This chapter begins with "My dear children." John was an old man, and he was speaking affectionately to these newer and younger believers. He is writing this letter so that they will not sin, but at the same time, he knows they will! And we know that we will too! When we do sin, Jesus acts as our advocate or lawyer before the Father. Jesus is the perfect Defense Attorney! He is the Judge's Son, and He has already paid the penalty for our sin. Our case is settled.
Throughout the remainder of this letter, John gives us evidences of our salvation. These are not works that save us because we know we can never be good enough to earn salvation, but our actions will show that we belong to God. The first evidence is that we obey His commandments. Again, this does not mean we are perfect, but we generally to the best of our ability have a desire to obey God.
Psalm 16
This is a psalm of faith, and it expresses the peace and joy that come from a life that trusts in God.
If we are such people, we will
- take refuge in God v. 1
- call Him our Master v. 2
- recognize that every good thing comes from the Lord v. 2
- make Godly people our heroes v. 3
- be thankful for all God has given us vv. 5-6
- meditate on God's Word v. 7
- remember that God is always with us--right beside us v. 8
- know that God keeps us safe--particularly our souls can't be lost vv 9-10
- know that God blesses us in this life. v. 11
- know that we will live with God forever. v 11
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