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1 John Lesson Two

1 John Lesson Two: 1 John 1:5-2:6 – The Necessity of Obedience

Now this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in Him. 6 If we say, “We have fellowship with Him,” yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light  as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus  His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say, “We don’t have any sin,” we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. 

2 My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the Righteous One. 2 He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world. 

3 This is how we are sure that we have come to know Him: by keeping His commands.  4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” yet doesn’t keep His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly in him the love of God is perfected. This is how we know we are in Him: 6 The one who says he remains in Him  should walk just as He walked. (HCSB)

I’ll divide this lesson into two parts.

  • Fellowship with God – verses 1:5-2:2.
  • Walking in Obedience – verses 2:3-6.

Fellowship with God

As we begin our study of this passage, I’d like us to consider a theme that John likely implied in his message; the foundation of fellowship is repentance and obedience. Now, let’s take a closer look at this section.

  • God is light. What does John mean when he makes this declaration?
    • First off, John switches his focus from Jesus to the Father in this section.
    • It would seem that verse six holds the key to understanding the connection between the first four verses of the letter and this section.
      • Since God is light, there is no darkness in His character.
      • Only those who walk in the light have fellowship with God.
      • What does it mean to walk in the light?
        • To follow the instructions of God.
        • Although all of us will sin, the prevalent pattern is one of obedience to the Word.
  • What is meant by the use of the metaphors “light” and “dark?”
    • Light. We’ll look at what scholars and theologians believe is meant by the term.
      • It implies life.
      • It means to be ethical.
      • It means to be morally good.
      • There is no place for evil in the light.
      • It contains absolute truth.
      • It contains absolute righteousness.
      • It goes all the way back to Genesis 1:3.
      • It became incarnate in the birth of Jesus as the light of the world.
      • Jesus is the light and the source of life.
    • Darkness.
      • It implies death.
      • It is a picture of falsehood.
      • It signifies ignorance of the truth.
      • It describes a life controlled by sin.
      • Since God is light and only those who walk in the light have fellowship with Him, the idea of walking in darkness would be a barrier to fellowship.
      • Those walking in darkness are in a spiritual state of death since eternal life is only found in fellowship with Jesus.
  • People who say they are followers of Christ yet who habitually walk a path of sin don’t have fellowship with God. These people are false believers and are deceiving themselves.
  • When we do walk in the light, two things occur.
    • We have fellowship with other believers and with God.
    • Our sins are forgiven.
      • It doesn’t mean we are freed from our sinful nature.
      • The verb is in the present tense, meaning forgiveness is a continuous and progressive action.
        • Our sins are continually being removed.
        • We experience a progressive sanctification, a transformation into the likeness of Jesus.
      • All sins are forgiven. Even the most heinous will be forgiven if a person genuinely repents and follows Jesus.
  • In verse eight, John moves to the theme of a false understanding of sin. John may have felt this was necessary because either the recipients of the letter had fallen under the spell of false teachers or they somehow began to believe the idea themselves.
    • Let’s remember there are two kinds of sin.
      • Doing things we shouldn’t be doing.
      • Not doing the things we should be doing.
    • The longer we are a believer, the more likely it is that a believer will turn from sinful behavior and engage in edifying behavior.
    • At the same time, because of our sinful nature, we will never be able always to act as Jesus would act.
      • None of us are capable of perfect love.
      • Because we are incapable of perfect love, we have sin.
  • However, if we acknowledge and confess our sins, Jesus will forgive and cleanse us.
    • This is a key point. Even though we will always struggle with and commit sin, we can live in a state of forgiveness by confessing and repenting, being cleansed through the blood of Jesus.
    • At the same time, we shouldn’t abuse this grace by continuing to commit sin.
    • Scholars have two positions in the interpretation of verse nine.
      • The first one is that it refers to the confession of sins at the time of salvation.
        • This is a once-for-all confession that solves the problem of judgment for sin.
        • This would cover sins we commit after salvation but before we are able to confess them.
      • The second is that a Christian doesn’t have to confess their sins after becoming a Christian since they already have forgiveness in Christ.
        • We don’t have to keep a track record of our sins and confess them.
        • We live with the understanding that our sins are already forgiven, and we have freedom in Christ.
      • The problem with the second position is that Jesus taught His disciples to pray “forgive us our trespasses” in the Disciples’ Prayer.
      • When we think about healthy, loving relationships, the norm is to ask for forgiveness when you offend someone. The same should be true of our relationship with God. We should confess our sins and not just “assume” we are forgiven.
  • As we look at verse ten, we should remember there are numerous verses that tell us we continue to sin after our conversion.
    • Philippians 3:12.
    • James 2:10, 3:2, 3:8, and 4:17.
    • Because Christians do sin after conversion, we shouldn’t deny our sin.
    • When we do that, we are saying that God is a liar.
    • Instead, we confess our sins and receive restoration.
  • As chapter two begins, we see John adopting a tone reserved for people he would have had a fond connection with. The first two verses are a continuation of the end of chapter one, dealing with the theme of sin.
    • John encourages the readers not to sin, but knowing they will sin in some manner, is encouraging them in the knowledge that Jesus is our advocate before the Father.
    • Jesus has already paid the price for our sins and intercedes with the Father on our behalf.
    • We also see the limitless nature of His sacrifice. His atoning blood is sufficient to cover every individual who has ever lived. There are several facts regarding this statement.
      • Scripture is clear that not everyone will be saved – Matthew 7:14, 1 Corinthians 6:9, and Galatians 5:21. However, Scripture is also clear that everyone who desires can be saved – Revelation 22:17.
      • It also means that we, as believers, should be sowing seeds wherever we go. We never know who will respond to the Gospel. Our role isn’t to decide who gets to hear the message. Our role is to share the message whenever and wherever.

Walking in Obedience

In 1 John 2:3, John drives home a critical point all of us should remember, both for ourselves as well as fellow believers we interact with. Following the commands of Jesus and walking in obedience is a key litmus test. John was addressing an issue that was facing Christians in the region of Ephesus. Let’s take a closer look at this.

  • It appears that Gnosticism was the main threat to the faith of the believers around Ephesus.
    • Gnosticism prided itself on knowing God through mystical enlightenment.
    • However, this knowledge didn’t necessarily have an impact on their moral behavior.
    • Gnostics didn’t understand that sin was a barrier to their relationship with God.
  • John was making a direct rebuke to this false belief.
    • At the same time, we need to remember that John didn’t say we would never sin.
    • We may not even have a consistent desire not to sin.
    • But the bottom line is that believers won’t live in complete disregard to God’s commands.
    • The Gnostics weren’t even trying to keep God’s commands.
  • If, as believers, we say we know God but completely disregard His commands, we are lying to ourselves and to others. We are not being truthful. We should also remember the devil is a liar. 
  • However, if we do follow God’s commands, then the love of God is in us.
  • Scholars struggle with the meaning of “the love of God” in verse five.
    • Does it mean the love of God for the Christian?
    • Or does it mean the Christian’s love for God?
    • Actually, either is possible, and both are theologically sound.
  • This section concludes with 5b-6.
    • The understanding is similar to what James wrote; a believer is identified by his works.
    • John is saying we will identify believers by their walk. If they are genuine believers, they will walk as Jesus walked.
    • Works never save us, but they are a badge of identification that someone truly knows and follows Christ.

Applications

  • What is your attitude towards sin and confession of sin? Conceivably, we could lie from one end of the spectrum to the other, believing we no longer need to confess our sins to trying to laundry list every little thing we do wrong. One is a flippant attitude towards sin, and the other borders on legalism. The best practice to follow is to try and confess as soon as we commit a sin, especially those we know we committed. However, there may be times when we sin against someone and do not even realize it. I believe Scripture is clear, an example being the disciples’ prayer, that “general confession” will cover those sins we’ve forgotten the specifics of and the sins we are unaware we’ve committed.
  • If you think you don’t sin and are a “good person,” you are deceiving yourself. All of us will stumble at some point, and confessing our sins provides restoration in our relationship with God.
  • If we see a fellow believer clearly not walking in the light, we need to bring it to their attention. We need to do it with a gentle spirit, as in Galatians 6:1. There may be times when we need to ask our Christian friends to evaluate us. This is never an easy or comfortable practice, but it can keep us on the narrow path. Scripture commands us to correct disobedience and to walk alongside our brothers and sister, just as they should walk alongside us. 
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1 John Lesson One

1 John Lesson One: 1 John 1:1-4 – The Foundation of Fellowship

1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the Word of life— 2 that life was revealed, and we have seen it and we testify and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us — 3 what we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may have fellowship along with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. (HCSB)

Before we dig into the passage itself, let’s present information regarding the letter.

  • There is little debate among scholars that John is the author of the letter.
    • There are many similarities to John’s Gospel.
      • The use of “light and darkness.”
      • The use of “life and death.”
      • The use of “love and hate.”
    • The beginning of the letter suggests the writer had close, personal contact with Jesus during His earthly ministry.
    • The authoritative tone in the letter supports apostolic authorship.
  • Since the conclusion is that John wrote this letter, the next question is, when was it written? Was it before or after John wrote his Gospel?
    • The letter appears to have been written to confirm the faith of believers facing the challenges of proto-Gnostic teaching. This movement was growing during the last part of the first century.
    • John’s Gospel was used by the proton-Gnostic, suggesting some time had passed between the writing of John’s Gospel and 1 John.
    • Based on this, an acceptable date for 1 John is in the early- to mid-nineties.
  • The letter lists several reasons for the writing of 1 John.
    • So that the readers may have fellowship and joy.
    • To provide a foundation for the assurance of salvation for the readers.
    • To warn the readers of false teachers who reflected the spirit of the Antichrist.
  • The letter included three tests to identify those who belonged to God.
    • The test of right belief demands that we believe Jesus had come in the flesh – 4:1-3.
    • The test of right behavior demands righteous living – 2:29.
    • The test of right attitude demands evidence of brotherly love – 3:11.

As we begin our study of 1 John, in the opening verses of the letter, the writer revealed to the readers about his and other eyewitness experiences regarding eternal life through Jesus. His desire is that all might share in the same fellowship. Let’s take a closer look at this passage.

  • John talks about Jesus in a two-pronged manner.
    • “What was from the beginning” and “what we have heard” refers to the incarnate Christ. The incarnate Christ is the message, the Word. Jesus has always existed as part of the triune God. 
    • “What we have seen,” “what we have observed,” and “touched with our hands” refers to the incarnate Christ.
      • John used these phrases since he was combating heretical teaching.
      • False teachers were making claims that Jesus’ body was not a normal one or that He was an angel and not a man.
      • John made a frontal assault on these false teachings by explicitly stating he had first-hand interaction with Jesus. 
    • The message and the person are inseparable. Each explains the other. The message about Jesus is intimately related to who Jesus is.
  • This duality also applies to the timeline of creation.
    • The contrast between “that which was from the beginning” and “what we have seen…observed” is a contrast between eternity and an actual past event.
    • John and other eyewitnesses saw the deity of Christ incarnated in time/space/history.
      • The first-hand witnesses were with Jesus from the beginning of His ministry.
      • The false teachers distorted what Jesus taught, and their ideas were not verified by Jesus’ ministry.
    • The eternal Son of God, Jesus, had come in the flesh – John 1:14.
  • In verse two, John goes on to explain the source of eternal life has been revealed through the person of Jesus.
    • Life was meant to be eternal before the fall in the Garden of Eden.
    • This life was revealed in the person of Jesus.
  • This truth is the key purpose of this epistle.
    • John is fighting against a Christological heresy that denied the incarnation of the deity, Jesus.
    • The heresy involved the separation of “Christ” and “Son of God” from “Jesus.”
    • The heretics believed Christ to be someone other than Jesus.
    • This position would call into question the issue of atonement through the sacrifice of Jesus.
    • John is writing to assure his readers that belief in Jesus and separation from idols and false teachings (false christs and false religions) is the path to eternal life.
    • John is encouraging his readers to persevere in their belief in Jesus as the Christ, the incarnate Son of God.
  • The key idea in verse three is the term “fellowship.”
    • The same term is used in 1 John 1:6.
    • Fellowship also implies knowledge of Him, Jesus, found in 1 John 2:3.
      • The idea of fellowship is the apostolic preaching of the historical Jesus and the readers’ response of faith to that teaching. Fellowship implies obedience to Jesus’ teaching.
      • It is demonstrated by the readers walking in the light as God is in the light – 1 John 1:6-7.
        • Loving our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
        • Because God is love, our Christian love originates from God.
        • Evidence of Christian love is having eternal life.
    • Faith in the incarnate Son of God, Jesus the Christ, moves one from the realm of death to life, from darkness to light, and by demonstrating love towards fellow believers.
    • The context of fellowship with the Father and the Son is eternal life with them.
      • Fellowship is first dependent on hearing the Gospel message.
      • Next, it means believing and accepting the Gospel message that Jesus is the incarnate Son of God.
      • It is a sign of oneness within the community of God, with other believers, the Father, and the Son.
      • This “oneness” is inseparable from eternal life. If we are one with God, we have eternal life.
      • It also implies perseverance in the faith. Falling away will break fellowship.
  • In verse four, it may appear somewhat selfish for John to use the phrase “our joy” in relation to others joining the fellowship of believers. However, that would be an inaccurate understanding of John’s intent.
    • John is writing from an apostolic viewpoint. This is no different than a pastor who is joyful when a person comes to Christ or when someone who is struggling preservers in the faith.
    • This idea is supported when we consider 3 John 4 – I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
    • However, it goes beyond this.
    • Since the context of these first four verses is oneness in fellowship, the joy is shared by all who are in the family of God. Both shepherd leaders, as well as members of the flock, should express joy as people become believers and persevere in the faith.
    • Although the “we” starting verse four refers to the apostles, every subsequent use of the term “we” in this epistle refers to the collective body of Christ.
    • What is the “joy” that John is referring to?
      • Being faithful followers of Christ.
      • Bearing fruit. If a person is a faithful follower of Christ, they will bear fruit.
      • There is a partial fulfillment of joy during our time on earth through fellowship with other believers.
      • Full joy will occur when Christ returns.
      • When considering John’s theology, it is impossible to take the joy away from a true believer.
        • John 16:22.
        • John 17:12-13.
      • Those who fell away from the faith were never true believers in the first place and were never part of the fellowship.
      • John’s theology was also a theology of perseverance in faith. Believers are sustained by being immersed in Scripture and the practical application of scriptural practices.  

Applications

  • Are you in meaningful fellowship with other believers? John is clear that fellowship with others and with God are essential parts of the assurance of our salvation. Being part of the body of Christ is more than attending a Sunday service. It’s being in meaningful relationships with other believers where we support each other through prayer, service, and sacrifice.
  • As we are involved in witnessing and evangelizing others, don’t add or take away from the Gospel. John was fighting against heretical teaching in this epistle. If we make substantial changes to the Gospel, we are part of the heretical crowd.
  • Even though we face trials and hardships during this life, does your life exhibit joy? Our hardships are temporary, but our joy is eternal. Focus on the eternal as you live each day.