1 John 5:1-8—John begins by telling us, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the
Christ is born of God.” Faith in Jesus as the Christ is a sign of being
born again just as love is. John wrote at a time when members of a family were
closely associated as a unit under the headship of the father. He could,
therefore, use the family as an illustration to show that anyone who loves God
the Father will naturally love God’s children.
The validity of personal testimony in the Old
Testament was linked to a specific number of credible witnesses, specifically “two or three witnesses” were necessary
to establish guilt or innocence on criminal charges (Deuteronomy 19:15) and
only on this basis could a person be sentenced to death (Deuteronomy 17:6).
Jesus applied the principle of “two or
three witnesses” to his instructions for resolving disputes in his church
(Matthew 18:15-16).
Paul used the standard to determine whether
an accusation could be sustained against an elder (1Timothy 5:19). In his
second letter to the Corinthians, Paul sees his thrice repeated testimony
alone, whether in person or by letter, as satisfying the requirement of two or
three witnesses" (2Corinthians 13:1-3). The writer of the book of Hebrews
alludes to this pattern writing that "Anyone
who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on [the testimony of] two
or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve
who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood
of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of
grace?" (Hebrews 10:28-29-note) In this passage the writer points out
the "greater testimony" of
two witnesses, the Son of God and the Spirit of grace.[1]
A Prayer for Agriculture: Almighty God, You blessed the earth to
make it fruitful, bringing forth in abundance whatever is needed for the
support of our lives. Prosper, we implore You, the work of farmers, grant them
seasonable weather that we may gather in the fruit of the earth and thus
proclaim Your goodness with thanksgiving. May we see by this noble vocation
that with Your help they feed the world. And cause all those who give thanks
over their food to treat those who produce it with both honor and respect;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord[2].
05 May 2021—
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