How To Maintain Fellowship With God (A Study Of 1 John)

There has been a lot of discussion in here lately, about our
fellowship in relation to God, our brothers in Christ,
heretics, and the world in general. 1 John seems like a good
book to deal with these issues, so here's one of my _old_
studies:

1 John

Contents:

The purpose of this letter is to keep believers in fellowship
with God (1:1-4). To this end, John called on them to avoid
sin (1:5 - 2:2), love their brethren (2:3-14), renounce the
world (2:15-17), discern liars (2:18 - 4:21), and know they
are saved (5:13).

Theme: Walk In The Light (1:1-4)

Outline:

1) By avoiding sin (1:5 - 2:2)
2) By loving your brother (2:3 - 14)
3) By renouncing the world (2:15-17)
4) By discerning liars (2:18 - 4:21)
5) By knowing you are saved (5:1-21)

1 John 1

Theme: Walk In The Light

1) By avoiding sin (1:5 - 2:2)

The word "fellowship" means to share, or partnership. When
you're a believer, your fellowship is with Jesus Christ and
God the Father (1:3). 2:1 says, "I am writing these things to
you that you may not sin." (NAS). Sin cannot make you loose
your salvation, but it can break your fellowship with God. The
first way you Walk In The Light, then, is by avoiding sin. 1:5
- 2:2 gives several reasons:

God is light (5)

This probably refers to the fact that God is holy, and without
any sin at all (cf. v6, where sin is called darkness, in
contrast to light). It was when Isaiah saw the holiness of
God that he became aware of his sinfulness, and God cleansed
him for service (Isa. 6). If you're going to fellowship with
God, you will need to avoid sin. You should avoid sin because
God is light.

Sin is darkness (6)

When you're out of fellowship with God, your heart may condemn
you (3:18-21), you may doubt whether you are a child of God
(2:10-11), and you will lack full joy (1:4). When you Walk In
The Light, you gain confidence before Him (2:28; 3:21), you
know you are saved (3:14, 24, and you become complete in your
joy (1:4). God is light. If you want to fellowship with Him,
you should avoid sin, because sin is
darkness.

Christ cleanses from sin (1:9 - 2:2)

When you see God's holiness in His word, it reveals your sin.
When you agree with God you have sinned, He is both faithful
and just to forgive you of your sin and cleanse you from all
unrighteousness. God is faithful to do this every time, and
He is just in doing it. The reason He is just, is because
Christ's atonement satisfied His righteous demands against
your sin. As an advocate, Christ pleads your case before God,
on that ground (2:1-2).

It's true, that in your position in Christ, you are forgiven
of all your sin for all time (Eph. 1; 4:32; Heb. 10). This
cleansing, however, affects your fellowship with God, rather
than your salvation, or standing as His child.

Also, it would seem you do not have to look for sins to
confess, but should admit those God's light brings to your
attention, since Christ will then cleanse you from "all
unrighteousness". You should avoid sin because Christ
cleanses from sin.

1 John 2

Theme: Walk In The Light

2) By loving your brother (2:3-14)

Love assures your heart (3-11)

Jesus loved the brethren, and He commanded believers to love
their brothers (John 15). If you hate your brother, you are
out of fellowship with God, and you may doubt if you really
know God, or are saved. When you love your brother, it
assures you that you know Jesus, and that you are in
fellowship with Him. You should love your brother, because
love assures your heart before God.

Your sins are forgiven (12-14)

Ephesians 4:32 says, "be kind to one another, tender-hearted,
forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven
you." (NAS). Your basis and standard for showing love to the
brethren is the fact that God has forgiven you of your sins.
It is knowing God has forgiven you that enables you to love
your brother, and gain victory over evil (cf. Rom. 6:1-14).
You should love your brother, because your sins are forgiven.

1 John 2B

Theme: Walk In The Light

3) By renouncing the world (15-17)

The world promotes lust (15-16)

Covetousness is idolatry (Col. 3:5). The world tempts you to
put things (your pleasure, your possessions, your glory) in
the place of God. You don't have to deprive yourself of every
material thing, but should avoid putting the world in God's
place. You should renounce the world because it promotes
lust.

Creation is passing away (17)

Why fix your hope on something which is perishing? The whole
creation groans in sin (Rom. 8), and will be destroyed by fire
(2 Pet. 3). Christ gives you eternal life and possessions in
a new heavens and earth (Rev. 21-22). You should renounce the
world, because it is passing away.

Obedience confirms salvation (17b)

Love for the world comes from your sin nature, but not from
God (Gal. 5:22ff; cf. James 1:13-18.). Love for the world,
then, can make you doubt whether God's love is in you.
Renouncing the world doesn't save you from your sin, or keep
you saved; this comes only by relying on Christ's death and
resurrection as your payment for sin. But once you are
already saved, when you obey God, it gives you assurance that
you are His child. You should renounce the world, because
obedience confirms the fact you are saved.

1 John 2:18 - 4:21

Theme: Walk In The Light

4) By discerning liars (2:18 - 4:21)

False teachers will lead you astray from fellowship with God.
This passage shows several ways to discern whether someone is
from God or the devil.

Examine their fruit

Children of the devil do not habitually practice righteousness
or show love for the brethren. God's children do. This
doesn't mean the presence of any sin at all, at any time,
should make you doubt whether you, or someone else is a child
of God. John has already stated that as you walk in the
light, God will reveal your sin to you, and that anyone who
says they do not sin is "a liar" (1:7-10). The word
"practice", in the phrase, "the one who practices sin is of
the devil" (3:8ff. NAS), is in the present tense, and seems to
refer to habitual sin, rather than the presence of any sin at
all.

Children of the devil practice sin habitually, especially
hatred for their "brother", and children of God practice
righteousness habitually. The righteousness you practice
would especially include love for your brother, but also your
hope to be like Christ, when He returns for you. Such hope
motivates you to avoid sin in general (3:1-3). When you
practice righteousness habitually, especially showing love for
your brother, this assures your heart that you are saved,
gives you confidence before God, and results in answered
prayer (3:14-24; cf. 4:7-21). You should discern liars, by
examining their fruit.

Test their doctrine

When verse 19 refers to the false teachers going out from
"us", but not really being of "us", it probably means they
were never really endorsed by the true apostles, rather than
that they left the company of believers. Certainly these
teachers were among the readers to whom John was writing, or
it wouldn't have been necessary to discern them. Antichrists
are said to deny two main doctrines of the Christian faith.

One is that Jesus is the Christ, or Savior (2:22), the other
is that He, God, has come to the earth in the flesh (4:2).
Both of these truths are necessary for your saving faith in
Christ. Only God could pay your infinite debt of sin. Only a
man could die your death penalty in your place. True children
of God believe Christ is their Savior, and that He came to
earth as both God and man. You should discern false teachers
by testing their doctrine.

1 John 5

Theme: Walk In The Light

5) By knowing you are saved (5:1-21)

God wants you to know you have eternal life, when you are
saved. The Holy Spirit gives you two main ways to know you
are saved.

Love your brother

That which has been born of God will love that which has been
born of God (5:1). When you habitually keep God's
commandments, it assures you you are saved. The commandments
John speaks of, specifically refers to showing love for your
brother (1-2; cf. John 15). You do not have to keep God's
commandments in order to obtain salvation, or in order to stay
saved, but if you are saved, you will love brother.

Showing love for your brother is a great assurance to you,
that you are a child of God, and gives you confidence in
prayer. Chapter 4 said you love your brother by giving him
what he needs when you have it. This passage also adds that
you should pray for your brother if he sins in a way which
does not result in physical death. You should know you are
saved, by loving your brother.

Believe God's word.

"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the
Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life"
(13). Some form of the word "know" appears at least 38 times
in this letter. 1 John teaches that, by the indwelling Holy
Spirit (2:20), you may know God (1 John 2:3, 13), know you are
in fellowship with God (2:5), that you are a child of God
(3:7-12), that it is the "last time" (2:18), know "all
things" pertaining to spiritual truths in the Bible (cf. 1
Cor. 2), and know that you "have eternal life" (1 John 5),
etc.

The Holy Spirit reveals the mind of Christ to you, through the
spiritual truth in God's word (cf. 1 Cor. 2). Ps. 119:99
says, "I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy
testimonies are my meditation". God says that everyone who
trust's Christ as savior "has eternal life" (13). God's
witness is greater than that of men (9), and believing God's
word will assure you you have eternal life. You should know
you are saved by believing God's word.

--
Have you heard Christ died for our sins, and God raised Him
from the dead? Did you know God saves you from hell and
gives you eternal life through faith in this finished work alone,
not your merits (Jn. 3:16; 1 Cor. 15:1-3; Eph. 2:8-10; 2 Thess.
1:8-9)? This is so man cannot boast, and God alone gets the
glory (Eph. 2:8-9).
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