Be Real (1 John): Turning from Hypocrisy to Truth

The "Be" Commentary

by Warren W. Wiersbe

How to Be the Person God Wants You to Be

• Because how you live means more than what you say
• Because hypocrisy and hide-and-seek games with worldliness hurt you and those around you
• Because many feelings that people “fall into” - sentimentality, emotionalism, and lust - aren’t love
• Because real faith must be based on time-tested truth

Here’s a book, based on the First Epistle of John, that shows you how to be the person you know God wants you to be.
BE REAL

Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe is best known as an author, pastor, and radio Bible teacher. He was for many years pastor of Chicago’s Moody Memorial Church and most recently served as General Director and Bible teacher for Back to the Bible. He has authored over 100 books, including the New Testament “BE” series from Victor Books.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Theology, Reference, Christian Non Fiction, Faith, Spirituality

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Warren W. Wiersbe, former pastor of the Moody Church and general director of Back to the Bible, has traveled widely as a Bible teacher and conference speaker. Because of his encouragement to those in ministry, Dr. Wiersbe is often referred to as 'the pastor's pastor.' He has ministered in churches and conferences throughout the United States as well as in Canada, Central and South America, and Europe. Dr. Wiersbe has written over 150 books, including the popular BE series of commentaries on every book of the Bible, which has sold more than four million copies. At the 2002 Christian Booksellers Convention, he was awarded the Gold Medallion Lifetime Achievement Award by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. Dr. Wiersbe and his wife, Betty, live in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Reviews

[Tyler Moreland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a commentary that dives deep into the apostle John's first letter to the church. There is a certain authenticity that should be present in the life of each Christian and Wiersbe does an outstanding job of challenging the reader to examine one's own heart and motivations. Chapter by chapter, he explains what it truly looks like to walk in the light of Christ and he is also very clear on the consequences that come from living a life of hypocrisy.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book read for small group. I traveled a lot during the second half, so I missed the group discussions for the last half of the book. At the end of each chapter there are questions for personal reflection, so you can read it on your own and get a lot out of it. Our group leader had the leader guide, though, and it had some different questions for group discussion. At least the first half, the questions were very challenging! This commentary doesn't pull any punches. Yes, it's an easy enough read, but I found it very convicting. Great for a small group or individual study who is mature enough to handle some real introspection.

[DT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good overview of 1 John. Lots of truth presented in a simple way. The illustrations and stories were highly cheesy, though.

[Jeffrey McDowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first time reading a book by Wiersbe, thanks to a recommendation from a college professor. Excellent, easy to read, and challenging. I have bought the whole series and plan on reading more.

[Frans Kempe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great study resource for 1 John. A topical and devotional read.

[Josh John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic Wiersbe. Short, concise homiletical and devotional commentary.

This is a companion for a cursory reading of 1 John, not necessarily any serious or exegetical difficulties are taken up.

[Cory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical and helpful study on 1 John.

[Sagely · Rating 3 out of 5]

I often return to the three of Warren Wiersbe's "Be" volumes that I have in my library. The firs that ever came into my hands was Be Real, Wiersbe's companion to 1 John.

This book first opened the door to the realm of serious Bible study for me when I was at the end of high school. While this is definitely a popular, devotional volume, steeped in the semi-Fundamentalist battles of Moody Bible Institute in the mid-20th century, it's also a delight to read. Honest, straight forward, with subtle hints here and there that Wiersbe was at least familiar with the critical scholarship on the Johannine letters of the 1970s.

In preaching through 1, 2, and 3 Jn for the past few weeks, this volume has kept my feet on the ground and challenged me to vocabulary and concepts that everyday folks can understand.

I'm grateful for it, for many reasons.

[Mike Becher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book forces you to take seriously the faith you profess and creates some solid and biblical parameters to determine (1) it's validity, (2) it's depth, and (3) it's sincerity. It's a book solely devoted to unpacking the book of 1 John. It doesn't "use" 1 John to make a point, it looks into it to see the point the Holy Spirit wishes to make through it.

[Clara Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Christians live in an atmosphere of reality." "The thing we serve is the thing we worship." " God is light, love, and truth; and these together make a life that is real." This is another of Wiersbe's excellent study books of the New Testament.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another verse by verse study of a Bible book (I John) that is readable and quotable. It was a good review of the book with some new insights.

"God's love is not made perfect in angels, but in us."

[Steve Hazell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall this is a decent read. Wiersbe always does a good job of making nice, simple, outlines. However, if you want some of the bigger questions dealt with in detail, you may want to pick up a more in depth commentary.

[Joel Curtiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greatly appreciate this book on being a real Christian.

[Billy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm glad I got a chance to study this. It changed my whole perspective. And love the way Warren dealt in each chapter and verse. Highly encourage reading for anybody.

[Dmack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent Wiersbe study!!

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very truthful look at falsehoods vs the truth of God. It reviews 1 John and covers the five chapters in small sections, not an entire chapter at once. It reads like it's been edited, not just what Wiersbe wrote. And there are two introductions, neither written by Wiersbe.

I appreciated the message of 1 John and how the author elucidates real vs false God's, real vs false Christianity and the markers of real vs false believers.

1 John let's us know what we can know. We can know a person is in God by their behavior or fruit. A person born of God no longer practices sin, but lives righteously. A person born of God lives in fellowship with God and grows from God's perfecting love. They don't just talk about God's word or ways, but they know God and walk out His commands. A true believer doesn't hide or cover their sins, but confesses and repents of them. But most of all, a true believer learns to love God and others.

1 John also encourages it's readers to abide, to stay in God and walk in His light and love. From that abiding relationship, a believer has God's power to not sin or overcome sin, to obey God's commands, and to love and forgive others.

This book explained God's holiness in a different way. It's God's holiness that makes Him pure light. It's holiness that judges sin and cleanses from unrighteousness.

Be Real also discussed the meaning behind difficult words. Propitiation was defined as more than appeasing God. it's fulfilling the laws demands in order to make forgiveness and restoration possible. An anti-christ isn't just the one, but anyone who denies that the Lord came in the flesh and died for our sins. It's anyone teaching lies that contradict God's truth about Messiah.

One main theme is to put away false things or idols for the True One (5:20). Why seek empty substitutes when you can know the real God?

[T. R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know. I struggled with this book. It felt too vague and there needed to be more commentary and explaination. I had asked questions in my group about certain things (forgive me, it's been several months since I read it). And I remember being told, "Well, it's likely THIS is what he means." And I came out of a movement in which Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life used to be my favorite all time book, it no longer is, because I found myself doing that exact same thing. I would fill in what I thought the author meant, which is truly dangerous writing.

I do think the author meant well but I struggled. I also struggled between the chapters would either backtrack or jump to referring to other verses and it confused me regarding the "current" verse the chapter was focused on.

For discussion questions, I didn't take anything away, they weren't that useful to me.

But I will say this - the Lord did minister to me while reading through the book, for which I appreciate. And because of the book, the discussions that came from the ladies' study I was a part of ministered the most to me. So I am grateful to read it, but I have no desire (again, personally) to read any more books of the series.

[Brittany J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Are you 100% convinced that if you were to have a fatal heart attack in the next 2 minutes while reading this, you would go to Heaven?”
Wiersbe opens with a question that secretly is in the back of several Christians’ hearts from time to time.
Wiersbe continues, explaining that “the reason John wrote this letter was to give every believer the ability to evaluate the reality of their faith and to be confident in their salvation.”
If it’s a question that is secretly plaguing you or you just want to dive deeper into the beautiful book of 1 John, this commentary is easy to understand, allowing believers from every background to know that the faith they have in the un- and yet- to be seen is indeed, real.

[Cindy Davis- Cindy's Book Corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

My go-to commentaries are the "Be" series by Warren Wiersbe. I joined a Bible Study in January and they were studying 1, 2, and 3 John, so I bought Be Real to read for extra study.

One of the things I learned from this commentary is that John is known as "the apostle of love because in his gospel and his epistles, he gives such prominence to this subject." I love that Wiersbe's commentaries are easy to understand and not overly academic. Wiersbe takes small sections of each chapter and breaks them into manageable nuggets of truth.

If you want to dive deeper into the books of the Bible, I highly recommend Wiersbe's commentaries!

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as part of a group study. I think it lends itself to this very well. John has a lot to say about loving others which led to good discussions. It also contains a lot of verses about saying one thing, but doing another and the problems that creates both with our testimony to others and our relationships in general. I would recommend this for other groups or for individual reflection.

[Mike Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Touch Me Personally

So much power I the Word of God and Wiersbe brings out such a strong point about why and how being real in our current world is so important. I received so many blessings and reminders about the importance of keeping my relationship strong with my Heavenly Father.

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read over a dozen of Wiersbe's Bible studies and appreciate his grasp of the whole Bible and how he connects the themes of the book being studied with the rest of God's word.

This study on 1 John was no exception. I used it to supplement my Sunday school material and always appreciated Wiersbe's additional insights into the text. Very solid and helpful!

[Mike Eccles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read nearly all of Wiersbe's commentaries on the New Testament, as well as several on the OT. This discussion of a short epistle has given me more pause for thought and reflection than any of the others, despite their general excellence.

[Julie Mabus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always love reading through Dr. Wiersbe’s commentaries. They are clear and helpful. There is so much theology stuffed into the small book of 1 John and this book was a great way to finish my study of the book.

[Monica Albright · Rating 3 out of 5]

We used this for our Tuesday night women's Bible study this semester. We didn't always get to the questions, but it was a good guide to help us navigate through 1 John. We had a lot of rich conversation and gleaned so much as we grew closer to God through His Word.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is super informative! I love that Warren uses scripture on every page (almost every paragraph). The book really does cause you to reflect on yourself. Well written and the Holy Spirit is described very well!

[Rusty Posey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favorite of Wiersbe's commentaries.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very challenging and convicting book, while at the same time providing great insight into this book.

[Marcus Goncalves · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been studying the topic loving others, as Jesus did. This book was very good at commenting on John’s first letter (epistle). Highly recommended.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warren is so accessible, peppered with wonderful anecdotes. Real encourgament for Bible reading.