John wrote to clarify the differences between the genuine gospel as revealed by Jesus to the apostles and the heretical versions of the gospel spreading in the early church. The guiding principles are 1) true believers will love holiness and 2) true believers will trust that Jesus is the Christ.
Resources: 1 John Study Guide, Maps & Resources
01 1 John 1:1-4: The Word of Life
Teacher: Krisan Marotta on September 11, 2013
In his preface, John argues the apostles are the only reliable source of information about the way to gain eternal life because they were intimate eye-witnesses to the life, ministry and teaching of Jesus.
02 1 John 1:5-10: God is Light
Teacher: Libby Taggart on September 18, 2013
John begins his summary of the true gospel by saying God is completely good (light). Therefore genuine believers: 1) will not pursue sin as a lifestyle; 2) will not deny their sinfulness; and 3) will not call sinful actions right.
03 1 John 2:1-11: Abide in Christ
Teacher: Libby Taggart on September 25, 2013
John expands on his principals from chapter 1, stating those who claim to be following Jesus will love righteousness and will love others who also love righteousness.
04 1 John 2:12-17: Loving the World
Teacher: Krisan Marotta on October 02, 2013
John sets the world and the gospel in opposition to each other. You can’t serve them both. You have to choose and his exhortation is don’t choose the world.
05 1 John 2:18-28: Who is the liar?
Teacher: Krisan Marotta on October 09, 2013
John adds a second criteria to the marks of genuine believers: believing Jesus is the Christ.
06 1 John 2:29-3:12 Practicing Righteousness
Teacher: Krisan Marotta on October 16, 2013
No true believer is committed to sin as a lifestyle because God plants in believers a longing for holiness and righteousness which opposes any tendency to rebel. Believers no longer remain committed to a lifestyle of sin.
07 1 John 3:13-24 Love and Hate
Teacher: Krisan Marotta on October 23, 2013
How can John say that love is a mark of believers and hate is a mark of non-believers when we know believers who struggle with hate and non-believers who genuinely love others?
08 1 John 4:1-6 Marks of False Teachers
Teacher: Krisan Marotta on October 30, 2013
The Apostle John encourages us to identify false prophets two ways: by the content of what they say (4:2) and by the origin of what they say (4:6).
09 1 John 4:7-19 Perfect Love
Teacher: Krisan Marotta on November 06, 2013
The apostle John explains why self-sacrificing love is a mark of a believer. In a nutshell, self-sacrificing love (as exemplified by the cross) is part of God’s holy character and God is in the process of giving us His character.
10 1 John 4:20-5:12 These 3 Testify: Water,Blood & Spirit
Teacher: Krisan Marotta on November 13, 2013
John tells us genuine believers will confess that Jesus is the Christ — the Jesus who was confirmed by three witnesses: “water”, “blood” and “the Spirit.”
11 1 John 5:13-21 Confidence in the Gospel
Teacher: Krisan Marotta on November 20, 2013
John’s conclusion is you can have confidence about three things: 1) that you have eternal LIFE, 2) that your sin cannot jeopardize that LIFE and 3) that his gospel message is true.
