Title Old Gospel
Contents
The Apostle John, an older leader in the early church, wrote a letter to his children in the faith. He was probably in his 90s when he wrote his first letter, 1 John. It had been 60 years since Christ was crucified. His life has changed a lot. The temple was destroyed. Believers were scattered all over the world because of persecution. Other apostles who were with him were martyred while preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Now, in writing a letter reflecting on the past, John repeatedly used the word “from the beginning.” In the first part of his letter, he writes: “As for the words of life from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked and touched with our hands... that our fellowship may be with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:1,3). In 1 John 2:7 we read, “Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have from the beginning, and this old commandment is what you have heard.” He wrote to fathers, “Fathers, I am writing to you, that ye know him who is from the beginning” (1 John 2:13). He also said, “Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you; and if what you heard from the beginning abide in you, you will abide in the Son and in the Father” (1 John 2:24). The words “from the beginning” or “from the beginning” that John speaks refer to when the saints first heard the gospel.
John was a man who had a good start in the gospel. He was a disciple of John the Baptist. He saw that the city was empty. It was because people went out into the wilderness to hear the preaching of the prophet. John the Baptist said to the people, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). Then the history of change happened. Many people came and repented, and their lives were changed 180 degrees. John the Baptist said to the assembled crowd, “He is the one who comes after me; I am not worthy to untie his sandals” (John 1:27). One day Jesus approached him and he cried out, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
Shortly thereafter, John and his brother were fixing their nets by the sea. Then Jesus, the Lamb of God, came and called them to follow him. John and his brother left everything and followed Jesus. For many years John had heard the message of Jesus. That is why, at the beginning of this letter, he wrote, “What we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands.” John was the first to proclaim to the next generation what he had seen and heard.
John heard Jesus proclaim, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live” (John 11:25). That is why he wrote, “This life was made manifest, and we have seen and testify to this eternal life, and we declare it to you” (1 John 1:2). He also heard Jesus say, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). So he proclaimed, “This is the message we have heard from him and are preaching to you, that God is light.”
John must have been there when Jesus was talking to Nicodemus. Then Jesus said, “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16). So John knew that God is love. So John demanded that the saints love one another in 1 John 4:7.
John heard Jesus praying for the sanctification of his disciples. So he declared, “The blood of his Son Jesus will cleanse us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). The blood atones for all sins. When your sins are forgiven, you are justified. Also, the inherent sinful nature is cleansed by the blood of Jesus. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” When we receive forgiveness of sins, the Holy Spirit bears witness to it in our hearts, even when we are sanctified. These facts were what John had heard from the beginning. John said, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever, and I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:16,18). I heard the word.
Like Jesus, John cried out the words to warn the world. When Jesus prayed for the sanctification of his disciples, he said, “I do not pray that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from falling into evil” (John 17:15). John knew that it was the principle of Jesus' teaching. That is why he wrote, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). We must move away from the world and its immorality. The teachings of the world are different from the teachings of God. But worldly ideas can advance day by day and penetrate our hearts if we are not sensitive to the Holy Spirit.
Our denomination's world superintendent, the Rev. Darrelly and his wife, lived in Dallas, Oregon, and had a neighbor's house on their property in a valley called Rick Real. In winter, the water in the valley stretches from 50 to 60 feet, counting. The water gradually eroded the banks, which was against the law. So he took the first steps. I bought 100 truckloads of large stones that can only fit three or four in one dump truck. He parked his crane near a valley and placed stones one at a time on the perimeter of his land to prevent erosion.
Such erosion can also occur in churches. The evidence is that very few churches today adhere to the teachings they received in the first place. Gradually, the original teachings were cut off little by little and eroded to such an extent that it is difficult to understand what is being said today. You can't use large stones to prevent erosion of what you had in the first place. However, erosion can be prevented by remembering and cherishing the first. In retrospect, we want to preach the same words as John preached what he first heard. We must never stand by or allow our teachings to be eroded. We must emphasize what we were told when we were saved. It is the power of the gospel that takes away sin from our lives and keeps us from sinning.
Remember your initial spiritual state! What did you hear? How did you react to the first words you heard? Is your heart as spiritually sensitive today as it was then? One thing is certain, if the first thing I heard is still in me, it will continue to be in the Son and in the Father.
John repeats the words of Jesus he heard. There was nothing better for him. There is nothing better for us than to preach the same words we first heard. We know the power of the blood of Jesus. And we know that those who humbly kneel before God will have a relationship with God, receive forgiveness of sins, and live a life that overcomes sins.
When the Israelites entered the land of Canaan, they forgot the first thing they received, the word of God from Mount Sinai. The reason is that the customs of the Canaanite natives seemed fresh to them and they followed their customs. They became increasingly distant from God. God used the prophet Jeremiah to punish the people of Israel. But they did not obey. Jeremiah said of this, "This is what the LORD says: Stand in the way and see, and see where the old way, the good way, walk in it, and you will find peace in your soul, but they answered, We will not walk there." I did. We have to be on the lookout for things that look fresh and new. If you lose your heart to it, you may lose your first love, your first spiritual state. Are we really at peace now? Are you enjoying your day-to-day life? When you return to your original spiritual state, you will feel wonderful peace from heaven. It is said that the old way is the good way. What we first saw and heard was good and true. Truth.