The First Epistle of John Chapter 1 "Concerning Christ." This Bible Study is written by Roger
Christopherson, and made available with written
permission by http://www.theseason.org The epistles or letters of John are written by John the Apostle, the same writer of the Gospel of John, and as we say in the Gospel of John, John was a cousin of Jesus Christ. John was the called "the disciple that Christ loved". Jesus used John not only to take care of His mother when He was crucified, But Jesus will also have John give us the Book of Revelation. Remember back in the Gospel of John, the first verse, "In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." As we begin this first letter [Epistle] of John, keep the start of John's Gospel in mind. I John 1:1 "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;" "That which" is God, is Jesus Christ, and He was from the beginning. Jesus was walking with John and the other disciples on earth, and lived amongst them for three years, so of course they had heard Christ's teachings with understanding, in person. They had seen Messiah and looked upon Him, and actually touch Him with their hands. For those that want to argue that these three letters were not written by John, doesn't even deserve a comment. It is so obvious that they were in both the Greek and the English, let the blind remain blind. It was important to John that you take the Word of God all the way back to the beginning, to the first earth age, and if you don't follow that word and wisdom in itself, as in Proverbs 8, many things of this age will be clouded to you. This earth age will pass away, and by the events of today, maybe very shortly, but God's Word, the Word, will not pass away. If you plan on living in the eternity, you had better get use to it, for it will be the absolute rule of instruction for all eternity. This set of instruction that we call the Bible will guide you in all matters, and they work. The Word will only help you in your spirit if you use it and apply it to your life. Just like any athletic equipment, it won't help your body one bit, unless you get on it, and use it with discipline. It takes an effort on your part before your muscles can be strengthened by it. In the spiritual aspect, for the Word of God to be of any use to you in your spiritual development, there must also be use and discipline, and when your spiritual body is in tune, your flesh body will follow. When your spiritual muscles are in tone, and you are in tune with the Word of God, then your flesh body will be in a position to make those decisions accurately, as to what is important or not. If you think the Word of God is dry, then you just don't understand it. God's Word is the key to your having peace of mind, and understanding of the times that we are living in. I John 1:2 "(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)" The Word or Jesus Christ was manifested or came to life in Jesus Christ, and the disciples had seen it and bear witness to what is written in that Word. When the Apostles heard and saw the things Jesus taught, they wrote it down so that we could read it and know that our eternal life is something that we can count on. Why? Because God said it, and made it all a promise to us, the believers in His Son. God has made know [manifested] unto you and I all the truths from all the ages, including the first earth age, and the eternal age that is to follow this flesh age. All the events were written by the prophets as spoken by the God the Father, and many have come to pass at this time. However in this final generation of the flesh age, that same Word of God tells us the things that we are to watch for, so that we will not be ignorant as to the times that we are living in. That is why it is important that we read and understand all the Word, especially the Books of the minor prophets, and other other prophets that have written details of the events that we now call current events. Have you had the Word made know to by, my friend? The Word was with God, and made know to us because we [the disciples] had heard it, known Him, and walked and talked with that Word, which is Jesus Christ. I John 1:3 "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." This word, "fellowship" in the Greek is number # 2842; "Koinonia, from #2844, and is participation, partnership, and communion." It is acting as a co-partner with the Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ. Have you ever felt that you were all alone in what you were doing? Well, if you are in Christ, you are not. You become a partner with God in what ever you do, and He is the best partner that any man could ever have for anything. Through the Son, Jesus Christ is your partner, and that is what the word fellowship means. It is the close communication and partnership with the Father, through Christ. You become His partner when you believe in Jesus Christ and repented of your sins to the Father, in Jesus Name. It is the only name under heaven whereby you can be saved. Then God's Spirit comes into your soul and mind, and becomes that partner with your spirit, which is the intellect of your soul. When you, through your spirit, fail to have communication with His Spirit, once you are partners, then that is when you start to have trouble. Repent of your sins to God, in Jesus name, and start communicating with Him. He will be your partner if you let Him. When everyone else leaves you, and will have nothing to do with you, God will still have fellowship with you. Jesus is our door to the Father. I John 1:4 "And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full." Is your joy full today? Is your life so full that it spills over on those around you, to where that joy that we have in Christ makes others want some of what we have? This "joy" or in the Greek, "chara" [# 5479], a happiness that spills over on others. It is seen in the cheerful outlook that others see in you, even when the going gets a little tough. It is the "exceeding gladness" that Christ gives, that causes others to question to want to have some of it. So within the fellowship, or partnership that we have with the Father, when we study the letters that John is writing to us, it makes us so full of gladness and joy that we just have to share it with others. When you enter into that fellowship, that relationship becomes more important then anything the world can offer. Many Christians forget who the prince of the world is, it's Satan, and they feel that they have to be friends to the world, and that is a bad mistake. Do you want to be a friend of Him? I think not. I John 1:5 "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." God is the Word, and in the Word there is light, there is understanding. When the trouble comes your way [that is darkness], or fro the world, don't let it trouble you. In the Word, in Christ there is no darkness at all. We are the children of light not of the darkness, Satan, and that is the time to use the power and authority that God has given us, when we become one of His through our repentance. You can be very independent within your fellowship with God the Father, that is the freedom that we have in Christ. The main thing to understand in this verse, is that Satan is darkness, and God is the light. The Word is God, and Christ is the Word that was made flesh that came down as a man and dwelt amongst us. Darkness symbolizes the unknown, and it is the unknown that brings fear in the hearts and minds of men. However, when you are in the Word, and your studying places it in your mind, the darkness of that unknown simply goes away, as does any fears. You can't have both darkness and light at the same time, you have one or the others. When you are in God's light, there is no darkness, and that is why our heavenly Father is such a good partner to have. I John 1:6 "If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:" If we say that we are God's co-partner, remember what the word meant for "fellowship", and walk in darkness, we lie. Friend you simply cannot be committed to the world and to the fellowship of God at the same time. God's Word spells out what He expects of us, when we are in fellowship with Him. Our conscience leads us as to what we are to do and not to do, and when we fall short of God's Word, we sin, and to be drawn back into fellowship with God, we need to repent of those sins. Then we again have fellowship with the Father. That is the freedom that we have in Christ. So when you have sinned, after we become saved, we do not have to be saved all over, but we need to repent of those sins that we do, on a daily basis, as they happen, to keep in fellowship with Him. While we are sinning we are in darkness, and when we repent we have fellowship. This is why when we know that we have sinned, then is the time to repent, to the Father in Jesus name. Do you know what God expects of you, as one of His servants? That is why it is important to study His Word, with the right tools; a Strong's Concordance, and Greek and Hebrew dictionary. The light is the Word of God, and it is Christ, and you do need that light to have fellowship with the Father. When you do not have that light, you are in darkness, and you will do the things that people in darkness do. Before you can believe in anything, you first have to be familiar with it, or you would be believing in darkness and the unknown. The two simply cannot exist together, and this is why you study, and come into fellowship with God. The very angels sing and shout, when one soul makes that stand, and comes into fellowship with the heavenly Father, and makes his stand. There is nothing that can take the place of the Word of God, when you become a co-partner with God. I John 1:7 "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." What does "all sin" mean to you? An intelligent person can pick this up easy, but many in the religious community have a heap of trouble understanding these two words. In the Greek it simply means that there is absolutely no sin. If you want to walk with God and fellowship as a co-partner with God, you have to be free from all sin. Friend, if some person comes to you, and tells you that there are some sins that the blood of Christ cannot wash away, that person is a liar, mark him or her well for the other things that he says also must come into question. The "blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." That goes for murder, divorce, and even the lies and gossip spread in the church houses. That person is questioning the very blood of Christ, and those people that do not understand what "all sin" is, are filling the pulpits of the Christian world today. It is time to listen to the Word of God, and tell men you will have nothing to do with their traditions. There is only one word for those that question the blood of Christ that was shed on cross for all sin, that is "blasphemer". Jesus Christ the Son of God shed His blood, and that was the purpose for His becoming a man in the flesh in the first place. Man in the flesh is not perfect, even after you accept Christ, and that is why you have repentance, even after you are saved and baptized. This perfection is in Christ even when He was a man in the flesh. He takes those sins of yours, and when you repent to the Father in Jesus name, The Father accepts the blood of Christ as your credentials to approach Him, and the charge that is on the books of heaven for that sin, is removed. It doesn't mean that you didn't sin, it means that the charges against you are removed. If a policeman writes a ticked for running a red light, when you ran the red light, but if he tares up the ticked, and doesn't give it to the judge, there is no charge against you. That is what the blood of Christ does for our sins, it removes the charges that the judged, the Father has against us, and you can then have fellowship with the judge, who is our co-partner. Upon repentance we take on a new name, and become a new child of God. Never forget this verse I John 1:7, it is your authority for peace of mind. We are assured by the very promise of our Heavenly Father that Jesus Christ blood will cleans us from all sin. I John 1:8 "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." After someone tells you that he never sins, because he has been saved and baptized, friend, you are looking at an liar. Those people that do this are ignorant of God's Word, and in their ignorance they lie. In the flesh we will fall short daily, and that is why Christ paid the price with His blood on the cross, that upon repentance, we can be taken back into that new covenant. I John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." When we confess our sins, our heavenly Father will forgive us all of our sins. Is divorce righteous or unrighteous? It doesn't matter, for when there is forgiveness by God there is no sin recorded in heaven where it matters. There is no fallen brother after repentance, there is no fallen person after repentance, and when one brings it up to hold it against you, or anyone, that is blasphemy against the very blood of Christ. That is the beauty and power that is in the blood of Christ. Don't ever forget it, and when anyone would throw any repented sin back in your face, get away from them, they are in darkness, for the father of darkness is the accuser, Satan himself, and they have become a tool in Satan's hands. This is one point that we should never yield on, in any circumstance; "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us all sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." You don't have to do it to the congregation, but to the heavenly Father in private, if need be, and He will do exactly as this Word says. You either believe the Word or you do not. If you believe in this Word, why in the world would you allow any fool to trick you out of the very promises that are in God's Word, and the peace of mind that comes with those promises. Friend, repent, and go about your business, as a co-partner with our heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ. I John 1:10 "If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." Those that hold on to repented sin, do not practice true Christianity. Their houses of worship are not houses of God, but houses of emptiness. Christ is faithful to forgive all personal sins upon repentance. God is a God of truth, and He expects each of us to tell the truth. Those that are honest, and meek, that humble themselves before the Father will inherit the earth. Friend, when that person stands there and makes his claim the there is no sin in him, He is calling God a liar. This person is void of the Word of God, he is just ignorant of what God has said. It shows the lack of understand of God's plan, the blood of Christ, the purpose of this earth age, and even what sin is. From this chapter, there is a definite warning to all Christians, who like to go around accusing other Christians of sins that they have committed, and being a judge of them. For when those sins have been repented, they are completely forgiven, and God doesn't like it when others tell lies about Him. When you accuse another of an repented sin, then you become a liar, blasphemer, and the sin of accusation becomes double on you, than that which you accuse another of. Friend, if God can forgive a person of their sin, why is it so difficult for you. Jesus taught in Luke 6:37; "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: for give, and ye shall be forgiven:" Lets keep that out of our Christian churches. It is not good in the sight of God, and it takes your blessing form God away from you.
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