1 John 2

Study Guide 167: 1 John 2:3-4:21 WALK IN LOVE Overview When John called us to fellowship, he called us to “ know” Jesus. Paul uttered the same call: “ I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Phi 3:10). Knowing Jesus opens the door to a present experience of resurrection power. But how can we tell if we “ know” Him? Part of our problem is that we can be confused by different meanings of the word “ know.” For instance: “ I know that” means I have information. “ I know all about bass” may be a claim that I can catch them. “ I know Henry” may express friendship, acquaintance, or simply ability to identify a person in a crowd. “ I know Plato” probably is a claim to understand his philosophy. “ I know what you mean,” can even be an expression of sympathy. What then does it mean to “ know” Jesus? The Dictionary of New Testament Theology (Zondervan) points out that the Greek word used here, ginosko, means basically “ grasping the full reality and nature of an object under consideration. It is thus distinguished from mere opinion, which may grasp the object half-correctly, inadequately, or even falsely.” How important then, John’ s promise, ‘ We know that we . . . know Him” (1 John 2:3).

Commentary Inner Evidence of Relationship: 1 John 2:3-17John wrote to people who knew about Jesus, but who were not sure that they knew Him. We know about Jesus, but our grasp of truth may be incomplete, or we may have been misled by a false system of doctrine. How can we be sure that in spite of gaps in our understanding, we have a close personal relationship with the Lord? John launched into an explanation of how we can be sure, not theoretically but experientially, that we know Jesus. He wants us to be free from nagging doubts and fears. We respond to His commands (1 John 2:3-6). Jesus said, “ My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). Those who belong to Jesus are responsive to His voice. It’ s important not to misunderstand here. John does not suggest that relationship with God is established by obedience; rather, that relationship is demonstrated by obedience. Sometimes people claim to know God but are unresponsive to His Word and His way of life. Such a person may possess accurate information about God and may be able to debate finer points of theology. Such a person may have memorized much of the Bible and regularly be in church. But unresponsiveness to God’ s voice shows the claim, “ I know Him,” to be false. Relationship is demonstrated by walking “ as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6). The central command (1 John 2:7-11). This idea of responsiveness can be distorted into a legalism in which the list of do’ s and don’ ts grows longer. We try to measure our relationship with God as we do the temperature — by degrees. To avoid this error, John quickly noted a central command from which all else flows. That command has been known and revealed through both the Testaments, but has been given fresh meaning in Jesus’ coming. Jesus calls us to “ love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). John said that the one who hates his brother cannot be walking in the light (1 John 2:11). If you or I wonder if we’ re really responsive to Jesus’ voice, we don’ t have to measure ourselves against a list of things we do or don’ t do to please Him. All we have to do is look within to see if we are reaching out, to care for our fellow Christians. The listeners (1 John 2:12-14). John seemed to have more confidence in the people he wrote to than they did themselves. He didn’ t question their relationship with Jesus. He was sure that they did know Him and that they could live in fellowship with God. John had reasons for his confidence: These little children had made an initial commitment to Jesus, and their sins had been forgiven. These fathers had lived in relationship with a God who had demonstrated Himself to be stable and trustworthy from the beginning of the universe. These young men had been challenged in their faith by the evil one, and God’ s strength and His Word in them had enabled them to overcome the threat. These people could take the test John suggested. They could examine themselves and discover that they were responsive to Jesus’ voice; they had begun to love. These inner drawings toward Jesus help us to be sure that we do know Him. Divided hearts (1 John 2:15-17). John helps us look within to discover evidence of the reality of our relationship with Jesus. Now John warned that in order to love and respond to God, we must stop acting from the motives that reflect the world’ s value system. Again John gave a common word a distinctive moral slant. Kosmos (“ world” ) in Greek can mean the universe itself, the planet on which we live, or mankind. In a moral sense, however, “ world” refers to the created universe and to mankind as fallen. This world, John says later (1 John 5:19) “ is under the control of the evil one.” The values and the attitudes that characterize the world — “ cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has” (1 John 2:16) do not come from God. A Christian cannot live with a divided heart, responding one moment out of love for God and at the next turning to the world for pleasure. If we want to demonstrate (to ourselves, as well as to God) that we know Him, we need to make a clear-cut commitment to do the will of God rather than respond to the world’ s passions. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT Copy “ know” entries from several dictionaries to distribute to the group. Have teams list as many kinds of “ knowing” as they can find or think of, and how might each be measured. Then ask each team to read 1 John 2:3-17. What kind of “ knowing” seems important to John? How can that kind of knowing be measured? What can we do to enrich our “ knowledge” of God?

Warning Against Antichrist: 1 John 2:18-27John helps us see inner, subjective evidence that we know Jesus. You and you alone know if you are responsive to God’ s voice. A new Christian might be responsive, but as yet show little change in lifestyle. And you and you alone know if you are beginning to love. If you find the stirrings of obedience and love within yourself, then you can have confidence that you know Jesus. But what are the objective criteria? How about those who claim to be Christians, and even to be teachers, but who are instead antichrists? How can we recognize false teachers and false prophets? John gave several principles to guide us. First, they “ went out from us” (1 John 2:19). The false teacher comes into a local fellowship, begins to teach his lies and, when he cannot influence the whole group to follow him, takes the little band he has deceived and starts his own sect or movement. Watch out for those who would divide and separate Christ’ s people. They go out because “ they did not really belong to us” (1 John 2:19). Second, they deny Jesus is the Christ. Rejecting the Son, they reject the Father also. Jude and Peter as well have stressed that the false teacher sooner or later distorts the Bible’ s teaching on who Jesus is. Finally, there is a subjective element in discerning false teachers. God the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in every true Christian. Our resident Teacher is a sound interpreter of the written Word and of the teachings of men. “ You do not need anyone to teach you,” John boldly declared (1 John 2:27); the Holy Spirit will “ guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). This whole passage is a great corrective for our own day. Are we afraid to fellowship with those who have differences from us, yet are brothers and sisters in Christ? Are we worried when small groups of believers get together in homes to pray and study the Bible, afraid that they may go astray without the pastor there to answer every question and correct every misunderstanding? If so, we have fallen far short of a biblical confidence in the Holy Spirit’ s ability to teach and guard His own. So, there are objective criteria by which to test relationships with Christ. There is also the prompting and loving guidance given by that Person who has taken up permanent residence in our lives.

The Sin Question: 1 John 2:28-3:10 The emphasis on looking within to find a subjective basis for confidence that we know Jesus does raise a serious question. Paul insisted that leaders be chosen whose lives demonstrated holiness. Jude identified false teachers by their actions. Why then did John seem to retreat from a clear-cut call for active holiness? Why did he first assure us of forgiveness when we fall, and then go on to reassure us that we can be sure we know Jesus by looking within to sense responsiveness and love? Doesn’ t what we do matter anymore? John was writing to ordinary people like you and me who became Christians, looked forward to a new kind of life, then perhaps were crushed to discover that everything wasn’ t different after all. The promised freedom from old habits and sins didn’ t come. Experiences like these are common, because the Christian life involves growth. We are born again into a new world through faith in Christ. Yet the old kosmos that we knew so well has patterned our personalities. The gift of new life does not include spiritual amnesia, or wipe away old thought patterns, emotions, and responses. All these are still there; still deeply ingrained. The old will be replaced, but gradually — through growth and grace. It is the “ gradually” that so troubles us. We want to be rid of the old immediately. We want to be all new, now. When we stumble and fall and then fall again, it’ s only natural to wonder if we’ ve made a mistake about our relationship with God. Perhaps we are not born again. Perhaps our failures and stumbling into sin indicate that we only thought we believed! John wrote to release us from this torment. If you want to be sure you know Jesus, first look within. If you are responsive, even in a stumbling way — if you find love in your heart — you can be confident. But what about our failures and sins? “ Dear children,” John wrote, “continue in Him” (1 John 2:28). How comforting! Take your place as a child. Don’ t expect to be mature yet. But do continue in Him. Do keep on growing. And as you mature, you will come to the place of victory over sins. John said several important things about sin in this short passage: Through faith we are now God’ s children. When Jesus appears we will be completely like Him. As we keep His promise of transformation in view, and fix our desire on the goal of perfection, we will grow in purity here and now (1 John 3:1-3). There is no compromise with the sinfulness of sin. Violating God’ s standard of righteousness is sin. There is no sin in God. No one living in Him keeps on sinning (1 John 3:4-6). Objectively we can say that one whose life is committed to habitual sin is “ of the devil” rather than of God. No one “ born of God will continue in sin” (1 John 3:7-10). Reading these verses we become aware that John was talking about the pattern of a person’ s life. He was not talking about isolated acts of sin, but about the direction of one’ s journey. The question is not, “ Does he sin?” but, “ Does he make sin a habit?” When God’ s life takes root in the human personality, that “ seed remains in him” (1 John 3:9), the life of God within struggles against sin, and the Spirit nudges us in a new direction. So, over time, there is objective evidence of a righteous life to match the inner witness of love and responsiveness to God. Over time. Not necessarily immediately. But the objective evidence will come. John promised, “ No one who is born of God will continue to sin” (1 John 3:9). It is not possible for sin to keep us in bondage, because the life of God within us will overcome the evil. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT Have each group member read 1 John 2:28-3:10 carefully, and see if he or she can make a list of fifteen (15) statements about sin. When each is finished, first answer questions. Many will need to note that John is talking not about being sinless, but about choosing a sinful way of life. When questions are answered, begin to list the statements of your group members on the chalkboard. When all have been listed, try together to write a paragraph on “ sin and the Christian.”

Love’ s Way: 1 John 3:11-24From the beginning God’ s message to man has been “ love one another” (1 John 3:11). Yet somehow the attitude of Cain has intruded. The Old Testament commanded, You shall “ love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). The Dictionary of New Testament Theology, (Zondervan) comments, “ Love in this context means devotion toward one’ s neighbor for his sake, accepting him as a brother and letting him come into his own.” Yet among the passions that move us, a spontaneous love for others is missing. We can respond affectionately and even unselfishly to those with whom we have a special tie. But even family relationships may degenerate into the anger of Cain. Hurts, frustrations, real and imagined slights, all build up. The exploding divorce rate and the deep canyons of alienation that mar so many families today are vivid evidence that the way of Cain is still with us. The contrast is especially glaring when we see how John used the word “ love” (agape). Love is a central reality of God’ s nature. “ God is love,” John reminded us (1 John 4:8). God expresses love in the gift of Jesus; we receive that gift by a response of love. Knowing that we are loved and loving in return drives out the fear that destroys trust (1 John 4:18). One who is God’ s and who walks in His light will necessarily live in love. Such love will not only change the character of an individual’ s relationship with God but also the nature of his relationship with other people. If we truly live in God, then we will live in love, for God is love. God promises us who know Jesus that the reactions and responses of Cain will be replaced by the reactions and responses of Christ. John immediately confronts us with this contrast: “ Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother” (1 John 3:12). Did the murder drive Cain into Satan’ s hands? Not at all. In fact, the murder demonstrated how deep Cain already was in the evil one’ s grip. Why did Cain murder Abel? Was it due to slights or parental unfairness? No, it was “ because his own actions were evil and his brother’ s were righteous” (1 John 3:12). Abel’ s good revealed Cain’ s sinfulness. Rather than acknowledging his sins, Cain tried to hide them from himself. He turned his shame into anger at Abel; antagonism welled up in his heart; he murdered in hatred. The entire process makes it plain that Cain did not know God. And so we return to the theme of John’ s letter. How can we be confident that we know God? As we love our brothers, we can be reassured that we walk not in Cain’ s darkness but in Christ’ s light. Contrast (1 John 3:11-15). John held up Cain and Christ for us to compare. Cain reacted with hatred to a brother who was good. Christ responds with love to sinners who reject God. Each expresses his feelings in action. Cain took another’ s life. Christ gave His own life for others. Cain’ s actions revealed him to be evil. Christ shows Himself to be good, a God of love. Earlier John contrasted light and darkness to help us understand the Christian life. Now he contrasted love and hatred. No one who hates lives in God. But one who lives in God will love. Love’ s expression (1 John 3:16-20). John is quick to note that love is not a feeling or an intention. Love is a choice that binds us to a distinctive course of action. “ We ought to lay down our lives for our brothers,” John said. “ If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” (1 John 3:16-17) Love is not a matter of words but of acts. Then John added, “ This then is how we know we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence whenever our hearts condemn us” (1 John 3:19-20). John noted earlier that we may become discouraged when we find ourselves slipping, unwillingly, into sins. He encouraged us to look within and see love awakening in our responsive hearts. When you and I sense responsiveness within, we can be sure we know Him. But what if our hearts condemn us? What if, looking within, we become aware of feelings of antagonism toward a brother? What if bitterness blocks us off from giving or receiving forgiveness? If our hearts condemn rather than justify us, then it would seem logical that we do not know Him. All too often you and I are aware of failure within us that others may not see. Depression may come, and with depression everything looks black. We feel guilty and helpless. John, with his deep sensitivity to our human experience, understands and answers. When it is your heart that causes you uncertainty about your relationship with God, then look for another evidence of relationship. What evidence? Love. Not as a feeling or emotion, but love expressed “ with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18). When we choose love’ s way in spite of our feelings, we have evidence that we know Him. God’ s desire is for each of us to find rest. But if we find ourselves troubled by a nagging uncertainty because of either our actions or our hearts, God wants us to continue to trust. As we live in Him, His Spirit will purify and transform us.

Dealing with Uncertainty about Relationship with God UNCERTAINCONFIDENTUNCERTAIN Because we see ourselves slip into acts of sin.Because our hearts are responsive and we feel loving.Because we feel ourselves drawn to sin and antagonistic to our brother Then … examine heart, and sense the desire to be responsive.Then … we choose to be obedient and practice love.Then … examine actions and see obedience and love practiced. This is evidence we know HimThis is evidence we know Him.This is evidence we know Him. False Teachers: 1 John 4:1-6John returned briefly to the theme of many late New Testament letters. How can we test for counterfeits and false prophets? First, doctrinally. Jesus, God’ s Son, has come in the flesh. This confession will never be made by false teachers. And second, by lifestyle. The world, with its “ cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has” (1 John 2:16), is put away by the mature believer. When a teacher speaks from the viewpoint of the world, we know he is not from God. The true believer will also recognize John’ s writings as God’ s truth. The Holy Spirit will confirm it. When teaching is out of harmony with the written Word, the Spirit Himself will bring disquiet within the believer.

Dimensions of Love: 1 John 4:7-21In these next verses John helps us see the way of love in the Christian community. He wanted us to experience close fellowship with Jesus and the Father, and live in intimate community with fellow-believers. John was not exhorting us to pump up the emotion we call “ love.” He was explaining why love is valuable to the church, and how we can choose to live love. In these verses there is no threat to make us feel guilty if we have fallen short of love. John did not lay a burden of obligation to make us struggle harder to do something we cannot do. Instead he simply pointed out that God is love, and to live in fellowship with Him is to live in love. If in our association with other Christians we fall into the world’ s way of antagonism and selfishness, then we are not experiencing God’ s presence. These words of John bring hope. If we have failed to love, we acknowledge our sin to God and experience His forgiveness and cleansing. Only if we deny the importance of love in our relationships within the church, and let barriers arise between people have we lost our way. What do believers need to understand about love in order to experience fellowship with God? Let’ s trace the thought of the passage. Love is central (1 John 4:7-8). Because God is love, the person who shares God’ s love will love. This is simply a fact; a reflection of the reality that where there is no will to love, God is absent. Love initiates (1 John 4:9-12). John made abstract love personal when he explained that God loved us and “ sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10). God’ s action is especially striking since we did not love God when He gave Himself. Loving meant initiating action without immediate return (and, in the case of many whom God loves, without any return). Here is a model for love in the Christian community. Since God loved us in this same way, we ought to love one another in the same manner. Relationships in society are usually governed by reciprocity. I am nice to those who are nice to me. Jim invites me to lunch; I invite him in return. I borrow tools from Stan; he borrows tools from me. Even sinners, Jesus once commented, love those who love them (Matthew 5:46). But love in the Christian community is not to depend on repayment. We are to take the initiative in loving, even when the ones we reach out to do not respond. At first this seems like a strange instruction. Won’ t such lovers be taken advantage of? Won’ t the unresponsive drain the people who do care? John’ s answer is twofold. First, the capacity to love in this way exists in every person who is born of God. Thus, it is not a few loving the rest, but it is all of us loving one another! Each of us has the opportunity to reach out and initiate actions that meet the deepest needs of our brothers and sisters. Second, as we take up the joyful burden of loving others, God, who no one has seen, becomes strangely visible in the church. We see God Himself as He “ lives in us and His love is made complete in us” (1 John 4:12). As God becomes more real among us, even those who have not responded will be touched by His love. God does live in us (1 John 4:13-16). Is such love possible? Of course! We don’ t rely on any capacity of our own to love our brothers. In the person of the Holy Spirit God lives in us and will love through us. We learn to share God’ s love for us. Love frees us from fear (1 John 4:17-18). John has an exciting prospect for the fearful and doubting. As we see God’ s love taking visible shape in the community of faith, we become more confident and more like God. “ In this world,” John said of the believing community, “ we are like Him” (1 John 4:17). Love transforms us. We realize that God is not angry or eager to punish; love has driven out fear. The way love drives out fear is beautiful. When Stan became a Christian, he was antagonistic, bitter, and quick to take offense at others whom he thought slighted him. Burdened by a poor self-image, Stan could not believe that God accepted him with all of his faults. Every time something went wrong, Stan was sure God was punishing him and he cringed. Even when everything seemed to go smoothly, there was always an aching fear that kept Stan from feeling peace or satisfaction. Then Stan became a member of a truly loving church whose members accepted him as he was. They understood his behavior, overlooked his insults, and returned only love. They invited this unpleasant young man into their homes. Gradually Stan began to realize that these people loved him in spite of himself. He could be real with them, and they still cared. For a time Stan became worse, testing their acceptance to see if it were real. Finally he was convinced. He was loved! With this discovery came a great release. Through the love of his brothers and sisters in Christ, Stan experienced the reality of God’ s love. The message of Calvary he had accepted intellectually now released the knots of guilt and fear deep within. When Stan found a community of people who were like God in this world, he was freed to grow into a loving person himself. Love is our proper response to God (1 John 4:19-21). Stan was freed to love only by being loved. John pointed out that it is the same with all of us. We did not love God; God loved us. God reached out first. But in being loved by God, we are freed to love in return. Then we can reach out to others. Who do we love when God’ s love frees us? Yes, we do love God. But we also love our brothers. In fact, love of God and love of His family are so inseparably linked that John flatly stated, “ If anyone says, ‘ I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar” (1 John 4:20). Love wears no blinders that cut off some while focusing on others. When love touches us, our whole personality is affected. We see God and sensing His love, are drawn to Him. We see people for the first time. We reach out to touch and to care. Love has transformed us. In Christ, and in His community of faith, we will learn to walk in love. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT What makes a church a loving community? Brainstorm together for qualities and actions which are characteristic of a loving Christian community. Then read or tell Stan’ s true story. What were the qualities of the church of which he was a member? What qualities beside those already listed does his story suggest? In what ways is your congregation a loving church? What might your group members do to show love within your fellowship?

Teaching Guide Prepare Select from the exciting truths in this passage those which will be most important to those in your group.

Explore

1. Distribute some definitions of “ know” for your group to look at, and determine how “ knowledge” can be demonstrated. Have the group members read 1 John 2:3-17 to determine what John meant by “ know” and how that knowledge is demonstrated. See “ link-to-life” above.
2. Or have your group members individually read 1 John 2:28-3:10 to develop statements about “ sin.” Your goal is to help your members see that God’ s presence in our lives means that we will not sin habitually: the Holy Spirit will work a gradual transformation and release us as we continue to grow in our relationship with the Lord. See “ link-to-life” above.

Expand

1. Use the chart above to give a minilecture, explaining how God helps us to know (subjectively) that we truly do know Him.
2. Focus on the primary objective evidence that an individual or congregation truly does know Jesus in an experiential sense — the expressions of love that God works within. Either have your group members read 1 John 2-4 and list ways that love is demonstrated by Christians, or use the “ link-to-life” idea above.

Apply Ask each person to examine himself or herself, using the criteria demonstrated during the study. How does each know that he or she truly “ knows” Jesus? Invite any who are still uncertain to stay late and talk with you or call later in the week.