Fellowship with God

1 JOHN 1:1-10 | KV 1:3
KEY VERSE | 1 JOHN 1:3

 “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.”

AUTHOR, DATE, RECIPIENTS

• Author: Apostle John

• John’s Gospel Similarities: light/darkness, life/death, love/hate, truth/lies; Jesus is God Incarnate; “love one another”

• Written: 90 A.D.

• Recipients: “my dear children,” “little children,” “beloved”  = young Christian disciples

TWO MAIN PURPOSES

(1) To plant assurance in Christians

• Believers are children of God

• Believers have eternal life & victory over the world

• Believers obey Jesus, do right & love others

(2) To help Christians discern the truth

• Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, the Savior of the world

• Jesus came in the flesh as a human being

BACKGROUND: FALSE TEACHING VS. TRUTH

EARLY FORM OF THE FALSE TEACHING: GNOSTICISM

• New Age ideas; a god disconnected from the world

• Spirit is good; physical realm is evil

• “secret knowledge (gnosis)” or “enlightenment” (like New Age thought)

• Jesus, a redeemer, but not God

• No need to repent of sin; ignorance was the only sin (hence, seeking knowledge)

• Ascetic Legalism (self-denial, self-righteousness) OR Licentiousness (sexual immorality)

• Rejected the Incarnation, the Atonement of Christ & the Gospel of Christ

MAIN THEMES

Jesus is the Son of God from the Father who entered this world
Jesus atoned for the sins of the world & destroyed the devil’s work
Believers have fellowship with God & with believers
Believers have forgiveness of sins and eternal life
Believers (1) love God, (2) love others, & (3) obey Jesus’ commands

CHARACTERISTICS

Christian Fellowship: With the Father and the Son, Jesus. With other believers in Jesus and his gospel.

God is Love. Christian life/fellowship. Selfless, unconditional. Demonstrated by Jesus’ life & death. Jesus’ love by the Holy Spirit is true love. This love overcomes the world.

God is Light. No evil/sin in God. God is only good. Followers walk in the light. They recognize sin, confess it, and grow in love and holiness. They renounce hatred with love and lies with truth. Jesus gives us truth, forgiveness, freedom, and victory.

CHARACTERISTICS (continued)

Jesus Christ is God Incarnate. Jesus is the Word of Life, the eternal life with the Father who became man. John heard, saw, and touched Jesus. John wanted to bring others into fellowship with God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ.

Believers’ conviction and lifestyle. Christians know: (1) all are sinners, (2) Jesus died for sinners, and (3) whoever believes in Jesus has salvation, hope, and eternal life. Christians not only know this, but also live out the gospel, in contrast to false teachers who reject Christ.

PURPOSE OF OUR STUDY OF 1 JOHN

Through this study, we want to:

(1) Know Jesus Christ more personally,
(2) Discern the true gospel from false teaching, and
(3) Have genuine fellowship with God and with other Christians.

Then we can have true joy, love, and victory in our Christian lives.