Road Trip Sunday School

I drove home from a weekend getaway today, doing my best to keep the Sabbath Day holy by listening to Christmas music, conference talks, and having a Road Trip Sunday School lesson with my travelling buddy.

He read 1 John while I drove, and we'd talk about it.  He read a little introduction from a manual of some kind (iPhones are awesome) and then read all five chapters out loud.

As with most scripture, the frame of mind of the reader (or listener) can make different truths stand out.  Today, what stood out to me was the repeated warning to the Saints about dishonest people who profess righteousness but are liars.  (Seven of the twelve instances of "liar" are used by St. John, five of them in this epistle.)

1 John 1:5-105 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have anot sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

And more from Chapter 2:

4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a We live in a time when we are surrounded by much that is intended to entice us into paths which may lead to our destruction. To avoid such paths requires determination and courage. I recall a time—and some of you here tonight will also—when the standards of most people were very similar to our standards. No longer is this true.liar, and the truth is not in him.

9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.

And there's more like this.  John seems to me to be drawing a contrast between righteousness and pretended righteousness.  It seems like a warning to the Saints not to be taken in by those who would dilute  the message of the Gospel by pretending you can pick and choose the parts of it you like.

I think that's what I focused on because earlier in the care we listened to President Monson's talk from the most recent Priesthood Session of Conference.

We live in a time when we are surrounded by much that is intended to entice us into paths which may lead to our destruction. To avoid such paths requires determination and courage. I recall a time—and some of you here tonight will also—when the standards of most people were very similar to our standards. No longer is this true.

Pres. Monson goes on to ward of celebrities and others who occupy the Great and Spacious Building who would lie to us and ridicule us.  One of those "paths which may lead to our destruction" is believing that God's word just doesn't apply in our day, or to me in this situation, or it does apply, but not so much that part.

We should be striving to live the whole Gospel, and not just the convenient parts or in convenient times.