1 John Overview

Question. How can we know Jesus?

Answer: We can know Jesus because he has given us his spirit, which allows us to love.

WWII Story

Questions we might have:

How can we know our faith is… real, the only way to God, Jesus exists.

If these things aren’t true, then the message can’t be true as well.

·         John knew Jesus personally. 1 john 1-7

o   The people who John was writing to had never met Jesus. V.1 

o   He wanted to convey that believers could have confidence in who Jesus Christ was.  With this letter, we can have that same confidence.   V.2

o   What they are proclaiming in v. 3 is the Gospel.

Jesus said that the one who loves him will keep his commands, John 14:21

            Jesus gives some strange commands: forgive our enemies.

Later, John expresses Jesus giving a new commandment, that we love one another.

·         New and Old Commandment 1 John 2 7-11

·         This is an old commandment (Jn 13:34)

·         Yet it is new, because it is different from the patterns of the world (the darkness is fading away, and the true light is already shining)

·         People are being made completely new because of Christ, our old selves are being thrown away!

·         The truth of the gospel is revealed in the new ways that we love one another.

·         We know we are in him, because we walk in the light: 2:5,6

We can’t love other’s under our own power, we need God’s help.

·         Let us love one another 1 John 4 7-13

o   When we love each other, we display God’s love

o   We were built to love each other, because God is love

o   When we don’t love each (bitterness, envy, strife) our relationship with God is broken because we are living outside of his character.

o   Vs. 9-10 display that God’s love is sacrificial, and ours must be as well.

o   By this we know that we have God, we have his spirit.

Ultimately Jesus said we could have faith

Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

o   John concludes his letter in vs. 5: 13

Ultimatly, we can know that we have eternal life, that’s why John wrote the letter.

We can know that we have eternal life if we love one another, because love comes from God.