1-3 John; Jude: “God is Love” (November 27-December 3)

The Apostle John, as portrayed in the Bible Video “Peter’s Revelation to Take the Gospel to the Gentiles “

It’s not surprising that John, who emphasized the Savior’s teachings on love in his gospel, and who called himself “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23, John 19:26, John 20:2, John 21:7, 20), would have a lot to say about love in his epistles. He expresses love for his readers. (See 2 John 1:1, 3 John 1:1.) He tells us that we should love God and each other because God first loved us. (See 1 John 4:11, 19.) He says that if we don’t love, we don’t know God, “for God is love” (1 John 4:8).

He also makes connections between love and other gospel principles:

• If we love God, we will keep His commandments. (See 1 John 5:3, 2 John 1:6; see also John 14:15.)
• If we love other people, we will walk in the light (1 John 2:10).
• If we love, we will be spiritually born again (1 John 4:7, 16-17, 1 John 5:1).

John also warns us against people who seek to destroy our faith, whom he calls “antichrists.” (See 1 John 2:18-19, 22-24, 1 John 4:2-3, 2 John 1:7.) Mormon used this same word to describe Korihor, a man who worked to persuade people not to believe the prophecies about Jesus and not to believe that God could help them overcome their sins. (See Alma 30:6, 12-17.)

Jude gives a similar warning against harmful teachers in his epistle. He says that there will be “mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts” (Jude 1:18; see also 2 Peter 3:3). He calls them “clouds without water” and “trees whose fruit withereth” (Jude 1:12), echoing the Savior’s warning from the Sermon on the Mount. (See Matthew 7:15-20, 3 Nephi 14:15-20.)

Here are some other lessons I’ve learned from these epistles:

1. We see God more clearly as we become more like Him.

John assures us that “when [God] shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” Then, he adds, “Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:2-3). This mirrors Mormon’s promise that God can fill us with His love, “that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure” (Moroni 7:48).

To “see [God] as He is” means to have an accurate perception of Him. But it also means that we have achieved a level of spiritual maturity. Our recognition of truth becomes more precise as we become more pure. We will see better because we will be better.

See the following blog post: What Does It Mean to “See Him as He Is?”

2. We are changed through the atonement of Jesus Christ, which is symbolized by His blood.

Jesus taught that we must be “born of water and of the Spirit” (John 3:3-5). We usually associate this instruction with the ordinances of baptism and confirmation, but we recognize that those ordinances alone do not save us. We are saved through the sacrifice which Jesus made on our behalf. So John says, “There are three that bear witness in earth: the Spirit, and the water, and the blood” (1 John 5:8; see also Moses 6:59-60).

Elder D. Todd Christofferson testified:

The baptism of repentance by water leads to the baptism of the Spirit. The Spirit brings the atoning grace of Christ, symbolized by His blood, both to justify (or pardon) our sins and to sanctify (or cleanse) us from the effects of sin, making us spotless and holy before God.

“Born Again,” General Conference, April 2008, Footnote 1

Here’s a blog post about these three symbols of our spiritual transformation: Water, Spirit, and Blood.

3. God gives us assignments and responsibilities to guide us through a process of spiritual growth.

The Greek word arché (ἀρχή) means “beginning” or “origin.” But it can also mean “sovereignty” or “authority.” That word is translated “first estate” in the King James version of Jude’s epistle, where he speaks mournfully of “the angels which kept not their first estate” (Jude 1:6; compare Abraham 3:26, 28). Other translations use phrases like “positions of authority” or “designated place of power” to convey the meaning of this word.

God gives us opportunities to serve which enable us to grow and progress. It is up to us whether we accept and fulfill those assignments and experience the consequent growth. Here’s a blog post on the topic: Keeping Our Estates

4. Jesus is our advocate.

The word “advocate” only appears once in the King James Version of the Bible, in John’s first epistle. “If any many sin,” he wrote, “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).

Mormon also taught us about this role of the Savior. “He hath answered the ends of the law,” he said, “and he claimeth all those who have faith in him;… wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens” (Moroni 7:28).

An advocate is someone who pleads your case or promotes your cause. The Greek word, parakletos (παράκλητος), implies someone who is nearby, aware of us and supporting us. The knowledge that Jesus is with us can give us confidence. President Henry B. Eyring said, “When I pray with faith, I have the Savior as my advocate with the Father and I can feel that my prayer reaches heaven” (“Prayers of Faith,” General Conference, April 2020).

To learn more about the Savior’s role as our advocate, read the following post: What Does It Mean for Jesus to Be Our Advocate?

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