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1 John 5:21
“Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”
We come today to the final verse of 1 John. As we have seen over the past several studies, John has been concluding with practical applications for his original audience. Today we will see how he closes his epistle by reminding us of what we know as children of God and how this knowledge is to determine our behavior.
John ends without the greetings and travel plans that close most other New Testament epistles. Instead, he issues a final warning: “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21). The address softens the abruptness, for “little children” is the language of an old man speaking to those whom he has watched over for decades. Given all that has come before, the idols in view are most likely the counterfeit versions of Christ promoted by the departed teachers, for to alter the teaching regarding the person of the Son of God is to fashion a god of one’s own making.
The warning extends further to prohibit anything in our lives that captures our deepest devotion. Knowing the true God demands that we keep ourselves from idols. There is only one God, and we must never set anything else in His place (Ex. 20:3). Though we may not worship gods of wood or stone, we must always be careful lest we make our careers, money, families, reputations, or anything else the center of our affections. Commenting on this verse, John Calvin writes that “the vivifying light of the Gospel ought to scatter and dissipate, not only darkness, but also all mists, from the minds of the godly.” The examination of our affections is a lifelong work. Hence, John gives this gracious warning even to mature Christians. We must guard our hearts from the idols that vie for our affections and seek to supplant God in them.
This is why the warning belongs at the end of a letter about assurance. Confidence before God cannot coexist with rivals for obedience and affection, for an idol distorts our view of God as we remake Him to accommodate whatever we have refused to give up. Having spent five chapters showing that eternal life is found in the Son, the Apostle asks only that we not trade Him for something less worthy. It is a fitting word with which to close our study of this letter, and a fitting word for us. God is to be the chief desire of our hearts, and every potential rival must be put to death.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Idols may not be blatantly obvious. They may be good desires that morph into demands, leading us to sin in order to obtain or keep them. Let us ask the Lord to show us what has crept into His place, and then let us turn from it with the help of His Spirit.
For further study
- Exodus 20:1–6
- Joshua 24:14–15
- Psalm 115:1–8
- Colossians 3:5–6
The bible in a year
- Ezekiel 45–46
- 1 John 2