Sharper Iron — The Love of God: Testify to the Word of Life

Rev. Dr. Lawrence Rast, president of Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 John 1:1-4.

St. John plows right into everything he wants his hearers to know and believe concerning the love of God in Jesus. He proclaims Jesus as the true eternal God who has taken on true humanity. John, the other apostles, and many other eyewitnesses truly saw, touched, and heard Jesus, who has made manifest to the world the eternal life that comes from the Father. John now proclaims this so that, through faith in Christ, we would share in fellowship with the true God and with the whole Church. In both the proclamation and the hearing of this Gospel, God brings to us the fullness of joy.

“The Love of God” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through the three epistles written by St. John the Apostle and Evangelist. As St. John rejoiced to be the disciple loved by Jesus, so he writes his epistles to give us the same joy when we know that we are the beloved of God. God’s love for us in Jesus shapes our lives as Christians in all that we believe, say, and do.

Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God’s Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen.

Sharper Iron is underwritten by Lutheran Church Extension Fund, where your investments help support the work of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit lcef.org.

1 John 1:1-4

The Word of Life

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— ²the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— ³that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴And we are writing these things so that our^[a] joy may be complete.

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Footnotes

1 John 1:4 Some manuscripts your

Rev. Timothy Appel

Although a mathematics degree may not be incredibly helpful to (proudly born-and-raised Texan) Rev. Timothy Appel while hosting Sharper Iron, his love of CFW Walther and the season of Easter will come in handy. His Call is shepherding the flock at Faith Lutheran Church in Godfrey, Illinois, and he’s also husband to wife Kristin and dad to their growing basketball team of children. When he’s not carrying out pastoral duties, you may find him reading “The Lord of the Rings,” snacking on Reese’s peanut butter cups, playing dominoes with his boys, or studying up on Texas history (including Sam Houston, of course).