Wednesday 18 January 2017

Psalm: Psalm 88

Background

The believers for whom this letter was written were troubled notonly by the fact that there had been disputes over doctrine leadingto some of their number breaking away, but by the fact that thosewho had left claimed to be inspired by God and have propheticpowers, and possibly demonstrated it by ecstatic behaviour. Ourwriter insists that the test of inspiration is whether peopleacknowledge that Jesus was a real human being. Apparently this wasalso denied by the breakaway group. In verse 3 our writer draws onpopular Jewish ideas, reflected elsewhere in the New Testament (egRevelation 13), that at the end of all thingswhen the Messiah finally comes he will be confronted by an evilchampion and will defeat him. In fact the battle is already on!Apparent spirit-possession is no guarantee of truth.

There are more references to 'love' in the five chapters of 1John that in any other book in the New Testament, however long. Thewriter insists that love is God's key characteristic, demonstratedby Jesus, who dealt with the obstacle to our fellowship with God,achieving by his death what ritual sacrifice sought to do (verse10). The test of whether we know God is whether we reflect suchlove in our lives.

To Ponder

• How do we test the many voices claiming to tell us 'how thingsreally are' today?

• How important for you is the idea that Jesus died for oursins?