1 John 4 and 5 notes

 For anyone who would like to recap on last week's midweek meeting or have a look ahead to Wednesday's: 

Homegroup Leaders Notes: 1 John 4:1-21

 

You might like to read and deal with vv1-6 separately first.

 

Why do these verses suggest Christians need to be discerning? Why is it necessary to “test the spirits”? (v1)

Because there are many false prophets / teachers. (v1)

 

How do these suggest that we should “test the spirits” / recognise true and false teaching / the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood?

John gives us a doctrinal test: do they acknowledge that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (vv2-3). Of course true prophets / teachers / spirits will always acknowledge this, but John probably fixes on this here as it is something the false teachers are denying.

V6: the “us” is probably the Apostles cf. 1:1-4, 19. Those who are from God accept the Apostle’s teaching. This is preserved for us in the New Testament. (What is said in the verse would still be true if we included all the apostolic churches in the “us” of v6. All those who are from God receive true teaching).

 

What comfort does verse 4 give us in the face of false teaching?

God is greater than the spirit of the antichrist.

 

Can you think of ways in which we might be tempted to accommodate our teaching to the “viewpoint of the world” so that people might listen to us (v5)?

Maybe saying that all religions are ways to God, downplaying sin and judgement, assigning the same roles to men and women, affirming practicing homosexuality, prosperity gospel promises of health and wealth etc.

 

Why should we love one another?

V7 because love comes from God and we have been born of God. Similarly, v16b.

V11. Because of God’s love for us we ought to love one another. Similarly, v19.

God has commanded it (v21).

 

(If you didn’t use the “what do people in our culture think love is” etc. question last time, you could use it here in contrast to vv9&10)

 

How should we love one another? What should our love be like?

Our love should be like God’s love for us, supremely demonstrated in Jesus (v9-10). God’s love is costly (he gave his Son) and undeserved (“not that we loved God”, v10).

 

Since God is unseen (v12), how can we know he loves us?

We have seen (v14) that he sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world. See also vv9-10.

 

How can we know that we are Christians? Vv13-16.

Because he has given us the Spirit (v13). Notice that all believers have the Spirit. If we acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in us (v15)

 

Why can the Christian be without fear? What does the Christian not fear? (vv17-18)

We have confidence on the day of judgement (v17). Perfect love drives out fear of punishment (v18), though of course we fear God in the sense of being in awe of him, showing reverence, respect and honour for him.

 

Why do verses 20 and 21 suggest it’s incredible to say we love God if we do not love fellow Christians?

Love of God and love of fellow Christians go together. God has commanded us to love fellow Christians and if we love him we’ll obey his commands (5:3). In some ways it is easier to love a Christian we have seen than God whom we cannot see – easier to show our love in practice. Our love for the unseen God is seen in our love for his family, the church. Loving fellow Christians is a way of expressing our love for God.

 

You could encourage members to re-read the whole letter in time for next week’s study and think about: What does John say about why he’s written? (2:1, 16; 5:13) How has what we’ve read helped to fulfil those aims? What has struck you from the letter / would you like to hold on to from it? And use some time next week to review and consolidate.

 

Summary points / applications / for prayer & praise:

Pray for true teachers and teaching in the church and that we might recognise and reject false teachers and teaching, not seeking to accommodate our teaching to what people want to hear.

Give thanks for God’s love for us and the confidence it gives us.

Pray for God’s help to love fellow Christians – especially any you find difficult.

 

 

Homegroup Leaders Notes (7) 1 John 5:1-21

 

What characteristics of the children of God does verse 1 give us?

 

What does it mean / look like in practice to love God? (vv2-3)

 

What encouragements do verses 3-5 give us?

 

From 2:15-17 and the context here, what might it mean to “overcome the world”?

 

See also 4:4

 

There are various theories about what John means by “the water and the blood” (v6). Some see it as a reference to John 19:34-35, where water and blood flow from Jesus’ side. According to John Stott, it is most satisfactory to take “water as referring to the baptism of Jesus, at which He was declared the Son and commissioned and empowered for his work, and blood to His death, in which His work was finished.” (Tyndale Commentary, IVP, p178). The false teachers may have held that Jesus was an ordinary man on whom the “Christ” descended at his baptism and departed before the cross.

 

What reasons does John give us for believing (vv7-10) that Jesus is the Son of God (v5)?

 

Cf. Dt 19:15 which gives a legal rule that for a conviction “a matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”

 

What confidence do we have in prayer? Vv14-15.

 

What condition does verse 14 give for God hearing our prayers? What does that mean?

 

Cf. also Mk 14:36; The Lord’s Prayer; 3:21-22.

 

How should we react if we see a Christian fall into sin? v16

 

The “sin that leads to death” is probably continued rejection of Christ. The false teachers are committing such apostasy (2:18-19; Cf. Heb 6:4-6; 10:26-29; Mk 3:29). John has already told us that if we are trusting in Jesus all sins are forgiven (1:9).

 

What does John say that “we know” in vv18-20?

 

How should this knowledge affect our lives?

 

How does John describe the purpose of his letter in verse 13?

How has his letter served that purpose? How has the letter helped you to know that as a believer you have eternal life?

John has given us a number of ways to recognise true believers: they believe in Jesus

 

Especially relevant verses include: 4:15; 5:1; 2:10; 3:10, 14, 18-19; 2:3-6; 3:24; 4:13; 1:9; 2:1-2; 4:9-10; 5:14-15

 

What have we learnt / been reminded of by 1 John?

(see summary points from previous studies for some examples)

 

Summary points / for prayer & praise:

Pray that we would love God and his children and obey his commandments.

Give thanks to God for the victory over the world that he gives to all who trust in Jesus.

Give thanks for the assurance and confidence that we can have because of God’s testimony.

Give thanks that God hears our prayers.

Pray (perhaps on your own at home?) for any Christians you know who have fallen into sin.

Give thanks for all that we’ve learnt from 1 John and pray that we’d live in the light of it.