Today's Bible Study Lesson
“A Conquering Faith”
Aim: Remember
the
love of God described by the writer of 1 John,
Reflect
on
various expressions of God’s love in our lives, and Respond
to
the challenge to love others with Christ-like love.
Background: 1 John
4-5
Bible Lesson:
1 John
4:2-3, 13-17; 5:4-5
Memory
Verses:
“And
we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love;
and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” 1
John 4:16 KJV
Some
Highlights:
-
John
is the author of the books: The
Gospel according to John, 1 -3 John and Revelations. He was banished
to the Isle of Patmos for his service to the Lord. He was a disciple
of Jesus and an eyewitness of Jesus’ earthly ministry.
-
Our
Study in 1 John 4, warns and encourages the church to be vigilant
because there were false prophets seeking to lead the church members
astray. The chapter opens with “Beloved, believe not every spirit,
but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false
prophets are gone out into the world.”
-
The
test that John offers to the church to recognize true prophets was
to determine if the prophet acknowledges Jesus Christ as being the
Son of God. If so, then such a prophet has the Spirit of God
dwelling in him. However, a prophet who does not acknowledge Jesus
Christ, the
Messiah,
coming in flesh as the second person of the Godhead, he is not from
God and is part of the
Antichrist
movement. John reminds them that they had been warned in the past that such prophets would come and actually they
were already on the scene.
-
In
1 John 4: 4-12, John tells
the hearers that believers in Jesus Christ are from God and they
have overcome the world with the power of God. He further explains
that non-believers are of the world and speak of worldly matters not
matters of God. True believers by the aid of the Holy Spirit are
able to discern the Spirit of Truth from the spirit of error. Next,
John exhorts true believers to love one another because love comes
from God and that one who exhibits love demonstrates that they have
been born of God and that they know God. He reminds them that God
demonstrated His love to
them
and for us by sending Jesus His Only Begotten Son to die a
substitutional death for all who believe in Him. Jesus paid the sin
debt which was owed by all humankind. John argues the point that if
God so loved us, we ought to
love
one another. No man has ever seen God, it is our obligation to love
one another which shows that God abides in us and His love in us
will be made complete.
-
Our
Study picks back up in 1 John 4:13, when John explains that as
believers we
know
that we abide in God and that God abides in us because of the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead. John
gives his eyewitness testimony that God the Father sent His Son as
the Savior of the world for those who believe in Him. He further
states that this salvation is available to those who will make their
own confession that Jesus is the Son of God and because
of their faith in Jesus Christ
a believer can abide in God and God will abide within them. John
reiterates that God is love and whoever abides in love abides in God
and God abides in him. This intimate relationship with God gives a
believer confidence for the Day of Judgement. Believers know that
s/he is forgiven by God based upon one’s trust and faith in Jesus
Christ, who suffered and died on the Cross for our sins.
-
Our
Study moves on to 1 John 5:4-5 and concludes with John exclaiming
that we as Children of God have defeated this evil world. This
victory comes through our
faith in Jesus Christ. The
battle can only be won by those who believe in Jesus Christ the Son
of God!
Take
Aways:
-
We
must recognize that those who claim to be teachers of God must
acknowledge that Jesus Christ is
the Son of God and that he came to earth in flesh to make known the
Father and to make salvation available to all who believe in Him.
-
God
is love and expressing our love for one another gives evidence that
the Holy Spirit dwells within
us
and that we are truly Children of God.
-
Our
victory over the world is only possible through our faith in Jesus
Christ as the Son of God.
Bible
Verses to Keep in Mind:
“But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such
there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 KJV
“We
love him, because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19 KJV
“Ye
are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater
is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4
KJV
“Beloved,
believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of
God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” 1
John 4:1 KJV
“These
were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the
word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily,
whether those things were so.” Acts 17:11 KJV
“Study
to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV
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