Whistle-Stop Scripture Study: 1 John 1

"Christians in consort are an abridgement of heaven, shining like a firmament of bright stars… Surely, of all fellowships, this is the only good fellowship. Next to communion with God, there is no communion like the communion of saints."  - George Swinnock (1627-1673)

In our first meeting, I introduced the book of The First Epistle of John or 1 John, which is accepted as an Apostolic Letter. This epistle or letter will be the topic of our study.

Before we begin our study of 1 John 1, I think it would be helpful to briefly run over some of the important points of this epistle. 

• It was written to stand up to false teachings having to do with the denial of the incarnate Jesus.
• This Gnostic view of matter (the physical) as being evil led to two responses, asceticism (strictness, self-denial) or licentiousness (the lacking of any legal or moral restraints).
• John  unmistakably writes the epistles to provide the demonstrable tests of a true Christian.
• These tests also opposed the licentious (sinful) Gnostic path to Christianity.

First things first, let us pray: "Dear Lord, send the grace of your Holy Spirit to strengthen me that I may learn well the subject I am about to study. Amen."

When you read 1 John, you will notice the apostle John starts his first epistle in the same fashion as his gospel; that is, with a prologue (introduction) on the subject of the Word of Life (Jesus Christ) who resided in the flesh among us. He also enabled the possibility for us to have fellowship with the Father (vv. 1-4).

Furthermore, fellowship with God is retained when we walk in the light and admit our sins. This, so that we might reap the benefits of knowing Jesus, and the perpetual cleansing by the way of His blood (vv. 5-10).

Objectives: 

After completing this lesson (reading the selection), the reader should be familiar with:

• The witness of John (or sharing what he has seen) concerning the Word of Life.
• The character and quality of the evidence for faith in Jesus.
• The foundation of our fellowship with God.

I have included some questions below to help you get the most out of your reading/study of the chapter. The numbers enclosed in parentheses are the verse numbers relating to that particular question. I would encourage you to read the chapter thoroughly at least once; and more as needed. Then take your time answering the questions, making sure you understand each before continuing on. 

Reading Questions:

1. What are the main points of 1 John? (Hint: there are two) - (vv. 1-4); (vv. 5-10)
2. Briefly describe the similarities between the beginning of this epistle and John's gospel. - (vv. 1-4); (John 1:1-14)
3. What is John's description of the pre-incarnation of Jesus? - (v.1)
4. What first-hand evidence does John give concerning the Word? - (v. 1)
5. Pertaining to 1 John 1, what does John declare here? What does he want to share with the readers? What is his motivation for writing 1 John 1? - (vv. 2-4)
6. What message has John heard that he now communicates to us? - (v. 5)
7. If we proclaim to have fellowship with God but walk in darkness, what does that make us? - (v. 6)
8. What benefit do we reap by walking together in the light with God? - (v. 7)
9. What is the result of saying we have no sin? - (vv. 8, 10)
10. In order to be forgiven of sin and cleansed of all unrighteousness (not having a right standing with God), what is required of us? - (v. 9)

This now completes our study of 1 John 1. I've intentionally made these studies concise in order to accommodate most busy daily schedules. Even so, they will have just enough content to allow for actual learning to take place.

I invite you to join me for our next study which will take us through 1 John 2. Until then, I hope the "whistle-stop" for Scripture study will become an established point of departure in your life soon!

Thank you for joining me, and I look forward to seeing you again!

Scripture: Acts 2:44; Romans 1:12; Ephesians 5:30; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Hebrews 10:24-25; 

Prayer: "Dear Lord, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind with other believers. Amen"  - 

May God richly bless you always,

Leia