First John:
This book begins by stating that Christ was "from
the beginning" and further states that "God is Light;
in Him there is no darkness at all." Important points
include:
- "...the blood of Jesus...purifies us from all sin." (1 John 1:7)
- "If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His Word has no place in our lives." (1 John 1:10)
- "...if anybody does sin...One who speaks to the Father in our defense -- Jesus Christ...is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and...for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2:1-2)
- "...your sins have been forgiven on account of His name (i.e., Jesus)." (1 John 2:12)
- "No one who is born of God (i.e, Christian) will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning because he has been born of God." (1 John 3:9)
- "And this is His command: to believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and to love one another ..." (1 John 3:23)
- "He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love . In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. (1 John 4:8,9; from King James' Version)
- "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him and he in God." (1 John 4:15; from King James' Version)
- "We love Him, because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19; from King James' Version)
- "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (1 John 5:11,12; from King James' Version)
Other advice: love your fellow man; beware of false teachers like
the "antichrist" that will come near the world end.