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The Message of 1 John — 8/21/2026 10:00 AM
Today's speaker is Dr. Jeremy Kimble, Professor of Systematic and Applied Theology at Cedarville University. Dr. Kimble begins the faculty series for the year, entitled "Striving for the Truth: John's Letters". Dr. Kimble teaches from 1 John that we must believe in Jesus and love God and one another.
Notes
The book of 1 John takes us back to the basics, rehearsing what is essential and foundational. It was written after John ministered in an area, planted churches, and left for new ministry focuses. When false teachers infiltrated these churches with the message that Jesus wasn’t God’s Son, John wrote to remind them that if you get Jesus wrong, you get everything wrong. He urged them to believe in Jesus and to love God and one another.
Believe in Jesus
Central to John’s letter is true belief in the true Jesus. Belief doesn’t just mean accepting correct information about Him. It is a relational trust, a persevering commitment, and a treasuring love. It means you don’t simply fit Him into a tiny part of your life — you deny yourself, lay everything down, take up your cross, and follow Him even when the cost is great.
Genuine belief is also a current belief. It’s not just what you believed in the past; it’s a persevering faith that continues throughout your entire life.
This belief leads you to act in a certain way. Each family has distinguishing marks that set them apart. In the same way, when you are in God’s family, you will look like it. What does God’s family look like? It looks like love.
Love God and Others
Love is the glad expression of sacrificial self-giving for the good of another. Loving God and loving one another must go together and cannot be separated. We can’t say we love Him and yet not love others — even when they’re difficult to love.
We love because that’s what Jesus did for us when He laid down His life for us. When you remind yourself of His love daily by spending time in Scripture, you know who you are in Him, and this equips you to love others. The love that others receive from you transforms them so that they, too, love more readily.
You will not live a life of love apart from the Gospel of God. Believe in Jesus. Persevere in your faith. Encourage and exhort others. Disciple and be discipled. Know and be known. Orient everything in your life back to the source that is Jesus. Be in your Bible and pray daily. Pause, be still, and behold Him.