The Epistles of John & Jude: Forgiveness, Love, and Courage – Twenty-first Century Biblical Commentary

IT IT OBVIOUS TO OTHERS THAT YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD?

DO YOU CLAIM TO LOVE GOD BUT HATE YOUR BROTHER? Such hypocrisy is contrary to the teaching of 1 John 3:10, that believers in Christ should walk in the light, living righteously before God and showing love and compassion to others. In this commentary on these letter to believers, Dr.Lightner reveals how the faith once delivered to the saints encourages believers to live for Christ, to act appropriately according to truth and love, and to uphold that truth in times of apostasy.

As the sole survivor of the original disciples, John wrote with the deliberate pastoral authority and demeanor. His letters are rooted and grounded in a practical local church ministry. The truths in 1 John draw careful attention to the believer's responsibilities to be in fellowship with God.

The books of 2 John and 3 John serve as bookends for love and truth. Second John emphasizes Christian love with its foundation in truth. Third John, on the other hand, emphasizes truth with its foundation in Christian love. Truth is not absent in 2 John; neither is love absent in 3 John. Dr.Lightner points the reader toward righteous living in both the love of Christ and the return of His doctrine.

The book of Jude then moves from a heart of concern for the truth to its application to the lives of God's people. George Lawlor points out Jude's "dramatic and forceful manner of writing and his use of the Old Testament records to support his argument." Jude writes as a man of courage, conviction, and concern. In so doing, he calls upon believers in every generation to "contend earnestly for the faith."