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1 John

The Apostle John may have written his first letter to counter the philosophy of Gnosticism which was beginning to make inroads in some of the churches. The Gnostics claimed to have special knowledge. They were the ones who had true spiritual insight and experience. They taught that matter was inherently evil. Therefore, true spirituality was entirely separate from physical action. Since flesh was already evil, there could be no real sins of the flesh.

In his letter, John explores the concept of knowing. How can we know truth? How can we know we are forgiven? How can we know we are in God? John provides a three part answer: Knowledge is based in experience. It results from an obedient and holy lifestyle. And, it is rooted in love. John also provides practical tests by which we can evaluate truth claims.

  • Does Man Need A Message From God? (1 John 1:1) - Like all of the New Testament, the Apostle John’s first letter is divinely inspired. This short New Testament writing gives us a special message from God. The first sentence makes that point clear. It says, “That which was from the beginning… concerning the Word of life…” All of us know that God is the source, … Continue reading
  • Man Needs a Sure Message From God (1 John 1:1-2) - Though the Apostle John’s first general epistle is short, it is profound and gives to man an essential message from God. In the last program we learned why man needs a message from God. In this program we will learn how God gives his message to mankind. Through the centuries God has sent his message … Continue reading
  • The Certainty of Christ’s Message (1 John 1:1-3) - Jesus of Nazareth is not only the Messiah, he is the Word of God and the Spirit of God (See 2 Corinthians 3:17). We cannot separate God from his Word and from his Spirit. Therefore, whenever we are in the presence of the Word of God and the Spirit of God we are in the presence … Continue reading
  • How and Why the Message of Christ Is Made Known (1 John 1:1-4) - The message of Christ is “the Word of life.” (1 John 1:1) Without that message no one can find the way to eternal life. Therefore, when God made that message known, he used four separate ways to communicate. That made the message sure. When God communicated the Word of life, he communicated it to men called … Continue reading
  • The Most Central and Fundamental Truth in Christ’s Message (1 John 1:5-6) - The most central and fundamental truth in Christ’s message is that God is Light. This is the great truth revealed in 1 John 1:5-6. 1 John 1:5 says, “And this is the message which we have heard from him and announce unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” The revelation … Continue reading
  • A Remedy For Sin (1 John 1:7) - Continuing our study of God’s revelation to man, in this program we will go further in our study of the message which God gave to mankind through the Apostle John in his short epistle which is called John’s first general letter. “If we walk in the light we have fellowship one with another, and the … Continue reading
  • Be sure the Letter is Addressed to You! (1 John 1:8-10) - We have come to a part of the message of the first epistle of John which has an extremely appealing message which all of us would like to be for us. Everyone may receive this message but we must make sure that our name is on the envelope. Otherwise, the message will go to someone … Continue reading
  • Assurance That The Advocate is Working For Us (1 John 2:3-6) - Every person needs an advocate in order that he may stand successfully before God’s judgment bar when he calls each one of us into his presence. God has appointed a great Advocate for each one of us, Jesus Christ, the Righteous. We should always remember that this is just one of the ways God has … Continue reading
  • New And Not New (1 John 2:7-8) - We are to walk as Christ walked. A major part of that walk or that life style is how we relate to other people. From the time of Adam till the coming of the Messiah, God gave various methods to man by which he wanted them to worship him. These were not the ultimate arrangement … Continue reading
  • Light and Darkness (1 John 2:9-11) - In our last program we learned how to evaluate the truth of any religious system. In today’s program we will learn how to evaluate our own relationship to God. In the second chapter of his first general epistle, Christ’s Apostle John tells us in verse nine: “He that saith he is in the light and … Continue reading
  • Children, Young Men & Fathers (1 John 2:12-14) - God loves each of us no matter at what level of spiritual advancement we may be. But God wants each of to make progress and develop into the most mature servant of God which it is possible to be. Christ’s Apostle John in a passage in his first general epistle helps us evaluate our own … Continue reading
  • Choosing God or the World (1 John 2:15-17) - We do not live in a neutral environment. On the contrary, our habitat is highly polarized. This means that in the spiritual and moral sectors of our lives God is not our only choice. There are alternative attractions which seek to allure all of us. We must realize that should we be beguiled by these … Continue reading
  • The Last Hour (1 John 2:18-19) - It is extremely important for all of us to understand our place and our time in human history. That understanding can only come from divine revelation. God used Christ’s Apostle John to help us understand the point in history in which we live. He wrote, “Little children, it is the last hour: and as ye … Continue reading
  • The Anointing (1 John 2:20-28) - In our last program we studied the divine warnings from John’s first inspired general letter about the danger of being led astray by false Christs. After his warnings, John then reminded the true followers of Christ that at the time of their initial commitment to follow Christ they had received an anointing which enabled them … Continue reading
  • Personal Character (1 John 2:29-3:5) - There is an organic relationship between one’s faith and one’s life style. This fact becomes clear from a statement from the Apostle John. He tells us, “If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one also that doeth righteousness is begotten of him.” (1 John 2:29 ASV) In the very beginning of chapter … Continue reading
  • Victory Over Sin (1 John 3:6-10) - Is there a way that our actions regularly may be brought into line with our desire to live a holy life? Very fortunately, Jesus Christ has given each of us a way to accomplish this most important goal. The fact is that, “Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither … Continue reading
  • Love and Hate (1 John 3:11-16) - There were two themes which were most important in the initial apostolic message to new hearers of the gospel of Christ. Actually, both themes deal with essential realities. Of first importance was the identity of Jesus (cf. 1 John 2:24). The second theme, which was equally important, is shown here with the words, “the message which … Continue reading
  • Love in Action (1 John 3:17-20) - The prophet David, king of Israel said by inspiration, “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.” (Psalms 34:17 NIV) But, the question is, how does the Lord deliver the righteous when they cry out to him because of trouble? The Apostle John makes it very clear … Continue reading
  • Boldness Before God (1 John 3:21-24) - The king-prophet David asked, “Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?” (Psalms 15:1 NIV) By God’s Spirit he answered, “He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor … Continue reading
  • Recognizing False Prophets (1 John 4:1-2) - Jesus Christ said, “ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32 ASV) Of course, the most important truth is the truth about God and about God’s will for our lives. That is the kind of truth that God gives us through prophets. But Satan sends lying prophets to lead … Continue reading
  • Jesus is at the Center (1 John 4:3-4) - How can we accurately evaluate spiritual teaching? Christ’s Apostle John gives us the answer which all of us need. He points out that the definitive reference point by which we can judge the truth of religious teaching is Christ himself. In 1 John 4:3 he wrote, “and every spirit that confesseth not Jesus is not of … Continue reading
  • Testing the Prophets (1 John 4:5-6) - The danger from false prophets is so great that the Apostle John gives us further information about them. First of all, he tells us, “They are of the world: therefore speak they as of the world,” (1 John 4:5 ASV) No matter how they tried to disguise their message, the basic message of the “many false … Continue reading
  • The Origin of Love (1 John 4:7-10) - So far, the apostle John has given us two ways to test whether a prophet is from God or not. Now, he introduces the third test we may use to evaluate the spirit by which a ‘prophet’ speaks. If a prophet really speaks for God, this will first be evident in what he teaches about … Continue reading
  • Deeper Awareness of God (1 John 4:12-14) - Everyone has some awareness of God. How close may humans come to the Creator of the universe? John answered that question when he wrote, “No man hath beheld God at any time: if we love one another, God abideth in us, and his love is perfected in us:” (1 John 4:12 ASV) In the fourth gospel … Continue reading
  • Fellowship with God (1 John 4:15-18) - God seeks the most intimate fellowship with those who serve him. Through the Apostle John God tells us, “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abideth in him, and he in God.” (1 John 4:15 ASV) When he tells us, “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God,” it means … Continue reading
  • The Origin and Proof of Love (1 John 4:19-21) - The followers of Jesus are not only commanded to love but are empowered to express love. One of the most complete discussions of our responsibility to love is given by Christ’s Apostle John. John originally wrote the scripture which God gave him by using the Greek language. One Greek word for love refers to physical … Continue reading
  • Testing Our Faith (1 John 5:1-3) - Being a follower of Christ involves both inner and outer elements of our being. It is important to have practical methods for evaluating the quality and reality of these essential factors in our lives. Evaluating the inner elements of being a follower of Christ, since these factors are invisible qualities, is infinitely more difficult than … Continue reading
  • The Proof of Faith (1 John 5:4-8) - In the last program we saw that our faith in Jesus Christ is tested by our love. In these verses we will see that our faith is also tested by moral power. This scripture tells us that, “Everyone born of God has overcome the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even … Continue reading
  • The Proof of Faith (2) (1 John 5:9-12) - In the previous program we saw that the existence and quality of our faith in Jesus Christ is tested by moral power. Before that, we also saw that our faith is tested by our expression of love. Now God, through Christ’s Apostle John tells us a third way in which our faith is tested. It … Continue reading