o Joy (1 John 1:4)
o Holiness (1 John 2:1)
o Correct Doctrine (1 John 2:26)
o Assurance of Salvation (1 John 5:13)

WEEK ONE
Read
1 John 1:1–4—That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which
we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our
hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have
seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the
Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we
proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our
fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing
these things so that our joy may be complete.
Discuss
1. John emphasized that he and others heard, saw, looked upon, and even
had physical contact with Jesus, the “word of life” (1 John 1:1). Why is it
important that John and others heard, saw, and touched Jesus, and didn’t
just relate a story someone else told?
2. John said that he was proclaiming this message “so that you too may
have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and
with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3; cf. John 17:3). Is this a new
concept for you? Explain.
3. How can we as a community best express the fellowship that the gospel
creates? What would it look like to love one another in our everyday
lives?
4. Overall, how is your Christian community? What would you like to stay
the same? What would you like to see changed?
5. One of the reasons John wrote this letter was to promote joy (1 John 1:4).
What are some ways we can sustain our joy in God and others?
6. The theme of our study is “Love One Another.” How does this week’s
passage relate to John’s big idea and his hope for Jesus’ Church?
Pray
1. Pray that the group’s fellowship with God and one another would become
enriched during this study.
2. Pray for the removal of hidden sin or other obstacle that may be inhibiting
your joy.
Do
This is a great week for each person in your group to set aside time for a short
getaway or prolonged time with God—for instance, a morning, afternoon, or
evening—devoted to reading the Bible and prayer. There are a myriad of options.
Based on one of the big ideas of this week’s passage, encourage everyone in the
group to take a break from their normal day-to-day routines and purposefully
spend time with God.
WEEK TWO
Read
1 John 1:5–10—This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to
you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have
fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the
truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one
another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we
have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word
is not in us.
Discuss
1. How does John describe the Christian life in 1 John 1:9?
2. How does your faith in Jesus change your view of sin?
3. Is it possible to have faith in God and continue living in sin? Why or why
not?
4. How does “walking in the light” encourage you to live your life before God
and others? (See John 3:19–21.)
5. Why is repentance such an important part of the Christian life? What are
the consequences if we are unwilling to repent? (See 1 John 1:6–10.)
6. Do you consider yourself someone who is quick to repent? What causes
us to delay repenting?
7. The theme of our study is “Love One Another.” How does this week’s
passage relate to John’s big idea and his hope for Jesus’ Church?
Pray
1. Pray for everyone in the group to come to a greater understanding of God
—that he’s light (i.e., holy)—and how he desires for us to live by faith in
Christ, trusting his cleansing work, not ours.
2. Pray for your group to “work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling,” knowing that “it is God who works in you, both to will and to
work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12–13).
Do
This week’s text dives into the depths of our heart and life by examining whether
or not we are walking in the light. This text provides a great opportunity to
encourage your group to walk in the light with God and with one another.
Depending on the makeup of your group, you can consider one of the following
options:
1. Set aside some time at the end for confession, prayer, and
encouragement. You can keep the group together as a whole, or consider
breaking up into small groups.
2. If you don’t have enough time, encourage people to get together outside
of group time for confession, prayer, and encouragement.
WEEK THREE
Read
1 John 2:1–11—My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you
may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but
also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to
know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does
not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever
keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know
that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way
in which he walked.
Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that
you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have
heard. At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which
is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light
is already shining. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in
darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no
cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks
in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness
has blinded his eyes.
Discuss
1. Does Jesus’ advocacy encourage you to seek him when you sin? Why or
why not?
2. Why is it not possible for self-identified Christians to habitually sin and
disobey God?
3. How has knowing God changed your heart and life? How have you and
others noticed the difference?
4. Why do you think John emphasizes our love for other Christians as much
as he does? (See John 17:20–23.)
5. How has your love for other Christians changed since you first placed
your faith in Jesus?
6. How does participating in community (or not) affect your faith?
7. The theme of our study is “Love One Another.” How does this week’s
passage relate to John’s big idea and his hope for Jesus’ Church?
Pray
1. Encourage your group to confess their sins and reach out to their
Advocate in heaven.
2. Pray that God would illuminate any area of darkness in your life.
3. Pray that God would gracefully develop deep and meaningful
relationships in the group throughout this study.
Do
As you can see, John places a huge importance on love and Christian
community. This week, spend some time with your group to connect outside of
your weekly meeting—at someone’s home, a café, or a restaurant. Encourage
your group to use these hangout times to share their personal stories of their
relationship with God.
In addition, encourage your group to prayerfully examine their hearts. If
there is someone with whom they are not on good terms, encourage them to ask
for or extend forgiveness. (Some situations, such as abuse, will require a greater
level of ongoing love and support. It would be a good idea to involve pastoral
support, depending on the severity of the situation.)
WEEK FOUR
Read
1 John 2:12–17—I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are
forgiven for his name’s sake.
I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, children, because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides
in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the
love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the
flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is
from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever
does the will of God abides forever.
Discuss
1. What does it mean that our sins are forgiven by God “for his name’s
sake”?
2. What was your reaction to John’s statement: “Do not love the world or the
things in the world”?
3. John describes love for the world as “the desires of the flesh and the
desires of the eyes and pride of life.” Do you struggle with any of these
specific temptations? Why do you think these are a struggle?
4. According to John, what does having a love for “the world” and the things
of the world indicate about our relationship with God?
5. What does (or would) it look like to fight and avoid worldly temptations in
your daily life?
6. The theme of our study is “Love One Another.” How does this week’s
passage relate to John’s big idea and his hope for Jesus’ Church?
Pray
1. Pray the gospel over your community group this week. Remind those
present who have placed their faith in Jesus that their righteousness (right
standing before God) is based on what Jesus has done for them, not on
what we do for God. (See Romans 3:21–26.)
2. Pray that God would make the group aware of any blindness or dullness
they have toward worldly temptation(s), so they can see, confess, and
turn away from it.
3. Pray that God would fill everyone in the group with the Holy Spirit,
empowering them to live the life God has called them to live. (See
Ephesians 5:18.)
Do
This week, have each member of the group compare their social media
experience, advertisements, and entertainment with all that is in the world
according to John. They should ask themselves, What temptation is this based
on? Is it the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, or pride of life? Discuss
your findings with one another throughout the week or before the next time you
meet.
WEEK FIVE
Read
1 John 2:18–27—Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that
antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that
it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had
been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might
become plain that they all are not of us. But you have been anointed by the Holy
One, and you all have knowledge. I write to you, not because you do not know
the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the
liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who
denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father.
Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the
beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then
you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he
made to us—eternal life.
I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the
anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that
anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and
is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.
Discuss
1. What does your relationship with the Church say about you?
2. What do you learn about false teachers in this passage?
3. Has there ever been a time in your life when the Holy Spirit made you
aware of false teaching?
4. Why is it important to regularly ask the Holy Spirit to teach you?
5. Apart from the leading of the Holy Spirit, another way to combat false
teaching, according to John, is to know and remember the gospel. Out of
everything he could have said, why do you think John said this? (See
Paul’s presentation of the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1–11 as another
example.)
Pray
1. Pray that the group’s love and devotion to the Church mirrors that of
Jesus.
2. Pray that the Holy Spirit would give the group greater discernment to
detect and combat false teaching in their daily lives.
Do
This week, pay close attention to what friends, pastors, leaders, the media, etc.,
say about your family, humanity, society, and God. Write down as many
statements as you can. At the end of the week, consider each of these
statements and evaluate whether they are wholly true, partly true, or completely
false. Discuss your findings and conclusions with the group.
WEEK SIX
Read
1 John 2:28–3:10—And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he
appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his
coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who
practices righteousness has been born of him.
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called
children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is
that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be
has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him,
because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies
himself as he is pure.
Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is
lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him
there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps
on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive
you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever
makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the
beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the
devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in
him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it
is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil:
whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does
not love his brother.
Discuss
1. To “abide” in Jesus is to actively remain and continue in him. Are you
abiding in Jesus? Do you consider yourself one who strives to do this?
Why or why not?
2. John expresses a sense of urgency for us to abide in Christ so that we
may have confidence when he returns. How does Jesus’ imminent return
alter our faith, daily lives, and priorities?
3. As a Christian living in the world, what challenges do you face day to day,
at school, work, etc.? (See John 1:10; 3:13; 4:5; and 5:19.)
4. John says God is a Father, we are his children, and we are to love other
Christians as brothers and sisters. Why do you think John emphasizes
these family relationships?
5. Why was it important for Jesus to be without sin? What does his
sinlessness have to do with our personal relationship with God? (See
Hebrews 7:27 and 10:10.)
6. What did you find most surprising or helpful about the list of traits that
indicate whether someone is considered a part of God’s family or is
associated with the devil?
7. The theme of our study is “Love One Another.” How does this week’s
passage relate to John’s big idea and his hope for Jesus’ Church?
Pray
1. Pray that your group would be encouraged and empowered to abide in
Christ and live their life in light of Jesus’ imminent return.
2. Pray that your group would live as salt and light in the world and seek
opportunities to proclaim the gospel to nonbelievers in their life.
Do
Some in your group may be enslaved to a pattern of sin. This does not
necessarily mean they’re not Christians (see 1 John 1:8–10), only that they need
encouragement and support to help overcome it. This week may be a good time
to bring up these matters with individuals in your group and encourage them to
seek Christ for deliverance and support. Challenge the group to consider how
they can love one another through the process of repentance.
WEEK SEVEN
Read
1 John 3:11–18—For this is the message that you have heard from the
beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was
of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because
his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be surprised,
brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death
into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer
has eternal life abiding in him.
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down
our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his
brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in
him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
Discuss
1. John tells us to love one another and then provides an example of how
not to love one another. What are some things we can learn from Cain’s
example about how not to treat one another? What might it have looked
like for Cain to love Abel instead? (See Genesis 4:6–7 and Hebrews
11:4.)
2. Why do you think John tells us not to be surprised when the world hates
us? How does this change the way you interact with nonbelievers, current
events, politics, etc.?
3. Are you surprised by verses 14 and 15, in which John says that our love
for other Christians is one barometer of our faith in Christ? Why or why
not?
4. What is one important lesson about love, hatred, and faith we learn from
1 John 3:15? How does this change your relationship with God and
others? (See Matthew 5:22–28.)
5. What do we learn about love from Jesus’ example? How does his
example differ from contemporary notions of love? (See 1 John 3:18.)
6. Why is it impossible for us to say we love God and yet hate others—even
the Church? How would you define “hate” in this context? Why do you
think John makes such a big deal of this?
7. The theme of our study is “Love One Another.” How does this week’s
passage relate to John’s big idea and his hope for Jesus’ Church?
Pray
1. Pray for the group and their loved ones to love others well, just as Christ
loved us.
2. Pray that the group would experience grace and the Holy Spirit’s
empowerment to respond in love when the world expresses hatred.
3. Pray for the group to express sacrificial love toward those with material
need.
Do
John provides one very practical way to love one another: meet the material
needs of other believers (1 John 3:17–18). This week, as a group, prayerfully
consider identifying an individual or family whose material needs you can meet.
This is just one example. Feel free to explore other opportunities to love others
the way Jesus has loved you.
WEEK EIGHT
Read
1 John 3:19–24—By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our
heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our
heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we
have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him,
because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his
commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one
another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments
abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the
Spirit whom he has given us.
Discuss
1. John tells us that if we love “in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18), our hearts
are reassured before God. How does knowing God’s love for you
strengthen your faith?
2. Where does the ultimate source of our reassurance come from? How
does this influence your faith in God and life?
3. How does the presence and practice of sin in our life inhibit our
relationship with God? Is there anything in your life that is creating tension
between you and God?
4. What do we learn from this passage about the correlation between our life
and our prayers? (See 1 John 5:14–15.)
5. John makes following God sound so simple: Believe in Jesus and love
one another. Are there ways you tend to overcomplicate or add to what it
means to glorify and enjoy God?
6. The theme of our study is “Love One Another.” How does this week’s
passage relate to John’s big idea and his hope for Jesus’ Church?
Pray
1. Pray for the group to love one another in deed and in truth.
2. Pray for the group to experience a greater level of reassurance in their
relationship with God through faith in Christ, and that God would cast
away any fear or doubt.
3. Pray for the ability to enjoy the simple life of loving God and one another.
Do
At the end of this passage, John states that the Holy Spirit validates our
relationship with God by empowering us to love God and others. This week,
consider having your group share how they observe God the Holy Spirit at work
in their lives and in the lives of others in the group.
WEEK NINE
Read
1 John 4:1–6—Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see
whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the
world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus
Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess
Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was
coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and
have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world
listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is
not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the
spirit of error.
Discuss
1. Why does John encourage us to “test the spirits”? How does this change
the way we accept or reject teaching from others?
2. Read 1 John 4:1–3 and identify the criterion John gives to “test the
spirits.”
3. Why are false prophets and teachers capable of drawing large crowds
and garnering fame, status, and popularity?
4. What are two characteristics we learn about non-Christians in 1 John 4:5–
6?
5. Why is it so important for us to discern, accept, and embrace teaching
from godly teachers?
6. The theme of our study is “Love One Another.” How does this week’s
passage relate to John’s big idea and his hope for Jesus’ Church?
Pray
1. Pray that the Holy Spirit would convict and lead the group away from false
teachings, and that the group would be able to discern true prophets from
false ones.
2. Pray that the group would “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).
Do
This week, spend time individually or with others discerning the insights of
contemporary teachers who are popular because of their spiritual insights.
Examine if what they say aligns or disagrees with Scripture. This would also be a
good opportunity to identify Christian teachers and preachers with whom you
may not agree on every fine point, but who are nevertheless Christian. How does
this passage change the way you think and talk about these teachers and
preachers? Do you express love to them as a brother or sister, or anger and
hatred as an adversary?
WEEK TEN
Read
1 John 4:7–21—Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and
whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love
does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made
manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might
live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us
and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one
another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of
his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be
the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God
abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love
that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and
God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have
confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with
punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because
he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar;
for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom
he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God
must also love his brother.
Discuss
1. Where do we find the source and motivation to love one another? How
does the answer to this question alter the way you strive to love others?
2. What does someone’s lack of love for others say about them?
3. God has revealed himself as light (1 John 1:5) and love (1 John 4:8).
What do these characteristics tell us about God?
4. Have you ever doubted God’s love for you? How does 1 John 4:9
encourage us during these times of doubt?
5. How is love defined in 1 John 4:10–11? How does this definition of love
change the way you love others?
6. Do you struggle with having assurance about salvation? Why or why not?
What do we learn from 1 John 4:14–18 about receiving assurance?
7. The theme of our study is “Love One Another.” How does this week’s
passage relate to John’s big idea and his hope for Jesus’ Church?
Pray
1. Pray for the group to experience the love of God for them in Christ and to
respond in love toward others by the power of the Holy Spirit.
2. Pray for members of the group who have struggled with receiving or
doubting God’s love for them.
3. Pray for those who have struggled with being sure about their salvation,
that they would clearly see their right standing with God, based on the
work Jesus has done for them.
Do
Perform one thoughtful action for a different person each day this week. Observe
not only their response, but your own. If your response is one of joy, ask yourself
why you’re joyful and examine whether your answers are centered on God’s
glory or something else. Discuss these experiences with your group the next time
you meet.
WEEK ELEVEN
Read
1 John 5:1–5—Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of
God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey
his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his
commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone
who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has
overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the
one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Discuss
1. How are our love for God and obedience to his commandments related to
the love we give others?
2. Do you find God’s commandments burdensome? Why or why not? (See
Matthew 11:30.)
3. How is obeying God out of love different from obeying him out of fear?
4. How are we capable of overcoming the temptations and sins of the
world?
5. The theme of our study is “Love One Another.” How does this week’s
passage relate to John’s big idea and his hope for Jesus’ Church?
Pray
1. Pray for the group to experience love and acceptance by God through
faith in Jesus, so that their motivations to live for and glorify him are
rooted in love, not fear.
2. Pray for anyone in the group who may be experiencing burdens to live in
God’s freedom.
3. Pray that the group would experience victory in Christ over the
temptations and sins in the world.
Do
Obeying God is a joy—or so we hope. This week, create a two-column chart and
title it “Motivations for Avoiding Sin.” Title the left column “Fear” and the right
column “Joy.” When you are faced with the opportunity to sin and avoid it, place a
tick mark under the appropriate column. At the end of the week, examine what
your primary motivation was for avoiding sin—duty or delight. If you find that it
was duty or fear, spend some time reflecting on God’s unconditional love for you
through prayer and worship.
WEEK TWELVE
Read
1 John 5:6–13—This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by
the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who
testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit
and the water and the blood; and these three agree. If we receive the testimony
of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he
has borne concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the
testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar,
because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his
Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his
Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does
not have life.
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you
may know that you have eternal life.
Discuss
1. Why is God’s testimony about Jesus important? What does he testify
about his Son?
2. How do John’s words in 1 John 5:10–12 address the modern idea that all
religions are basically the same and lead to God? (See John 14:6.)
3. What is the one point John emphasizes that assures us of salvation? Why
do you think it is important for us to have an assurance of salvation?
4. The theme of our study is “Love One Another.” How does this week’s
passage relate to John’s big idea and his hope for Jesus’ Church?
Pray
1. Pray for the group to persevere in their faith in Christ through the
indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
2. Pray for the group to know they have eternal life in Christ.
Do
Encourage the group this week to spend time identifying three to five people in
their life who do not yet know Jesus. Have them consider writing down their
names as a reminder to pray for these individuals. Pray that the group would be
emboldened to share their faith in Christ with others.
WEEK THIRTEEN
Read
1 John 5:14–21—And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we
ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in
whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask,
and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death.
There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. All
wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.
We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but
he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil
one.
And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so
that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son
Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves
from idols.
Discuss
1. How has the message of 1 John and this study influenced you? Have you
been encouraged to make any changes in how you love others?
2. In your prayer life, do you have confidence in God similar to what John
expresses? Why or why not? What do you learn from John about gaining
confidence in your prayer life?
3. What does it mean to pray according to God’s will? Does this change the
way you pray? (See John 16:23–26 and 1 John 3:21–22.)
4. What is usually your initial response when you observe a brother or sister
in Christ sinning? How does John encourage us to respond in such
situations? What does this mean for the local church? (See Galatians
6:1.)
5. Do you ever struggle with the thought that Satan or sin will lead you
permanently away from God? What do we learn about persevering
through evil from 1 John 5:18?
6. How does the last verse summarize this entire letter? What do you take
away from this summary?
7. The theme of our study is “Love One Another.” How does this week’s
passage relate to John’s big idea and his hope for Jesus’ Church?
Pray
1. Pray for the group to experience a greater level of confidence in God.
2. Pray that the group would be an expression of mercy and grace to others.
3. Pray that God the Holy Spirit would continue to enlighten the group of the
truth of the gospel, so they may discern error and flee from idols.
Do
Plan a time this week to celebrate the fact that your group traveled together with
the church through 1 John. During your time of fellowship, spend some
purposeful time reflecting on this letter and what God has done in the lives of the
group members—both individually and together—through it.
GROUP INDUCTIVE STUDY
WEEK ONE
Read 1 John 1:1–4.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus declared to a crowd, “Truly, truly, I say to you,
before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58). At this, the crowd began throwing stones
at him. By uttering the phrase “I am,” Jesus was putting himself on equal footing
with God (a.k.a., the great “I Am”), and this was blasphemy—a crime punishable
by death (Lev. 24:16).
When our first parents sinned in the garden, they “hid themselves from
the presence of the Lord God” (Gen. 3:8). After this initial sin, humanity was
forced apart from God. The Old Testament paints a clear picture of a fence
around God’s name and glory; in Exodus 33:20, God tells Moses, “You cannot
see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” In Deuteronomy, after receiving
the Ten Commandments, the people ask Moses to hear from God on their behalf,
out of fear of his glory, saying, “This day we have seen God speak with man, and
man still live…. If we hear the voice of the LORD our God any more, we shall die.
For who is there of all flesh, that has heard the voice of the living God speaking
out of the midst of fire as we have, and has still lived?” (Deut. 5:24–26).
Yet this God, whom no one could look on and live, became flesh.
Philippians 2:6–7 says Jesus, who is God, “emptied himself… being born in the
likeness of men.” To the Jews of Jesus’ day, this was unbelievable. That the God
of all glory would save his people in such a humble way was beyond
comprehension (Isa. 53:3; Matt. 13:53–58; John 1:10–11).
Not only did God become flesh, but he chose eyewitnesses to this
amazing salvation story. The book of 1 John opens with the exclamations of an
eyewitness to the incredible event of the incarnation, God come in flesh. The
author of this letter was able to do what no human had done—stand in the
presence of God and live. He describes this in John 1:14, “And the Word became
flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son
from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
The incarnation restores fellowship, for “no one has ever seen God; the
only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” (John 1:18). And
the joy of the presence of God is the ultimate restoration (1 John 1:4).
Observation
1. What, according to John, was from the beginning?
2. What was “made manifest” and to whom was it manifested?
3. List the ways John has experienced “the word of life.”
4. What does the author “proclaim” and “testify” about?
5. Who is John’s fellowship with?
6. How will the apostle’s joy be completed?
Interpretation
1. Read John 1:1–5. In light of this, what could the author mean by “the
word of life” of 1 John 1:1–4? What attributes of Jesus are revealed in 1
John 1:1–4?
2. What is the “beginning” to which the author refers? Read John 1:1–2,
8:58; Colossians 1:15–18; 1 John 2:13; and Revelation 17:18. The Greek
word for “made manifest” is phanerō, which is defined as “to cause to
become visible, to cause to become known… [this includes] both sensory
and cognitive connotations.”1 Twice John uses this word. What point is he
trying to make? Why is this important? See Philippians 2:5–7; John 17:6–
8; 1 Timothy 3:16; and 1 Peter 1:20.
3. The apostle proclaims that which was from the beginning has been made
manifest. What is “the beginning”? Read Colossians 1:20, 2:9, and
Philippians 2:6–7.
4. Why does John “proclaim” and “testify” about his experience with Christ?
Read 1 John 1:5, 4:14, 5:9–10, and Acts 4:19–20.
5. Fellowship is one of the ultimate purposes of John’s letter. How can the
Church gain fellowship and love one another? Read John 17:20–21; 1
Corinthians 1:9; Philippians 1:5, 2:1; and 1 John 1:7.
6. The apostle also writes, “so that our joy may be complete.” What joy is he
looking toward? How can “joy” be completed? Read John 15:11, 16:24,
17:13; Philippians 2:2; Cf. Luke 15:10; Philippians 1:25; and Psalm 16:11.
Application
1. In her commentary on 1 John, Karen Jobes writes, “John wishes to point
to the Word who is eternal Life as the grounds for assurance about
eternal life.”2 How does the reassurance of eternal life change your daily
life? See Romans 15:13 and Titus 1:2.
2. In the Gospel of John, Jesus refers to himself as the life (John 11:25,
14:6). The promise of life in Christ isn’t just a future eternal life, but it has
implications for right now. How does the Word of life change the nature of
your daily life?
3. The incarnation’s awesome power is the God of all glory become flesh. In
what ways do you ascribe glory to God? In what ways do you seek to
ascribe glory to yourself?
4. Martin Luther described his reaction to the incarnation this way: “When I
am told that God became man, I can follow the idea, but I just do not
understand what it means. For what man, if left to his natural promptings,
if he were God, would humble himself to lie in the feedbox of a donkey or
to hang upon a cross?”3 What have you learned about the character of
God through the incarnation? How has Jesus’ earthly life and death
changed your position before God? Read 2 Corinthians 8:9, Ephesians
2:1–10, and Jude 24.
5. The apostle John cannot help but proclaim and testify about his
experience with the living God in the flesh, even decades later when he
was an old man. How do you proclaim the work of Jesus in your life?
6. In John 17:21, Jesus prayed that those who believe in him would have
the same unity of fellowship that he has with the Father. What does
fellowship with God look like? What about fellow believers?
7. Robert Candlish describes earthly joy as being “dependent upon outward
circumstances, and has no deep root in the soul itself.”4 Where do you
seek joy? When have you experienced joy through fellowship with God?
WEEK TWO
Read 1 John 1:5–10.
It takes only a glance at popular blog posts, magazine articles, and social media
to see that we live in a staunchly post-Christian culture. The anti-Christian
message is clear and its adherents are quite vociferous about their beliefs. The
claims? There is no God, or the concept of the God of the Bible is antiquated and
needs to catch up to modern times. Jesus was merely a good man, but most
certainly not the God of the universe. There is no such thing as sin, only unwise
choices. As such, we don’t need salvation, just knowledge and understanding. In
our culture, truth is believed to be relative—“What’s true for you is true for you,
and what’s true for me is true for me.” God’s Word is no longer the plumb line for
truth.
Unfortunately, these postmodern philosophies are heavily influencing the
Church today, including the lies that Jesus wasn’t really God’s Son; that we’re all
inherently good; or that, once saved, it doesn’t matter how we live our lives
because we have been forgiven. All of these are lies, and we must know God’s
truth to combat the lies.
Much like the Church today, the early church faced false teachers who
advocated lies like these. The new believers had no written Bible to turn to for
truth. These lies confused the young, vulnerable church, leaving them feeling
unsure about their standing before God. Among other things, John’s heart for
writing these letters was to give believers assurance of eternal life through Jesus
and to refute the lies being taught and circulated.
Observation
1. According to verse 5, what message have they heard from Jesus and are
now proclaiming to the readers?
2. The word fellowship is mentioned four times in chapter 1, starting with
verse 3. The original Greek word for “fellowship” is koinonia, which
indicates “partnership, communion and intimacy.” According to these
verses, with whom are believers to have fellowship?
3. Read 1 John 1:6–10. There are three lies presented here that Christians
can buy into. What are they, and what truth statements are attached to
each?
4. “Word” appears again here. Is it being used the way it was in verse 1?
What does it mean here? (See 1 John 2:4–5.)
Interpretation
1. Read the following verses and note what you learn regarding God as light
in Isaiah 60:19 and Psalm 76:4, and of Jesus as the light in John 1:9 and
8:12.
2. Light is a common metaphor in the Bible for righteousness and goodness.
Darkness, by contrast, is a common metaphor for sin and evil. Read John
3:20, Ephesians 5:3–14, Acts 26:14–18, and Proverbs 4:18. Who are
children of the darkness? What does the light do to the one who is in
darkness? What turns one from darkness to light?
3. The phrases “walk in darkness” and “walk in the light” indicate a
continuous action or lifestyle. What does it mean, practically, to walk in
the darkness? What does it mean, practically, to walk in the light? Can a
believer walk in darkness? Why or why not? In light of what you’ve
learned, what do verses 6 through 7 mean?
4. Read Romans 3:10 and 23 and record what you learn about the sin
nature. How does this contrast with what the false teachers were
teaching, according to 1 John 1:8? What does this verse say about the
one who denies sin? Can this person be a believer?
5. The Greek word for “confess” in verse 9 is homologeo, which means to
“agree with another.” To confess, then, means to agree with what God
says about our sin nature and sinful actions. How does this contrast with
the culture’s view of confession as a mere admittance of wrongdoing?
How does this contrast with verse 8?
6. Our sin makes us dirty. It defiles us. Jesus not only forgives and pays the
penalty for our sin, but he “cleanses” us of the filth and defilement of our
sin. Where else in the Bible do we see the idea of cleansing oneself of
sin?
7. While the lie in verse 8 revolves around the denial of the sin nature, the
lie in verse 10 revolves around the denial of specific, individual sins. How
does verse 9, then, contrast with verse 10?
8. Read 1 John 1:5–10 again and note all the verses referring to the gospel
message. How would that have given hope and encouragement to the
believers of the day? How do these truths encourage you?
Application
1. Have you grown up in a church environment where some or all of these
lies have been taught? Have you believed these lies? How do these
verses challenge your thoughts and fellowship with God, beliefs about sin
and confession and the life of a believer?
2. Think about the statement, “God is light and in him there is no darkness
at all.” Do you struggle with that idea? How can this truth comfort and
encourage you?
3. Take a moment to honestly examine your life. Have you been brought
from light into darkness by the blood of Jesus who has forgiven your sin?
Have you allowed Jesus’ light to expose your sin? Have you, as a result,
confessed your sin and turned away from your sin and turned toward God
and stepped into the light? If you have not, or aren’t sure if you have,
please share this with your group leader. If you have, do you make it a
daily practice of confessing to God your sin and repenting of it? What sin
is God asking you to confess today?
4. The blood of the sacrificial lambs could offer only temporary cleansing,
with a new sacrifice needed every time certain sins were committed. The
blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin—past, present, and future. If you
are in Christ, you are not only forgiven, you are clean. How can this truth
make a difference in how you view yourself, your sin, and your Savior?
WEEK THREE
Read 1 John 2:1–11.
Parents who love the Lord and their children will set clear expectations for their
children’s behavior that are grounded in biblical principles. These expectations
are not set because the parents believe their children will obey and meet them
perfectly; they’re designed to show them what it means to live a life that’s
pleasing to God. When children sin, parents help them to recognize the sin and
encourage them toward repentance and reconciliation with God in an
atmosphere of grace and truth.
Like wayward children, some of the believers in the first-century church
had strayed from the foundation and were teaching and practicing a false gospel.
Without compromising truth, John reminded believers of the grace extended to
us by our Savior. This is demonstrated in the first two verses of our passage. His
tenderness in addressing his readers as “little children” shows that his motivation
in sharing truth is not to shame and scold, but to lovingly remind those in sin that
they have an advocate who comes alongside and vigilantly acts as a
“propitiation” for our sins (2:2). Jesus is the intermediary between the sinner and
the Father. Those who are not living a life that demonstrates love for God and
others are choosing to live in darkness.
Observation
1. Based on this passage, what character trait qualifies Jesus to be our
advocate in this passage?
2. For what did Jesus die?
3. What is the evidence in a believer’s life that demonstrates knowledge of
God?
4. What must one do if he or she “abides in the light”?
5. What names does John call God in this passage?
6. What happens to those who keep God’s commandments?
7. What happens to those who do not keep God’s commandments?
8. What words are repeated in this passage?
Interpretation
1. Verse 2 says Jesus died “for the sins of the whole world.” Who exactly do
you think this includes and why? See 1 John 2:4, 23; 3:10; 5:12; John
3:18; and 5:24 for further insight.
2. What is the “old commandment” referred to in verse 7? (See
Deuteronomy 6:5.)
3. What is the “new commandment”? (See Matthew 22:37–40 and John
13:34–35.) Why do you think it is called “new” here?
4. What does it mean to love one another?
5. Why do you think John chooses light and darkness as metaphors for
those who are abiding in Christ and those who are walking in sin? See
John 1:1–5 and 1 John 1:5.
6. Read Hebrews 7:23–28. What does this passage say about Jesus as our
perfect advocate?
7. According to verse 10, how can we demonstrate love for our brothers and
sisters?
Application
1. In the first verse of chapter 2, John states that his purpose in writing is so
that believers might not sin. But he then says, “But if anyone does sin…”
So although he encourages us not to sin, he understands that at times we
will. How difficult is it for you to keep in balance the understanding that
you still sin sometimes while striving not to? Are you apt to dismiss or
excuse your sin because you know your standing before Christ as
righteous, or are you more inclined to wallow in self-condemnation?
2. What does it mean to you that Jesus Christ the righteous is always
standing before the Father as an advocate for you?
3. Does your daily conduct in public and private life demonstrate that you
know God? What would have to change for your life to stand as a witness
to your love for God?
4. Karen Jobes writes, “One who truly knows God recognizes his glory and
excellence and obeys God’s commands because they are excellent and
beautiful.”5 Do you view God’s commands as excellent and beautiful?
How will you seek to know God better so that you will have a higher view
of God and his commands?
5. Is there someone in your life toward whom it is difficult for you to
demonstrate the love of God? How could you best love that person? If
you are holding hatred or bitterness in your heart toward anyone, begin to
pray in repentance of this sin today!
6. Verse 10 tells us that if we love others well, then we will not cause them
to be tempted toward sin by our behavior. Is there anything in your
behavior that might cause temptation or make it easier for a fellow
Christian to continue in their sin? Do you speak words of loving truth
when a brother or sister is in sin?
WEEK FOUR
Read 1 John 2:12–17.
Every baby has desires—the desire to be fed, the desire to be comfortable, the
desire to be held, the desire to be loved, and so forth. These are good, natural
desires. The same sweet baby also has desires that are not good, although they
are just as natural or worldly. The desire to have his or her needs met
immediately without delay, the desire to be the center of everyone’s world, the
desire to put anything that delights the eyes into his or her mouth, etc.
Whether we are brand-new Christians or believers of many years, we all
struggle with our sin nature—just like that little baby, and just like the believers to
whom John wrote. God knew we’d need to be reminded of our identity in Christ
and what he has done for us, so we might be better able to stand against the
world’s temptation.
The first recipients of this letter were facing great temptation in the world
around them, as they were living in a pagan culture that exalted lasciviousness in
every form—not unlike what many of us face today. John exhorts us to remember
the things that are eternal so we might not be distracted by those that are
temporal. Idolatry of these fleeting desires causes us to deny the work of God’s
Son on the cross and who we are because of it.
Observation
1. Why did John write his letter? Note all the phrases that begin with the
word because.
2. What are all the things listed that have been done for believers or are true
of believers?
3. What is the clear directive given to believers in the passage?
4. What does this passage say about “the world”?
5. What three classifications of worldly desires are listed?
Interpretation
1. What do you think are the distinctions being made among the three
groups specifically addressed in verses 12 through 14?
2. In verse 13, John says he writes to the “children” because they “know the
Father.” How does a believer come to know the Father? (See John 8:19;
14:6–7, 20; Ephesians 1:16–18; and 1 John 2:3.)
3. How does a believer “overcome the evil one”? (See Ephesians 6:10–18.)
4. John gives his reasons for writing or sharing this message with us, and he
begins each reason with the word because. In what tense are the reasons
stated? Is this important? Why or why not?
5. What two things does verse 15 tell us cannot coexist in the heart of a
believer? How does one avoid love of the world? (See Romans 12:1–3
and James 4:1–8.)
6. Verse 17 tells us that the one who does God’s will “abides forever.” Read
John chapter 15 and make note of all the correlations between abiding,
commandments for believers, the world, who God is, who we are in him,
and eternity. Compare this to 1 John chapter 2. How does the John
passage add extra dimension to the 1 John passage?
Application
1. How are you personally in your faith like a little child? A young man? A
father? Pray and ask God how he would like you to grow in any or all of
these areas listed in verses 12 through 14. Share with a friend what he
reveals to you.
2. Of all the qualities true of believers listed in verses 12 through 14, which
is the most difficult for you to believe as being true of yourself? Why? Will
you prayerfully consider that it may be a sin for you to not humbly accept
this thing as being true of yourself if Jesus says it is true?
3. There is a “now and not yet” duality to the things that are true of us as
believers in verses 12 through 14. While because of Jesus’ death and
resurrection we are already these things in regard to our position and
identity, we are also not perfected completely while we are still on this
earth. So we still seek to more fully abide in him, know him, be strong in
him and his Word, and overcome the evil one in our fight against sin. In
which of these areas are you most complacent or apathetic? How will you
seek to become more obedient?
4. What worldly desires tempt you most often? The desires of the eyes, the
desires of the flesh, or pride of life? How have you relied on selfsufficiency
in facing that temptation? How does this passage encourage
you away from your temptation? Answer these questions while
remembering that our “sins are forgiven for his name’s sake” (v. 12).
5. There is always someone who is a newer believer than you are, even if
you are young in your faith. How will you seek to encourage and come
alongside a newer believer today? Pray and seek the Lord’s guidance
about whom he might have you love well in this way!
6. How have you allowed natural desires (of the eyes, flesh, or self) to
become idolatrous? How will you turn these desires back toward God?
For example, if you are tempted toward gluttony with food, you might
seek to be more worshipful in the way you choose the types and amounts
of food you eat. Be prayerful, thoughtful, and intentional in this exercise,
remembering that we live not under law but under grace!
WEEK FIVE
Read 1 John 2:18–27.
“God helps those who help themselves.” It’s not in the Bible, but walk into any
bookstore and you will entire aisles dedicated to self-help. Popular magazines,
radio and television programs, and websites offer suggestions on how to best
achieve happiness and peace by manipulating one’s mental state,
circumstances, and even those around them. They all preach a gospel of joy
through the betterment of self. Even the word-faith movement preaches a gospel
of manipulation, telling believers they can manipulate God into changing their
lives to be more pleasing to them if they do certain acts.
Yet the number of people using antidepressants and describing
themselves as depressed in our country is ever on the rise. As a nation, we are
fundamentally unhappy and discontent. So there is some disconnect between the
message that we can achieve happiness on our own—living permanently in that
state of being if we choose—and the reality of our daily lives.
There was also a false gospel being preached to the new Christian
church that first received John’s letter. This gospel was all around them, in their
culture, and in their hearts. It was a gospel of self-reliance. It was a gospel that
enticed the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and pride of life (2:16). It
was a gospel that offered many avenues for worship of many gods. It was a
gospel that smacked of truth but was wrapped in a lie. A lie that spoke to their
hearts and whispered that they were not good, not worthy, not wise, not
complete, not close to God. This false gospel in its many forms is all around us
today and is just as tempting. It can seem just as true at times and is every bit as
much a lie as it has always been, from the first time Eve heard and believed it,
and then chose to allow herself and the entire human race to be enslaved by it.
In this passage John exposes the enemy’s false gospel and reminds us of
who we are and what we have in Christ, encouraging us to remain in him so that
we might not be deceived and enticed by the world.
Observation
1. Who is coming?
2. What is the tone of the passage?
3. How is a liar described?
4. What does the passage tell believers to do?
5. What is the promise offered to believers?
6. Who are “they”? Who are “we”?
7. What words or phrases are repeated or emphasized?
8. What contrasts or comparisons do you see?
Interpretation
1. Read Matthew 24. How does this illuminate your understanding of verse
18 in the 1 John passage?
2. When did the “last hour” begin? (See Hebrews 1:1–2.)
3. How does 1 John 2:12–17 define “antichrist”?
4. What does it mean that we are “anointed by the Holy One”? (See Exodus
28:41; 1 Samuel 16:13; Isaiah 61:1; and 2 Corinthians 1:21–22.)
5. How is it we can “all have knowledge”? (See 1 John 2:20 and John
14:26.)
6. What is the consequence for antichrists, according to verse 19 and also 2
Thessalonians 2:1–10?
7. What does verse 27 tell us is a function of the Holy Spirit in us? What lies
of the antichrist does this truth show to be a false gospel?
Application
1. How does the news that we are living in the “last hour” make you feel?
Urgent? Excited? Apprehensive? Guilty? Examine your heart with the
Spirit’s help, seeking to have it be in alignment with the joyful anticipation
we should feel as we look forward to Christ’s return.
2. What antichrists have you allowed to have a voice in your life and heart?
Many Christians are fearful of the word antichrist. While this term is used
in Scripture to refer to the Enemy, it is also used to refer to anything or
anyone that is contrary to the gospel message and person of Christ. So
keep this in mind as you evaluate what those antichrists in your life might
be. What is appealing about them? How will you ask the Spirit to come
alongside you as you root them out?
3. How do you use your access to knowledge for your benefit and God’s
glory? How have you not been a good steward of this resource? How will
you better use this gift of God?
4. This passage makes clear distinctions between the liars who deny the
gospel of truth, and true believers. Do you draw such clear distinctions?
Are there people with whom or situations in which you are tempted to blur
the lines so you are more comfortable or well liked and accepted, or so
life is easier? How have you denied the gospel of truth?
5. To abide in the Son and Father, we must allow the message we heard in
the beginning—the gospel message—to abide in us as well. What
practices do you make a habit of to ensure that the gospel message is
abiding in you?
6. Do you believe in both your head knowledge (i.e., what comes out of your
mouth) and in your heart (i.e., your actions) that the Holy Spirit residing in
you is able to teach you all things and is completely true and reliable in
his teachings? When are you most unsure and hesitant in trusting your
discernment from the Spirit? What are you saying about the Holy Spirit’s
teaching and guidance if you deny it in your heart and mind according to
verse 27?
WEEK SIX
Read 1 John 2:28–3:10.
In the world of fine art, authentication is a growing field. A person willing to spend
substantial funds to buy the painting of a famous artist wants to know the painting
is real and not a fake. How does one know the difference? One examines the
painting and its characteristics, such as brush stroke and patina, in detail. He
asks questions like, “Who has owned the painting?” and “Has it been
documented with photographs or manuscripts?” Or he hires an expert, one who’s
spent a lifetime studying the work of the master artist and is so familiar with his or
her work that he knows a real from a fake. Not unlike money counterfeiting
experts, you can determine a fake only by having thoroughly studied the real
deal.
John writes in this section about discerning genuine believers in Jesus
from the false teachers of the day who offered a forgery gospel. Those whom the
Master has saved bear the characteristics of him. And John details how they
can’t help but practice righteousness since God is righteous. The false teachers
were saying that one saved by grace could keep on sinning, but John argues that
this is impossible for the children of God. God is righteous. Sin is lawlessness.
Those who keep on sinning are children of the devil. Those who practice
righteousness are children of God. John argues that those who practice
lawlessness cannot have God’s seed in them. It’s as unlikely as a Monet having
loud primary colors and harsh angles, or a dollar bill being orange.
Our heavenly Father calls us children of God because we are, having
been born into his likeness through saving faith in Jesus. While we are now akin
to him, we will be even more like him, as John writes, when the Lord Jesus
appears again. When we see Jesus—God’s perfect masterpiece—as he really is,
his full glory will transform us into a perfect replica: a radiant image of the
Creator.
Observation
1. What does John say about love in 1 John 2:28–3:10? Where else does
he say it? How does this relate to the new commandment mentioned in 1
John 2:7–11?
2. In 1 John 2:28, what is the reason we abide in God?
3. In this passage, what do we learn by looking at every mention of the
“children of God”? (See 2:28; 3:1, 2, 7, and 10.)
4. In 1 John 2:29, John introduces the idea of being born of God for the first
time in the book. It will be a recurring theme through the rest of 1 John.
What is learned about every “born of God” reference (2:29 and 3:9)? How
does this impact our righteousness?
5. The word appear is used five times in this passage. Why did Jesus
appear in the past (3:5, 8)? What do we learn about ourselves at his next
appearance (2:28, 3:2)?
6. List all the descriptions of the lawless mentioned in 1 John 3:4–12. List all
the descriptions of the righteous in 1 John 3:4–12. Why does John
compare and contrast the lawless from the righteous (3:10)?
7. In 3:7, John says, “Little children, let no one deceive you.” Deceive them
of what?
8. According to 3:8, what is “the practice of sinning” evidence of?
Interpretation
1. Read 1 John 3:1. What makes God’s love for us so gracious?
2. What kinds of privileges are afforded to children by their parents? How
does the comparison to earthly parents expand your view of God the
Father? How does it constrict it?
3. What do the following passages say about glory and image?
• Romans 8:18, 29
• 2 Corinthians 3:18; 4:17
• Philippians 3:21
John admits ignorance as to what the redeemed in heaven will be like.
What do you think we will be like? How does that unknown but glorious
state propel our response? (See 1 John 3:3.)
4. Do 1 John 3:6 and 1 John 1:8 contradict each other? If not, how can their
coexistence be explained?
5. Within John’s discourse on lawlessness and righteousness in 3:4–10, one
verse stands out. Verse 7a reads “Little children, let no one deceive you.”
What does John’s warning tell us about issues facing the early churches
in Turkey, the first audience of this letter? Do those issues still apply
today?
6. In 1 John 3:9, what is “God’s seed” a reference to? (See 1 Peter 1:23 and
John 3:5–8 for possible answers.) Why is this seed important? Where
does it reside?
Application
1. “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be
called children of God; and so we are” (1 John 3:1, emphasis added). We
can call ourselves children of God and yet not believe that we are. When
do you forget you are a child of God? How do you act when you forget?
2. What are some examples of how “the world does not know [Christians]”?
Describe a time when you felt unknown by the world as a Christian. How
does 1 John 3:1 encourage you when you are misunderstood by the
world?
3. According to 1 John 3:9, since the divine nature of God has been
implanted in the believer, the Christian cannot keep on sinning. Do you
have the divine nature, God’s seed, in you? Or are you pretending to be a
Christian? How do you allow your old nature rather than God’s seed to
rule you? How does knowing that God’s nature abides in you change your
approach to sin and lawlessness?
WEEK SEVEN
Read 1 John 3:11–18.
Imagine a child who has known only abuse and hatred. But now he has been
adopted into a new family. In his new family, he has a brother who hasn’t known
the pain of abuse. Since this brother has known only love, he does not respond
with fear to touch, or with distrust to his parents’ care. The adopted brother grows
jealous of his new brother. He hates him. Although this child has a new family
that loves him, he still holds on to his old identity and responds in hate instead of
love.
John, in the beginning of chapter 3, differentiates the children of God from
the children of the devil. The children of the devil are characterized by hate,
jealousy, lawlessness, and deceit; the children of God aren’t. When God
welcomes us into his family, he does not leave us with our old nature, marked by
hatred and sin. He gives us his nature, and we are transformed into his likeness.
The evidence of this is that we start to love like him—sacrificially, even to the
point of death. Jesus, our big brother, is the ultimate example of this. He is God’s
love, displayed in the action of self-sacrifice.
If you are in God’s family, he has made you an heir to everything. You can
give up anything because you have been given everything already. This love is
shown especially to those in our family. Our brothers and sisters in Christ are our
family, and love is what binds us.
Observation
1. What message have the listeners heard from the beginning?
2. How is the world characteristic of Cain?
3. How do we know if we have passed out of death into life?
4. If someone hates his brother, what does that mean?
5. What is the ultimate act of love, and who is the example of this?
6. What does John say about the person who is not generous to a brother
who is struggling?
7. How is love really demonstrated?
Interpretation
1. Read Matthew 5:21–22 and John 13:34–35. How is this commandment
from the beginning and yet new with Jesus?
2. Read Psalm 38:20 and Proverbs 29:10. How can God equate a
concealed hateful thought to the outward action of murder?
3. Does being a Christian mean we will never sin or hate again? Read 1
John 1:8–10 and 2:1. How is it different once you are a Christian?
4. Why is Cain’s murderous action compared to the world? Read John
15:17–19. Why will the world hate Christians?
5. What do actions of self-sacrifice convey? Why? Would it be the same if
someone wanted to show you they loved you and jumped into a river
even if you were not in danger? How would it be different if they jumped
into the river to save you?
6. How is Jesus the ultimate example of this self-sacrificial love (Phil. 2:5–
8)? How can a Christian model this love if another person’s life isn’t in
danger?
7. According to Titus 3:1–11, how are we changed from being dead in sin
and hate to being heirs of God? Is it possible to be a child of God and not
love?
8. Are children of God able to produce this love on their own? How is it
accomplished?
9. How does remembering that God rescued us foster sacrificial love?
10. How is engaging in controversies or quarrels with the world unprofitable?
Application
We cannot love sacrificially without the regeneration of the Holy Spirit—which
refers to the change from the inside out. When we are convicted of sin in our
lives, we can confess it, and God is faithful and just to forgive us (1 John 1:9). It
is our response to our sin that makes us different from the world. We cannot be
content to keep sinning once we recognize our sin.
1. How do you hate like the world instead of love like Jesus? Is there
jealousy in your heart?
2. Do you treat hate in your heart as seriously as you would murder?
3. Jesus humbled himself first in order to sacrifice for us. In what area do
you need to be humbled so you can be like Jesus?
4. To what needs of others do you close your heart?
5. Do the people you interact with in the world know you are a Christian by
your actions? Why or why not?
6. What is keeping you from loving people sacrificially?
7. What worldly definitions of love do you want more than sacrificial love?
8. How do you respond to the world’s hatred of Christians?
WEEK EIGHT
Read 1 John 3:19–24.
At the end of the movie Schindler’s List, Oskar Schindler, a Nazi factory owner, is
surrounded by the Jewish people he saved during the Holocaust, and he has to
flee because it’s the end of the war. The saved people wanted to thank him for
their lives. They presented him with a ring that reads, “Whoever saves one life
saves the world entire.” He looks at all the faces of the people that are alive now
because of his actions. He saved more than 1,100 people.
Instead of feeling accomplished, he looks at the gold pin, his car,
everything of value he has, and sees them in the currency of lives, and responds,
“I could have gotten more out.” His Jewish manager, who actually wrote the list
that saved lives, reassures him that he did so much. Schindler leaves,
inconsolable.6
Why was this man who saved so many lives so miserable? He was
convicted by his selfish acts and motives instead of satisfied by his loving ones.
With new eyes he looked at his good works and knew they were lacking.
Schindler looks back over the course of the war and realizes he wasted so much
money that could have been used to save a life. His heart condemned him.
What are Christians supposed to do when confronted with the simple
reality of our own failures? We bring our righteousness before him and realize it’s
dirty, stained by the sin in our hearts. Jesus paid the price for sin, and a believer
can stand before God, forgiven and righteous. Unfortunately, we will sin again;
but the good news is we can confess it, and God will forgive us. It is gone and
paid for. God is the judge, the eternal Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:9), who sees the
whole truth about us, and yet holds nothing against us. This freedom that we
experience time after time then flows over into obedience and loving like Jesus.
Observation
1. According to John, how do we know we are of the truth?
2. Where is the condemnation coming from?
3. What kind of condemnation is John referring to? Is it failing to achieve a
goal or something else? What does the context of 3:11–18 reveal?
4. What is it about God that reassures us?
5. What can you have before God when your heart does not condemn you?
6. When we obey him, what will we ask of him and receive?
7. What does it mean if we keep his commandments?
8. What is his commandment?
9. Who makes it possible for us to abide in him, and what is the evidence?
Interpretation
1. What does it reveal when your heart condemns you?
2. Who sees and affects hearts? When is that reassuring, and when is it
terrifying?
3. Romans 2:14–16 talks about when nonbelievers do good things. What do
their hearts do?
4. Compare Romans 14:22 to 1 John 3:21. What does it mean when your
heart does not condemn you?
5. Read John 14:10–26. What does the mutual abiding of the Holy Spirit in
us and us in Jesus look like? When Jesus, who is facing his torture and
death, explains abiding in the Father, what motivates him? What does he
promise to leave them that goes along with the Holy Spirit?
6. What is the stipulation of God granting whatever we ask? (See 1 John
3:22.)
7. In Matthew 7:7–9, Jesus explains prayer. Why does he give us good
things? Why isn’t it always what we ask for? Is his response based on our
actions? Why or why not?
8. How does having the Holy Spirit abiding in us affect what we want?
9. Read Romans 8:15–16. What is the exchange between our spirit and the
Holy Spirit? Why do we need this indwelling reassurance?
Application
1. Is your heart condemning you of sin?
2. Are you self-condemning when God has forgiven you? Why?
3. Are you abiding in Christ? How do you know?
4. A child of God is deemed righteous and can have confidence before him.
Do you pray with this boldness? What is preventing you?
WEEK NINE
Read 1 John 4:1–6.
There is a notion in our postmodern world that asserts that all paths lead to
heaven. You may have heard the parable about the blind men and the elephant.
Six blind men approach an elephant from different sides and reach out to feel
different parts of its body (e.g., the tail, the ear, the tusk, the leg), causing each to
have a different understanding of what the elephant is. The takeaway? Each of
us understands a different aspect of God, but all believe in the same God.
Or perhaps you’ve heard that all religions head up the same mountain to
the same peak. We’re just taking different paths up to God.
This erroneous belief is exactly what the apostle John is addressing:
some people have been deceived and are now making a different confession of
who Jesus is and what he’s done—the bedrock of faith and the determining
factor between truth and error (4:6).
In his book, Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis writes,
I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that
people often say about Him: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral
teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.” That is the one thing we
must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things
Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a
lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else
he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man
was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You
can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon;
or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come
with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher.
He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.7
Lewis’ point was this: Christ was either a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord. There
is no other option. Your answer means the difference between life and death.
Observation
1. Instead of believing every spirit, what does John instruct his readers to
do? Why?
2. What does John say is the way to know the Spirit of God?
3. What is the spirit of the antichrist?
4. What is in the world already?
5. Who is greater than whom, according to this passage?
6. What do those who are from the world do?
7. By what do we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error?
8. What two ways does John use to address his readers?
Interpretation
1. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:19–21. How are Paul’s exhortations similar to
John’s?
2. What does John say are the two differing confessions regarding Jesus in
vv. 2–3? Read Romans 10:9–10. What is the confession that saves
mankind?
3. Read 2 Corinthians 4:4, Ephesians 2:2, John 12:31, and John 14:30.
What are the names given to Satan? Read John 16:25–33 and Romans
8:37–39. Why do we have confidence that he who is in us is greater than
he who is in the world?
4. Read John 14:15–17 and 17:17. Who is the Spirit of truth? Why is it
important that we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error? What
does Jesus call himself in John 14:6?
5. Count how many times John uses any form of the word spirit. Read
Ephesians 6:10–12. What is Scripture saying about the spiritual world?
Application
1. Are you inclined to believe every spirit? How might God be calling you to
greater discernment? Is he calling you to deeper study and understanding
of his Word to better test the spirits?
2. There are two competing confessions evident in this passage: either
Jesus is the perfect God-man who came down from heaven and died on
a cross for us by grace and grace alone; or he wasn’t and he didn’t.
Which have you confessed? Are there any areas of deception or error
that have taken root regarding Jesus’ identity?
3. Who in your life believes the spirit of error? How is God calling you to
speak truth to them? Are you praying for opportunities to share the gospel
with them?
4. Are there areas of sin, bondage, and defeat in your life, where you are not
walking in the truth of Jesus’ victory on your behalf?
5. To whom are you listening? Who are you closest friends? Are they from
the world and speaking the world’s “truth”? Do they know God?
6. In both 4:4 and 4:6, John says we are “from God.” We often define
ourselves by what kind of family, city or town, childhood, or economic
class we’re “from.” Where do you tend to look to find your identity?
7. Twice John tells us plainly we’re “from God.” How does that truth change
your perception of who you are?
8. Are you accessing the Spirit of truth in purposeful, private devotion time
daily?
WEEK TEN
Read 1 John 4:7–21.
Love Is…, a single frame comic strip created in 1969 by Kim Casali, depicts a
cherubic male and female in various vignettes of life. Each comic is a fill-in-theblank
exercise to the phrase “Love is…” Over the years, the comic strip has
described love as “on the up when all is down,” “mourning the loss of a muchloved
part of the family” (which happened to be pictured as a cat), “the day you
stop looking back,” and “having the right chemistry.” The comic strip mirrors
culture, which defines love from an individual human perspective.
And that’s where we get it wrong.
The apostle John challenges our definition of love by having us consider
its Creator. A simple change in noun choice has profound implications. Love is
not a fill-in-the blank answer based on human emotions. God is love.
When we consider love from its origin or source, love defies human
definition. Before we existed, love existed because God is love. More than a
feeling, love displays action. Love became tangible, visible, and was manifested
in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. And John writes that love continues
through us by the power of the Holy Spirit, as we love our Christian brothers and
sisters.
John writes one of the richer descriptions of love for his readers to discern
false prophets. How will they test the intentions of their teachers? By their love
for other Christians. Only because God loves us can we ever love him back and
love others. The hymn is true: “They will know we are Christians by our love.”
Observation
1. In 1 John 4:7–12, circle every mention of the word love in its various
forms. How is love mentioned? What is learned about God from John’s
use of the word?
2. John uses the phrase “love one another” three times in verses 7 to 12 in
different ways. Match each of the following words individually to the
specific instance it best describes: exhortation, hypothesis, or statement
of duty.8
3. What does 1 John 4:7 say about those who love? What does 1 John 4:8
say about those who do not love?
4. How is God’s love made manifest, or visible, among us? What three
purposes does John give for Christ’s death on the cross?
5. What does “propitiation” in 1 John 4:10 mean?
6. In 1 John 4:17–18, what is the relationship between fear and love?
7. In 1 John 4:20–21, circle every mention of God and brother. What does
the interchange of these words in the passage tell us about love for God
and love for fellow Christians?
Interpretation
1. What is the origin or source of love? (See verses 7, 10, and 19.) Why is
this important? How does the primacy of God’s love impact our
understanding of human love? How can it change our ability to love?
2. John describes Jesus in 1 John 4:9 as God’s “only Son.” He also uses
this language in John 1:14. The Greek word used there, monogenes, is
defined as “one of a kind, unique.”9 What is unique about Jesus? Why is
his uniqueness important to understanding that God is love?
3. Compare 1 John 4:1–2 and 4:13–20. What are some additional tests or
evidences John instructs his readers to look for that can identify false
prophets?
4. In verse 12, what experience do all living humans share, whether saved
or not? Using verses 13–16, why is our abiding in God and the love that
results for others so important to our unseen God’s plan for the world?
5. Four times John uses a form of the word perfect to describe love (vv. 12,
17, 18). The Greek word can also be translated “mature” or “complete.”
Where is God’s manifested (i.e., made visible) love completed? What is a
result of this mature and completed love (v. 17)?
6. How do Romans 8:15 and 1 John 4:18 explain the role of the Holy Spirit’s
effect on fear and love?
Application
1. List the many ways the world defines love. How does the Bible define it?
(See John 15:13 and 1 John 4:9–10.) Why is the atoning death of Christ
important to your understanding of genuine love? In what ways does your
love for others conform to the world’s definition of love? What sin stands
in the way of you loving more genuinely with biblical love?
2. First John 4:7–8 links love to knowledge of God. Knowing God is more
than head knowledge and Bible study. John implies that knowing God is
experiencing his love. How have you experienced God’s love? How has
God specifically made his love known to you personally?
3. Amid the pain and suffering of this world, how can we answer the
challenge from unbelievers when they ask, “Is God loving?” How does 1
John 4:10 help answer such a question?
4. According to Daniel Akin, “Love is characterized by fear when there is a
doubt it will be returned.”10 What specific fears are jeopardizing your
ability to love others more fully? How will your understanding of God’s
perfect love destroy those fears?
5. Jesus yokes love for God and love for neighbor as the greatest
commandments (Matt. 22:36–40; Luke 10:27). Love for God is mentioned
first as the source of love for others. Jesus then describes love for people
as a commandment, like love for God. How is your love for your brother,
as mentioned in 1 John 4:20, not like your love for God? How do you limit
your love for God, and what impact does that have on your love for
others? What does this reveal about your understanding of God’s love for
you?
6. Is it possible to be a believer and still live life with a flawed understanding
of God’s love, which expresses itself in a lack of love for others?
WEEK ELEVEN
Read 1 John 5:1–5.
Before dawn at the boundary line between Morocco and Melilla, a group of
women, known as “Mule Ladies,” line up to await the opening of the border.
Melilla is a Spanish port city. Anything hand-carried from Spain into Morocco is
considered luggage, and therefore duty-free. The women, who live in the
adjoining Moroccan town, earn money by carrying loads on their backs, across
the border and up the hill, many bearing burdens the size of a washing machine
averaging between 150 and 175 pounds. The returns on this physically
debilitating task are minimal; they are literally breaking their bodies to live.11
In Matthew 23:4, Jesus speaks in the language of such heavy loads when
he warns against the life commanded by the rule-driven Pharisees. “They tie up
heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders.” It was God
who first gave commandments to his chosen people (Deut. 26:16–19), and yet,
as the apostle Paul explains, the commandments bore “fruit for death” (Rom.
7:5). Groups like the Pharisees, no matter how they strived, could not breathe life
into the commandments.
Why had God given the people these commandments? They were made
to be a revelation of God. Wayne Grudem explains that God’s commandments
are “a unified whole and reflect the moral purity and perfection of God himself.”12
Humanity’s inability to follow God’s commands emphasized their total
estrangement from God. It was Jesus’ obedience to the law that brought life and
set the children of God free (Rom. 8:1–2). In Christ, God’s chosen people are
able to do what they never before could (Rom. 8:3–11)—that is, abide in the love
of the Father and his commandments (John 15:10).
The call to God’s commands is no longer a burden to bear but an aspect
of new life in Christ (1 John 5:3). It is, in fact, “easy and light” (Matt. 11:28–30).
Thus, part of the victory of 1 John 5:4–5 is the fruit of the faith of 5:1–3—the
freedom to love God and obey his commandments.
Observation
1. What names does John use to refer to Jesus in this section of Scripture?
2. What qualifications must one possess to be called “born of God”?
3. What must those who love the Father love?
4. What is the evidence of this love?
5. How does the author define the love of God?
6. What victory have those “born of God” achieved? How?
Interpretation
1. Why does John refer to the believers as the “born of God”? (See John
1:12–13; Romans 8:14–17; Galatians 4:3–7; 1 Peter 1:3, 23; and 1 John
3:1.) What is the distinction between being merely “saved” versus
“adopted”?
2. In 5:1–5, John is continuing his discussion of love for the believers, which
is one of the major themes of his letter. Read 1 John 1:7; 2:9–11; and
4:19–20. How do these texts inform your understanding of 5:1–2?
3. In verse 2, John says the love of the believers is attained through loving
the Father and obeying his commands. How is love of the children of God
shown through obedience to God? (See Galatians 5:13–14 and 1 John
2:4–6.)
4. Why does John equate obedience to God’s commands to the love of
God? (See Deuteronomy 6:24–25, 10:12–15; Jeremiah 31:33–34;
Matthew 11:28–30; and Romans 6:16–18.)
5. Read John 14:15–24. What help is there for the believer in keeping the
commandments of God? What additional promise is there for those who
keep the commandments of God? How does this impact your reading of 1
John 5:1–3?
6. Some version of the phrase “the world” is used 23 times in 1 John. Read
1 John 2:15–17; 3:1, 13; 4:3–5; and 5:19. What does John mean in 5:4
when he says our faith “is the victory that has overcome the world”? What
exactly have the believers overcome?
Application
1. John uses the phrases “born of God” and “God’s children” to refer to the
faithful throughout his epistle. Above, we saw that we are not merely
saved but adopted into the kingdom of God, made family with our fellow
believers. How do God’s commandments lead us to practically love the
brothers? How does knowledge of God’s commandments bring us into
participation in the love of God’s children?
2. In 1 John 5:3, we are instructed to “keep” God’s commandments. This
same word is used throughout Jesus’ exhortation to the disciples in John
14:15–23. How do you practice “keeping” God’s commandments?
3. In Psalm 119, the longest psalm in the Bible, the psalmist declares, “For I
find my delight in your commandments, which I love” (119:47). One
commentator describes this as a psalm of “true piety; a love of God not
desiccated by study but refreshed, informed and nourished by it.”13 What
does it mean to delight in the commandments of the Lord? How do you
pursue love for God’s commands?
4. In John 16:33, Jesus tells his disciples, “But take heart; I have overcome
the world.” The word used for “overcome” here, as in 1 John 5:4–5, is
nikao, which means “to be victorious, to conquer, to overcome,”14
stressing the imagery of battle. Twice in verses 4 and 5, the verb uses a
present tense, which emphasizes a continuous victory. Where in your
day-to-day life do you feel defeated by the world? Where do you tell
yourself it’s a losing battle? When do you fight to believe the struggle is
already won?
5. Because Jesus’ victory is our victory, we are free to obey. Jesus promised
in him our burdens would be light (Matt. 11:28–30). What heavy burdens
do you believe you must bear? In light of Jesus’ promise, how do you
exchange your heavy load for his offer of relief?
6. Faith is defined by John as belief in Jesus the Christ and Son of God (5:1,
5). And while he speaks firmly of love of the body and obedience to God,
these are but fruits of a living faith. In what ways are you still trying to
earn the love of the Father? When do you look at the naked simplicity of
faith and think, Not enough!
WEEK TWELVE
Read 1 John 5:6–13.
Fanny Crosby was born in Brewster, New York, in 1820. Within a few weeks after
her birth, she went blind. Despite her blindness, she became a prolific poet and
hymn writer, writing over 8,000 songs. Her greatest concern was that people
meet Jesus in her songs, and she carefully recorded any stories she heard of
God using her songs to win others to Christ. One of her most well-known hymns
is “Blessed Assurance.” The first verse says,
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.
John’s aim was to give his “dear children” this kind of blessed assurance
in light of the false teaching that swirled all around them. He said, “I write these
things to you who believe… that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John
5:13). John was not just an apostle but also an apologist—someone who speaks
or writes in defense of someone or something. As his letter drew to a close, his
goal was to make the truth clear: Jesus was baptized, and the Spirit came down
and gave his approval. Jesus’ blood was shed on the cross, and the Father gave
his testimony. In fact, this testimony lives inside those who believe. After he lays
out this testimony, John gives great assurance: those who have the Son have
life, and it is possible to know this without a doubt.
Fanny was often asked if she wished she weren’t blind, but she was
content with what God had intended for her, and assured of what God had for her
in heaven. She once said, “When I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever
gladden my sight will be that of my Savior.”
Observation
1. What three things testify to Jesus?
2. If one believes in Jesus, where does this testimony reside?
3. What have those who do not believe God’s testimony made him out to
be? What do they lack if they don’t believe?
4. What is “the testimony”?
5. For what reason did John write these things?
Interpretation
1. Most commentators agree that John is referencing water and blood as
separate things rather than as a mix that, for example, might be present
at birth or that flowed from Jesus’ side on the cross. Read Matthew 3:13–
17. What does Matthew help you understand about John’s reference to
water? What does Matthew help you understand about the Spirit? What
does God testify about his Son?
2. Read Leviticus 16:14–16 and Hebrews 9:11–14. Why did John emphasize
blood as well as water?
3. Read John 15:26. What else do you learn about the Spirit?
4. Read 1 John 1:10. How is God made a liar according to this verse
compared to how God is made a liar in 5:10? What do we need to
understand about ourselves and about God from these verses?
5. Read John 20:31. Compare John’s reason for writing his Gospel to his
reason for writing this letter. Is his audience the same or different? Was
the message they needed to hear the same or different?
Application
1. What does the testimony of the Spirit, the water, and the blood teach you
about Jesus? And how do you need to respond in light of this?
2. What circumstances in your life have caused you to doubt who Jesus is
or his gift of eternal life? How does this passage reassure you?
3. How could you use John’s argument to reassure someone else?
4. “Whoever has the Son has life” (1 John 5:12). The gospel really is this
simple. What are some ways you tend to complicate or add to the
gospel?
5. The truth about Jesus helps us believe and also persevere. How does the
truth about Jesus help you daily?
WEEK THIRTEEN
Read 1 John 5:14–21.
It’s often said, “It’s not what you know but who you know that matters in life.”
While there is some truth to this, most people would not relate it to knowing
Jesus, the One about whom John said, if you have him, you have life—if you
don’t have him, you don’t have life. In this matter, Who you know is of first
importance—what you know follows.
John has just assured his audience that they may know they have eternal
life in Jesus—it’s the reason he wrote this letter. From this assurance flows
confidence in the believer’s relationship with Jesus and in what they know. John
uses the word know six times in verses 14 through 20. So what is it that those
who are in Christ know?
If we are in Christ, we know God hears us. Prayer is the way believers
communicate with God. It’s conversation with the heavenly Father that helps
submit one’s own will to his will. If we ask according to God’s will, he hears us
and he hears our requests. This includes prayer for other people—especially a
fellow believer in sin.
If we are in Christ, we know we have protection from sin. This protection
comes from our new nature that we receive when we are born of God. It keeps
us from a life that is predominantly characterized by sin and keeps Satan at a
distance.
If we are in Christ, we belong to God. Although in his sovereignty God has
allowed the evil one power over the world for a time, believers know they
ultimately belong to God.
If we are in Christ, we know Jesus gives us understanding to know who is
true, not just what is true. There are a lot of people setting themselves up against
Jesus. There are a lot of competing truths out there, and John has already
warned us in chapters 2 and 4 of the “antichrist.” He closes with the solemn
charge, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”
Observation
1. How do we know that we can’t ask for and get just anything from God? In
other words, what is the qualification John gives for the “anything”?
2. What are we to do if we see a “brother committing a sin not leading to
death” (1 John 5:16)?
3. What does John suggest we should not pray for?
4. Who has given us understanding? And why has he given it to us?
Interpretation
1. Read Matthew 6:9–10, John 15:7 and 16:23–24, and Matthew 26:39.
How do Jesus’ words and example help you understand what John says
about having what we ask of him?
2. Read Galatians 6:1–2. How does this confirm what John says about how
we handle a brother committing sin? What is the warning in Galatians?
3. There is much debate about what John meant regarding the difference
between “sin that leads to death” and “sin that does not lead to death” (1
John 5:16–17). A strong possibility is that he was referring to those who
are in the body (he uses the word brother) and appear to be believers on
the outside, but remain unrepentant on the inside. Discuss as a group the
significance and possible meaning of these two verses.
4. Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death.” What does John mean
by saying there is sin that does not lead to death? What sin does John
imply would lead to death?
5. Are there different degrees of sin? In what sense are all sins the same,
and in what sense is each sin different?
6. Read Romans 1:19–21 and Ephesians 4:18. How do these verses shed
light on what John might have meant by “sin that leads to death”?
7. Read Matthew 13:24–30. What does this parable tell you about those in
the Church who don’t know the truth? Who is ultimately responsible for
discerning wheat and weeds?
8. Read Ephesians 4:20–24; Colossians 3:9–10; and 1 John 3:9. How do
these verses help you understand what John means by the statement,
“Everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning” (1 John
5:18)?
9. Read 1 John 3:9–10. What has John already said about how we know we
are from God?
10. John makes a stark contrast between believers and the world who are
from God, and the rest of the world, which lies in Satan’s power. Read
Ephesians 6:12. How does this help you understand the nature of Satan’s
power?
11. Read John 17:15–19. What is Jesus’ prayer for believers in the world?
12. Why would John bring in this last warning about idols?
Application
1. If you have more confidence toward God (v. 14), how does that affect how
you live?
2. How can you grow in your prayers in the area of “asking according to his
will”?
3. If there are differences in the kinds of sin we commit, some sins being
worse than others, how should this change the way we approach our
brother or sister who is sinning?
APPENDIX FOR LEADERS
Twenty Ways to Kick Off the Group
Choose a question from the list below (or come up with your own) to jump-start
the conversation, make people feel more comfortable about sharing with the
group, and introduce new participants.
1. Who has been the most influential person in your life and why?
2. What is your favorite childhood memory?
3. Do you have a favorite road trip?
4. Have you ever had an embarrassing clothing malfunction?
5. What is the first concert you ever attended?
6. What is something new, different, or inspiring you’ve recently learned from
someone else?
7. What has been the most influential book you’ve read or movie you’ve
watched? How did it influence you?
8. Share one thing about yourself that you think no one in the group would
know.
9. What was your best and worst moment this past week?
10. What is one trait or characteristic you received from your parents that
you’d like to keep?
11. Is there any day in your life that you’d like to relive? Describe it.
12. Describe a unique hidden talent you possess.
13. What was your favorite TV show growing up and why?
14. Describe an encounter you had with a celebrity. Who was it, and what did
you do?
15. If you could write a book, what would it be about?
16. Which animal matches your personality?
17. Do you have a go-to karaoke song? What is it?
18. What is the most mischievous thing you did as a child?
19. Let’s say it’s your birthday and you get to pick the meal. What do you
choose for dinner?
20. If you had a personal theme song, what would it be?
How to Use the Small Group Study
This study has been designed to help your small group discover the power of the
Holy Spirit that enables his people to provide witness to the greatness of Jesus
Christ. We all need the presence of a community to encourage us when
inevitable opposition to the gospel arises, and also to spur one another on to
good works (Heb. 10:24).
Each study begins with an introduction that serves as a springboard for
conversation in your group. There’s no need to read the introduction verbatim, if
that feels stodgy. Just familiarize yourself with the content beforehand and give
an overview of the Scripture passage, linking it with timely examples or
testimonies of what God is up to in your own community.
After setting the stage for the week’s Scripture reading, questions are
provided so the group can dive into application. Use these as a way to stir up
conversation. Some questions are simply opportunities to share testimonies,
while others are offered as challenges for growth. Take some time beforehand to
jot down notes regarding what questions are best suited for your specific group,
and see where the Holy Spirit leads the conversation.
Last is a suggested prayer. It’s common to leave little time for prayer, but
be encouraged to provide a good amount of time for this. From prayers of praise
to requests for help with life’s common struggles, to petitions for healing, and
everything in between, we need to be refreshed by God’s presence and strength.
Pray with the expectation that God will do great things in your community. He is a
loving Father who loves to give good gifts to his children.
How to Use the Group Inductive Study
“Inductive study” refers to a particular type of analysis that uses the Bible as the
primary tool for learning about God and receiving instruction about how to live a
godly life. Our goals for this type of study are to observe the text, interpret its
message as we listen to the Holy Spirit, and apply its meaning to our lives.
The steps are simple. Begin by reading the introductory paragraphs about the
assigned Scripture. Then read the passage and pray about what it is
communicating, asking God to open your hearts and minds so you can learn
more about him.
Next, examine the passage in light of the context in which it was written,
with an eye toward the whole of Scripture. Then zero in on the words on the
page. Good questions to ask as you study include who, what, where, when, why,
and how? Here are some examples of how you might use these kinds of
questions:
• Who was the writer’s original audience?
• What issue was being addressed? What was being said?
• Where and when did this take place?
• Why was the message given?
• How was the message communicated?
Other helpful questions are listed under the “Observation” heading.
The “Interpretation” will come from the text that is before us, as guided by
the Holy Spirit who opens our eyes and reveals what we need to see. Again,
please pray that God will guide your mind as you examine the text. Keep in mind
that as we study 1 John, it’s important to follow the text and let it define the
context and audience before jumping into our own life application. That’s where
the above-mentioned questions are so helpful.
Next, don’t miss the “Application” questions. In the fourth section of the
weekly study, questions that focus on practice are provided: How does each
verse shed light into your life? In what ways does the Scripture show you your
need for Jesus? What is your plan for change going forward?
Finally, pay attention to how God is stirring and convicting your heart. It’s
here at this intersection where we apply the Word to our lives. We become more
like Christ, and our relationship with God is deepened.
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