Author: Administrador

We were not the intended audience of Revelation. That is, John did not write primarily to modern Christians. After all, how could he have written to people living thousands of years later in a world radically different than his? Plus, why would the church have preserved these texts, pondered them, interpreted them if their intended … Continue reading “Revelation 1:4-8 Commentary by Eric Barreto”

Perhaps John could have packed more theological content into this little introductory passage, but we preachers may be grateful that he chose not to. Here we find more than enough to chew on: the timeless glory of God, the faithful ministry of Jesus Christ, the benefits of our salvation, our hope in Christ’s glorious return, … Continue reading “Revelation 1:4b-8 Commentary by Greg Carey”

The God in Revelation is the same God who manifests self in the entire Sacred Christian Canon. Through Jesus Christ, this God poured out the Holy Spirit upon John to be both the witness and instrument of God’s voice, signs and wonders. The book’s title is mentioned in the first verse and its main goal … Continue reading “Revelation 1:4-8 Commentary by Israel Kamudzandu”

In looking at the first letter of John for these weeks of Eastertide, we have suggested that this epistle is really a sermon. It lacks the salutation and farewell of a typical first century letter, and the style and movement of the work suggest an extended homily rather than the give and take of correspondence. … Continue reading “1 John 5:9-13 Commentary by David Bartlett”

1 John offers a Twitter version of John 3:16 as the central claim of this week’s text: “God gave us eternal life, and this life is in God’s Son.” (1 John 5:11b). The “open essay” (or perhaps a sermon, but certainly not a letter) of 1 John is written to encourage a community that is … Continue reading “1 John 5:9-13 Commentary by Audrey West”

First John, in some ways, is like a commentary on the meaning of the Fourth Gospel, but in other ways it is like a catechism. For example, the Elder1 likes to raise questions that his readers are struggling with and then he answers them carefully and concisely. In chapter five, the Elder focuses his attention … Continue reading “1 John 5:9-13 Commentary by Nijay Gupta”

In his splendid study of the Epistles of John, David Rensberger points out that with 1 John 5:1, the emphasis of our author shifts from love to faith and belief.1 Yet, throughout this homily, the twofold stress of John’s gospel is recapitulated and refined. Christian life requires both faith in Jesus and love of the … Continue reading “1 John 5:1-6 Commentary by David Bartlett”

Verse 1 once again unites what this author has repeatedly refused to separate: belief in Jesus and love for one’s brothers and sisters in the church (loving “the child” at the end of verse 1 is a reference to any other believer, not to Jesus). Elsewhere in 1 John, the sign of being born from … Continue reading “1 John 5:1-6 Commentary by Brian Peterson”

The community to whom 1 John was written was facing a crisis. Former members of the community were denying that Jesus was truly the Messiah, God’s flesh and blood, fully human, son. Like many churches facing doctrinal conflict, 1 John’s community seems to have been confused, afraid, and unsure what to do. Whom should they … Continue reading “1 John 5:1-6 Commentary by Judith Jones”

Years ago I heard William Sloane Coffin preach on this text. He summed up its claims in a classic Coffin aphorism: “The opposite of love is not hate; the opposite of love is fear.” In the first instance, this epistle’s claim, “Perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18), is about the relationship between believers … Continue reading “1 John 4:7-21 Commentary by David Bartlett”