Off the Shelf Sunday School--1 John

Fellowship with Jesus and Christians (2:1-11)

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for our but also for the sins of the whole world. We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.

1.????Christians are to follow the example of Jesus and live without sinning. This is a high standard but it is what a pure and holy God requires. A holy God cannot say that it is OK to sin a little. At the same time, God knows that we will sin and so he comforts us with the fact that Jesus is ever present to forgive us. Jesus speaks to the Father on our behalf saying that he has paid for our sins with his blood.

2.????Note that John says that Christians still have a Father when they sin. The salvation of born-again Christians is secure but our fellowship is affected by our sins. This is like a child who disobeys his parents. The child is not disowned but the relationship is strained. (Jn 10:27-28; Eph 4:30)

3.????Seeking to know God’s commands in the Bible and obeying them are signs that a person is born again. The indwelling Holy Spirit creates a longing to know God better and to please him. Also, the Holy Spirit changes our thinking so that we desire what God wants. (Ps 42:1-5; Rom 12:1-2)

4.????God’s love will be complete or perfected in us when we are in total unity and obedience to his will. This will not happen during this life but in the life to come. ?

5.????In the Old Testament, God commanded the Israelites to love their neighbors. In the New Testament, John is saying that Christians will love each other because of the presence and work of the Holy Spirit within them. Birds of a feather flock together. A person who claims to be a Christian and has no love or desire to be with other Christians is lost and is deceived. John says such a person is walking in the darkness and is blind. (Lev 19:18; 2 Cor 3:13-18) ?

6.????What do you think John would say about those who drop out of Church or who only attend Sunday worship services via television or the internet? ??