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“These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.” 1 John 1:4 (NASB) |
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First John We are beginning a new study of 1 John in a series called “Abide in Love.” Should you enjoy background preparation, the link to the introductory materials is [HERE]. Let’s get serious One of the most important declarations in world history is the Hebrew shma that begins in Deuteronomy 6:4. In English, it reads like this … “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” (ESV) But in the Greek translation of the OT, it starts with the transition word kai [Καὶ] followed by the telling Hebrew term tauta [ταvτα]. Tauta is an alerting term, a word used for big ideas and causative issues. It was a common way for Greek philosophers to open a discussion about an absolute truth. It’s a word for getting down to momentous topics. From that tauta beginning, Moses goes on to discuss significant biblical truths: God’s unity; the joy of loving God with all our hearts, souls, & might; the import of teaching each generation to follow God. Brilliant, eternal, community-changing words about fellowship with God & generations of people all begin with tauta. In 1 John, God is starting another wonderful and important discussion that every person needs to hear and He appears to structure it like Deuteronomy on purpose. Tauta – what we translate “these things” – tells us that this is a serious biblical conversation. Joy and fellowship are based on the real eternal life offered in Jesus. Joy is made complete in fellowship grounded in significant biblical truths. You may have noticed that the modern tendency is to be unconcerned about doctrine so long as the church all gets along and keeps growing numerically. In fact, many Christians actively flee scriptural discussions. But John is introducing us to God’s kind of joy – unity and growth that is real and sustainable. And that kind of delight only comes from digging deeply into truth – into tauta “these things.” We can and will disagree on details, and that’s great! But if we are afraid to discuss truth, we can never experience real joy. We’ll just have a plastic pretend fellowship that will crumble under the attacks of deconstructionists. Doctrine doesn’t need to be boring or divisive! Yet doctrine is necessary. Tauta, these doctrinal things, matter. And I look forward to discussing them more with you next time. |