NEWS, ARTICLES, DEVOTIONS AND MORE FROM BttB...

READ   1 John 3:2-3   2 Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. 3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.     This passage provides motivation for living the Christian life. Believers in Christ live with many imperfections while on earth but someday they will be like Jesus. This

READ   1 John 3:4-6   4 Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. 5 And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. 6 Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is.     “Sin” is defined here as anything “contrary to the law of God.” The word literally means “missing the mark.” The mark is God’s holiness. Jesus came to take awa

READ   1 John 3:7-8   7 Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. 8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.     How does one tell if another person is right with God? No one can see motives but actions can be observed. If a person keeps on

READ   1 John 3:9-10   9 Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. 10 So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.     The one who has a personal relationship with Jesus does not have a lifestyle of sinning. This persona

READ   1 John 3:11-13   11 This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous. 13 So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.     The apostle John stresses the importance of believers loving others. Hate can lead to mu

READ   1 John 3:14-15   14 If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. 15 Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.     How does one know if a person has passed from spiritual death to spiritual life? It is whether he loves other believers. Today’s world seems to be filled with

READ   1 John 3:16-17   16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?     People talk about love, but what is “real love”? John explains Jesus revealed what it is by giving His life for us. We cannot die to atone for someone’s sin, but we can demo

READ   1 John 3:18-20   18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. 20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.     John urges believers not to merely say they are believers but to demonstrate it with actions. People’s actions reveal whether or not they belong to the truth. S

READ   1 John 3:23-24   23 And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. 24 Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.     John refers to two key commandments when he mentions believing in Jesus and loving each other. Those who say they love God but do not love fellow believers are not

READ   1 John 3:21-22   21 Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. 22 And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.     Guilt is something that needs to be faced in each believer’s life. The person who feels guilty cannot approach God with confidence. This will be revealed in his witness and prayer life. If one is living to please God, however, he may be assured that God will answer

READ   1 John 4:1-2   Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. 2 This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God.     A believer should not believe everything spiritual that is heard. In the first century so

READ   1 John 4:3-4   3 But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here. 4 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.     This passage reveals the key issue is Je

READ   1 John 4:5-6   5 Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. 6 But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.     Those who belong to the world system do not know the Lord Jesus as Savior. They refuse to listen to and understand believers in Jesus. How does

READ   1 John 4:7-8   7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.     Those who do not listen to spiritual truth evidence they are not believers in Jesus. Also, those who do not love others indicate they are not believers. Because God is love, those who have received Him into their lives will reflect that love to others. By con

READ   1 John 4:9-10   9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.     As mentioned previously, love can only be observed when it is demonstrated by actions. You may love God now, but notice that Jesus died for lost mankind before love was expressed to Him. The heavenly Fath

READ   1 John 4:11-12   11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.     We love God because He first loved us. Now that we know that He loved us so much, we should respond by loving others. People cannot see God, but if they see love demonstrated in the lives of Christians they will get a glimpse of God’s love. This

READ   1 John 4:13-15   13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.     What evidence do you have you are a child of God? This verse tells you. When you trust Jesus as Savior the Holy Spirit is given to you. John tells us one of

READ   1 John 4:16-17   16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.     God has shown how much He loves us by giving His Son to die for us. As we trust in Jesus as Savior the love of God wil

READ   1 John 4:18-19   18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other because he loved us first.     The kind of love John is describing is the kind that dispels all fear. God has demonstrated His love for us by giving us His Son to die for us. This should motivate all believers to serve Him out of love, not duty. Why do w

READ   1 John 4:20-21   20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? 21 And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.     Notice what this verse does not say and what it does say. It does not say you need to confront a person who says he loves God but hates a fellow believer. It does say that you do not need to

READ   1 John 5:1-2   1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. 2 We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey his commandments.     Notice that a person does not become a child of God by loving others; one becomes a child of God by believing in Jesus Christ as Savior. The love of God will follow salvation but loving others is not the means of it. If one loves the Father, it

READ   1 John 5:3-5   3 Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. 5 And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.     John points out that those who love God do what pleases Him. And instructions for what honors Him are found in the Bible. Plus, His commandments are for our good, not to

READ   1 John 5:9-10   9 Since we believe human testimony, surely we can believe the greater testimony that comes from God. And God has testified about his Son. 10 All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. Those who don’t believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don’t believe what God has testified about his Son.     Is it not strange that some people refuse to believe the Bible because it is written by men, they say,

READ   1 John 5:16   16 If you see a fellow believer sinning in a way that does not lead to death, you should pray, and God will give that person life. But there is a sin that leads to death, and I am not saying you should pray for those who commit it.     Notice this sin must be something one is able to see. The various views seem to agree that “death” and “life” refer to that which is physical rather than spiritual death and spiritual life. Some give examples of Moses and A