Gospel-Centered Resources from Midwestern Seminary
In this latest installment of the FTC Mailbag, Jared Wilson and Ronni Kurtz discuss listener-submitted questions and topics, including: family worship, elder pathways, ministry calling, loving a dying church, and sermon scheduling. As always, you can submit a question or topic for the mailbag at any time by emailing [email protected]
For most Christians in America, the use of marijuana has been a nonstarter, mainly because it was against the law. But in the last few decades, the move to legalize weed has gained steam. Today, marijuana is still considered a Schedule I illegal substance by the federal government, though twenty-four states and the District of Columbia now allow recreational marijuana. Forty states allow the medical usage of marijuana. So believers must now think biblically and theologically about the use of this increasingly popular plant.
First, we should understand the terms. Cannabis refers to the entire plant, and marijuana refers to the part of the plant grown, harvested, and produced specifically to produce a “high” and thus psychoactive effects. There are parts of the cannabis plant that are neither addictive nor designed to generate a high. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the primary psychoactive compound. For instance, CBD is a popular ingredient in restorative and medical applications. It does not have THC and therefore doesn’t have mind-altering properties.
How should believers think about marijuana and similar substances that have psychoactive effects? While no specific Bible passage addresses marijuana, there are several biblical principles and ideas we should consider.
In Cannabis and the Christian, ethicist Todd Miles recounts visiting a weed dispensary to learn what customers seek:
In doing some research for my presentations on this topic, I visited one of the seemingly ubiquitous marijuana dispensaries near my house. The staff at this shop were extremely patient and helpful, answering many of my questions by pulling out large visual aids with charts and graphics, showing me the different THC products and how they worked. At one point, I asked, rather embarrassingly, if there was any reason to smoke pot recreationally other than to get high. The clerk looked at me like I was an imbecile and laughed, “Why else would anybody smoke pot?”
While there may be a secondary purpose in consuming marijuana, let’s be honest: People use it to get a high. What is a high? A high is a form of intoxication. Scripture doesn’t speak to marijuana, but it does strongly condemn intentional intoxication. To the Ephesians, Paul urges, “And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18). This passage, like many others, frequently references alcohol, as it was the primary substance in use during the context addressed by the scriptural authors.
Consider this warning from Proverbs 23:
Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has conflicts? Who has complaints? Who has wounds for no reason? Who has red eyes? Those who linger over wine; those who go looking for mixed wine. Don’t gaze at wine because it is red, because it gleams in the cup and goes down smoothly. In the end it bites like a snake and stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things, and you will say absurd things. You’ll be like someone sleeping out at sea or lying down on the top of a ship’s mast. . . . “They struck me, but I feel no pain! They beat me, but I didn’t know it! When will I wake up? I’ll look for another drink.” (vv. 29–35)
This passage discusses “lingering over wine,” consuming so much that one becomes intoxicated and drunk. Scripture warns of its perils: loss of coherence, lack of control of what one says, hallucinations, and addiction: “I’ll look for another drink.” Scripture never portrays intoxication as a good thing for God’s people. What’s more, often drunkenness—intoxication—is seen as sinful. In Galatians 5:19–21, it is listed as a characteristic of people who “will not inherit the kingdom of God” and is inconsistent with a life in step with the Holy Spirit. A similar sentiment is expressed in 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 and 1 Peter 4:3. In 1 Thessalonians 5:6–8, intoxication is contrasted with sobriety and self-control, that is a characteristic of the spiritually mature follower of Jesus. Nine times the New Testament refers to drunkenness or intoxication in its list of sins.
Scripture also offers examples of the kind of debauchery that can result from intoxication: Noah embarrassed himself with public nakedness (Gen. 9:21). Lot committed incest (Gen. 19:30–38). Nabal risked his life and family before the king (1 Sam. 25:36). The Corinthian Christians blasphemed the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:21). David Mathis is right when he says, “When we turn to the New Testament, drunkenness has no place in the church but belongs to the course of this fallen world and the pattern of rebellion against God.”
Scripture warns against it because the effects of intoxication are many. Families, lives, and communities are often destroyed by violence, infidelity, and loss of control. Scholar Christopher Cook asserts from church history, “At least up until the nineteenth century, these ethical conclusions were remarkably uniform. All agreed that drunkenness was a sin.” If the primary purpose of marijuana is to get high and if intoxication is seen as a sin in Scripture, can a Christian seek to get high and be in obedience to Christ?
Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from Biblical Wisdom for Everyday Life: Ethical Answers for Cultural Questions, by Daniel Darling, released by B&H Publishing (May 2026).
In 2 Timothy, Paul gives Timothy more than 30 imperatives to guide his ministry to the church at Ephesus—highlighting just how comprehensive the work of pastoral ministry truly is. An overview of some of these imperatives demonstrates this:
Faithful oversight of the church—seeking to model these imperatives—is hard, good, and all-encompassing work. Paul’s commands cover the task (guard, think, entrust, preach, evangelize), promote endurance (share in suffering, be ready in season and out of season, continue in what you have learned, fulfill your ministry), instruct discipleship (remind, reprove, rebuke, exhort), and requires integrity (present yourself approved, flee youthful lusts, pursue righteousness, be sober-minded, avoid irreverent babble, and have nothing to do with foolish controversies).
Paul’s heavy list of imperatives presents a high calling for pastors. How should a pastor “fan into flame the gift” (2 Tim 1:6) so that he can do what it takes to fulfill this ministry and to conclude at the end that—“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7)?
It’s interesting to note that all the imperatives carry an active sense to them, except one: “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2:1). This is the only passive imperative in the entire letter.
Pastors can only meet Paul’s commands by being strengthened by grace through Jesus Christ.
Paul describes the grace in detail:
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God who saved us and called us to a holy calling not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. (2 Tim. 1:8–10)
What will keep pastors from being ashamed of the gospel during a hard season? What will keep them from deserting Paul like Demas who was “in love with this present world” (2 Tim. 4:10)? It will not come from merely affirming that death has been abolished and that life and immortality have been brought to light—but they must be strengthened by such grace, deriving strength, faith, and conviction to carry out the work of ministry. This is a supernatural work of God through the Spirit. It’s experienced—not just affirmed—and the experience comes from outside as we meditate on the reality of grace—“remember Jesus Christ risen from the dead” (2 Tim. 2:8).
Paul concludes the letter with his testimony of God doing this in his ministry:
At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (2 Tim 4:16–18)
In this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ronni Kurtz discuss the prayer in the church. Why do some of us find it so difficult? What do we make of awkward or even absent prayer in our gatherings? Why does public church prayer sometimes feel so weird?
While many Christians give to their local church, many only give directly to specific people and causes in the name of careful stewardship. Their reasoning goes something like this: “If I give to my church, while some of it goes to its various ministries, much of it funds staff salaries, building overhead, fellowship events, and VBS crafts. To be sure, those are good things, but I want my financial generosity to help starving children, trafficked women, villages without clean water, and missionaries. It’s not that my church isn’t important. I just think my money can make a bigger difference if I give it elsewhere.”
As long as believers give generously to needy people and worthy causes, do they really need to give to their local church?
Of all the justifications I’ve heard for not giving to the local church, the “maximum impact” argument is the strongest I’ve come across. After all, sheltering children in Uganda does seem more urgent than helping fund your church’s weekend parenting conference.
And yet, as intuitive as this line of reasoning might seem, it’s problematic to make perceived impact the sole determinative metric for how we give.
While there are a variety of reasons believers ought to give to their local church, the NT repeatedly offers one that renders the “impact only” giving strategy unbiblical despite being well-intended.
Consider for a moment: How has God designed the church to be supported financially? Who funds its ministries and ministers?
Students of church history know that in the past, the state served as the church’s primary benefactor. Indeed, the title ‘Magisterial Reformer’ refers to Protestants like Luther and Calvin who “worked for the reconstruction of Christendom in alliance with the secular magistrates of Europe”[1]
While well-meaning Christians continue to debate about church-state relations, it’s important to recognize that the Scriptures themselves never place the responsibility of bankrolling the church at the feet of Caesar. Instead, they call the church’s members—the believers who directly benefit from its ministers and ministries—to provide the needed resources.
For Paul, giving isn’t merely a call to dig deep and show compassion. It’s often presented as an issue of fairness.
For example, while he personally forgoes financial support, he exhorts the Corinthians to provide materially for those who sow among them spiritually: “The plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more?” (1 Cor. 9:10–12).
Similarly, in Galatians 6:6, Paul writes, “Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.” Finally, Paul tells Timothy: “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,’ and, ‘The laborer deserves his wages.” (1 Tim. 5:17–18).
For Thomas Schreiner, Paul’s logic is straightforward: “Those who proclaim the gospel have sown, so to speak, spiritual seed, and because they have done so, they should reap a material harvest—that is, they should be supported financially.”[2]
Notice that in each of the exhortations cited above, Paul consistently articulates two principles: (1) Those who give themselves to teaching the Word should be financially supported and (2) their financial support should come from those who benefit from their instruction.
Providing the “laborer’s wages” isn’t the responsibility of the state or a few wealthy church members—it’s the collective responsibility of the believers who reap spiritual fruit from those who labor among them in preaching and teaching.
Stated plainly: If you benefit, you should contribute.
Properly examining your giving strategy is not a matter of asking, “Do Paul’s instructions resonate with me?” but “Am I doing what God’s Word says? Are those who are sowing spiritually among me reaping materially from me?”
If you answer, “No, because I think my money can serve better ends by giving it elsewhere,” then not only are you disregarding apostolic instruction, but you’re also allowing your share of the burden to fall on someone else—in the name of God-honoring generosity!
We have no problem giving money to things we value.
That’s why it’s difficult to conceive of believers who tip their server after a meal out (after 45 minutes of service) more than they gave to their church last year. After all, the church is not a mere product we consume but the blood-bought institution ordained by God to make and grow disciples of all nations.
Similarly, if you have Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Disney+, it’s because you value the benefits it offers enough to pay for it.
And yet, what does it say if we compensate Netflix because we value Stranger Things, but don’t give a penny to the church that invests in our souls?
If your local church isn’t interested in disciple making or doesn’t benefit your soul in the long term, by all means find another one (after you’re certain that church is really the problem). But to regularly gain spiritual benefit from its various ministries and to make no financial contribution is simply a failure to submit to Scripture.
Must believers restrict their giving to the local church? Absolutely not. As a pastor, I directly support a number of worthy causes and individuals and encourage others to do the same as they have opportunity. Rather, we should make sure our relief-oriented giving serves as a supplement to—not a substitute for—local church giving. Scripture calls us to more than giving materially where we reap spiritually, but not less.
[1] Diarmaid MacCulloch, The Reformation: A History (New York: Penguin Books, 2005), 143 (Kindle Edition).
[2] Thomas R. Schreiner, 1 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary, TNTC (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2018), 186.
Where did your story begin?
Perhaps it was in a home wrought with chaos and conflict or in a family soon to be devastated by divorce. Maybe it begins amid a cycle of job-loss, mounting bills, frequent address changes, or an environment marked by addiction and abuse.
The question is: If your childhood was marked by brokenness and turmoil, what did this teach you about yourself?
Whether for good or ill, our sense of self is profoundly shaped by our formative years. Our first interactions with family and early experiences of home—these ingredients combine to create our first conclusions about who we are and what we’re worth. The problem is, not only are these first conclusions often untrue, but they are also far more persistent than we’d prefer.
But what if they don’t need to be? What if brokenness could mark your childhood, but not your continued sense of identity? Sure, sometimes it seems we’re simply wired to take cues from our beginnings, but what if our beginning goes back far beyond our formative years?
Yes, Christian, your story did have a beginning. And yes, God means for you to derive your sense of self from it. But your beginning—your real beginning—took place long before your birth and long before family brokenness. Long before the stars ever shone in the sky.
When your story began in the eternal purpose of God, it was before the world began. He chose you, in him, before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4).
To truly understand your story, then, you must start with God long before you were born or the world was made. Begin with God: Holy, happy, and wonderful—before He had created the day or night and all was whole. To see ourselves rightly, we must start before the foundation of the world.
God brought you into His mind according to His will and delight. It was in a context of perfect, unremitted peace.
As God thought of you, He did so according to His peerless wisdom and boundless understanding. He did not think of you because of confusion or an argument, but from a life-giving love that is unmatched by any. In this setting of supreme and unblemished goodness, God established His plan for you. You would be:
He would write you, His beloved character, into His Great Story—the one that would beget all others. An epic of justice, sacrifice, victory, and delight. A tale in which Jesus shines as the only true hero, and His Church reflects His glory. This, Christian, is the true first page of your story—a story not ultimately of loss, disappointment, and confusion, but of promise, assurance, and everlasting victory.
We must see ourselves not mainly in terms of broken beginnings, but God’s persistent involvement and perfect love.
Why is it that you, today, believe in Jesus? Is it because God just so happened to look down one day, notice your life spinning out of control, and enter in? Was there a point in which God was a newcomer to your life—reacting to the mess of some new situation? Or, in truth, had He been present all along, working out the details according to His grand design?
Paul, in 2 Timothy, says the saved are saved, “Because of [God’s] own purpose and grace”—a purpose He decreed “before the ages began” (2 Tim. 1:9).
Although we must face the painful realities of a fallen and sinful world, the fact that God, “works all things according to the counsel of His will” is a more ultimate reality that should cause us to hope (Eph. 1:11). The omniscient mind that thought up the universe is behind every detail of life—even the painful ones—for your good (Rom. 8:28).
God’s involvement in your life has never skipped a beat.
Not only have His purposes never skipped a beat, but neither has His pure and perfect love. Before time began, God loved you (Eph. 1:4–5). Two thousand years ago, He proved this love for you at the cross (Rom. 5:8). At the time of your conversion, God poured out His love upon you by making you alive in Christ (Eph. 2:4–5).
God’s love has never changed, and He has always remained close—even when His love seems difficult to feel. God set His love upon you before He called light into being and planets into orbit, and His heart has continued to beat with that same love for you ever since.
Long ago, God wrote your name—and it wasn’t on a scrap piece of paper or on a list of to-dos. He inscribed your name into His book of life so deep and bold that no eraser could ever touch it, nor any scheme of Satan pluck you from His hand (Rev. 13:8). God’s story of you is older than the universe. It was He who spoke the first word over you.
No, you don’t ultimately come from brokenness. You come from the perfect, consistent, never-failing God.
First, Jared goes off on why Gen-X’ers need to let the *Star Wars* franchise go, and why Millennials probably should too. Then, the guys dive into the latest installment of the FTC Film Club, this time discussing the recent blockbuster and family-friendly release Project Hail Mary.
Join us each day in the month of November for a time of prayer based on the Psalms.
The pastor had just invited the congregation into a moment of silent confession. Silence is already difficult in a society saturated with distraction, so focus requires intention. But then… a cell phone rings.
Instantly, attention shifts. The sanctuary fills with subtle glances, internal irritation, and the shared wondering of whose phone it is and how quickly it will be silenced. Some of us have been “that person,” fumbling in embarrassment to stop the noise.
Distraction itself is nothing new. But when it comes to prayer, smartphones pose a deeper problem than occasional interruption. They are quietly forming us into people who struggle with attention, silence, desire, and patience—the very soil prayer requires to flourish.
Our phones are not inherently evil, and many Christians pray deeply while using technology wisely. Distraction, after all, predates the smartphone.
But there does seem to be a cultural shift in the way we approach prayer that may be shaped, be it ever so subtly, by our digital devices. Here are a few ways our devices may be affecting our prayers.
Prayer often begins where stimulation ends. Our phones make moments of silence vanish. Every pause in life becomes fillable. Whether we’re waiting in line, sitting in our car during a carpool, or lying in bed, these devices get pulled out instinctively. Even in moments of anxiety or boredom, we tend to look at the screen rather than close our eyes and talk to Jesus.
Yet Scripture emphasizes the importance of stillness, waiting, and meditation (Ps. 46:10; 62; Luke 5:16).
Our phones catechize us to expect immediacy, affirmation, and constant engagement. By contrast, prayer often seems slow, quiet, and can feel unresponsive. Over time, this mismatch subtly convinces us that prayer is inefficient or ineffective. But the Bible reminds us that God works powerfully through prayer, that God hears every word uttered, and he uses it as a means of grace (Jas. 5:16; Ps. 139:4; Heb. 4:16).
Phones offer relief without transformation. Rather than casting our cares on Jesus, as Peter exhorts us to do (1 Pet. 5:7), we’ve trained our reflexes to reach for our phones. The gesture looks small, but it reveals our sinful instinct to distract ourselves until anxiety is dulled rather than entrusting our fears to a caring Father.
Prayer assumes a capacity that many of us must relearn—or learn for the first time. Personal practices matter, yes, but the church also plays a crucial role in reshaping our instincts.
Creating noise in worship is not difficult. As a worship leader, I’m constantly thinking about smooth transitions because, frankly, silence can be awkward.
But we need to recover the importance of intentional corporate silence. And not just for fifteen seconds, but perhaps for a few minutes. Yes, a phone may ring from time to time, a baby will cry, or a coffee mug may be knocked over. There will be distractions.
But building silence into our worship services, whether it be a longer time of quiet confession or an unhurried Scripture reading, helps congregants relearn what it means to sit quietly before God. It will likely take time for this to feel somewhat normal. People may be uncomfortable for a while. But when silence is taught, it’s less intimidating, and it becomes more welcomed in our daily routines than the all-too-accessible time-fillers offered by our phones.
Since our phones cultivate in us a desire for immediacy, we need to be modeling and teaching prayer as a discipline that reshapes desires over time, and as a privilege, because we have uninhibited access to a Father who delights in His children.
It may be helpful for pastors and liturgists to pull away from scripted prayers. There is nothing wrong with writing out a prayer, and it is often very helpful. But even reducing your notes to bullet points to model honest, unspectacular conversation with God is important for our congregants. Prayer is ultimately grounded not in eloquence, but in relationship that grows stronger over time, and we can model that in our churches.
If smartphones are retraining our instincts, the church needs to be equally intentional about counter-formation. How can we encourage intentional practices within our local churches that shape how we use our time, where we give our attention, and what we desire?
Rather than offering blanket condemnations of technology, it’s more helpful to ask good questions: What am I most distracted by? What practices help me resist constant stimulation? Create spaces to talk practically in small groups or Sunday School classes. Learning about embodied practices and intentional limits remind us that prayer is cultivated.
When a phone rings during prayer, sure, it feels jarring. But I don’t think it’s only because it’s a distraction. It feels that way because it exposes how fragile our attention has become. The solution is not to do away with our phones, but to relearn practices that form us toward attentiveness and communion with God. Yes, smartphones shape us in subtle ways, but the God who invites us to cast our cares on Him is present, and He is worthy of our unhurried attention.
As you consider planning the route to health, there are two statements we believe would be beneficial for you to keep in mind, perhaps even post on your desk to remind you of their importance. First, remember, the focus of your ministry determines the future fruit of your ministry. In other words, what you invest in and cultivate now will reap a harvest in due time. Second, disciple-making must drive your decision-making. To put it another way, everything you lead your church to do should result in making and maturing disciples, and equipping those disciples to make disciples. These two statements are tied to the “triage” questions above. In other words, intentionally prioritize based on markers of health—disciple-pathway, evangelistic outreach, godly leadership, meaningful membership, gospel partnerships.
Now, as you plan the route to health, keep in mind that moving down the path you plan is as much an art as it is a science. When we say it’s a science, we mean that there are particular convictions that are biblical and right and must be pursued. At the same time, pursuing those convictions requires both social and self-awareness. This is the art of leading a church down the road of revitalization, having the wisdom to know how and when to take each step. Here are a few thoughts to help you map the way.
First, begin by addressing what is critical. As you reflect on the list of questions above, what is most obviously missing from the life of your church? What are the primary hindrances to the pursuit of health? This is where you, as a leader, need to be prayerful and honest. A church with a vibrant culture begins and is built by naming “reality with courage and does so in a way that is hopeful and encouraging.” Within my (Matt) first few years of ministry at my current church, it became clear to me that clarity on biblical leadership was a critical issue to address. The church had (and still does have) great leaders. But, the congregation did not have clarity on how to qualify leaders biblically or as to how decisions should be made. Does every decision involve the whole congregation? Who has the authority and trust to lead in decision making? So, we began using biblical qualifications for all our volunteer leadership positions. In time, we also developed a decision-making process, along with a checklist to communicate how decisions would be made.
Second, look for low hanging fruit. Oftentimes, even in a declining church, there are healthy ministries already in existence that do not receive the focus they deserve because so many other ministries are fighting for attention. Or, there are potentially fruitful ministries that could be healthy if they receive a slight directional tweak, refocus, or increased intentionality. To put it simply, celebrate the great things and make the good things great.
Third, prioritize based on the mission, the membership, and the church’s ministry opportunities. Keep the church’s mission at the forefront. What has God called us to do? Consider the gifts, talents, and interests of the members. Who has God sent to our church? And with those two in mind, consider the ministry opportunities that will allow you to bring the mission to bear with the members. How can we employ our members to pursue the mission through the ministry opportunities before us? Give them encouragement or hope to act, and specific steps to do so.
Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from Shepherding Renewal: A Guide to Lasting Church Revitalization by Matt Capps and Steven Wade, released by B&H Publishing (May 2026).
1 John is all about fellowship with God, which is possible through Jesus Christ and life in the Spirit (1:1–4). The Apostle John describes life in the Spirit through the abiding “anointing” (2:27) and abiding “seed” (3:9) of God before speaking explicitly about the abiding Holy Spirit in chapter 4. Although fellowship with God is the primary focus of the letter, we must not overlook John’s desire: “what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1:3, emphasis added). John’s purpose is that others may have fellowship with him and the church. Thus, all who are in fellowship with God are in fellowship with one another.
This framework is important for understanding the letter because as John writes to establish faith and assurance (1 John 5:13), he addresses three characters and the conflict that arises from them: friends, foes, and fauxs. The “friends” are those who are truly in fellowship with God and God’s people. The “foes” are those who are in fellowship with the world and the devil. Finally, and most challenging, are the fauxs—imposters of the faith—who appear to be in fellowship with God but truly belong to the world and the devil. The main test in 1 John, then, is not distinguishing between friends and foes, but friends and fauxs.
To illustrate, the greatest threat in war is not the place outside the gates where the enemy is gathered, but sabotage, spies, and traitors from within. Think of the Trojan horse and how the guise of a ceasefire resulted in the fall of the city from within after decades of standing strong. The fellowship of the church is to be a secure fellowship, but often, fauxs find their place within and bring destruction. Fauxs are hard to detect because they come just as everyone else: with a profession of faith, baptism, and so on. They continue in the fellowship and discipleship of the church for a time. Yet, as many pastors and laypeople can attest, they have witnessed the destruction fauxs bring on the church. In this letter, John provides insight for discerning fauxs so that appropriate action can be taken in love and truth to preserve the faith and fellowship of the church before ruin occurs.
From 1 John 1:5–5:12, John sets forth various tests which differentiate between the three characters. Friends are known by confessing their sins (1:5–2:2), living in obedience to Christ’s commands (2:3–11), persevering in the faith and fellowship of the Church (2:18–27; 4:1–6; 5:5–12), and practicing righteousness (2:28–3:10). Furthermore, obedience and righteousness are characterized by love for one another, which is a dominant emphasis in the letter (2:7–11; 3:10–24; 4:4–5:5). John uses the word “ought” to describe how Christians are expected to live like Christ (2:6) through a love of sacrifice (3:16) and forgiveness (4:10–11). In this way, the friends enjoy the Life (1:2), Light (1:5), and Love (4:8) of God.
In contrast, the foes are completely against the friends. They are opposed to the Father (2:15–17), the truth of Jesus Christ (4:1–6), the church (3:1b, 13), and righteousness and love (3:4–10). They are of the world and the devil, living in sin and darkness, and filled with hatred and murder—especially towards Christians. The foes of God and His people are given no assurance but are warned of coming destruction (3:8; contrast with believers in 3:18–24 and 4:15–21 who have confidence). The contrast between friends and foes is set in black-and-white terms, creating a sharp distinction between the two groups. Discerning between friends and foes is easy!
However, the challenge arises with the fauxs. What was black-and-white becomes gray and more dangerous. The friends are a loving people, and sometimes their love can interfere with the safeguards of truth. So, the friends often lack discernment, which matters not just for their own sake, but for one another—their fellow friends. Nevertheless, John exposes the fauxs as those who “say,” but what they “do” contradicts their claims: They claim to have fellowship with God, but walk in darkness characterized by unconfessed, unrepentant sin (1:5–10); they claim to know Christ, but then disobey His commands (2:3–6); they claim to be in the Light characterized by truth, but they hate their brothers/friends in Christ (2:9–11).
Exposing the fauxs, John declares they are liars, self-deceived, still in darkness/sins, of the devil and the world, do not have eternal life, and are headed for judgment (1:6, 2:4, 2:11, 2:15–17, 2:22, 3:7–10, 3:15, 4:3–5, 4:8, 4:20). They are antichrists and followers of antichrist (2:18–19); they are false prophets and the followers of false prophets (4:1–6). They remain in their sins and darkness and are headed toward judgment. Despite their claim to be friends and to be in fellowship with God, they are given no assurance of eternal life. Instead, they are allotted a portion with the foes!
Despite the presence of fauxs, true friends stand out as those who know, repent, walk, love, obey, practice righteousness, and persevere with Christ and His Church. This multifaceted understanding of faith is consistent throughout 1 John and reflects Jesus’ own teaching (John 13–17). When John says in 1 John 5:13, “these things I have written to you,” he means the faith presented from 1:5–5:12. This faith characterizes those who believe and are assured of eternal life. They are set in contrast to both those who completely reject God and those who say they are of God but are not.
To conclude, distinguishing between friends, foes, and fauxs is as crucial in our day as the first century. If God’s people lack discernment, their faith and fellowship will be compromised by fauxs even as they seek to stand in truth and love against their foes. As we rest assured that Christ and His Church will prevail (Matt. 16:18), we recognize this victory is accomplished through the Church’s merciful discernment in the Spirit (cf. Matt. 18:15–35).
