In the movie, The Princess Bride, Westley (the “Farm Boy”) proves his love to Princess Buttercup by being willing to do anything and everything that she commanded him to do. But it wasn’t just that he did what she told him, it was about the way that he did it. It was all about his attitude! As we move on to the next section of our study of 1 John, we find that God views obedience as a display of our love toward Hiim.

Just because I have trusted in Christ as my Savior doesn’t mean that I never sin again or need to repent and ask forgiveness. Admitting that you have sin in your life, repenting of that sin, and accepting God’s forgiveness for that sin is an ongoing (never-ending) process in the mortal life of a believer which should cause us to think, speak and act more and more like Jesus every day.

In this message, we will introduce the first section of 1 John—“God is Light”—and then over the next several weeks, we will look at five different words of encouragement from John about how we should live our lives as a result. While John’s writing is very theological in nature, the goal of his writing is for transformation in the lives of people. Gary Burge notes, “Truly acknowledging the reality of God results in changed living… [John’s] point initially is not to dispute doctrine. Instead, he wants to cultivate discipleship that knows how to ‘live by faith.’”

This morning, we are starting a new study through the book of First John. While relatively short—just over 100 verses in total—this booklet is packed full of deep theological truths and compelling lessons on how to live the life that God created us to live. The title of our sermon series in 1 John is: “Light – Love – Life: Living the Life God Created You to Live.” Over the next three months, we will be walking through the text of this little book looking for encouragement during this time of isolation.