1 John almost seems to be a mystical letter. There are bold, brash statements about “knowing the anointing” and “not needing any teacher,” plus the whole thing of not sinning anymore.

1-3 John are such short books and make such outlandish statements, it’s almost too easy to skim right over them.

Not sin? REALLY?

Part of what we miss is John’s knowledge of what is possible. Sometimes, when we get a glimpse of the power of the Kingdom, and we get a taste of the power of the Spirit, there is a glimpse into what is God’s best. When we glimpse God’s best we may not know how to fully describe it. Descriptions can come out awkward, such as bold statements like John makes in his short letter.

The point is this: We need to realize the lavishness of the Kingdom. There is a power that has been delivered to us and we just don’t recognize it most of the time.

“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” (I Jn. 3:8, NIV)

The enemy has been bound up. The Kingdom is unleashed. There is power available. We can understand God’s best and live it. Too much of the time, however, that doesn’t seem to interest us very much. The loss is ours. It is also the world’s loss.

We can do better.