1 John 1

Study Guide 166: 1 John 1:1-2:2 WALKING WITH GOD Overview John’ s letters are probably the last written of our New Testament. Despite the persecution of the last part of the first century, John’ s warm, pastoral letters call Christians to live a life of simple love and obedience. It is the inner life of the man and woman of God that concerned John, for the deepest issues of life lie within. John’ s letters are not closely reasoned or marked by step-by-step arguments. Instead, John stated and then returned again and again to the themes that concerned him — themes like light, love, and truth. In simple, powerful prose John reminded us of the basic truths that shape our lives and relationship with the Lord.

Outline I. Invitation to Joy1Jo_1:1-4 II. Walking in the Light1 John 1:5-2:29 A. Being honest1 John 1:5-2:2 B. Being loving1Jo_2:3-11 C. Being separate1Jo_2:12-17 D. Being alert1Jo_2:18-29 III. Walking in Love1 John 3:1-4:19 A. Children of God1Jo_3:1-10 B. Caring for others1Jo_3:11-20 C. Confidence1Jo_3:21-24 D. Allegiance1Jo_4:1-6 E. God’ s love1Jo_4:7-21 IV. Walking by Faith1Jo_5:1-21 A. We have eternal life1Jo_5:1-2 B. We know God hears us1Jo_5:13-15 C. We are freed1Jo_5:16-21 Commentary It’ s quite easy to sense the personalities of Peter and Paul from material in the New Testament. In the Gospels bombastic Peter blurted out his first thoughts; in Acts a matured and Spirit-filled Peter dominated early-church history. And Paul spoke so openly of his feelings and motives that sometimes we’ re embarrassed by his totally honest revelations. But it’ s hard for us to visualize John, so humble that in his Gospel he cannot bear to name himself. With quiet joy he refers obliquely to “ the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 21:7). We know that John was one of the inner circle along with his brother James, and with Peter. We know that at the Last Supper John found a place as close to Jesus as possible. But what else do we know about this quiet apostle? And what do we know about his writings?

John and His Writings The man. When John and his brother James, the sons of Zebedee, began to follow Jesus, they were apparently quite young and passionate. Once the disciples were passing through Samaria on the way to Jerusalem. James and John went on ahead to find lodging in a village. When the Samaritans, who hated the Jews as much as they were hated, learned the party was traveling to Jerusalem, they refused them shelter. Furious, James and John confronted Jesus. “ Lord,” they asked, “ do You want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” (Luke 9:54) Their nickname was appropriate: “ Thunderers.” Another time the disciples saw a man driving out demons in Jesus’ name, but the man was not one of their company. “ We told him to stop,” John reported, “ because he was not one of us” (Mark 9:38). John was again corrected by Jesus because his zeal had missed the spirit of his Master. A final Gospel incident (Matthew 20:20-28) completes John’ s portrait. He and his brother whisper privately to their mother. Shortly she approaches Jesus. Could the places of authority at Jesus’ right and left hand be reserved for her sons when the Lord takes power in His kingdom? Jesus explained to the mother and to the two sons that He did not have the authority to grant such a request. Later the other disciples heard of the pair’ s attempt to gain advantage, and reacted with understandable anger. Then Jesus explained to the Twelve that greatness in His kingdom is not found in authority but in servanthood: a servanthood far removed from the self-concerned attitude of James and John. We can understand John; we’ ve all known (and possibly been) such firebrands. We understand his quickness to take offense and the anger that urged him to strike back. We understand the pride that held others at arm’ s length. We understand the drive to succeed, the hunger to be somebody and gain a high place even at the expense of friends. We understand all this because these are the motivating passions (epithumia) in our world. These are the desires that the New Testament encourages us to replace with a set of values summed up in the concept of holiness. Yes, we understand young John only too well. He is so much like us! But when we come to John’ s writings, we meet a different man. We meet a man whose favorite word was love, a man who was gentle, so selfless that he hardly mentioned himself or his feelings, except as they related to the needs of the men and women to whom he ministered. We meet a man who was transformed, who demonstrated in his own personality the Bible promise that we can be changed by beholding Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:12). John emphasized the love Jesus had for him even in the days before he matured; thus he calls himself, “ The disciple whom Jesus loved.” What a message for you and me. Jesus loves and accepts us, no matter what our stage of growth. Jesus’ new life will grow within us and, as John, we will become more and more like our Lord. John’ s writings. John’ s epistles were probably written from Ephesus and circulated in the churches in Asia. They were immediately accepted by the whole church: we even have evidence of an exegesis (study and explanation) of John’ s Gospel from as early as a.d. 150. Like Peter and Jude, John counseled the church about dangers from within. He warned against antichrists who were trying to lead believers astray. Like the others, John identified the spirit of antichrist with the denial that “ Jesus Christ has come in the flesh” (1 John 4:2). The person of Jesus is the central doctrinal truth, and a relationship with Him, who is God, is the irreplaceable essence of our Christian experience. He also reminds us that sin by any name is the devil’ s work: we are not to be moved by appeals to our passions.

Invitation to Joy: 1 John 1:1-4The heresy emerging in the days of Peter and Jude was an even greater danger during John’ s last years. As competing teachers introduced conflicting doctrines, many Christians became confused about who was the false teacher, and who was the true. Confusion also arose as the drive for holiness brought an unexpected reaction: those who slipped into sin began to wonder if they still had a personal relationship with God. John focused on the doubts, fears, and uncertainties that well up in believers of every era who try to follow Jesus, yet who often find themselves stumbling and unsure. John immediately shared with us his deep personal concern. He wrote in order “ that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). “ Fellowship” is the Greek word koinonia. It’ s a word of intimacy and means “ communion; close relationship; participation; sharing.” John’ s desire for us is what we ourselves yearn for: a warm, comfortable relationship with God in which we are aware of being close to Him in heart and mind. John has seen in the historical Jesus (1 John 1:1-2) the reality of life. In Jesus eternal life entered time, and through Jesus John personally experienced that fellowship he desired for all of us. We can almost picture the old man deeply aware of how close he now stands beside his Lord, beckoning you and me to come closer and share with him that intimate relationship with the Father and Son that makes joy complete.

Walking in the Light: 1 John 1:5-2:2 How can we have fellowship with God? In this familiar yet vital New Testament passage, John unlocked truths that can transform us — and our attitude toward ourselves as well as toward God. Light (1 John 1:5-7). John’ s first answer to the question of how believers can have fellowship with God was simple. God is Light. If we walk in the light, we will have fellowship. Often when John spoke of light (and he used the term 30 times in his writings), he was quoting Jesus: “ I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12; see John 9:5; John 12:46). The essential nature of God as light sets God apart from man. Man’ s sinful condition has made the world lie in darkness. Even worse, “ Men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). Confronted with the nature of God, men twist and struggle to turn away from such holiness. “ Light” and “ darkness” are moral terms in John’ s writings. The character of God is expressed as light; the character of sinful man is expressed as darkness. So in this first letter, John confronted us with a disconcerting reality. If we are to be comfortable with God and live in intimate fellowship with Him, we must “ walk in the light, as He is in the light” (1 John 1:7). Our values, our behavior, our attitudes, our commitments must be in harmony with God’ s character rather than with the natural passions of fallen humanity. But this seems to raise a terrible barrier. If we must walk in light to have fellowship, how can we, who feel sin’ s pull and all too often give in to temptations, ever be comfortable with God? Isn’ t each sin a retreat to darkness? If sinlessness is the avenue to fellowship, who then can stand in the presence of God? But John was not talking of sinlessness. “ If we walk in the light,” he said, “ the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Even those walking in the light need forgiveness, and cleansing from sins they commit. While it is possible for us in Christ not to sin, we can never claim that it is impossible to sin. John’ s primary target here seems to be those who “ claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness” (1 John 1:6). These men and women speak glowingly of their closeness to God and the fellowship they enjoy — and yet make a practice of sin! Their lifestyle is not godly; it is patterned after the ways of the false teachers described by Jude and Peter. No one who makes a practice of sin can claim fellowship with God. God’ s nature is light, not darkness. Those who walk in light as He is in the light may fall, but they will quickly turn away from that old lifestyle to find forgiveness in Jesus. We might sum up John’ s teaching this way; if the direction of your life is toward the Source of light, you will find forgiveness for your failures and inadequacies. But if the direction of your life is toward the darkness, then you may be sure you have nothing in common with God. Confession (1 John 1:8-10). John’ s readers were confused by two false teachings. The first was the claim that those who choose sin’ s lifestyle can maintain fellowship with God. This John labeled as a lie (1 John 1:6). The second claim was by those who said they were without sin (1 John 1:8). They based their claim to fellowship with God on the belief that they matched God in His moral perfection! John called this claim self-deceit: “ We deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). Truth and falsehood are not related so much to the trustworthiness of the teller as they are to correspondence with reality. The problem with the claim of sinlessness is not that the motives of the claimant are unpure. His or her report may be made with honest conviction. But the report of sinlessness is mistaken: it does not correspond to reality. “ We deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” What is the reality of sin for the Christian? The simple fact is that while in His death Jesus dealt fully with sin, the sin nature within us is not eradicated. The ingrained responses still tug. We still experience pride, lust, anger, hatred, and fear. The capacity to sin remains ours and will be an ever-present burden until we find our full release in resurrection. But the capacity to sin, and even the temptation to sin, are not really the issue in the Christian life. What is at issue are our choices. While we can feel the old passions stirring, we also have a new appreciation for godliness. We want to be like Jesus! Now two sets of desires war within us, and we have been given the freedom to choose. We can walk in the light and live in the radiance shed by the Living Word. Or we can turn our backs and chase off into the darkness after the illusive pleasures of sin. The choices we make, not the temptations we experience, are what move us into darkness or into light. But again John is sensitive. Men and women who turn toward the light, and begin that hesitant journey toward holiness, find that their sinful “ deeds will be exposed” (John 2:20). In the radiance of the light of Jesus, we become aware of pools of darkness in ourselves. Things we did that before seemed natural and proper become tawdry and shameful. Motives we suppressed come to light. The action we justified we see to be a petty release of antagonism. Our drive to succeed is recognized as a materialism that has pushed aside the needs of family and replaced the value of persons with the love of money. The more we live in the light Jesus sheds, the more aware we become of how unlike God we are. Rather than feeling comfortable in His presence, we pull back in shame and hopelessness, deciding we are forever separated from Him. Or, unable to face the reality, we deceive ourselves and deny the blemishes that surface. “ My sin is gone,” we insist. And since pettiness and antagonism are wrong, we rechristen our reactions “ righteous indignation.” We dare not acknowledge our materialism and distorted values, so we justify our drive to succeed by the money we can give to missions. Closing our eyes to reality, we wander through life, insisting on our sinlessness and yet wondering why we have only an aching void inside rather than fellowship’ s joy. But what’ s the alternative? How can a sinful and sinning human being maintain a joyful and comfortable relationship with a holy God? John says, “ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). The basis of our fellowship with God is not our sinlessness, but His forgiveness. Let’ s remember the development of John’ s explanation before going on. You and I are invited to live our lives in intimate relationship with the Lord, in comfortable closeness and joy. The key to experiencing this kind of fellowship is to walk in light, not darkness. Some may claim fellowship while obviously choosing sin. They lie. Others may claim fellowship on the basis of a supposed sinlessness. They deceive themselves. The reality is that we are imperfect — and yet can have fellowship! To have fellowship involves choosing a basic direction toward godliness; walking into the light, we can see God and reality. But we also become aware of our sins and failures. We will become aware of all that God still has to do within us to make us truly godly. We cannot live in fellowship with God if we live a lie: to walk in the light means we must face and deal with the reality of our sin. How do we deal with sin? We confess (lit., “ acknowledge” ) sins. Instead of pretending or hiding our sins, we acknowledge them to God. And God “ will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” God’ s forgiving grace will remove every barrier between the believer and God, even that of remembered guilt, so that we can be comfortable in the very presence of our Lord. One last important promise is given us by John. God will not only forgive us as we acknowledge the sins we discover, but He will also purify us. God will touch our motives and desires, and He will gradually reshape us. Like John himself, as we walk into the light of Jesus, we will gradually lose the old anger and drive for prestige, and will become men and women who love. A dangerous promise? (1 John 2:1-2) Some, reading John’ s letter, were sure to object to his teaching. “ If we know we can be forgiven,” they say “ then why not sin? If that’ s all there is to fellowship, why make the effort to follow Jesus?” The objectors of course misunderstand. Only the person who wants to live in darkness will pervert the promise of forgiveness into a license for sin. John was writing to help us avoid sin. “ But if anybody does sin, we have One who speaks to the Father in our defense — Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning Sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2). How completely sufficient is the blood of Jesus Christ! Enough for the whole world, it surely is enough for you and me. Let us then go on boldly, with full confidence in Him, and walk in the light. We are moving toward holiness. But on the journey, we do not need to hide our sins. We need to acknowledge them, and receive not only forgiveness but the purifying power of our God. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT Work carefully through 1 John 1:5-2:2, making sure that your group members understand each key term. Then sketch these three persons, and ask each person in your group to select the one he or she is “ most like.” *Myra. You always felt like a failure. Never did well in school. Boys stayed away from you in droves. You have the feeling no one really likes you. You thought that becoming a Christian was the answer. But now you’ ve failed so many times to be a “ good Christian” that you’ re close to despair. *Jana. You’ ve never failed. Always got top grades. Popular. You graduated third in your law school class, and are moving up in your firm. As a new Christian, you’ re as determined not to fail in your faith as you have been in your other efforts. In fact, you won’ t even admit the possibility of failure. *Sally. You’ re just an average person. Win a few, lose a few. Of course, now you’ ve got a really important goal: to live close to God. And that’ s what’ s bothering you a little bit. You’ re so, well — average. How can you be special enough to come close to Him? Divide into teams based on the individual your group members felt most like. Take a few minutes to share why each chose that person. Then explore: “ How does John’ s teaching in 1 John 1:5-2:2 meet the special needs of this type person?”

Teaching Guide Prepare John’ s teaching on walking in the light, and the role of confession in the Christian life, is so important that you will want to spend an entire session on it. Pray that your group members will experience what you teach, and find the joy of walking in the light.

Explore

1. Ask your group members for impressions: What kind of person do they think John was? What do they remember about him from the Gospels? Introduce the three incidents mentioned in the text that reveal his impetuous character. Close the discussion by pointing out that even with his imperfections, John is called the disciple “ whom Jesus loved.”
2. Examine 1 John 1:1-4. Ask each member to write down in 10 words or less the purpose of this letter. Hear different statements. Then discuss: “ What makes this goal important to you?”

Expand In a minilecture lead your group through 1 John 1:5-2:2, making sure they understand just what John taught. Then use the “ link-to-life” suggestion above to help each apply these truths to his or her life.

Apply Have the teams share with each other how 1 John 1:1-10 applies to them.