Lectures on 1 John: Brotherly Love – The Mark of the True Child of God

by James Morgan

James Morgan (1799-1873) was the minister of Fisherwick Place Presbyterian Church, Belfast from 1828 until his death. Morgan alludes to 1 John 5:13 where John gives his purpose in writing, – ‘that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.’ This is the theme he tracks, seeking to apply the text as a means of assuring believers of their standing in the Lord Jesus Christ and to challenge us to greater communion with Him and holiness of life. To read this Exposition of the First Epistle of John is to join his congregation and to enjoy his pastoral concern for their souls. There is a deceptive simplicity in his comments; he is never complex in his modes of expression or thought, and yet there is a wealth of profound material here. His handling of the repeated references to brotherly love is outstanding. In each case he draws fresh insights from the surrounding context so that the material retains its freshness throughout. This is a book that may be read as a help to devotional reflection but will be equally valued by preachers alongside the renowned work by Robert Candlish. First published in 1865, this edition has been completely re-typeset for reissue in this form.

444 pages, Paperback

Published February 25, 2020

About the author

James Morgan is a sports journalist with The Herald, Scotland's leading quality newspaper. Born in Northern Ireland in 1974, he grew up on stories of the great Spurs double-winning team of the 1960s and has been a Tottenham Hotspur supporter since waking one Christmas morning to discover a hair shirt of an Admiral kit waiting for him on the living-room settee. Thirty-two years on, he is still waiting for Spurs to repeat the feats that his late father, Jim, was so enamoured by.
He wrote In Search Of Alan Gilzean during the months after his first child was born; in the few short hours between nappy changes, bottle feeds and bath times. There were, of course, floods of tears along the way. Some of them were even his son's.