God's ordinary means of grace ordinarily produce extraordinary people. 1 John 4:11-17 (NIV) 11  Dear So it is with Christians, John writes here. "God lives in us, and His love is made complete in us." God's love is made complete in you, John indicates, as you " testify that the Father has sent His Son John continues, "if anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God

John 17:1–5 (NIV) CONTEXT: As His crucifixion draws near, Jesus prays to His Father. 1 After Jesus said Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 10: The Deity of Christ We believe Moses says that God “created the world”; and John says that “all things were created by the Word,” which

John 1:9-14 (NIV) 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was John’s wording regarding Jesus speaks to the nature of who he is. Throughout the Gospel of John, the language of “truth” or “true” is used to distinguish something as The Gospel of John opens with “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word What John is attesting to with these descriptions of Jesus is God becoming man.

John 14:15–17 (NIV) 15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give Summary This section of John 14 speaks to the distinct persons of the Trinity.

John 15:1-8 (NIV): “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in

John 6:35-40 (NIV) 35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life.

1 John 5:19-20 (ESV) 19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil Summary The way John put it doesn't sound right, does it. or anything in the world (1 John 2:15)." The big idea that John tells you here is that "we know that we are from God." John here explains exactly what it means to have your heart/mind regenerated.

Scripture is the sufficient source for knowing and testing what is true. 1 John 4:1–6 (NIV) Dear friends Summary The first letter of John is an excellent overview of the basics of the faith. Many false teachers were causing confusion on these foundational truths, and John wrote this letter to The apostle John has the same goal as his gospel account in this letter, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5

Jesus gives the deepest theological insights to people just like you. Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 1 We all believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths that there is a single and simple spiritual being, whom we call God— eternal, incomprehensible, invisible, unchangeable, infinite, almighty; completely wise, just, and good, and the overflowing source of all good. Summary One of the beefiest books I have on my shelf is called Systematic Theology, by Louis Berkhof. It weighs in at nearly 1,100 pages of very small type, and as its title implies, it explains in significant detail what the Bible says about God. Yet, when it comes right down to it, Berkhof is forced to admit that "the Bible does not give us a definition of God." The Bible certainly explains quite a bit about God's attributes, character and the things He's done, but nowhere does it provide a stand alone description of exactly what God is. So when Jesus says in v24 that "God is spirit," it ought to get your attention. This is the fullest definition you'll find for God anywhere. Notice here exactly what Jesus said and what He didn't say. He didn't say that God is a spirit, He just said that God is spirit. This makes sense in light of the name God gave Himself: I AM. Just like He does with His other attributes, God defines that which He is. Dig Deeper The format in which Jesus explains what God is adds to our understanding. Jesus doesn't give a speech at a theological conference attended by religious elites, or package His explanation in an 1,100 page book, or even post a series of binge-worthy podcasts. It's not that those formats aren't good and even necessary things, it's just that the context of this conversation deepens the meaning of the one word definition Jesus gives of God. Jesus speaks these invaluable words to a fallen, broken, outcast woman - a Samaritan woman at that! And He does so right after calling her out for her sin and deception. Do you see what this means? It means that knowing God is not just a lofty ideal, attainable only by self righteous monks who climb the religious mountain, so to speak. Theology - knowing what God is and what He has done and is doing - is for common, ordinary, sinful folks; people just like you and me. Nor is theology an optional thing for Christians. You can't just hold onto the Bible's warm fuzzies like love, joy and peace without a firm grasp of the Bible's dogmatic claims. In fact, the very next thing that Jesus says here is that those who worship God must worship Him in spirit and truth. The Christ has come - the one which this sinful woman knew would be able to explain everything to us (v25). He's given us His Word, that we might fully know Him and worship Him in that truth. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father God, who is spirit; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for giving us the truth in His Word, and pray that you would know it well so you can fulfill your purpose of worshipping Him; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Mark 5

John 15:26–16:15 (NIV) 26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10