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1JOHN 2 –continued
LESSON #4
GOD IS LOVE
1JO 2:7-17
MEMORY VERSE: JOHN 13:34
READ 1JO 2:7-17 GOD IS LOVE
THERE ARE 3 DIFFERENT GREEK WORDS FOR OUR ENGLISH WORD “LOVE”.
1. eros = SENSUAL LOVE. THE KIND OF LOVE A MAN HAS FOR A WOMAN. FROM THIS WORDWE GET THE ENGLISH WORD “EROTIC”. THIS WORD IS NEVER USED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.
2. philea = FRIENDSHIP LOVE. THE KIND OF LOVE TWO FRIENDS HAVE FOR EACH OTHER.THIS LOVE IS NOT AS PROFOUND OR AS DIVINE.
3. agape = DIVINE LOVE. THE KIND OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE THAT GOD HAS FOR MAN, FORJESUS CHRIST, FOR HIS CHURCH. IT IS THE KIND OF LOVE CHRISTIANS SHOULD HAVE FOR OTHERCHRISTIANS.
agape IS THE WORD USED IN 1JOHN.
JOHN MAKES A CONTRADICTORY STATEMENT IN VERSES 7 AND 8 THAT NEEDS SOME EXPLANATION. HESAYS HE IS NOT WRITING A NEW COMMANDMENT BUT AN OLD ONE. THEN IN VERSE 8 HE SAYS IT IS ANEW COMMANDMENT.
WHAT IS THE “OLD COMMANDMENT” JOHN REFERS TO IN VERSE 7?
DEU 6:5-6 LEV 19:18
THE GREEK LANGUAGE HAD TWO WORDS FOR OUR WORD “NEW”:
1. neos MEANT “NEW IN TIME” = RECENT
2.kainos MEANT “NEW IN QUALITY” = FRESH
THEREFORE, JOHN IS NOT WRITING A COMMANDMENT THAT IS NEW IN TIME BUT THAT IS NEW INQUALITY. IT IS FRESH.
WHAT IS THIS “NEW COMMANDMENT” JOHN REFERS TO IN VERSE 8?
MAR 12:28-34
THEREFORE THE agape KIND OF CHRISTIAN LOVE IS BOTH OLD AND NEW.
THE COMMANDMENT TO LOVE GOD AND TO LOVE OTHERS WERE JUST TWO OF MANY COMMANDMENTS.HOWEVER, ONE COMMANDMENT WAS NEVER EMPHASIZED OVER ANY OTHER COMMANDMENT UNTIL WE COME1JOHN.
WHY IS TO LOVE GOD AND TO LOVE OTHERS THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT?
LOVE IS THE FULFILLMENT OF ALL OF GODS LAW.
READ ROM 13:8-10.
IF YOU TRULY LOVE GOD AND OTHERS, YOU DO NOT NEED ANY OF THE OTHER COMMANDMENTS BECAUSEYOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY KEEP THEM.
WHAT IS THE TRUE NATURE OF agape LOVE?
1. IT IS NOT AFFECTION BASED ON EMOTION.
2. IT IS A DETERMINATION OF YOUR WILL THAT YOU DECIDE TO TOUCH OTHER PEOPLE WITHGODS LOVE.
IN OTHER WORDS, YOU DO NOT ACT AS IF YOU LOVE ANOTHER PERSON, WHICH IS HYPOCRISY, BUTYOU DEMONSTRATE ACTS OF LOVE BECAUSE OF OBEDIENCE TO GOD.
3. IT IS UNCONDITIONAL.
4. “TRUE” IS USED IN VERSE 8 WHICH REFERS TO THE FACT THAT IT IS GENUINE ANDCOMES FROM GOD AND NOT SOME FALSE DOCTRINE LIKE GNOSTICISM.
THIS NEW (FRESH) COMMANDMENT OF LOVE IS NOT ONLY NEW IN EMPHASIS BUT IS ALSO NEW BYEXAMPLE.
JESUS CHRIST WAS THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF GODS agape LOVE.
READ JOH 3:16 JOH 13:34 JOH 15:12 JOH 17:26
JOHN USES THIS OLD AND NEW ARGUMENT BECAUSE THE GNOSTICS SAID THAT THEIR”KNOWLEDGE” WAS NEW OR RECENT IN TIME.
“THE DARKNESS PAST, AND THE TRUE LIGHT NOW SHINETH” (8)
JUST AS JOHN RELATED LIGHT TO LIFE, HE ALSO RELATES LIGHT TO LOVE.
WHEN JESUS CHRIST CAME INTO THE WORLD, HE BROUGHT THE LIGHT SO THAT BY HIS EXAMPLE WECAN KNOW HOW TO LOVE GOD AND OTHER PEOPLE.
JESUS CHRIST IS THE “DAYSPRING” OR LIGHT OF THE RISING SUN THAT BROUGHT A NEWDAY (LUK 1:78) TO THIS EARTH.
HOWEVER, THERE IS A CONFLICT IN THE WORLD…THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE FORCES OF DARKNESSBY SATAN, WHO EXTENDS HIS KINGDOM WITH LIES AND HATRED, AND THE FORCES OF LIGHT (GOD), WHOEXTENDS HIS KINGDOM WITH TRUTH AND LOVE.
LIGHT AND HATRED (9)
THIS NEW (FRESH) COMMANDMENT IS ALSO NEW IN EXPERIENCE.
WE CAN EXPERIENCE GOD, BUT OUR EXPERIENCE WITH GOD IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO OUREXPERIENCES WITH OTHER BELIEVERS.
IF THE CHRISTIAN DOES NOT GO TO CHURCH AND SPEND TIME WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS, HE CANNOTEXPERIENCE GOD COMPLETELY. INSTEAD HE BECOMES A STUMBLING BLOCK WHEN HE SHOULD BE ASTEPPING STONE. THE NEW TESTAMENT HAS OVER 20 COMMANDS TO THE CHRISTIAN THAT DEPEND ON ACHRISTIANS RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER BELIEVERS.
WHAT DOES THE EXISTENCE OF HATRED IN THE LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN PROVE? HE IS NOT LIVING INTHE LIGHT OF FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD:
A. BECAUSE HE IS A NON-BELIEVER.
B. BECAUSE HE IS OUT OF FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD BECAUSE OF SIN.
WHAT IS THE SECOND TEST OF FELLOWSHIP?
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LOVE AND LIGHT:
IF WE WALK IN LIGHT, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO WALK IN LOVE.
IF WE WALK IN LOVE, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO WALK IN LIGHT.
NOTICE THAT THE TWO, LOVE AND LIGHT, ARE ALWAYS PRESENT TOGETHER AT THE SAME TIME. ONECANNOT EXIST WITHOUT THE OTHER. (ROM 14:13)
THE PEOPLE WHO ARE BORN AGAIN ARE “LITTLE BORN ONES” WHOSE
SINS ARE FORGIVEN.
JOHN TALKS ABOUT 3 CLASSES OF BELIEVERS IN VERSES 13-14.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE EACH OF THESE CLASSES OF BELIEVERS?
1. FATHERS:
PHI 3:10
2. YOUNG MEN:
2TIM 2:15
3. LITTLE CHILDREN:
THIS IS A DIFFERENT GREEK WORD THAN THE WORD FOR CHILDREN THAT HE USED IN VERSE 12.THIS WORD FOR CHILDREN MEANS “IMMATURE ONES”.
1COR 3:1-3
THE WRONG FOCUS OF LOVE:
WE ARE TOLD NOT TO LOVE THE WORLD (15) BECAUSE IT AFFECTS YOUR RESPONSE TO THE LOVE OFGOD, AND IT AFFECTS YOUR RESPONSE TO THE WILL OF GOD.
JOHN DOES NOT MEAN THE BEAUTIFUL WORLD THAT GOD CREATED. HE DOES NOT MEAN THE WORLD OFHUMANITY FOR WHICH JESUS DIED. HE MEANS THE WORLD SYSTEM OF WHICH SATAN IS THE GOD. 2COR4:4 GAL 1:4
THIS WORLD SYSTEM IS ORGANIZED IN REBELLION AGAINST GOD.
WE ARE TOLD THAT WRONG FOCUS NULLIFIES THE LOVE OF GOD IN US. WHY?
BECAUSE IF WE LOVE THE WORLD MORE THAN WE LOVE GOD, WE WILL GIVE INTO ITS TEMPTATIONSWHICH LEAD TO SIN. AND REMEMBER THAT SIN BREAKS FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD.
THE LUST OF THE FLESH, THE LUST OF THE EYES, AND THE PRIDE OF LIFE (16)
GEN 3:4-6 THE TEMPTATION OF EVE
LUST OF THE FLESH: (TEMPTATION OF THE BODY)
EVE SAW THAT THE TREE WAS GOOD FOR FOOD.
THE FLESH IS MANS BASIC UNREGENERATED NATURE THAT MAKES HIM BLIND TO SPIRITUALTRUTH (1COR 2:14) AND APPEALS TO MANS EVIL APPETITES .
LUST OF THE EYES: (TEMPTATION OF THE SOUL)
EVE SAW THAT THE TREE WAS PLEASANT TO THE EYE.
THE EYES ARE THE GATEWAY INTO THE MIND OR SOUL OF MAN.
THE PRIDE OF LIFE: (TEMPTATION OF THE SPIRIT OF MAN)
EVE SAW THAT THE TREE WAS DESIRABLE TO MAKE ONE WISE.
THE APPEAL IS TO THE GLORY AND EDIFICATION OF MAN. THIS PRIDE DISPLACES THE HOLY SPIRITWITHIN MAN WITH THE SPIRIT OF THE WORLD. (JAM 4:4)
MAT 4:1-10. THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS
LUST OF THE FLESH:
JESUS WAS HUNGRY AND WAS TOLD TO COMMAND THE STONES BE MADE BREAD.
LUST OF THE EYES:
JESUS WAS SHOWN ALL THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD.
THE PRIDE OF LIFE:
JESUS WAS TOLD TO THROW HIMSELF OFF THE PINNACLE OF THE TEMPLE AND ANGELS WOULD CATCHHIM.
HOW DO YOU RELATE THESE TEMPTATIONS TO 1JO 2:16 AND HEB 4:15?
THE SUPERIOR FOCUS OF OUR LOVE (17)
THE WORLD SYSTEM WILL ONE DAY BE DESTROYED. (2PET 3:10-12) HOWEVER, GOD EXISTS FOREVER.A SUPERIOR FOCUS FOR OUR LOVE IS GOD AND THE THINGS OF GOD. SPEND YOUR LIFE FOCUSING ONWHAT WILL LAST FOR ETERNITY.
A CURIOUS THING HAPPENS WITH PEOPLE. THEY BECOME LIKE THAT UPON WHICH THEY FOCUS. IFYOU FOCUS YOUR LIFE ON SOMETHING NEGATIVE, YOU BECOME NEGATIVE AND BITTER. IF YOU FOCUSYOUR LIFE ON THE GOOD THINGS OF GOD, YOU HAVE THE JOY OF GOD AS WELL AS THE LIGHT OFETERNAL LIFE.
APPLICATION:
REMEMBER THAT THE FIRST TEST OF WHETHER A CHRISTIAN IS ENJOYING FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD WASA MORAL TEST…THE TEST OF OBEDIENCE TO CHRISTS COMMANDS.
THE SECOND TEST IS A SOCIAL TEST…THE TEST OF LOVE FOR OTHER BELIEVERS.
GNOSTICISM LED TO ARROGANCE AND EXCLUSIVE BEHAVIOR BASED ON PRIDE…ONLY THOSE WHO HADTHEIR SECRET KNOWLEDGE COULD KNOW GOD.
HOMEWORK
1JOHN 2 LOVE, in depth
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FORCORRECTION.
APPLICATION OF 1JOHN 2:7-17
ARE YOU PASSING THE SECOND TEST OF LOVE?
MAKE A LIST OF THE EVIDENCE OF YOUR LOVE FROM YOUR LIFE THIS WEEK:
PREPARATION FOR 1JO 2 LOVE, in depth
READ 1JO 2:1-17 AND 1COR 13
WHAT ARE THE TWO REASONS GOD HAS CALLED US TO BE CHRISTIANS? (MAT 22:37)
1.
2.
WHY IS LOVE SO IMPORTANT TO THE CHRISTIAN LIFE?
1. JOH 13:35
2. JOH 15:1-14
3. EPH 3:19
4. COL 3:14
DISCUSSION: WHAT IS BIBLE STUDY SUPPOSED TO DO FOR THE CHRISTIAN?
MEMORY VERSE: 1COR 13:2
