“Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.” 1 John 2:24-26 (Read v. 18-29)

False teachers and erring churches and organizations are all around us in this world that would lead us to reject all or parts of the Bible, God’s unerring Word, and weaken or destroy our faith in Christ Jesus.

Many would lead us to believe that Jesus is not the LORD God in human flesh come into this world to redeem fallen mankind. They deny the deity or sometimes the humanity of Christ and cast doubt upon the sufficiency of His atoning sacrifice on the cross for the sins of all.

St. Paul wrote and encouraged Timothy, in the face of persecution and suffering, and with false teachers at work to turn people away from Christ and the true doctrine, to continue in that doctrine which he had learned from the Holy Scriptures.

He wrote in 2 Timothy 3:13-17: “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

So also the Apostle John writes to his hearers: “Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.”

John urged his hearers to continue in that truth they were taught by him and by the other apostles, in the beginning. They were to let what they heard, in the beginning, remain in them. They were not to turn aside and accept the doctrines of those who denied the deity or the humanity of Christ Jesus but to hold fast to the truth that “God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son” (John 3:16), born of the Virgin Mary and made true man, that He might take our place under the law and fulfill all righteousness for us and that He might bear on the cross the just condemnation for our sins and the sins of the whole world and rise again on the third day. Cf. Gal. 4:4-5.

John urged his hearers to hear God’s Word, confess their sins and hold fast in faith to Him whose blood cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7-9). He urged them to continue to trust in Christ Jesus, who shed His blood on the cross as the propitiating sacrifice for our sins and for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:1-2).

And, indeed, if they continued in the truth of God’s Word, taught and revealed to them by the Holy Spirit through the Scriptures, if they held fast in faith to Christ Jesus, they would also be abiding in the Father. Apart from Jesus, no one can know the Father or come to Him. In Jesus, we also have and abide in fellowship with the Father. Cf. 1 John 1:5ff.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him” (John 14:6-7).

And what has God promised to all who trust in the Son? Life everlasting!

Again, Jesus said: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24); and “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life … He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:16,18).

And so, in the face of false doctrine and erring beliefs, ridicule and persecution, remember the truths you learned from the Holy Scriptures and continue to trust and believe them. God’s Word is “a lamp unto [our] feet, and a light unto [our] path” (Psalm 119:105).

Hold fast to the Christ Jesus of the Bible and take comfort in His atoning sacrifice and the forgiveness He has won for you. Abide in Him, for God has promised us eternal life in Jesus’ name!

John wrote toward the close of this letter: “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).

The Apostle Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, also testified, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

O Comforter and Anointing from above, keep us in the true faith, that truth we learned from the Holy Scriptures, that we may continue to trust in the Son, Jesus Christ, and His blood shed for us on the cross, unto life everlasting. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

And hereby we know that we know Him: if we keep His commandments. He that saith, “I know Him,” and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His Word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him. He that saith that he abideth in Him, ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked. 1 John 2:3-6

Many claim to be Christians and followers of Jesus Christ – to “walk in the light as He is in the light” (1 John 1:7) – but not all who make such claims really know and trust in Jesus. Some are hypocrites, and some deceive themselves into thinking they are Christians when, in fact, they are impenitent and do not really look in faith to Jesus and His blood, shed on the cross, for cleansing and everlasting life.

God’s Word teaches us that we can see whether we truly know and trust in Christ Jesus as our Savior from sin by our attitude toward Jesus’ Word and commandments.

John writes in 1 John 2:3-5: “And hereby we know that we know Him: if we keep His commandments. He that saith, ‘I know Him,’ and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His Word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him.”

The one who knows and trusts in Jesus for the forgiveness of his sins and life everlasting will, as a fruit of genuine repentance and faith in Christ, gladly and willingly obey His commandments. This desire to obey God’s Word is evidence of the indwelling Holy Spirit and of the new nature created in believers, a nature that loves God and desires to serve Him.

Of course, as John wrote in the first chapter (1 John 1:5-10), believers are not without sin in this world and cannot claim to be sinless and holy of themselves, for they still have their old sinful nature inherited from Adam which balks at and resists living in accord with the Word of God.

Nevertheless, believers can see evidence of their regeneration in their new-found love for God and their fellow believers and in their desire to keep the words and commandments of Jesus. Those who come to know the great love of God in sending His Son to suffer and die for our sins and the sins of the world are moved to love Him in return for providing salvation for us lost sinners. Cf. 1 John 4:9-10; James 2:14ff.

If we continue to trust in Jesus as our Savior – if we acknowledge our sinfulness and look to Jesus’ shed blood for pardon and life everlasting (1 John 1:8 – 2:2) – we will, as a fruit of that faith seek to conform our lives to His. We will seek to live and conduct ourselves as Jesus did in this world – in obedience to God the Father, with the utmost respect for God’s Word, and with love toward lost sinners.

Our catechism teaches this same truth in regard to examining one’s self before partaking of the Lord’s Supper: “How should he who would eat this bread and drink this cup examine himself? He should examine: 1. whether he truly repent of his sins; 2. whether he believe in Jesus Christ; 3. whether he have the good and earnest purpose with the aid of God the Holy Ghost henceforth to mend his sinful life” (A Short Exposition of Dr. Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, CPH, 1912, Q. 348).

St. John writes in 1 John 2:6: “He that saith that he abideth in Him, ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.” Cf. Rom. 8:29; Eph. 2:8-10; 2 Cor. 5:15.

So, walking “in the light as He is in the light” is not to pretend to be without sin or to try and merit God’s grace and favor by our own life and works. Rather, it is to acknowledge and confess our sins (agreeing with God about our sinfulness and the judgment we justly deserve) and to look in faith to Christ and His atoning sacrifice on the cross for the sins of all that we might receive God’s pardon and forgiveness and be counted righteous and holy in His sight. And, where there is genuine repentance and faith in Christ Jesus, there will follow the sincere purpose and desire to conform all our thoughts, desires, words and actions to His Word and His commandments.

God, grant to us such repentance and true faith in Christ Jesus – that we “walk in the light as He is in the light”!

Jesus, our Savior, You have redeemed me and all mankind from sin by Your atoning sacrifice on the cross, and You have graciously brought me to know Your great love and mercy toward me through the preaching of the Gospel. Grant that I grow ever deeper in the knowledge of You and of Your love for me and all believers, and so move me to love You in return and gladly obey Your commandments. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the 21st Century King James Version (KJ21), copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.]

“Thus saith the LORD: ‘Stand ye in the highways and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way; and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.’” Jeremiah 6:16

New is not necessarily better. Though the common consensus may be to walk in new paths and to consider new ways, God Himself says we should ask for the old paths – the good way of faith on which the saints before us have trod, and walk therein.

In other words, we should seek the ways of God as set forth in His ancient Word, the Bible, and walk in them. We should acknowledge that God’s Word is right in all things and we are the ones who have been wrong. And our hope should be placed in the promises of God – given from the very beginning – the promises offering salvation in Jesus, the Messiah and Savior, and for the sake of His innocent sufferings and death in our stead!

Seek the old paths. Listen to God’s ancient Word which will never become outdated and will never pass away, and ye shall find rest for your souls – rest in Christ Jesus!

Jesus Himself said, “Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

O LORD God, grant me the wisdom to ask for the old paths – to read and heed the ancient and inspired words of Scripture that I might acknowledge my sins and place my faith and confidence in the sacrifice of the Son, Jesus Christ, my Savior. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the 21st Century King James Version (KJ21), Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.]

“Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you. And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.” John 20:21-23

On the evening of that first Easter Day, Jesus appeared to His disciples where they were gathered together behind closed doors for fear of the Jews and showed them His hands and His side to prove to them that He truly was Jesus and that He really had risen from the dead (John 20:19-20).

Two times Jesus said to His disciples: “Peace be unto you.” Since Christ had died on the cross for their sins and was risen again in victory, they had peace with God – the peace of sins pardoned and forgiven through the shed blood of Jesus (cf. Eph. 2:11ff.; 1 John 2:1-2).

The Bible says: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:1-2). We too, when we acknowledge our sins and look in faith to Jesus, have forgiveness of sins and peace with God! And, we too look forward to the glories of life eternal in heaven for Jesus’ sake!

Not only did Jesus bless them with the peace of sins forgiven, He breathed on them, gave them His Holy Spirit and commissioned them to forgive the sins of penitent sinners and to retain (not forgive) the sins of impenitent sinners as long as they do not repent (John 20:21-23).

This is often spoken of as the Office of the Keys because it opens the gates of heaven to those who are sorry for their sins and look in faith to Christ and His redemptive work and closes the gates of heaven to those who are not sorry for their sins or do not trust in Christ for forgiveness.

And, indeed, it takes the wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit to rightly use and apply these keys to ourselves and to others, but this is what Christ our Savior would have us, as believers and disciples of Jesus, do!

Some would object and say, “How can we, as believers in Christ, forgive and retain sins? Only God can do that!” That is true but this power is given to us as believers and a part of Christ’s Church precisely because of Christ’s death on the cross for the sins of all mankind and His glorious resurrection on the third day.

Since God forgives the sins of penitent sinners who look in faith to Christ and His cross, we can and should proclaim forgiveness to penitent sinners who look to Christ for pardon and forgiveness. And, since God retains the sins of the impenitent and unbelieving, we too can and should proclaim to the impenitent and unbelieving that their sins are not forgiven until they repent and look in faith to Christ.

Therefore, because Christ has paid for all sin and is risen in victory, we announce and proclaim God’s pardon and peace to penitent sinners – to those who acknowledge and repent of their sins and look in faith to Christ and His cross for pardon and forgiveness. And because Christ is the only way of salvation, we tell those who continue in sin and unbelief that they remain dead in their sins and we warn them of the coming judgment of God.

And because Christ is the only way of salvation, we must also tell those who continue in sin and unbelief that they remain dead in their sins and warn them of the coming judgment of God.

What Jesus said to those who did not repent and trust in Him as their Messiah and Savior is still true today: “Ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24).

To all of us, Jesus says: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. … He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:16,18).

There is forgiveness and life in Jesus, but only in Jesus. “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).

Dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we thank and praise You for Your death on the cross for our sins and for Your glorious resurrection and ascension. Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may trust in You and find peace in the pardon You have won for us, and help us to rightly apply Your Word to others that they too might receive through faith the comfort and peace of sins forgiven and that they too might have life everlasting through faith in Your name. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

16 “A little while, and ye shall not see Me; and again a little while, and ye shall see Me, because I go to the Father.” 17 Then said some of His disciples among themselves, “What is this that He saith unto us, ‘A little while, and ye shall not see Me; and again a little while, and ye shall see Me,’ and, ‘because I go to the Father’?” 18 They said therefore, “What is this that He saith, ‘A little while’? We cannot tell what He saith.” 19 Now Jesus knew that they were desirous of asking Him, and said unto them, “Do ye inquire among yourselves of what I said, ‘A little while, and ye shall not see Me; and again a little while, and ye shall see Me’? 20 Verily, verily, I say unto you that ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. 21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come; but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for the joy that a man is born into the world. 22 And ye now therefore have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.” John 16:16-22

On the night when Jesus was betrayed, He told His disciples these words in John 16:16: “A little while, and ye shall not see Me; and again a little while, and ye shall see Me, because I go to the Father.”

Even though Jesus had often explained that He would be betrayed into the hands of the chief priests and scribes, be condemned to death, handed over to the Gentiles, mocked, scourged, crucified, and that He would rise again on the third day (Matt. 20:18-19), His disciples did not understand what He meant when He said, “A little while, and ye shall not see Me; and again a little while, and ye shall see Me, because I go to the Father” (v. 16; cf. v. 17-19).

Jesus explained briefly in verses 20-22: “Verily, verily, I say unto you that ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come; but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for the joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.”

What Jesus meant became clear to them only after it came to pass, when Jesus appeared to them on that first Easter evening and said, “Peace be unto you” (John 20:19).

That “little while” began on that very night when Jesus was betrayed and arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. It continued as Jesus was tried, condemned, crucified and laid in the tomb. Jesus had been taken from His disciples and crucified. He was dead and enclosed in a tomb! All appeared to be hopeless and their faith in Jesus as the promised Messiah and Savior was crushed.

And they had great sorrow because Jesus, in whom they had trusted and whom they had followed for three years was now dead. And they, His own disciples, had betrayed Him, denied Him and fled from Him in fear for their own lives! And now Jesus was taken from them and gone — their faith and hopes were dashed!

As Jesus said, “Ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice.” The disciples of Jesus were filled with sorrow but the world rejoiced at the death of Jesus.

No longer would the enemies of Jesus have to hear Him pointing out their sinfulness, their hypocrisy, and their need to repent and to look to God for mercy and forgiveness. No longer would they have to hear Jesus’ claims to be the Son of God and their Messiah and Savior and the only way of salvation!

But the disciples’ sorrow and the world’s rejoicing were short-lived! The disciples’ sorrow was turned into joy when they saw Jesus alive from the dead on the third day? And their rejoicing grew, even more, when Jesus opened up their hearts and minds to understand the Scriptures and they came to understand what Jesus had accomplished through His death and resurrection — that He had made full atonement for the sins of all and was risen again in victory, that all who repent and look to Jesus for pardon and forgiveness could have God’s pardon and peace and the certain hope of being raised up again unto everlasting life (cf. Luke 24:44ff.; Rom. 4:23ff.; 1 John 2:1f.; 1 Cor.15:20ff; 1 Pet. 1:3ff.).

Like a woman in pain as she gives birth forgets that pain and rejoices when her child is born, so the pain and anguish — the sorrow — suffered by Jesus’ disciples was nothing in comparison to their joy when He appeared to them alive again, having won salvation for all!

But, imagine the shock when the chief priests and elders of the Jews heard the soldiers’ report of an angel, the stone rolled back, and an empty tomb (cf. Matt. 28:2-4,11-15)! Their rejoicing was turned into fear because Jesus had risen from the dead as He said, proving He truly is the Son of God and that His words and teaching are true!

These words of Jesus about the “little while” have yet another application that applies to all of us. On the 40th day after Easter, Jesus ascended into heaven and was exalted to His position of power and glory at the right hand of God the Father.

We cannot see Him now but He is present with us and rules over all that He might establish His everlasting kingdom (cf. Matt. 28:16-20; Eph. 1:18-23). He sends His ministers to call people to repent and believe the Gospel of forgiveness of sins and life everlasting through faith in the crucified and risen Savior! He sends out His Holy Spirit, who works through the Word to convict people of their sins and to give and assure to them the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting Jesus won for them on the cross, by simply trusting in Jesus and His atoning sacrifice for their salvation (cf. Eph. 1:3ff.; 1 Thess. 1:5; 2 Thess. 2:13-14).

But, as we live out the remainder of our lives here in this world, our lives are full of sorrow and pain. Not only are we ridiculed by the world for our faith in Christ Jesus, but some are also persecuted and suffer for their faith. Large numbers are still killed today because of their testimony regarding Jesus and His teaching — especially in Islamic countries.

Sometimes we may lose sight of Jesus and all He accomplished for us. We may forget that He is with us always, even to the end of the age (Matt. 28:20), and will never leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13:5).

But our sorrows and all our suffering will be turned to joy when we see Jesus coming again in the clouds of glory. The world will then weep and lament, but we will lift up our heads in joy (cf. Rev. 1:7; Luke 21:28).

St. Paul assures us in Romans 8:18: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

Now, we may weep and sorrow as we suffer in this world and are under constant attack by the devil and his evil angels, by the unbelieving world, and even from our old sinful flesh which causes us to doubt and despair and which seeks to lure us back into sin.

That is why the Scriptures warn us in 1 Peter 2:11: “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.”

And the world (all who remain impenitent and without faith in Christ Jesus for mercy) rejoices. The world rejoices to see the true church diminish in numbers and influence. The world rejoices when the true message of the Bible is silenced or contradicted because, then, people don’t have to hear of their sinfulness and of their need to repent and look to Jesus for salvation. People rejoice because they can continue on in their sinful ways without being reminded of their guilt and the coming judgment of God upon them.

To paraphrase the words of John 3:19, people love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil and they do not wish to have their sinful ways exposed by the light of God’s Word.

Though the world rejoices now as Christianity and the true preaching of God’s Word appears to wane in the face of constant attack, this rejoicing will be short-lived because, in “a little while,” Jesus will return in judgment. In the words of Revelation 1:7, “Behold, He cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see Him, and they also who pierced Him; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him.”

But, though we, like Peter after He denied Jesus, may weep and sorrow in this world because of our own sins and failures, though we may be troubled because of the world’s hatred and persecution, though we may sorrow as our loved ones die and we too face temporal death, our sorrow will be turned to joy when Christ Jesus returns to receive us into His everlasting kingdom of glory.

The Bible assures us this in the words of Revelation 21:3-4: “And I heard a great voice out of Heaven, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them; and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.’”

Or, in the words of Revelation 7:13-17: “And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, ‘Who are these that are arrayed in white robes, and from whence have they come?’ And I said unto him, ‘Sir, thou knowest.’ And he said to me, ‘These are they that came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, ‘they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple; and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.’”

For a little while, we may grieve and sorrow – though we still have hope because we know Jesus rose from the dead and will return to raise us up and give us the everlasting joys of heaven. But, in a little while, when Jesus comes again, we shall rejoice with joy inexpressible!

As the psalmist writes in Psalm 16:11: “Thou wilt show me the path of life; in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

We thank You, dear Lord Jesus, for the comfort of knowing that our sorrows are only for a little while, that in a little while You will appear again in the clouds of glory to receive us and all who have trusted in Your name to the everlasting joys of heaven. Grant us Your Holy Spirit and the faith to believe and take hold of the Gospel promises of forgiveness and life eternal for the sake of your blood, shed on the cross for the sins of the world. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from 21st Century King James Version (KJ21), copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.]