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1 John

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More Than Eyewitnesses

1 John 1:1

By the time the Apostle John wrote this letter he was an old man.  He had been imprisoned on a convict island: most, if not all, of his fellow apostles had died violently.  Persecution threatened the church.  And yet the church grew.  Then false teachers undermined the gospel with heresy.  But John was not shaken!  He knew that Jesus really was God who had come as a human to atone for the sins of the world.  So he writes this letter to scattered groups of Christians to help them stay close to Jesus, reject false teaching and tell others about Him.

Eternal Life is a Person

1 John 1:2-4

We tend to think of life as a biological function, enabling physical structures to function.  But life is much more than biochemistry.  John tells us that life existed before creation, before any structure had been created.  Life is eternal because it is a part of the nature of God.  He is not only the life-giver: He is life itself.  When God the Son came to earth, Jesus said that He was the life (John 14:6).  In Jesus people saw the purity and power of eternal life and experienced God loving them.  The joyful task of the apostles was to tell the world that they can also have eternal life w

Fellowship in the Light

1 John 1:5-7

John started his letter saying that God is life, eternal life, and that a living fellowship with God is only possible when we receive His eternal life.  Now John says that God is light.  He is the light-giver (Genesis 1:3) but He is more than that, He is light.  As Hebrews 1:3 says, "The Son is the radiance of God's glory" – that is because God is light and Jesus Christ makes that light visible to us.  It was physically true at the transfiguration (Matthew 17:2).

The Cure for Sin

1 John 1:8-10

Most human beings like to think that they are right, and in the right with everybody else, especially God.  Certainly, God designed us to be in perfect fellowship with each other and Him, and such relationships are a template of heaven (2 Peter 3:13).  However, we are not like that all the time.  Indeed, most of our dealings with God and other people are in some way tainted with self-interest, self-seeking, and a desire for self-glory (Romans 3:10-12).  So how do we cope with the tension between our creation-design to be righteous and the reality of our unrighteousness?

Our Advocate in Heaven

1 John 2:1-2

John was writing to God's children, people who had put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:12).  And yet the apostle refers to them as 'my children'.  This was an affectionate term for those who looked to him for guidance as they learned to be disciples of Jesus (Matthew 28:19).  But John did not claim to be their father because Jesus had said, "… do not call anyone on earth 'father', for you have one Father, and He is in heaven" (Matthew 23:9).

Love Leads to Obedience

1 John 2:3-6

Love is not primarily an emotion.  We may feel lovingly towards someone or experience the emotional warmth of another's love, but love is much deeper and more active than the way we feel.  True love is always expressed in action; like God's love was shown by giving His Son to be our substitutionary sacrifice (1 John 4:10).  The believers who John was addressing were being caught up by Gnostic teaching which claimed that if you have a special religious formula and mental attitude you can know God.  But John said you do not need a formula – you need love and obedience.

New Expressions of Eternal Love

1 John 2:7-8

Love starts with the desire to give ourselves to another, to promote their welfare and honour them.  But love cannot be invented from nothing; it is stirred by the hope of being loved and ultimately it is a cascade which starts with God who loved us first.

Loving in Light v Hating in Darkness

1 John 2:9-11

Many different people meet together in churches.  How do you know those who are truly walking with Jesus?  John sets the test of brotherly love: those who claim to be 'in Christ' are 'in the light' and should love their brothers and sisters who are also 'in Christ'.  Through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ they have been made children of God – and have a blood relationship which should be cherished (1 John 1:7).

The Family of God is Secure

1 John 2:12-14

This letter, like others in the New Testament, was intended to be read out to congregations of Christian believers.  What a mixture there would be: from recently converted people to experienced leaders, from the young to the old.  They were all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28), but they were different, with different needs and personal challenges.  John wrote to point out the errors of false teaching, but he also wanted to assure all the true believers that they were safe in God (Acts 13:38).  Those who want to be closest to the Lord often have a heightened conscience and feel themselve

False Love

1 John 2:15-17

Love is the central theme of this letter.  To love, is to freely give yourself to somebody or something; in that sense, you become their willing servant.  It is right to serve God and other people in Jesus' Name.  It is what we are designed to do.  However, the way of the world, and the Prince of this world (John 16:8-11), is to seduce us into giving ourselves to people, things and ideas in a way that Jesus cannot honour.

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