Tara-Leigh Cobble

Him abiding with us is how love is made perfect.

And Him abiding with us gives us confidence that we're His.

And Him abiding with us starts to show up in how we live our lives.

We can live fearlessly in the world because He abides in us in perfect love.

What do we have to be afraid of anyway?

Because he abides with us now and forever and has taken all our punishment already.

In chapter 5, John says we have overcome the world.

That sounds great, but what does that even mean?

I can climb Mount Everest?

I can win the Olympics?

No, even better.

It means I can resist sin and temptation.

It means I'm no longer in bondage.

It means I can love like Jesus loves, even when treated with contempt like he was.

Next, John offers up witnesses that Jesus is who he says he is.

And even though Jewish law only calls for two witnesses, John offers three.

The Spirit, the water, and the blood.

The Spirit is the first witness.

The second witness, the water, is almost certainly a reference to the baptism of Jesus.

And you may remember that when he was baptized, God the Father spoke from heaven and declared that Jesus is his beloved Son, and the Spirit descended on him like a dove.