1st John Study Guide

© Edify Ministries 1998

  1. Introduction
    1. Circumstances of the writing
      1. Authorship

        2.  

      2. Date

        3.  

      3. Place

        4.  

      4. What’s going on in history? Secular/Church

       

       

    2. Observations on a first reading
      1. The author’s special definitions
      2. Author’s purpose
      3. Descriptions of the major forces
        1. Readers
        2. Antagonist(s)
        3. Author
      4. Tensions in the situation
        1. Antagonist-Reader-Affected
          2.

           

           

        2. Author-Reader- Affected

     

  3. Study Questions by Chapter
    1. Chapter 1
      1. What and where is the main clause in the first sentence?
      2. What is the purpose of what proceeds it?
      3. Why does John proclaim these things?
      4. The purpose of this writing is to fulfill whose joy?
      5. What is that joy?
      6. When was the "beginning"?
      7. What is the message that John is proclaiming?
      8. What is "fellowship"?
      9. How can we tell if we are in "fellowship"?
      10. What happens when we are in "fellowship"?
      11. Distinguish between sin and sins.
      12. From this chapter what are some evidences that one is a believer?
      13. What is some evidence that one is not a believer?
      14. Are these tests to be applied to others or us?
    2. Chapter 2
      1. Why does John say that he is writing?
      2. What is the cure for sin?
      3. If what sins of the whole world are propitiated is everybody going to be saved? If not what does this verse 2 mean?
      4. How do we know that we have come to know Jesus?
      5. How can we tell if someone has come to know Jesus?
      6. What is the result of keeping Jesus’ commandments?
      7. How can we tell that we are in Jesus? (verse 5)
      8. Is this a new or an old commandment?
      9. What is this commandment?
      10. What is the direct object of "love" in these verses?
      11. Contrast the lover and hater of the brother.
      12. Why the two halves of the poem in verses 12-14?
      13. Contrast the levels of maturity addressed in this poem.
      14. Give a summary of the command in verses 15-17.
      15. What is meant by ‘world’ in these verses?
      16. What does love of the world evidence?
      17. Explain the three "contents" of the world that are not from the Father.
      18. What is happening to the world?
      19. What is the result of doing the will of God?
      20. What is the last hour?
      21. How do we know that it is the last hour?
      22. Where did the antichrists come from?
      23. What special ability do the readers have to discern who is an antichrist?
      24. What is the truth that John refers to in verse 21?
      25. By contrast what is "the lie"?
      26. Can one have the Father and not the Son, or vise versa?
      27. What is it that they have heard from the beginning?
      28. Would the alternate meaning for "beginning," "one in authority, ruler," work in these verses? Why?
      29. What is the result of abiding in what they have heard?
      30. What is the promise to us? Verse 25
      31. Why is John’s motivation for writing these things?
      32. What is the deception?
      33. What is the anointing the readers have received?
      34. What does this anointing do for a person?
      35. What is included in the "all things"? (See Jer. 31:34 and Heb. 8:11)
      36. What is the character of the teaching? (two contrasting words)
      37. How does the teaching help us abide in Him?
      38. Why should we abide in Him?
      39. What is primary characteristic of Jesus does the writer point to?
      40. What is the character of those born of a Jesus?
      41. What is "the righteousness"?
      42. What does doing the righteousness (or righteous deed) prove?
      43. What contrast is the author setting up by using two different words for "know" in verse 29?
    3. Chapter 3
      1. What is the great love we have received from the Father?
      2. Are we actually "Children of God?"
      3. Why does the world not understand (know) us?
      4. How does this fit with the first part of verse 1?
      5. If we are children of God how come we do not know what we will be?
      6. Who will we become like?
      7. How do we get to be that way?
      8. What should every one who is looking for Christ’s appearing be doing? Why?
      9. What is "the sin"?
      10. What is "the lawlessness"?
      11. Are they the same?
      12. What did Christ come to do?
      13. What two things have the sinning ones not done?
      14. What are they not to be deceived about?
      15. What is "the righteousness"?
      16. Why does no one born of God do the sin?
      17. What can he not sin?
      18. How are the children of God and devil made obvious? (two things)
      19. What is the message from the beginning?
      20. Why did Cain kill his brother?
      21. Why should we not be surprised if the world hates us?
      22. Should we expect the world to hate us?
      23. How do we know that we have passed out of death into life?
      24. Is this knowledge something we learn from observation/teaching or is it more intuitive or revelatory?
      25. From John 13:34 what else does loving the brother indicate?
      26. Is the person who does not love his brother in the grave?
      27. What then is the meaning of "life" and "death" in verses 14-15?
      28. Where and by whom have we also been taught that hate is the same as murder?
      29. Why can a murderer not have eternal life?
      30. Can someone commit murder and then believe and get eternal life?
      31. Can a believer commit murder?
      32. How do we come to understand love?
      33. To what kind of life does this refer?
      34. The church in John’s time was undergoing great persecution. How would they have understood this verse?
      35. How should we understand this verse?
      36. Verses 16 and 17 are an argument from the greater to the lesser. Explain this argument.
      37. Does this mean that we should all live in a commune?
      38. What is it talking about?
      39. What is the antecedent of "by this" in verse 19?
      40. Draw the parallel between verses 14 and 19.
      41. When our heart condemns us how can we be assured that we are of God?
      42. Where our heart is assured before God what can we do?
      43. For what two reasons will God do this?
      44. What are the two elements of God’s commandment?
      45. When and where had they received the commandment as suggested by the end of verse 23?
      46. Who abides in whom when His commandments are kept?
      47. How or by whom do we know that He abides in us?
      48. How we get the Spirit?
    4. Chapter 4
      1. What are we to do with each "spirit?"
      2. Why is this necessary?
      3. What is a false prophet?
      4. How can we tell if a spirit is from God?
      5. What do we call a spirit that is not from God?
      6. What is the relationship between a false prophet, and the spirit of antichrist?
      7. Where is the spirit of antichrist now?
      8. What is the contrast between the "little children" and the false prophets?
      9. What have the "little children" done to the antichrists?
      10. How was this possible?
      11. Who are the "they" in verse 5?
      12. What is the result of their being from the world? 2 things
      13. What is the contrast between the we in verse 6 and the they in verse 5?
      14. Who are the we?
      15. How can someone tell if knows God and is from God?
      16. What is the spirit of truth?
      17. What is the spirit of error?
      18. What is the source of selflessness (love)?
      19. Why does the one who loves, love?
      20. How did we come to see the love of God?
      21. What is the result of the Son’s coming into the world?
      22. By what standard is love measured?
      23. Why ought we to love one another?
      24. What is the purpose of the first phrase of verse 12?
      25. What is the point of this paragraph (12-16)?
      26. How do we know that we abide in Him?
      27. Does the writer allow for possibility of one abiding in God and God not abiding in him?
      28. Also can God abide in someone who is not abiding in God?
      29. Even if no one has seen God, what have the apostles seen?
      30. What two things have the apostle come to with respect to Gods love for us?
      31. How does the end of verse 16 summarize the paragraph?
      32. What is the "by this" in verse 17a?
      33. What does "perfected" love imply?
      34. Why has love been perfected in us?
      35. Who is "He" in 17d?
      36. What does it mean that we are like Him in the world?
      37. What does love not have?
      38. What does perfect love do to fear?
      39. Why does it do that?
      40. Why do we love? (Why are we selfless?)
      41. Can one who hates his brother love God?
      42. Why is that so?
      43. What is the commandment we have from Him?
      44. What is the force of "should" in this verse?
    5. Chapter 5
      1. What is the result of being that Jesus is the Christ?
      2. If one loves the Father whom else will he love?
      3. What is John is John’s point here?
      4. How do we realize that we love the children of God?
      5. What is the love of God? (How do we show that we love God?)
      6. What are the commandments?
      7. Who overcomes the world?
      8. How does one overcome the world?
      9. What is the specific item of faith (belief)?
      10. What are the three witnesses to the fact that Jesus is the Christ?
      11. How do each of the three show that He is the Christ?
      12. Do the three witnesses agree?
      13. Why the reference to the testimony of men?
      14. What is the testimony of God?
      15. About whom has God testified?
      16. How do we get God’s testimony?
      17. Where do we find the testimony of God?
      18. Not believing does what to God? Why?
      19. About whom has God testified?
      20. What are the two elements of God’s testimony?
      21. What is the result of ‘having the Son?’
      22. What does it mean to ‘have the Son?’
      23. To whom is John writing?
      24. Why did John write this letter?
      25. What is our confidence before God?
      26. What condition is placed on our requests?
      27. What requests of ours does God hear?
      28. How do we know we have the requests we ask of Him?
      29. What two classes of sins does say exist?
      30. What are some biblical examples of sins leading to death?
      31. When should we pray for a sinning brother?
      32. When do we not need to pray for a sinning brother?
      33. How is it that no one born of God is sinning?
      34. What is John mean here by sinning?
      35. What can the evil one not do to the one born of God?
      36. What is the contrast between the whole world and us?
      37. What two things do we know?
      38. What has God give us?
      39. Why has he given that to us?
      40. Who is He that is true?
      41. What titles does he give Jesus in this verse?
      42. What is John summary instruction for us?