Third Sunday in Easter: Epistle, 1 John 3:1-7                                 

1 John 3:1-7

So rich. So full. The first of John’s letters housed near the back of our New Testaments is such a monumental piece. It is brief, although his second and third letters are even more so as single chapters. But the first is brief and at times repetitive. But that is part of its value. The message it carries is worth repeating. The Christian should never tire of reading or hearing it and its benefits are endless. In it we have the declaration of God’s love, of the forgiveness of sins and the security that through the letter we have the very words of God.

Toward the end of our reading for the week we have this:

“You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin” (3:5).

John’s statement above is so clear. And it assumes much. It assumes that the reader/hearer KNOWS these things about the Savior. We know, according to John, both the Savior’s mission and the reason He could flawlessly carry it out. And though we have certainly heard both again and again if we have been in the church any time at all, I wonder how well we know them. These are absolutely critical elements to understand and although much repeated, I wonder at times if I let them float by without much thought. “Yes, my Savior is perfect and He died for me in order to cover my sins with His blood.” It even comes from my fingers on the keyboard with little effort. But oh, what John’s priceless words mean. In short, I enjoy, as do you, a perfect salvation. And we do so because we have a perfect Savior. Let’s challenge ourselves this week to ponder those earth-shattering truths. God be praised!

Christ is Risen! He is Risen, indeed! Alleluia!