Paul McKenzie

Memory Verse, Tuesday, October 14, 1 John 5:21

"Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. (KJV)

"Dear children, keep yourselves from idols." (NIV)

Some commentators think of this as an, "Oh, by the way" passage, as if it completely leaves the previous thought, being like a "postscript".

It could be, but there are many others, my pastors included, who believe it is kind of a culmination phrase of the whole intent of the book. Let's look at some of the "idols" we need to avoid that were in this letter before we leave it:

The book begins with "Whom" to follow: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;" (1:1)

And, in case you aren't sure, we see from the book of John, 1:1, 14: "In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the Word was God… and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,"

We find this re-emphasized in the fourth chapter: "Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of antichrist, whereof ye heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world." (2-3)

And that "spirit of antichrist" still is in the world, more prevalent than ever, even among many "progressive" so-called Christian circles. Whenever one speaks of "religion", the dividing line is Jesus, the God/man, inserting Himself into the world, flesh-and-blood, sinlessly defeating death, physically crucified with the scars to prove it, and rising from the dead. All of which is either appalling to some who think that God would stoop like this, or foolish because in their minds it is an impossibility.

But they one day will turn to a Beast, one like themselves. There are mini-antichrists already, and have existed from the emperors of Rome to the tyrannical despots in the world today. And all have the same thing in common: they hate Christ and His people and censor them, even to the point of prison and death, if they can get away with it.

The real Christ, that is. They have all sorts of descriptions that contain the label "Jesus" on them, but if you insist on the true Jesus found in the Word of God, the One Who claimed: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no man can come to the Father but by me.", you are rejected. (John 14:6)

More idols to avoid tomorrow.

Today if you hear His voice, harden not your heart.

Memory Helps:

"Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen." (KJV)

A simple, seven-word verse, but with big, big impact. Picture yourself with a bunch of little children. There are a bunch of little idols piled up and in a trash can. You tell them "Little children, keep yourselves from idols!" and they all reply in one voice, "Amen!"

Now, for those wanting to link 1 John 5:21 to this little verse, picture a friend called "Nate", (N=2, 1=T, vowels fillers, so Nate can only mean 21) put a "yawning lei on him and the children (yawn for 1 John, L=5, vowels fillers, so "Lei" can only mean 5), and have Nate tell the children. If it helps, let all the children look like little "Nates" to reinforce 21. And that finishes 1 John.