21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

John ends his letter with this abrupt statement: keep yourselves from idols (21). This is often taken as a random and disconnected statement from John, but upon further inspection, the appeal makes perfect sense.

John has warned, throughout his whole letter, of the danger of following the spirit of the antichrist. He's told us Jesus is God the Son who came in the flesh, died in the flesh, and rose in the flesh. He is the true God and shows us the way to the true God.

To do what the false teachers had done -- refashion Jesus into an image that fit their philosophies and dreams -- was to create an idol. Idols are false gods, and John saw those who'd departed from the church as leaders of false religion. Makers of false gods.

So, yes, believers today must watch out for idolatry. Its basic form, the worship of a thing fashioned or carved or molded into an image for our worship, should be rejected. But so should the temptation to make good things into God's things. We should not let our children or possessions or careers or relationships or bodily health become idols we worship.

But the real danger John alludes to here is the one where someone takes Jesus and reshapes Him into a more palatable version. Instead, we must look to the Scriptures to find the real Jesus, the True Vine, and follow Him.

And He calls to you and me:

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28–30, ESV)

After spending the last forty-two weeks studying 1 John together on these Tuesday posts, I hope 1 John has become a friend to you. I pray you will read it for the rest of your life. I pray it urges you on to love, obedience and belief.

To Christ be the glory, amen.