with God through His Spirit who gives us Christ's own resurrection life (Romans 8:10-11). Being born again is entirely an act of God; it is not equated with baptism or even with one's "decision". Being born again is a miracle that accompanies placing one's trust entirely in Jesus alone.

(See Day 1 for further exploration of Christian love.)

 

Summary

• It is not possible to "have" propositional truth and also hold to non-biblical doctrines.
• Adventism is incongruent with the Christian faith.
• Only being born again—being brought to spiritual life by the indwelling Holy Spirit when one places saving faith in the Lord Jesus—yields the sacrificial, selfless love demonstrated by John.

 

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