Thoughtful Reflections on Faith and Life
1 John 1:5-10 Introduction Have you ever been in the position where you had to admit that you were wrong. Not wrong factually, like getting the wrong response on a trivia show. But rather wrong in your behaviour. Have you ever had to confess that you did something bad? How did that feel? Was it … Read More “Confession as Prayer” »
1 John 3:11-24 Introduction When you think of October 31, what first comes to mind? While many people think immediately of Halloween, for many people that day is remembered as Reformation Day. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, who was an Augustinian monk and a theology professor, nailed his 95 theses to the door of … Read More “Love in Action” »
1 John 3:1-10 Introduction There are many different images in the Bible that are used to describe our relationship with God. The one image that is used far more than any other is that of family. Whether it is husband/wife or parent/child, it is in these kinds of relationships that we see a glimpse of … Read More “Family Dynamics” »
I have been thinking a lot about the role of love in the Christian life and what that looks like. Two different things have been bringing this together. One is preaching through 1 John at our church and the other is some Twitter interactions with some very conservative evangelicals. It is incredible how much of … Read More “What Does Christian Love Look Like?” »
1 John 2:3-11 Introduction Someone comes to you and asks “How do I be a Christian?” What do you say? You might say something like “believe in Jesus” which is a great start. But what is someone actually asking when they say “How do I be a Christian?” Are they asking how they become a … Read More “A More Christ-like Church” »
1 John 1:5-2:2 Introduction I have been involved with churches for most of my life. Even when I was an atheist, I found myself often reflecting on religion and church. I have been part of three different denominations representing three very distinct traditions within Christianity. I have been a pastor for about twenty-five years. None … Read More “Wrestling With Sin” »
1 John 1:1-4 Introduction I am assuming that we all want to be Christians, either by investigating the faith, by making a decision to follow Jesus, or how we continue to live as a Jesus follower. The goal is clear, how to go about it is not always as simple. Here is the problem. Everyone … Read More “It’s All About Jesus” »
1 John 4:7-21 Introduction A couple was getting married. The bride wished her pastor could be there but he lived too far away. He was asked if he wanted to send a message to be read at the reception. He wanted to have read: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out … Read More “Love is the Key” »
This is sermon based on 1 John 4:7-12 that I preached at the Spanish congregation at Queen Street Baptist Church. Introduction In addition to my role as a pastor at Queen Street Baptist Church, I also teach the New Testament at Tyndale University College. There are a number of differences between the two roles, even … Read More “Advent Four: Love” »
A sermon based on 1 John 1:5-2:6 preached at Queen Street Baptist Church. Introduction What is sin? Well, isn’t it obvious? Sin is doing something bad. We can all probably recollect a time when we did something that was pretty bad. Perhaps not requiring legal intervention, but still something that you are not proud of. The … Read More “What is Sin?” »
Most bloggers like to highlight their most popular blog posts and I have done that myself. But I thought I would do something different. Instead of listing my five most popular blog posts, I’m going to share my five least read posts. This does not mean they are bad posts, they just ended up at … Read More “My 5 Least Read Blog Posts” »
A sermon preached at Queen Street Baptist Church based on 1 John 4:7-12. Introduction If we were to tune into a random radio station, how long do you think it would take for us to hear the word ‘love’? How long would it take for us to hear it a hundred times? If we looked … Read More “All You Need is Love” »
1 John 5:1-12 Introduction As we come to the end of our series on 1 John, we have seen that John expects certain things to go along with the faith. We are to take sin seriously. We are to love as God loves. We are to understand Jesus for who he really is. As … Read More “Faith Test: Truth” »
1 John 2:28-3:10 Introduction One of the underlying themes in John’s letter, one that has influenced every part of the Faith Test, is that there should be a family resemblance in our relationship with God. Now we get to dig deeper into what that really means. First, we should ask why John would even want … Read More “Faith Test: Child of God” »
1 John 2:18-27, 4:1-3 Introduction We are going to be looking today at the doctrine of the incarnation, that is that God the Son became human in such a way that he was fully God and fully human. Are you bored yet? Who wants to hear about theology? This is not what we come to … Read More “Faith Test: Incarnation” »
A sermon based on 1 John 2:15-17 that was preached at Toronto Chinese Baptist Church. Introduction Flee from the things of the world! Avoid worldly influences! What does that even mean? When I was a new Christian, I attended a church that put a lot of emphasis on the difference between what was Christian and what was … Read More “Faith Test: The World” »
1 John 2:7-11; 3:11-20 Introduction Last time we discovered that one of the tests for faith is that of sin. However, Christianity is not as simple as just avoiding sin. Christianity is much more complex. Christianity is also about love. How much is Christianity about love? I would argue that love is the theological centre … Read More “Faith Test: Love” »
1 John 1:5-2:2 Introduction What does it mean to be a Christian? Well, that is easy, you just believe in Jesus. Yes, faith in Christ is the foundation of the protestant church. People become Christians by faith alone. Read through Romans, the Apostle Paul goes through it over and over again. It is not be … Read More “Faith Test: Sin” »
A devotion based on 1 John 1:8. John’s first letter is rich in practical theology. The letter is an attempt to demonstrate what the Christian life is supposed to look like. One of the areas addressed is that of sin. He makes it clear that a life of sin is not compatible with following Jesus. … Read More “Devotions: 1 John” »
If you do not know what the Johannine Comma is, I will explain it to you (hint: it is not John’s punctuation). The best way to understand it is to compare 1 John in the KJV and a modern translation. “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the … Read More “The Johannine Comma and the Trinity” »
The third part of my series on 1 John. “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also … Read More “Just Do It” »
The second part in my series on 1 John. “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. … Read More “Attributes of Sin” »
I have decided to start a series on 1 John which happens to be one of my favourite books in the Bible. There is so much in this book that is helpful, both for understanding theology and for living the Christian life. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have … Read More “Faith So Real You Can Touch It” »
I hate to do this on Christmas Eve, but since this is my 666th post on this blog, I decided that I needed to post on the Antichrist. What do we know about the Antichrist? When I returned to church in my early 20’s, I attended a church that had a very complex and detailed … Read More “Anti-Christmas” »
