In this short book, John covers lots of ground. These lessons are extremely practical and address dealing with sin in our lives, not loving the world, confession, walking as Jesus walked, the bodily resurrection, fearing God, the love of God, loving one another, Jesus being the only way to eternal life, and our prayers being answered. Notes are provided for each lesson in this eleven-part series for self-study, reflection, and as a resource to teach others.
John opens his first letter by reminding his readers that the apostles had seen and touched Jesus, in the flesh. The truth of the bodily resurrection of Jesus, the foundation of our faith, makes it impossible to relegate Jesus to simply one of many good teachers. John then reminds us that we must deal with […]
John says that the sign that we know Jesus is that we obey His commandments. Let’s face it, many professing Christians have no intention of obeying many of the things Jesus taught! Meanwhile, others try to enforce obedience by reducing the Christian faith to following a list of rules. Instead, John calls us to much […]
In this lesson we explore the challenge: Do not love the world or the things in the world. Here John is simply restating what Jesus had taught repeatedly: the dangers of loving money and pleasure, the very things most people are living for. We also look at related teachings throughout the Scriptures and consider how […]
This passage begins with the perplexing statement: "You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come..." This is the first place in Scripture where the word "antichrist" appears, and it is only found in 1 John and 2 John. How did John’s readers already know that the Antichrist is coming? Who or […]
In this passage John challenges us to "abide in Him" in order that we be prepared for the Day of Judgment. Persevering all the way to the end can seem overwhelming, and so we consider the practical approach of Dr. William Osler, a Christian physician who advocated living life in separate "day-tight" compartments. We also […]
To Destroy the Works of the Devil (1 John 2:28-3:7) View Lesson
John tells us that to be of God, we must do two things: practice righteousness and love one another. In this lesson we focus on what it means to love others. While love is often described as an emotion that we feel, Jesus demonstrated and described the love we are called to imitate, in order […]
John makes the famous statement: "God is love." In this lesson we explore the loving nature of God as revealed throughout the Scriptures. Many struggle with seeing God as a loving, merciful and compassionate Father. Having a clear picture of the nature and character of God will transform how we handle trials in this life, […]
In this lesson we focus on two extraordinary statements made by John. The first: "No one has seen God at any time." But what about all the examples in the Old Testament where it says someone did see God? Early Christians provide a fascinating explanation that resolves this apparent contradiction. The second, we look at the […]
John tells us that the acid test of whether we love God is if we keep His commands. Yet over the centuries, Christians have invented many ways to try to get around this plain teaching. This lesson includes a significant portion of an 18th century sermon by John Wesley entitled Holiness is Not Legalism. Wesley tackles this […]
In this passage John makes a very strong statement: "He who has the Son has life; He who does not have the Son does not have life." Without faith in the Son of God, no one can have eternal life. How can Christians hold on to such an exclusive statement without being arrogant toward those […]