1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us 3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete. —1 John 1:1-4
1 John Part 1
Never become weary with repeating the same message from God’s word, whatever that message may be. —Jody Burkeen
Reason for John’s Message
13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life —1 John 5:13
30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. —John 20:30-31
As you go through this little epistle, you’ll find the word ‘know’ over again and again and again and again. 38 Times in 1,2,3 John
18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us. —1 John 2:18-1918 We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. 19 We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.’ —1 John 5:18-20
The
Test
2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. —1 John 4:2-3
‘Gnosticism produced a type of philosophical religion that was divorced from concrete history, for concrete history tells us that Jesus was born as a man in Bethlehem’s manger’ —James Montgomery Bioce‘The truth, the old truth that Calvin preached, that Augustine preached, is the truth that I must preach today, or else be false to my conscience and my God. I cannot shape truth, I know of no such thing as pairing off rough edges of a doctrine. John Knox’s gospel is my gospel, that which thundered through Scotland must thunder through England again!’ —CH Spurgeon
The
Test
3 By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;. —1 John 2:3-4
8 “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. —1 John 1:8,10
‘While we are flawed, there must be a real, habitual, and substantial obedience to God’ —Jody Burkeen
The
Test
If someone says “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also. —1 John 4:20-21
‘It is not Christ walking on the sea, but His ordinary walk that we are called on here to imitate’ —Martin Luther