Teaching Outline: Learning to Understand the Bible with 1 John 4:1-6

Welcome and Icebreaker (5 min)

• Activity: What’s the hardest thing about reading the Bible?

• Ask 2-3 people to share quick answers (e.g., “Old words,” “What does it mean?”).

• Transition: Today, we’ll learn a simple way to understand the Bible better, using a short passage as our guide.

What is Interpretation and Why It Matters (10 min)

• Explain (3 min):

• Interpretation is figuring out what the Bible means. It’s like solving a puzzle! It is taking all of those pieces we find during the observation phase of study, and putting them together, to complete the puzzle.

• The Bible was written a long time ago, and we believe it is the very words of God, so we need to be careful to get it right.

• Quick example: If I just walk up to you and say, “Cool.” What would you think I mean? Most likely something temperature related. If you are telling me about a meeting you had today and I say ‘cool,’ what do I mean? Cold or “great?” Context helps right. This is why the observation phase is important to have before the interpretation phase. Without knowing the surrounding context through observation, we will most likely misinterpret what we are reading.

• Introduce 1 John 4:1-6 (7 min):

• Read aloud together: 1 John 4:1–6 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”

• Simple summary: John says: Don’t trust every teacher—check if they’re telling the truth about Jesus. One reason we stress learning how to study the Bible here at Redeemer is because we want everyone to be able to discern what is true from what is false without anyone having to tell you. If we preach or teach something that doesn't sound right or is just straight up heresy, we want you all to be able to show us how we are wrong. It is not enough to say “you are wrong.” You need to be able to show why someone is wrong and that means knowing how to read and interpret Scripture on your own.

• Point: We’ll use this passage today to learn how to interpret better. So, we have to begin with observation.

Three Easy Steps to Interpret the Bible (15 min)

• Step 1: Look Closely (5 min)

• What do you see in the text?

• Activity:

• Using your observation skills mark, write down, underline whatever you do. Everyone has 2 minutes to underline words that stand out in 1 John 4:1-6 (e.g., “test,” “Jesus,” “truth”). I am timing you so when I say go start.

• Ask: What words popped out to you? (Write a few on the board.)

• Point: So, we start by noticing what’s there then we ask some questions and we begin to connect the dots. Putting the puzzle together.

• Step 2: Ask Questions (5 min)

• Ask who, what, when, where, and why.

• Activity:

• Pair up, ask one of the W questions and answer the question from the text itself. For example: “Why does John say to ‘test the spirits’?” Be able to answer that question straight from the text. You have 5 minutes so pair up real quick and ask these questions. (Timer 5 minutes)

• Share answers with the group. What question did you ask and what is the answer?

• Point: Questions help us dig deeper. They help us take what we find in observation and answer important question in order to understand the text better.

• Step 3: Scripture helps interpret Scripture (5 min)

• How does this passage fit with Jesus and the Bible? Who wants to take shot answering this question?

• Example:

• John says, “Jesus came in the flesh” (v. 2). That matches John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

• False teachers said Jesus wasn’t real or he at least was not divine, they essentially deny the incarnation of Christ—John, in his gospel account, says, “No, He was real! Jesus, the Word, became flesh and blood just as we are and lived among us in all His glory!” One really good way of doing his is to look at all of your cross references and see how the Scriptures connect. The hard work has been done for you. (show how to look for cross references)

• Point: The Bible helps explain itself. Scripture interprets Scripture.

Try It Out: A Practical Example (10 min)

• Scenario: Someone says, ‘Jesus was just a good guy, not God’s Son.’ Does that pass John’s test?

• Group Activity:

• Use the 3 steps (3 min): Read 1 John 4:2–3 “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.”

1. Look: What does this say about Jesus?

2. Ask: Why does John care about this?

3. Connect: Does this match the Bible’s truth? Are there any cross references? Where else in Scripture do we see this teaching?

• Share answers (5 min):

• Expect: No, it fails—John says true teachers confess Jesus came from God in the flesh.

• Point: You just interpreted the Bible!

Wrap-Up and Take-Home Challenge (5 min)

• Quick Recap (2 min):

• We learned 3 steps: Look closely, ask questions, and connect Scripture with Scripture.

• The point of 1 John 4:1-6 shows us how to be more discerning about what we hear from others when it comes to Jesus.

• Encouragement (2 min):

• You don’t need to be a scholar—just take it step by step. Read the passage, ask questions, connect the dots, and think about how it applies to life. Remember to look for the who, what, when, where, and why of the passage. Figure out what is easiest for you and use that. Continue learning and expanding your study of the Word.

• Challenge (1 min):

• This week, read 3 John and try these steps. Don’t freak out, it is only 15 verses. Use the study guide template I gave you and walk through each step while reading the text, but mostly focus on observing and interpreting because next week will look at some application.