1 JOHN LESSON 1

     This letter could probably be classified as a general letter. It
is as current for our church today, as it was for then. The apostle
John, who wrote St. John and Revelation, is without doubt the author.
The purpose of the letter was probably to help the church avoid error
in its teaching.

     The letter was probably written from Ephesus, but is really
uncertain. The exact date of the writing was uncertain, as well. It
was probably written in the late 90's A.D.  This letter brings special
teaching on Jesus as the Light, Life, and Love.

     The letter was full of statements stressing what we know of the
Lord and His teachings. It is specifically, or indirectly, mentioned
over 30 times. I have said this before in the gospel of John, but John
knew Jesus better than any of the other apostles. The love that John
had for Jesus, and Jesus for John, was like a great relationship of
two brothers.

     As we go through these 3 letters of John, notice the closeness he
had with Jesus that made him even more aware of the person of Jesus.

     We will begin now in I John 1:1 "That which was from the
beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,
which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of
life;"

     John was there from the beginning. His knowledge is first-hand.
John is not writing from something someone else has told him, He is
stating things he knows to be fact. John is aware that Jesus is the
Word, which created all things. John 1:1 "In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."  John 1:2 "The
same was in the beginning with God."  John 1:3 "All things were made
by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."  John
was there when Jesus spoke to evil spirits, and they came out of
people. John saw the miracles of those being raised from the dead, and
the sick healed. John was there when Jesus gave the Sermon on the
Mount. John was there when Jesus walked on the water. It is a gross
understatement to say that he touched Jesus. John lay with his head on
the chest of Jesus. John was called the apostle of love, because of
his great love for Jesus. John understood Jesus being the Lamb of God.
John knew that Life itself was contained in Jesus. John knew that
Jesus was the source of all Light and Life, as we see in the following
Scripture. John 1:4 "In him was life; and the life was the light of
men." The only life we have is in Jesus, all else brings death.

     I John 1:2 "(For the life was manifested, and we have seen [it],
and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with
the Father, and was manifested unto us;)"

     "Manifested" means made real. Jesus is eternal Spirit {the Word},
and yet He took on the body of mortal man to reveal Himself to
mankind.  He took on the form of flesh and dwelt among us for the
purpose of experiencing our difficulties in the flesh. He, also, took
on the form of flesh that He might save us from our sin and death. The
death of His body on the cross brought salvation to all mankind. He
gave the opportunity of salvation to all who would believe. "To bear
witness" means to tell of something you have seen with your own eyes.
Jesus is the quickening Spirit that brings eternal life to us. John
11:25 "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he
that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:"  John
11:26 "And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
Believest thou this?"  John 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way,
the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
I John 5:11 "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal
life, and this life is in his Son."

     I John 1:3 "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto
you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our
fellowship [is] with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ."

     The reason God made man in the first place, was for fellowship
with him. John 14:20 "At that day ye shall know that I [am] in my
Father, and ye in me, and I in you."  John 17:21 "That they all may be
one; as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may
be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me."
We read so much about man being made in the image of God. This is
exactly what this Scripture is stating here. It is our spirit that
becomes like the God Spirit. God is a Spirit. If we are to be like
Him, it is in our spirit. To fellowship with the Father and Jesus
Christ, we would have to become spirit man, not flesh man. Flesh
fellowships with other flesh. To fellowship with God, we must crucify
our flesh and live in the spirit. John was just such a man. On the
Isle of Patmos, when no one else was looking, he was in the Spirit on
the Lord's day. Let your Spirit rule over your flesh, and you will be
like John.

     I John 1:4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may
be full.

     To realize the relationship we can have with the Father and the
Lord Jesus does bring joy unspeakable. Christians have hope of the
resurrection that the world does not have. Our fellowship with the
Father and Jesus does not have to wait until we are in heaven with
them. When we allow Jesus to dwell within us, we can have constant
fellowship. This brings peace in the midst of the stormy world.

     I John 1:5 "This then is the message which we have heard of him,
and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at
all."

     Notice, in this, that God is not a Light. He is Light. He is the
source of all Light. Light does away with darkness. There is no
darkness at all where there is God. Light destroys darkness. We hear
some say that Christians can be possessed of devil spirits. This can
not be, because Christians have the Light of the world dwelling inside
of them. They are possessed of the Light. This Light does away with
darkness. Devil spirits are of darkness. You can not be possessed of
darkness and Light at the same time. Light does away with darkness. A
Christian can be oppressed from without, but not possessed from
within. God does not give light, He is Light. We Christians give off
His Light. Christ in me is the hope of glory. Jesus Christ is the
Light of the world. If He is in me, I am consumed with His Light.
Christian, let His Light shine forth from you so brightly that the
Father will be glorified in your works. To "declare" is more than just
tell. It means it is so. He {John} is stating a fact.

     I John 1:6 "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk
in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:"

     Walk, in this particular instance, is speaking of the life that
we live every day. To fellowship with darkness, means we are away from
the Light. To be part of the dark side of life, makes us a part of the
devil. To say we are a Christian, and live in darkness, makes us a
liar. The truth is, we have chosen the devil over God. Life in Christ
leaves no room for fellowship with the devil.

     I John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light,
we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his
Son cleanseth us from all sin."

     I see in this the need for Christians to have friends who are
Christians, too. We must remain in the Light of God. Walk daily with
Jesus and other Christians, and the world will get dimmer and dimmer.
Notice the blood of Jesus Christ continuing to cleanse us from all
sin, when we are in the Light. The more we walk the Christian walk,
the easier it gets to stay in the narrow path of Light that leads to
Him.

     I John 1:8 "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us."

     We are not completely free of sin because we are saved, but the
desire of our heart must be not to sin. The sin must be of an outward
nature and not part of us. All have sinned and come short of the glory
of God. We walk in His forgiveness.

     I John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to
forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

     "Confess" means to mention the exact sin. This is the first step
to forgiveness. Christians are not righteous in their own right. We
have taken on the righteousness of Christ. We are washed in the blood
of the Lamb and robed in His white robe.

     I John 1:10 "If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a
liar, and his word is not in us."

     All have sinned. When we become a Christian, we must not live in
sin. It must not be our way of life. We must not desire to sin in our
heart.
                          1 John 1 Questions


1.  How could this letter be classified?
2.  Who wrote it?
3.  Approximately when was it written?
4.  What statement was stressed over and over in this letter?
5.  What was the love of Jesus and John like?
6.  The closeness of Jesus and John made John more aware of the
    ________ of Jesus.
7.  What is Jesus called in verse 1?
8.  Quote John chapter 1 verse 1.
9.  Who created all things?
10. Name some of the things that John had first-hand knowledge of
    about Jesus' ministry.
11. In Him was _______.
12. What does verse 2 say was manifested?
13. What does the word "manifested" mean?
14. Jesus is ___________ Spirit {the Word}.
15. Why did Jesus take on the form of flesh?
16. Who did Jesus provide salvation for?
17. Quote John chapter 14 verse 6.
18. The life He has given us is in whom?
19. What brings unspeakable joy to the Christian?
20. What did John declare in verse 5?
21. Why can a Christian not be possessed of a devil spirit?
22. If we say we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we
    ____.
23. When does the blood of Jesus Christ cleanse us from all
    unrighteousness.
24. Who have sinned?
25. Quote 1 John chapter 1 verse 9.
26. What does "confess" mean?
27. We must not desire to sin in our __________.