Opening prayer; Father God, we come here tonight to Study the words of John on how we as Christians should live. We pray that no word be spoken here tonight that is not in accordance with your will and that you will impart to us those matters You would have us learn from this study. We pray that your peace and comfort be with those of us who are sick or disabled and cannot be here tonight. We ask that you share our blessing with them. Lead us now and give us understanding as we study the words of John. In Jesus Name we pray Amen.
1st John 2: 1-6 Christ is our advocate
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 4 Whoever says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
Discussion
John is writing this letter to those Christians whose faith was being undermined and who were being swayed by false teachings, and Gnostic heresy. It was the belief of Gnostics to dismiss the deeds done by the body as unimportant as long as they possessed the “right knowledge” This made it easy for the false teachers troubling John’s original audience to deny the need to obey Jesus and flee from sin.
John is extolling his readers to lead a sinless life, then he follows that with the assurance of the righteousness of Jesus Christ as our advocate, and His atoning sacrifice for our sins. And even now we Christians claim Christ as our savior, saying we know Him and are led by Him, and try to live as He commands. Yet still there are those who make the same claim and who do not strive to live as Jesus lived. Do these false teachings of thousands of years ago seem to still pervade our world today?
True love for God is not expressed in some claim of mystical experience. True love for God is expressed in moral obedience. The proof of love is loyalty. While no one can walk perfectly as Jesus did in His humanity, everyone who claims to abide in Christ should have the same focus and direction, not to act in independence from God, but in total dependence on Him. We should not live to please ourselves apart from God, but to do the things that are pleasing to Him. To walk as Jesus walked means that our lives should be characterized by daily dependence on God, submission to Him, and obedience to His will. Our overall aim in life will be to seek first His kingdom and righteousness. We will seek to please Him by our thoughts, words, and deeds. While we will never perfectly walk as Jesus walked, it should be our constant aim and effort to do so."
Questions
1. If John were to write his letter to us today, what matters would he be addressing?
2. John says that Jesus is the advocate against sin for the whole world, How is that possible ?
3. How do we recognize whether or not we “know” Jesus Christ? What does that mean? 4. Similar to Gnostic belief, How does society convince us that “certain sins” are not sins?
5. How can Christians recognize some of the worlds religions, although peace loving, as false?
6. How does John say one can recognizes a Christian?
1st John 2: 7-14, The True Light Pg.2
Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. 9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. 10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. 11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them. 12, I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. 14 I write to you, dear children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
Discussion
John speaks of a commandment that is both old and new, a commandment in which we must walk if we truly belong to Jesus. This commandment is the command to love our brothers and sisters in the Lord. In Jesus we see the depth of love that we must extend to others. Jesus defines love as forgiving others an infinite amount of times, and in going the extra mile.
John addresses three different groups in this passages enumerating the qualities that all mature believers should have at different stages of life. Group #1, As children, the new believers should know their Father God wants the best for them and know that in Christ Jesus there is the forgiveness of sins. Group #2, like young men, the learning Christian should exhibit spiritual strength so as to overcome the wiles of Satan. This strength comes from the Word of God that dwells in them. and they should strive to be a good example in all their relationships. Then Group #3, John, writing from experience tells us that the older fully mature Christians will have a special knowledge of the faithfulness of God because they have seen Him work over the course of their entire lives, so too should mature Christians be confident in the One who has been with them from the beginning of their faith.
Questions
1. To what is John referring with the phrase “a new command”? 2. John refers to”brothers” and “sisters”, To whom do you think those words apply? 3. Can you elaborate on “The true light” to which John refers?
4. What is the condition of one who hates his brother?
5. What is the condition of one who loves his brother?
6. John lists 3 groups of Christians why did he do that?
Closing Prayer:
Father God, be with us now as we leave this place. May we carry with us your blessing as we continue in our efforts to live the life of a disciple of Jesus Christ. We pray for your continued watch over our loved ones and those among us who need your healing hand to touch them in their time of distress. ____________Give those mentioned here tonight the healing strength and comfort to endure, heal their infirmities and give them peace. continue to watch over each of us as we strive to live a just and righteous life.. It is in Jesus name we pray, AMEN
Meditation on 1 John 2: 1-14 Pg.3
In our scripture verses, John tells us that we cannot let the forgiveness offered through Jesus be an excuse for ungodliness; rather, we must endeavor not to sin out of gratitude for His work. We must never sin that grace may abound, instead we must avoid temptation precisely because grace has already been freely given to us. True Believers will not use grace as an excuse to sin.
However, John knows we still struggle with sin, and he reminds us that there is forgiveness. On the cross, the sins of God’s people were imputed to Jesus and He bore the full wrath of God that is due them. John teaches that this propitiation is not only for us but is also for the whole world (1 But if Christ has satisfied the wrath of God for the whole world, then is the whole world going to be saved? Many passages of Scripture make it clear that this cannot be the case (for example, Rev.21:8.
What John is telling us is that Jesus is the only Savior of the world; that is, He is the only way anyone can be saved no matter who he is. Jesus’ death benefits only those who know Jesus and trust in Him, for only those who serve Him in faith receive cleansing from Him. So if Jesus is not your Lord, He is not your Savior. If we confess the name of Jesus without a concern to follow Him, we lie when we say we know Him. John Calvin agreed: “We cannot know him as Lord and Father, as he shows himself, without being dutiful children and obedient servants.”
John also speaks of a commandment that is both old and new, This commandment is the command to love our brothers and sisters in the Lord.. At the same time, John tells us love is a new commandment, true in Jesus and in us since the darkness is passing away. This is no contradiction; rather, it simply means that the teaching and life of Jesus continues to show us how to love in new ways — ways in which all true believers will walk. Jesus defines love as forgiving others an infinite amount of times, and in going the extra mile. Abiding in Jesus means walking in the way He walked. This means the command to love the brethren must be true in us as it is in Him. Let us then love our fellow Christians.
One of the reasons that John wrote his first epistle was to give assurance to his original audience in light of the doubts created when false teachers claiming to know the truth left the community. The primary way he does this is to give tests by which professing Christians can test themselves to see whether their faith is genuine. However, in offering assurance to his audience, John does not only give them tests by which they themselves can “measure” their salvation, he also gives them assurance by telling them that they are genuine Christians. And as their faithful pastor, John was well equipped to impart assurance because he personally knew these individuals and saw evidence for the authenticity of their profession.
No one can know the mind of God, but the desire to follow Christ is the ultimate quest of the Christian. Truly searching out God's will for our life is what God desires of us. Perfection ends with Jesus Christ and if Christ is our true faith and belief, and we live according to his commandments, He becomes our righteousness, and God will remember our sins no more. We are a forgiven people and as Christians, Followers of Christ, we know that as truth.
The following three basic tenents are the tests to which John refers......
1. Keeping God's commandments is evidence that we have come to know Him(2:3-4. 2. Keeping God's word shows that the love of God has been perfected in us. (2:5A). 3. Walking as Jesus walked shows that we abide in Him(2:5B-6).
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