Lesson 4: 1 John 2:3-11
1 John 2:3-6
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that
saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is
not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God
perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him
ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
Matthew 7:15-20
John 14:15
Romans 8:9-17 (Especially
verse 14)
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Galatians 5:22-25
1 John 3:14-15
1 John 4:20-21
People sometimes argue
over the teachings of 1 John, largely because two of the major Christian systems
of theology interpret it differently. As you read the texts and the related
Scriptures, please pay very careful attention to the exact words used. This is
especially important when it comes to matters of cause and effect. Ask the
question, “Why?” as you read the statements in these passages. Then allow the
verses themselves to answer that question.
In the New Testament, the
word walk is sometimes used to refer to the way a person lives.
Questions
1. Is keeping Christ’s
commandments said to be a) the evidence that we know Him or
b) the means by which
we know Him?
2. What (or more properly,
Who) is the power that makes the person who knows Christ
keep His commandments?
3. What is the evidence
that God’s love has truly become the controlling factor in our
lives?
4. Would it be possible
for God’s work in a person’s life to make that person bad?
5. Would it be possible
for a person in whom God is working to remain bad?
6. We know that we get to
be children of God by faith in Jesus. Yet, that is only our part.
The whole idea of
being born again involves the Holy Spirit coming in and making us
what we weren’t
before. In this context, what is wrong with the person who says he
or she is God’s
child but who lives as if God wasn’t working in his or her life?
7. According to 1
Corinthians 6:9-11, is the change from sinner to righteous person
brought about by a)
the self reformation of someone who tries very hard, or b) the
saving work of God in
that person’s life?
8. Is it possible to have
been saved from sin and continue to live a sinful life?
9. If we say we are living
close to Jesus Christ, Whom should we be acting like?
1 John 2:7-11
Brethren, I write no new
commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning.
The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. Again, a
new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because
the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. He that saith he is in the
light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his
brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and
knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
Matthew 5:43-48
John 8:12
John 13:34-35 (Jesus is
speaking.)
John 14:15 (Jesus is
speaking.)
John 15:12-19 (Jesus is
speaking)
2 Corinthians 4:1-7
Galatians 5:13-14
1 John 3:14-15
1. Based on the Scriptures
above, what would you say was one of Jesus’ major
commandments?
2. Would Matthew 5:43-44
suggest that Jesus’ commandment represented something
new in religious
and ethical thought?
3. How far back in history
would Matthew 5:43-44 suggest loving one’s enemies went?
4. Why is love for others
a reality in the lives of a Christian?
5. What is the
significance of the phrase “none occasion of stumbling” in 1 John 2:10?
6. If the idea of not
stumbling relates to walking in the light, what kind of spiritual safety
might the person who
walks in darkness expect?
7. 1 John 2:9 describes
the person who hates his brother as being “in darkness even
until now.” a)
Does this wording suggest that the person who hates another person
has ever been
saved? b) Is the person who claims to be a Christian but hates others
most likely a
backslider or a hypocrite? c) Does the Bible say that this person is
saved now?
8.
According to the final verse of our text from 1 John, what effect does
hatred have on
one’s ability a)
to know right from wrong? b) to gauge his or her relationship
with God? c) to
find—or even recognize—spiritual truth? d) to make wise decisions?
9. How would an
unwillingness to let God take the hatred out of one’s heart affect a
person’s ability to
trust Christ for salvation?
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Lesson
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