1 John 1 FSI - HEAR, O EARTH

> [!title|noicon] **1 John 1 Notes** > [[1 John 2 FSI|Next>]] > [[1 John 1|Verse list view]] > **1 John Introduction:** *God's Great Love* > > We are going to carefully go through the book of First John in order to see what God will teach us. This book is found near the end of the New Testament, and is also referred to as The First Epistle of John. > > There is one subject we want to address before we get into the first chapter. We often make reference to the writer of a book in the Bible. For example, we say that the Apostle Paul wrote the Epistles, Matthew wrote the book of Matthew, John wrote 1 John and Revelation, the prophet Isaiah wrote the book of Isaiah, and so on. So we get the impression that the Bible was written by various writers. But when we get used to looking at the whole Bible, we come up with a different conclusion altogether. God used many people to pen the words in the Bible. So how do we know what to trust? Can we dare say that God Himself wrote the entire Bible? > > What we must never lose sight of is the fact that the entire Bible is the infallible – which means absolutely correct - Word of God. God is the author of the Bible, which is His Book. We can say with no hesitation that the author of the Bible is God Himself. > > But God used many people to serve as His scribes. A scribe is someone who writes something down as if he himself is the author. King David made this declaration in [2 Samuel 23:2](2%20Samuel%2023.md#^2): “The spirit of the LORD spake by me, and His word was in my tongue.” And we read in [Jeremiah 36:1](Jeremiah%2036.md#^1) - [2](Jeremiah%2036.md#^2), for example, that God told the prophet Jeremiah to write into a book the words that God would give him. > > God declared in [2 Peter 1:21](2%20Peter%201.md#^21) these important words: “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” That is to say, as God wrote the Bible, He gave the words to the writers. > > The writers of the Bible did not write their own words, they wrote God’s words as God gave them. That is why we can say with confidence that the entire Bible came from the mouth of God. That is why we can say that the whole Bible is infallible; that is, it has no errors in it. > > The translators of the Bible have occasionally made errors in translation, which is why there is no perfect translation, and we want to be careful to use the best possible version of the Bible, such as the King James Version. But the Word of God itself is perfect and infallible, as God wrote it. > > God is the ultimate author of every word in the Bible in the original manuscripts. That is why even though the Bible was written over a period of about 1,500 years, it is a very cohesive whole. So when we read a verse in the Bible we know we are reading the words that God put there for us to read. This is the only way we can understand how the whole Bible came into existence. > > Indeed we can read in [2 Timothy 3:16](2%20Timothy%203.md#^16) this very important statement: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” > > With this statement, God is assuring us that every part of the Bible is to be understood as coming directly from God, and is therefore absolutely trustworthy as the Word of God. This is a stupendous proof that every word in the original manuscripts is trustworthy, and certain to be from the mouth of God - and there is no one in the universe who is more important than God Himself. > > To be sure we understand that the entire Bible came from God, God gives this warning at the very end of the Bible, in Revelation 22:18-19[Revelation 22:18](Revelation%2022.md#^18) - [19](Revelation%2022.md#^19): > > *For I testify unto every man that hears the words of this prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.* > > What a solemn declaration! Are we listening? In other words, it is all or none. We cannot claim that parts of the Bible came from God and parts were written by men and are therefore not trustworthy. That is not possible, and is not right. We must realize that the Bible as it was laid out and printed came entirely from Almighty God, and we put our entire trust in it. > > If we doubt even one verse of the Bible, then we must doubt the entire Bible. That is why God gives us this very strong warning – we are not allowed to take anything away from what is written, or to add anything else. The Bible is complete as it stands. > > With that principle firmly in mind, let us begin our study of the book of First John, as God guided the Apostle John. ^1jn-intro > [1 John 1:1](1%20John%201.md#^1) - [2](1%20John%201.md#^2) note > > The questions we immediately are faced with are: What was from the beginning? And, who are the “we” in these verses? First of all, what is “that which was from the beginning”? > > We know from the first verse in the Bible, [Genesis 1:1](Genesis%201.md#^1), that “in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” This was the beginning of the world as we know it. We also find reference to the beginning in the Gospel of [John 1:1](John%201.md#^1), where we read: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” > > So that which was from the beginning must be speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ, for He is the very Word of God. He clearly identifies with the Word, and He is the Creator. > > Secondly, we read here in 1 John 1:1, “which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon.” Who does “we” refer to? > > God does not specifically give us this information. However, by virtue of the characteristics of what is declared in these verses, we can come to the conclusion that “we” refers to those who spent time with Jesus while He was physically present here on earth. The ones who spent the most time with Jesus were His 12 disciples, including the Apostle John, who is considered to be the writer of this book. > > John is declaring that they have heard and seen and looked upon and handled the Word of life, who is Christ Himself. They bear witness that Jesus is the source of eternal life. He was with the Father, and now has shown it unto us. These things did happen, without any question. They are witnesses. Three times in the first three verses it is stated that they have seen it. They were eye-witnesses of the Lord Jesus and all that He said and did, so we know that what they wrote is dependable. These words of testimony were written for all who would read them. ^1jn1-1-2 > [1 John 1:3](1%20John%201.md#^3) note > > They now declare these things unto you, the readers, for the purpose of having fellowship with them, and ultimately with the Father and Jesus Christ His Son. We want to have fellowship with Christ, who is our Lord if we are a child of God. ^1jn1-3 > [1 John 1:4](1%20John%201.md#^4) note > > Why will these words give us joy? Because it is through Christ that we can be filled with joy. > > Christ spoke similar words in the [John 15:11](John%2015.md#^11), where He declared: “These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” > > God wants us to be filled with joy, but it is the joy that only He can give us, and is a result of our relationship with Christ. What a wonderful relationship! The eye witnesses of Jesus are writing these things about Christ in order that we might have this kind of wonderful joy. Our joy will be full! > > As we go on in this passage we will see how we are to walk in fellowship with Christ, and we will receive more instruction from God as to how we are to live as a child of God. ^1jn1-4 > [1 John 1:5](1%20John%201.md#^5), [6](1%20John%201.md#^6), [7](1%20John%201.md#^7) note > > We don’t know how that cleansing power of God works in our life when we bring testimony and bring the truth, but we know that this is a Biblical principle that God gives us. We have fellowship with Him if we are in the light as He is in the light, and that can be evidence that we have been cleansed from our sins. > > To walk in the light means that every action and desire in our life is to be altogether obedient to the Lord Jesus, who is our King. That is what we have to think about when we claim to walk in the light. Am I really obedient to the Lord Jesus, and is He really the King of my life? It means that we will want to constantly examine what we believe and what we do, that truly our chief concern will be complete obedience to Christ. That means we will constantly engage in examination of our life, to see if our actions are in agreement with our testimony. If our action is not in agreement with our testimony, then we are lying, and this is deadly serious in regard to our spiritual life. > > The message being proclaimed here in 1 John 1 is that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. Christ is the Light of life. When Christ was here upon earth, He had declared this openly and publicly. We read His words in [John 8:12](John%208.md#^12): “I am the light of the world; he that follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” > > Christ Himself declared that He is the Light of the world. We would never contest this statement. But the issue is: if He is the Light of the world, do I, who claim to belong to Christ, follow Him very obediently? If I don’t, then I don’t want that Light. If we are walking with Christ, we are walking in the Light. We are no longer under the darkness of sin. If we are not walking in the Light, we are walking in sin. Am I walking in the path that is the Lord Jesus, or am I walking in my own path? > > Walking in darkness is terminology that refers to an unsaved person, because that person is walking in his own light, not in the Light of Christ. The entire world is in spiritual darkness and in need of the Light of Christ, who is the giver of eternal life. That is why we try so hard to share the Gospel with the world wherever we can – the Gospel of the Light of Christ. > > What about those who say they have fellowship with Christ but actually walk in darkness? To “say” is to use words, but to “walk” is to use actions. In other words, if we say we have fellowship with Christ, we should be living a life that shows this to be true. There should be an ongoing desire to have Jesus as the King and Owner of my life if I am walking with Him. If we say, “I know I am a child of God,” then we should be able to examine our lives honestly and examine the evidence of how we are living, to see if we are walking in a way that is pleasing to the Lord. > > What is the Light? The Light of God is the Gospel, and has to do with doing His will. If we find that we are disobeying a law of God, we must make correction. That can be a situation that develops in the life of a child of God. This is the moment of truth: where is our daily walk? In the Light, or in the darkness? Are we walking with Christ or walking with our own rules? If that is the case, we must pray for wisdom, and pray that God will guide us into His Light. > > There is no darkness at all in God. If we are still living in sin, then we are in spiritual darkness, and we are not in fellowship with Christ. To live in sin means to live in a disobedient way, and that is something we have to examine in our lives. We should be very serious about this. If we are not following Christ, we are not in the truth. > > Our walk with the Lord must be according to God’s standards and ideas, not our own standards and ideas. That is why it is so wonderful that we have the Bible, and we have the principles of how we are to walk given to us in the Bible. And we should not fail to read the Bible again and again, and bring our concerns to the Lord, and pray for wisdom. We want to do it God’s way, and only God’s way. We know that the Bible’s standards are superior to those we find in our own thinking. > > We can know we are a child of God because we are walking in His commandments, the way He has proclaimed that walk to be. So we should not hesitate to study our walk, and proclaim to others how they should walk. It is so wonderful that we can pray; we can cry out to God, “Oh God, give me truth. I don’t know what to do in this situation.” We must never forget the importance of prayer and the activity of prayer. It should be part of every believer’s life as he struggles to come closer to God. > > This then is when we have true fellowship with Christ, as we follow Him. As we had read in 1 John 1:3, “truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.” That is our true fellowship that we seek for and long for, and will find if we are a child of God. We can, of course, have fellowship with other believers. We can talk about the Lord and about the Bible, and sing songs of worship. This is very enjoyable and uplifting for Christian brothers and sisters in the Lord. But ultimately our fellowship is with God. > > God has more to say about fellowship. For example, we read in [1 Corinthians 1:9](1%20Corinthians%201.md#^9): “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” > > On the contrary, we read in [Ephesians 5:11](Ephesians%205.md#^11): “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” > > God is here again warning us against the darkness of sin. We are to be in the Light of Christ, and to have nothing at all to do with the works of darkness in this world. If we are a child of God, we are called unto the fellowship of Jesus Christ. He is the only Light in this dark world. This is the message being proclaimed in 1 John. ^1jn1-5-6-7 > [1 John 1:8](1%20John%201.md#^8), [9](1%20John%201.md#^9), [10](1%20John%201.md#^10) note > > The word “just” in verse 9 has to do with the *righteousness* of God. God is absolutely righteous and perfect in all that He does, and when we talk about anything Jesus does, it is always perfectly just. > > Clearly God is making the point that we are all sinners. We don’t like this one bit, but here is a fact that we have to live with as a human being. By nature we are sinners, and the quicker we accept that as a fact, the more progress we will make in understanding God’s provision for sinners. If we say that we do not sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and we do not have truth. This statement is in the Bible and we cannot get away from it. I must declare that I do sin. The Bible instructs us that we are sinners, and there is no value in trying to deny what we read in the Bible, and what we know really to be the case in our individual lives. > > All of us would like to declare, “I do not sin.” We may think God’s declaration about sin doesn’t include me because I am not very sinful. Or, I confessed my sins the other day so I’m fine. But this is utter nonsense. We don’t ever want to play games with sin. Sin is very real and very terrible. It is something that we have to deal with, and deal with honestly. I must declare that I do sin, even though I try to do things right. It is because I am conceived and born in sin, and I am part of a sinful world. Sin is always very close at hand in my life because this is a very sinful world. I don’t even recognize the sin in my life sometimes. > > Therefore we need the healing power and remedy of Christ’s love and forgiveness, because what Christ’s love produced in the world made all the difference. He knows my confession that I know I am a sinner. There’s no point in trying to avoid that confession, because it is a fact, but right after that I can go to God pleading for mercy. That sin of mine is there whether I like it or not. But God knows all about it. There is nothing I can hide from God. God knows everything about the sin in my life. Every one of us needs Christ’s love and forgiveness. > > But I am not as sin-free as I would like to believe. That is where the problem often lies – we don’t realize how much sin clings to us. We live in a sinful world; we are part of that sinful world; so that we no longer are able to distinguish our sinful lives from the world’s life of sin. And we get the naïve notion that we don’t live in sin. But it is not so. We have to face the fact that sin is very real in our lives. > > But it doesn’t stop there. God came for sinners. He came to give forgiveness to sinners. That identifies with me: I am a sinner who needs the help of the Lord Jesus Christ. And Christ is telling us here that He can give us help. God reminds us that we have sin, and it is God’s business to forgive our sins. > > The goal of a child of God is to be more sin-free. I know that sin is something ugly, and I want to be a child of God who has been washed clean. We only want to be obedient to Christ, whom we love. We know He is a forgiving God. It is so wonderful to be free from guilt because I know Christ will forgive me, because I am His child. Before we are saved we are trudging in dirty mud, as it were. We try to wash and just get dirtier. We want to walk out of the mud, and God will help us if we indeed are His child. But how do I become His child? > > We read in 1 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.” Many people think that wonderful verse teaches that if we confess our sins, we can be saved as a result of that confession, right at that moment. If you isolate this verse, it can give that impression. > > Theoretically that can be possible, but it is a verse that really shows us our condition and our need for Christ. It indicates a path we can walk. But we know from the rest of the Bible that nothing *we* do can save us. We can repeat this verse again and again and still be just as unsaved. Salvation is God’s work entirely, and we wait upon God to do His work of saving, if He has chosen to save us. > > As we walk with God and talk about these things, and search the Bible for more information, we have a desire to be clear of our sins. When God saves us, we come to understand that all of our sins have been paid for by the Lord Jesus Christ. Then when we begin to sense that God is working in our lives, we begin to look at our sin differently than before. I realize my desires are changing. I want more and more to only do God’s will. That must come into my life as something very important, and maybe there is hope for me that I too am becoming a child of God. > > 1 John 1:9 is written in the context of recognizing that we are sinners who need to confess our sin. Even after we are saved, sin continues to plague us. To make confession of sin is a necessary part of our relationship with God. “If we confess our sin” indicates that we must be sure that we do confess our sins. He – God Himself – is faithful and just to forgive our sins. What a promise! He is faithful and just and will certainly forgive us. We can depend upon it, because this is the Word of God, from God’s mouth. God is faithful and just! Praise God – He has forgiven my sins! > > And He cleanses us from all unrighteousness. Why does He say “all”? Because God is assuring us that He will forgive all of our sins. Not just some of our unrighteousness - all unrighteousness. This is God’s declaration. God says plainly that He reacts to our confession. > > When we are a child of God, we want to try to be as obedient to Christ as possible, because sin continues to plague us. We don’t hesitate to cry out to Him for mercy. The wonderful thing is that the more we go to Christ pleading for forgiveness, the more our relationship with Christ grows. We should want to stay close to Christ. We want Him to be our Savior, and our only Savior. We know that Christ – the One we are learning about and learning to love devotedly – will forgive us. Praise God for that kind of a Savior - Someone who makes promises and keeps His promises. > > We know that He has promised to forgive our sins, but we want and need that right relationship all the time. That is something we need to cultivate, because by nature we also think we need the world. We don’t need it at all, but we think we do. We need the world like we need poison! Confessing our sins will bring us closer to Christ, and help us have victory over all our sins. We want to be like Christ; that is our goal. > > So as Christians we want to confess our sins to God regularly, as we strive to gain victory over all sin. But what does it mean to confess our sins? To confess is not just to say nice words to God. It means to be *completely* honest with God; to turn away from sin and ask for mercy for that sin, and hold nothing back as we confess our needs. > > As a child of God we are to hate the sin in our life so badly that it is making us exceedingly uncomfortable. It is ruining our relationship with God. Sin should have no part in our life; it should be completely alien to us. Have you got that clearly in your minds? This is the nature of a child of God. So when we see sin in our life we are to cry to God for help and mercy. > > But if there is no change as far as sin having residence in our life, then we are in trouble with God and we must deal with that by again crying out to God for mercy. We must ask God to help us hate the sin in our life and take it out. “Oh God have mercy; make this sin be completely gone out of my life.” If we don’t get that sin out of our life, it will continue to plague us and grab hold of us. We want God to be entirely active in helping us. We have to deal with this sin and pay attention to it, and ask God to pay attention to it, because we want victory over that sin. > > After we have achieved victory, then the evidence that we really have victory is that the temptation to sin is gone. That sin is no longer troubling us. Otherwise that sin is still standing in the way of my right relationship with Christ, which I should have as a child of God. We must keep pleading with God; we don’t have to hesitate at all. We need God’s help again and again to protect us from sin. > > Only after we have achieved victory over that sin can we feel our right relationship with Christ has been restored. Only then can we feel joy in our soul, because we know we have been forgiven and cleansed. When we finally frankly and honestly see our sin, and we openly confess to our Savior without any holding back - that is when we feel the joy of forgiveness and Christ’s love. > > I know that God forgave my sins when He saved me. That was God’s action entirely, and my confession of sin was not necessary for salvation. However, I know I am clean with God because I confessed my sin. This is what I need again and again. > > The Bible adds a solemn note with verse 10 that we must look at very seriously: “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us.” > > To say that we make God a liar is very strong language. But that essentially is what we do if we insist we do not sin. If God’s Word is not in us, we are walking in sin. Only God’s Word can keep us from sin and give us victory over the sin in our life. But God must first do the work of salvation in our life by giving us a new, clean heart. Only then will we be able to walk joyfully with Christ, and have a right relationship with Him. ^1jn1-8-9-10 Tags: #New_Testament #1John #Gods_love #FSI