Saturday, March 28, 2026
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: 1 John 2-3
Key Verse
1 John 2:27 — “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.”
Devotional Thought
John writes to a congregation he loves like family, calling them “my little children,” and his first concern is not that they would merely feel forgiven but that they would stop sinning. Yet he knows the human heart, so he immediately adds the comfort: if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. The word “advocate” pictures a defense attorney standing beside us in heaven’s court, and “propitiation” means His sacrifice fully satisfied the wrath our sins deserved. This is the gospel in miniature: God’s standard is absolute, and His mercy is absolute too.
From that foundation, John tests the reality of our faith. The man who claims to know God while ignoring His commandments is a liar, but the one who keeps His word has the love of God perfected in him. This is not perfectionism; it is direction. A tree is known by its fruit, and a life abiding in Christ will increasingly walk as He walked. John then applies this test to love of neighbor. To claim the light while hating a brother is to walk in darkness and not know where you are going. The command is old—love one another—and yet new, because the true light now shines in Christ.
John warns of antichrists who went out from the church, denying that Jesus is the Christ. But the believers have an unction, an anointing from the Holy One, and the Spirit’s teaching abides in them. They need not chase every new voice; the truth they heard from the beginning is enough. He reminds fathers, young men, and little children alike of what they have: forgiveness, knowledge of the Father, strength, and victory over the wicked one. These are not achievements but gifts, and they anchor the soul when the world’s lusts and pride pass away.
Chapter 3 turns to the astonishing privilege of being called the sons of God. What we shall be is not yet fully revealed, but we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. That hope purifies. And because we are born of God, we cannot make peace with sin; His seed remains in us. The proof of this new birth is tangible: love in deed and truth, not merely in word. When our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts. When they do not, we have confidence toward God. Here in late March, as winter loosens its grip and new life pushes through the soil, John’s letter calls us to the same resurrection pattern: abide in Christ, love the brethren, and let the darkness pass away because the true light already shines.
Reflection
- When your heart condemns you, do you run to the Advocate, or do you try to argue your own case before God?
- Where has your love for a brother or sister been only in word and tongue, and what would it look like this week to love in deed and in truth?
Prayer
Father, we thank You for the love that called us Your sons and daughters. When we sin, remind us that Jesus Christ the righteous stands as our Advocate, and that His sacrifice has fully satisfied Your justice. Keep us from loving the world and its passing lusts. Let Your anointing abide in us and teach us all things. Purify our hearts by the hope of seeing Christ as He is, and let our love for one another be real—in deed and in truth, not merely in words. Give us confidence before You, and let us abide in Him until He appears, that we may not be ashamed at His coming. In Jesus’ name, Amen.