Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Lesson One
OVERVIEW OF 1 JOHN
When you receive a letter from someone, how do you begin examining it? If you are like most people, you probably start by reading the whole letter through to get a general idea of what the writer has to say. You pay attention to the main ideas and feelings the sender is communicating, and you are alert for sections that you want to look at more closely later.
This is just the way to begin studying a biblical letter. First John is God's Word, but He chose to give us this information through a letter from an ordinary man to an ordinary group of Christians. Later you will want to think about what God is saying to you through this letter, but for now, imagine that you are one of John's original readers receiving this letter from a respected friend. Take about fifteen to thirty minutes to read through 1 John, not stopping to ponder phrases but scanning for the total message. If possible, read it twice in different translations. Read at least part of the letter aloud so that you can hear as well as see it. You can jot notes for questions 1 through 3 as you read or afterward.
1. What attitudes and feelings toward his readers does John show? (Also, how does he show his feelings?)
________________________________________ ________________________________________
2. Repetition is a clue to the ideas a writer wants to emphasize, and John makes especially strong use of this technique. List as many as possible of the key words, phrases, and ideas he repeats. ________________________________________ ________________________________________
3. You might find it difficult to decide for certain where John changes topics in his letter. He often seems to flow imperceptibly from one idea to the next. So, to help you make a broad outline of 1 John, we've chosen some rather arbitrary places to break the letter into sections. Make up a title or short summary for each passage. (You can change the divisions if you like.)
1:1-4___________________________________ ________________________________________
1:5–2:11__________________________ ________________________________________
2:12-14_________________________________ ________________________________________
2:15-17_________________________________ ________________________________________
2:18-27_________________________________ ________________________________________
2:28–3:10_________________________ ________________________________________
3:11-24_________________________________ ________________________________________
4:1-6___________________________________ ________________________________________
4:7–5:5___________________________ ________________________________________
5:6-12__________________________________ ________________________________________
5:13-21_________________________________ ________________________________________
4. What does John say about certain other people (not his readers)? Who are they, how does he feel about them, and why? (See, for instance, 2:1-26.) ________________________________________ ________________________________________
5. Two of the ideas John repeats are what we may have confidence about and what we know for certain. In what may we have confidence (see 3:21; 4:17; 5:14)? ________________________________________ ________________________________________
6. Over and over, John emphasizes what we know and how we can be certain that we know it. From the following verses, write down what we know and what tests assure us.
7. What four purposes does John state in the following verses?
1:4_____________________________________ ________________________________________
2:1_____________________________________ ________________________________________
2:26____________________________________ ________________________________________
5:13____________________________________ ________________________________________
8. From your first reading of John's letter, how would you summarize its main themes or purposes? ________________________________________ ________________________________________
9. If you have not already done so, read the Introduction on pages 9–13. If you feel you would like more background about 1 John, you might write your questions here. Some of your questions may be answered later in this study; the Study Aid sources on pages 143–147 may answer others. ________________________________________ ________________________________________
10. Your overview of 1 John may have suggested questions about particular passages that you would like to pursue as you go deeper into the book. If so, jot them down now while your thoughts are still fresh. Your questions can serve as personal objectives for your further investigation. ________________________________________ ________________________________________
11. Think about the purposes you wrote in questions 7 and 8. How are any of them relevant or important to your life? ________________________________________ ________________________________________
12. Is there some part of John's letter that you would like to think and pray about this week, or something you want to act on? If so, describe your plans. ________________________________________ ________________________________________
For the group
This "For the group" section and the ones in later lessons are intended to suggest ways of structuring your discussions. Feel free to select and adapt what suits your group. The main goals are to get to know 1 John as a whole and the people with whom you are going to study it.
Worship. Most groups like to begin with some kind of worship — a few minutes of prayer and/or a couple of songs. Worship helps people lay aside the business of the day and focus on God. It relaxes, renews, and opens you to listen to the Lord and each other. If you don't already have worship built into your meetings in some way, discuss how you might do so.
Warm-up. The beginning of a new study is a good time to lay a foundation for honest sharing of ideas, to get comfortable with each other, and to encourage a sense of common purpose. One way to establish common ground is to talk about what each group member hopes to get out of your group — out of any prayer, singing, sharing, outreach, or anything else you might do together. Why do you want to study 1 John? What do you hope to give as well as receive? If you have someone write down each member's hopes and expectations, then you can look back at these goals later to see if they are being met.
How to use this study. If the group has never used a LifeChange study guide before, you might take a whole meeting to discuss your goals for the group and go over the "How to Use This Study" section on pages 5–8. Then you can take a second meeting to talk about the background on pages 9–13 and the overview questions. This will give you more time to read 1 John and prepare lesson 1 for discussion.
Reading. It is often helpful to refresh everyone's memory by reading aloud the passage you are going to study. You probably won't want to read all of 1 John, but consider having someone read, for instance, 1:1-4, another read 1:5–2:2, and another 4:7-21. These selections will remind the group of John's themes, his style, and his personality.
First impressions. Ask the group to share first impressions of John's letter — its style, mood, content, or whatever strikes you. For instance, how is 1 John like and unlike letters group members write or receive, or like and unlike a sermon, a graduation speech, or advice from a father? What is John like as a person? How does he feel about his readers and about certain other people? What are his main topics? Help the group see 1 John as a real letter from a person to real people for some specific purposes.
The background should help you understand the setting of 1 John. Ask the group to describe the connections among syncretism, early Gnosticism, and what John has to say.
When you apply John's words, you'll have to transfer them from that first-century setting to your own. What signs of syncretism (mixing of religions and value systems) and Gnostic-like ideas do you observe in your day? What are some general ways in which John's words are relevant today? In what specific ways might you take to heart something he says? Encourage the group to pray about how the epistle applies to each of you personally. If some members are not used to purposefully applying a passage to themselves, take time at this or your next meeting to make up a sample application of some part of 1 John. The Study Skill on page 32 gives one example.
When you cover question 3, remind everyone that there is no one right way to title a passage. Compare and discuss the merits of different titles.
Questions. Give everyone a chance to share questions about the letter or the study guide. It is good to clear up confusion as early as possible. You may want to leave some questions about the book until later in your study; they may answer themselves if you are looking for answers. Point out the list of references on pages 143–147, and encourage members to bring questions to their pastors or other Christians they respect.
Outline. First John is not an easy book to outline, for John weaves topics together and flows from idea to idea. Therefore, many different outlines have been made. You may want to find several to compare from study Bibles, commentaries, and Bible handbooks. Here is one example:
I. Introduction: The Reality of the Incarnation (1:1-4)
II. The Christian Life as Fellowship with the Father and the Son (1:5–2:28)
A. Ethical Tests of Fellowship (1:5–2:11)
B. Two Digressions (2:12-17)
C. Christological Test of Fellowship (2:18-28)
III. The Christian Life as Divine Sonship (2:29–4:6)
A. Ethical Tests of Sonship (2:29–3:24)
B. Christological Test of Sonship (4:1-6)
IV. The Christian Life as an Integration of the Ethical and the Christological (4:7–5:12)
A. The Ethical Test: Love (4:7–5:5)
B. The Christological Test (5:6-12)
V. Conclusion: Great Christian Certainties (5:13-21)
Wrap-up. The group leader should have read lesson 2 and its "For the group" section. At this point, he or she can give a short summary of what members can expect in that lesson and the coming meeting. This is a chance to whet everyone's appetite, assign any optional questions, omit or clarify any numbered questions, or forewarn members of any possible difficulties.
You might also encourage anyone who found the overview especially hard. Some people are better at seeing the big picture or the whole of a book than others. Some are best at analyzing a particular verse or paragraph, while others are strongest at seeing how a passage applies to our lives. Urge members to give thanks for their own and others' strengths, and to give and request help when needed. The group is a place to learn from each other. Later lessons will draw on the gifts of close analyzers as well as overviewers and appliers, practical as well as theoretical thinkers.
Worship. Many groups like to end with singing and/or prayer. This can include songs and prayers that respond to what you've learned from 1 John, or prayers for specific needs of group members. Many people are shy about sharing personal needs or praying aloud in groups, especially before they know the other people well. If this is true of your group, then a song and/or some silent prayer, and a short closing prayer by the leader, might be an appropriate end. You could share requests and pray in pairs instead.
Study Skill — Broad Outline
To trace the train of thought in a biblical book, it is often helpful to sketch a general outline of it during your overview. On your first reading, notice where the writer's thought shifts, and mark the major sections of the book. Then, go back and give each section a title that expresses what it is about (see question 3). Key phrases in the section may give you clues to good titles.
Study Skill — Themes and Purposes
People normally write letters in response to some situation in their own or their readers' lives. They usually have reasons for choosing the topics they cover in their letters. Although it is often not possible to reconstruct the precise reasons that prompted a letter, any insight in this area will help us understand a writer's message.
Our own purpose for studying a letter will often be different from its original purpose, but how we understand and apply a writer's words should be influenced by how he and the Holy Spirit meant them to be understood and applied in the first century. A clear idea of what we think John's letter is about, even if we have to modify it later, is a better foundation than a vague one.
Study Skill — Application
James 1:22 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17 remind us of the primary reason we study God's Word — to let it affect our lives so that we will fully become the people God desires. Therefore, the last step of Bible study should always be to ask yourself, "What is God saying to me? What difference should this passage make to my life? How should it make me want to think or act?" Application will require time, thought, prayer, and perhaps even discussion with another person.
At times you may find it most productive to concentrate on one specific application, giving it careful thought and prayer. At other times you may want to list many implications a passage of Scripture has for your life, meditating on them all for several days before you choose one for concentrated prayer and action. Use whatever method helps you to take to heart and act on what the passage says.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "1, 2 & 3 John"
by .
Copyright © 2013 The Navigators.
Excerpted by permission of NavPress.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
