Exploring 1 John: What did we learn?
1 John 1:1 - 1 John 5:21 - Jesus, Spirit, Light, Love, Obedience, Trust, Fellowship, Anointing, Eternal Life, Sin, Worldliness, Antichrist, Idols
Over the last three months (plus) I have been exploring the Epistle of 1 John. It has been a fascinating journey and I hope I learned something and that my readers also learned something.
Attributed to the Apostle John (and I think that is valid), this Epistle was written in the later years of his life to a group of believers who were falling prey to the false doctrines of Gnostics.
This summary is a compilation of my take-away statements from each passage that we studied, combined from the title and the companion subtitle of each devotional. A link has been provided back to that devotional so you can read it again (or read it for the first time). The photos are ways to represent some of these concepts, just like most of the photos I use. If I referred to other Scripture, the references are also included in parentheses.
1 John 1
1 John 1:1-2 - Concerning the Word of Life: John was there, in person, and knows Jesus (also John 1:1-13).
1 John 1:3-4 - Our fellowship: Some believers (like me) struggle with fellowship and overcoming a selfish heart.
1 John 1:5 - God is Light: God created Light, and in Him there is no darkness (also John 4:25-26)
1 John 1:6 - We lie when we walk in darkness (and when we walk in darkness we lie): We must walk in the spiritual realm of Light in this physical life.
1 John 1:7 - Walking in the Light: We are to walk in the Light, cleansed of all sin by Jesus.
1 John 1:8-10 - He is faithful and righteous: We must confess our sins and stand on God’s Word.
1 John 2
1 John 2:1-2 - We have an advocate: If you need a good defense attorney, ask the righteous Son of God!
1 John 2:3-6 - Keep His Commandments: Do you obey, understand and walk with Him?
1 John 2:7-11 - The Greatest Commandments: We walk in darkness if we don’t love Him and the brethren. (Also Mark 12:28-34, John 13:34)
1 John 2:12-14 - Our spiritual lives: Finding Him, knowing Him, serving Him - Be encouraged and find others to encourage.
1 John 2:15 - The problem of worldliness: He is the focal point of our lives and we do everything for His glory. (Also 1 Corinthians 10:31).
1 John 2:16 - The character of worldliness: The world tries to dominate our lives and turn us from the Father.
1 John 2:17 - The folly of worldliness: Walk towards the light as this world as we know it is foolish and ending soon.
1 John 2:18-19 - The spirit of the antichrist: The hour is late and He is coming soon. So is the adversary.
1 John 2:20-23 - Anointing; identifying the spirit of the antichrist: We can know the truth through the Holy Spirit and by being aware of false teachings.
1 John 2:24 - Abiding in what was known: Surround yourself with the “force field” of abiding in Him and His Word.
1 John 2:25 - The promise of eternal life: Make a decision NOW for the rest of your eternal life! (Also John 10:22-30).
1 John 2:26-27 - Protection against deception: Anointing and abiding!
1 John 2:28-29 - Are you afraid, ashamed or confident? Abide in Him and practice righteousness so that you are ready!
1 John 3
1 John 3:1 - Children of God: Look to the Son to see the blazing, blinding Light of God’s love!
1 John 3:2 - We become like Him: We are His children and will see Him and become like Him.
1 John 3:3 - Purify yourself: Hope leads to joyful obedience.
1 John 3:4-5 - Practicing lawlessness: Be different in this world - stop practicing lawlessness!
1 John 3:6 - No one who sins has seen Him: We are conscious and have a conscience, which is finely tuned every day of our lives as a believer.
1 John 3:7 - Righteousness will show in our lives: Seek righteouness and the presence of God and good in your lives.
1 John 3:8-9 - The one who sins is of the devil: Submit to God’s will and destroy the works of the devil. (Also Isaiah 14:12-15).
1 John 3:10-12 - Children of God or children of the devil: Are you in the default condition or have you become a Child of God? (Also Galatians 5:19-21).
1 John 3:13-15 - The world hates us but we should abide in love: Be like Harrison Butker (the football player who gave all honor to God in a commencement speech). (Also John 15:18-19).
1 John 3:16-18 - Love in deed and truth: Sacrificial love can be created and sustained in many ways.
1 John 3:19-22 - The assurance that love brings: Jesus guides us on the path to trust, obedience and love.
1 John 3:23-24 - The Commandment of Jesus: We love because we trust Him and He loves us! (Also Matthew 22:36-40).
1 John 4
1 John 4:1 - The Spirit of Truth: Test spirits and prophets with your brethren and against Scripture and through prayer and discernment.
1 John 4:2-3 - A test for the true spirits of God: What do you believe about Jesus? (Also John 1:1-3)
1 John 4:4 - Our protection: We overcome the world through He who is in us.
1 John 4:5-6 - They are of the world, you are of God: What we listen to becomes what we consider as truth. (Also John 3:16-17).
1 John 4:7-8 - Love one another: Our love that comes from God wants God’s best for others, spoken in truth.
1 John 4:9-11 - The meaning of God’s love: God reconciled with us first; it is only fitting that we show His love to others. (Also John 3:16).
1 John 4:12-14 - God’s love is perfected in us: We cannot see God, but we can know that His love abides in us.
1 John 4:15-16 - Confessing and believing the love of God: Take the two tests of your relationship with God (hearing/confessing; loving each other)
1 John 4:17-18 - Perfect love casts out fear: Be filled with confidence before God by abiding in Him and having His love perfected in you.
1 John 4:19-21 - We love because He first loved us: Do not be a liar and hate your brother yet claim to love God. (Also Luke 22:54-62, Matthew 5:21:24, Matthew 5:43-48, Matthew 38-42).
1 John 5
1 John 5:1-4 - Being born of God: A simple formula- Obedience, Love and Faith.
1 John 5:5-8 - Water, blood and spirit: Three things attest to Jesus, Son of God - Baptism, Crucifixion and the Holy Spirit
1 John 5:9-10 - The testimony of God: I BELIEVE God about His Son Jesus!
1 John 5:11-12 - Eternal life is in the Son: Believe the eternal truths about God and don’t worry about having emotional experiences when you believe. (Also Acts 17:1-4, 16-17).
1 John 5:13-15 - He hears us: We come before Him with confidence according to His will.
1 John 5:16-17 - A sin not leading to death: We confess our sins and help our fellow believers get past their sins. We pray for those whose sins could lead to death. (Also Ephesians 5:15021, Acts 5:1-11).
1 John 5:18-20 - We are of God: We are protected from the evil one and we have the understanding that we are of God.
1 John 5:21 - Beware of idols: What do you love most? What do you think about the most? Beware of what you worship, even when worshipping God!
Now it’s time to move on to the next devotional series. I am diving into the marvelous book of Acts and this may take a while! Hope you will join me!
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - I humbly thank You for the guidance You have provided as I delved into Your word in the Epistle of 1 John. Please help me to obey, love and trust in Your promises of forgiveness, salvation and eternal life in Your Light. Amen.
References may be found in the individual devotionals.