The Situation of the World

God’s Love & Ours Lessons from 1 John

1 John Chapter 1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.

John the Apostle Author of the Gospel of John, 1st, 2nd, 3rd John, and Revelation. Outlived all the other Apostles and was the only one not to die a martyr’s death. Along with Peter and his brother James, John had a special relationship and access to Christ. Along with his brother James, was nicknamed “Sons of Thunder” by Christ. Was nicknamed the “Beloved Disciple” or “the disciple that Jesus loved”.

John the Apostle Was a witness to: the transfiguration of Christ the life of Christ the transfiguration of Christ the voice of God the pain and sorrow of Christ the crucifixion of Christ the resurrection of Christ.

The Setting John is writing this epistle towards the end of his life (AD 85-90) and before his exile to the island of Patmos. By this time there are 2nd and 3rd generation Christians. False teachers begin to preach against the deity of Christ. The purpose of this letter was to encourage and reassure Christians of their faith in Christ, God’s love, and love for one another.

A Genuine Christian In Chapter 1:5 – 2:11, John identifies a genuine Christian as: One that walks in the light with God. One that does not claim to be without sin. One that confesses our sins. One that obeys his commands. One that walks as Jesus did. One who loves his brother.

Warning: False Teachers In Ch. 2:18-27 & 4:1-6, John warns us against false teachers and instructs us to test them to see if they are from God. How do you tell the difference in true doctrine vs false doctrine. Know the word!

God’s Love & Ours “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God.” Ch. 3:1 Ch. 4:7-21 “Those who obey His commands live in Him, and He in them. And this is how we know that He lives in us: We know it by the spirit He gave us” Ch. 3:24

Do you live in Him? Does He live in you?