Daily Bible reading and prayer, Monday, December 4, 2023
2 Corinthians 1-4 (chronological); Daniel 3-4, 1 John 3 (OT/NT)
A overview of our yearly Bible reading plan, with all edited summaries so far, can be found here.
We finished 1 Corinthians yesterday, for the second time this year. We start 2 Corinthians for the second time this year today. Both letters written by the apostle Paul during his third missionary journey. In his first letter to the Corinthians, written during his prolonged time in Ephesus, he addresses sin that he is aware of in their church. His second letter was written while he made his way, via Macedonia, to visit them before going to Jerusalem at the end of his third missionary journey. This letter addresses his rebuke in his previous letter, the collection they are contributing to for the saints in Jerusalem, and dangerous outsiders claiming inappropriate authority in their church.
I have recently updated the summary of the book of Acts, which is relevant for context for all of these readings.
Monday, December 4, 2023 chronological reading: 2 Corinthians 1-4
Monday, December 4, 2023 OT/NT readings: Daniel 3-4, 1 John 3
We started Daniel yesterday, for the second time this year.
We are also reading 1 John. Peter and James and John were with Jesus on the mountain when He was transfigured. James was martyred by Herod, but Peter and John went on to write letters referring to their authority as eyewitnesses. John gives the good news that Jesus is faithful to cleanse us from sin, if we confess, but he also makes it clear that we are to practice righteousness, which includes loving one another.
CHAPTER THEMES:
Chapter 1: John, with the other apostles, proclaim and testify what they have seen and heard and touched concerning the Word of Life, which was from the beginning, so that we may have fellowship with them, and with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” Sin cannot be a part of this fellowship. If “we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Chapter 2: John is writing against those who try to deceive us. He is writing so that we may not sin. If we do not keep His commandments, hate our brother, or love the world, we have not come to know Him. If we sin, we have Jesus Christ the righteous, the propitiation for the sins of the whole world, as an Advocate with the Father. The antichrist denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son as the Father also. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone else that practices righteousness is born of Him.
CHAPTER SUMMARIES:
Chapter 1: “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life—and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us—what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also.” “Things things we write, so that our joy may be made complete” and that “you too may have fellowship with us,” and “with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.” The “message we have heard from Him and announce to you” is “ that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” If we say we have not sinned, we lie. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. If we say we have fellowship with Him but walk in darkness, we lie. But “if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Chapter 2: “I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected.” The “darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining. The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now.” “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” “The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” “Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.” “This is the promise which He made to us: eternal life. These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you.” “If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.”
1 John 3
v1-10 “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
v11-12 “For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.
v13-22 “Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.
v23-24 “This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.”
Dear Lord,
For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
Thank You for this theme of Your Light in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians and then in John’s letter. John keeps repeating the point: Light and darkness do not dwell together.
make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning.
This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.
Help us to not make excuses for sin. Help us to practice righteousness. Help us to love one another.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.