Lesson 2: 1 John 1:5-10
1 John 1:5-7
This then is the
message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and
in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and
walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as
he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus
Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Related Scriptures
Psalm 139:11-12 (This
whole Psalm is a beautiful description of God’s care and
John 1:4-9
John 3:19-21
John 8:12
John 12:46 (Jesus is
speaking here.)
Acts 26:13-18 (Paul’s
testimony of his saving encounter with Jesus Christ.)
1 Timothy 6:13-16 (quickeneth
= makes alive)
1 Peter 2:9
Questions
1.
Comparing John
3:19-21 with 1 John 1:6, how would you describe the actions of one who walks in
darkness?
2.
From John 12:46,
what does one need to do to travel from darkness to light, spiritually speaking?
3.
Based on
question 2, what has the person who claims fellowship with God but is living in
sin failed to do?
4.
Would what
you’ve read so far suggest that it is possible for the person whom God has saved
to continue “walking in darkness?”
5.
What does our
text in 1 John call the person who claims to have fellowship with God while
living sinfully?
6.
If the person
who is following the Lord does sin, what does he or she depend on for
forgiveness?
1 John 1:8-10
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If
we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Background
information
The word confess here
carries the idea of acknowledging something or agreeing with someone. Confession
of sin isn’t so much naming the actions we’ve taken as it is admitting that
those actions were sins. If we are to walk in the light, we have to let sin be
exposed for what it really is. If we go on pretending that our sins aren’t
really sins, we will be walking in darkness.
A question that you
will sooner or later face is the question of whom the word “we” refers to in
this passage. As this study moves into 1 John chapter 2, you will find the word
“we” referring to Christians.
Related Scriptures
Proverbs 28:13
Proverbs 30:20
Luke 5:17-26,
especially verse 24 (Son of Man is a name Jesus used for Himself.)
Luke 18:9-14 (Jesus’
listeners would have thought the “Pharisee” to be a very good
man and the “publican” to be a very sinful man.”)
Luke 24:46-47
Acts 16:31
Romans 3:23
Ephesians 4:32
1 John 2:2
1 John 2:12
Revelation 1:5-6
Questions
1.
According to 1
John 1:8-10 what action do we need to take to have our sins forgiven?
2.
When a person
confesses his sins, God forgives them. a) When this has happened, is that person
still walking in darkness? b) Will a true Christian deliberately continue to
practice that which he has admitted is a sin?
3.
What would an
unsaved person need to do to have his or her sins forgiven?
4.
How does the
answer to question 3 differ from the answer to question 1?
5.
What is the
reason God forgives both the unsaved person and the Christian?
6.
Compare 1 John
1:8 and 10 with 1 John 1:6. a) What two things would prove to us that we weren’t
right with God? b) What is the difference between saying, “I don’t walk in
darkness anymore,” and saying, “I have never sinned”?
7.
Can the person
who does wrong and says, “I haven’t sinned,” expect to be forgiven?
8.
Who rightfully
gets the credit for our forgiveness?
This
Bible study is in the public domain and may be copied and distributed freely.
Lesson
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