Scripture(s): "Anyone who says he’s a Christian should live as Christ did." (1 John 2:6) [LB] Read (1 John 2:1-10)
Open:
Who, as a person do you most admire? What character qualities do they have that are worth emulating?
Open:
Who, as a person do you most admire? What character qualities do they have that are worth emulating?
Back ground comments:
(2:1) John uses the address “dear children” in a warm fatherly way. He is not talking down to his readers but is showing affection for them. At this writing, John was a very old man. He had spent almost all his life in ministry, and many of his readers were without a doubt his spiritual children.
(2:2) To people who are feeling guilty and condemned, John offers reassurance. They know they have sinned, and Satan, (called) “the accuser” in (Rev. 12:10), is demanding the death penalty. When you feel this way, don't give up hope – the best defense attorney in the universe is pleading your case. Jesus Christ, your advocate, your defender, is the Judge's Son. He has already suffered your penalty in your place. You can't be tried for a case that is no longer on the docket. United with Christ, you are as safe as He is. Don't be afraid to ask Christ to plead your case – he has already won it (see Romans 8:33; Hebrews 7:24, 25).
Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice for our sins (see also 4:10). He is our defense attorney. He can stand before God as our mediator because His death satisfied the wrath of God against sin and paid the death penalty for our sin. Thus Christ both satisfies God's requirement and removes sin. In Him, we are forgiven and purified.
Sometimes it's difficult to forgive those who wrong us. Imagine how hard it would be to forgive all people, no matter what they had done! This is what God has done in Jesus. No one, no matter what sin has been committed, is beyond forgiveness. All a person has to do is turn from sin, receive Christ's forgiveness, and commit his or her life to Christ.
(2:3-5) How can you be sure that you belong to Christ? This passage gives two ways to know: if you do what Christ says and live as Christ wants. What does Christ tell us to do? John answers in 3:23: “to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another.” True Christian faith results in loving behavior; that is why John says that the way we act can give us assurance that we belong to Christ.
(2:6) To “walk as Jesus did” doesn't mean choosing 12 disciples, performing great miracles, and being crucified. We cannot copy Christ’s life – much of what Jesus did had to do with His identity as God's Son, the fulfillment of His special role in dying for sin, and the cultural context of the first century Roman world. To walk today as Christ did, we must obey His teachings and follow His example of complete obedience to God in loving service to people.
(2:1) John uses the address “dear children” in a warm fatherly way. He is not talking down to his readers but is showing affection for them. At this writing, John was a very old man. He had spent almost all his life in ministry, and many of his readers were without a doubt his spiritual children.
(2:2) To people who are feeling guilty and condemned, John offers reassurance. They know they have sinned, and Satan, (called) “the accuser” in (Rev. 12:10), is demanding the death penalty. When you feel this way, don't give up hope – the best defense attorney in the universe is pleading your case. Jesus Christ, your advocate, your defender, is the Judge's Son. He has already suffered your penalty in your place. You can't be tried for a case that is no longer on the docket. United with Christ, you are as safe as He is. Don't be afraid to ask Christ to plead your case – he has already won it (see Romans 8:33; Hebrews 7:24, 25).
Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice for our sins (see also 4:10). He is our defense attorney. He can stand before God as our mediator because His death satisfied the wrath of God against sin and paid the death penalty for our sin. Thus Christ both satisfies God's requirement and removes sin. In Him, we are forgiven and purified.
Sometimes it's difficult to forgive those who wrong us. Imagine how hard it would be to forgive all people, no matter what they had done! This is what God has done in Jesus. No one, no matter what sin has been committed, is beyond forgiveness. All a person has to do is turn from sin, receive Christ's forgiveness, and commit his or her life to Christ.
(2:3-5) How can you be sure that you belong to Christ? This passage gives two ways to know: if you do what Christ says and live as Christ wants. What does Christ tell us to do? John answers in 3:23: “to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another.” True Christian faith results in loving behavior; that is why John says that the way we act can give us assurance that we belong to Christ.
(2:6) To “walk as Jesus did” doesn't mean choosing 12 disciples, performing great miracles, and being crucified. We cannot copy Christ’s life – much of what Jesus did had to do with His identity as God's Son, the fulfillment of His special role in dying for sin, and the cultural context of the first century Roman world. To walk today as Christ did, we must obey His teachings and follow His example of complete obedience to God in loving service to people.
Excerpted from Life Application Study Bible, New International Version, Tyndale House Publishers Inc.
Explore:
What does it mean “to live as Christ”?
What are the things we look for to gauge if we are succeeding?
Get it:
How does it make you feel to know that Jesus speaks to God in our defense? (v. 1)
What is the relationship between God's love and our obedience?
Apply:
What are the two tests given in this passage for determining whether one really knows God (2:3, 10)?
How are you doing in each of these areas? What changes need to take place?
Questions Excerpted from NIV Serendipity Bible, Zondervan
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| Blessings, Pastor Ruben |
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