Daily Bread

1 John 2 17 - "They went out from us but they were not of us. If they had been of us they would have remained with us. Nevertheless it is revealed that none of them are of us."

Betrayal and broken communion were evidence enough of the spiritual state of these people. One of the primary themes of the first Epistle of John is the love of the brethren and the communion that results. Those who refused to remain in fellowship with the apostles and their company were not in the Light (1 John 1:7), and were revealed to be of the devil. The fellowship that we have with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is equated to the fellowship that we have with those who are begotten of God. If an individual does not have fellowship with God then he cannot have fellowship with those who are begotten of God and conversely if there is no fellowship with the brethren there is no fellowship with God. The epistle of 1 John provides the proofs of fellowship to distinguish between those who are of God and those who are deceivers. Beloved let us love one another.

Blessings,

Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org