BIBLE READING: FIRST JOHN

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First John

Context:

How to do Personal Bible Reading

1. Request God’s help to understand His word and to know Him and His will more.
2. Remind yourself of what you read and learned last time.
3. Read the next section of the Bible slowly and carefully.
4. Reflect on the passage. Use the questions. Think about meaning and application.
5. Rely on God by asking Him to help you to believe and to put into practice what He says.

Day 1:

1 John 1:1-4

Who is verse 1 talking about?
What experiences of Him are being described. Why is the writer doing that?
What other descriptions are given to identify the one referred to?
What are the purposes given for both the announcements and the writing of this letter?
Are these purposes fulfilled for you? If not, why not? If so, to what degree?

Pray, thanking God for the appearance of His Son and for the fellowship and joy we can have with and through Him.

Day 2:

1 John 1:5-2:2

Think about what the light/darkness imagery reveals about God and what it then might reveal about our walk. (1 John 1:5-6)
Observe what it says about fellowship in verses 6-7. Does anything stand out to you?
How does what we do relate to what we say? Does this motivate you at all?
Observe what the two wrong ways and the right way of dealing with our sins are in verses 8-10.
What is the basis for the forgiveness we have? (2:1-2)

Pray: Spend time in confession (consider motives & thoughts as well as actions).
Spend time in thankfulness for what Christ has done and the promise of forgiveness.
Ask for God’s help to walk in the light.

Why not memorise 1 John 1:9? Seek to put it into practice in your daily prayer life.

Day 3:

1 John 2:3-11

Background to this section is John 13:34-35 and John 15:9-14, 17.

Observe what the central idea in the passage is. i.e. Look at how it starts; what the most frequent word or idea is and so on.
Think about how Jesus’ new commandment in John 13:34-35 and John 15:9-14 helps us to understand the following in this passage:
1. 1. Walking as Jesus walked (verse 6)
  2. The commandment is both old and new at the same time (verses 7-8)
  3. The switch in focus to ‘hating’ and ‘loving’ (verses 9-11)
Think about who a brother or sister might be and think about what loving them looks like.
How do these verses help us understand the idea of walking in light and darkness that was raised in John 1:5-7.
What is a mark of a genuine Christian or someone who genuinely has fellowship with God.

Pray, asking God to help you walk as Jesus walked by keeping his new commandment.

Day 4:

1 John 2:12-17

Verses 12-14 refer to three groups. While two group use words that refer to males (‘fathers’, ‘young men’) we should see it applying to both men and women. One way to think of the groups is as ages rather than genders. Older and younger adults and children. Or it could refer to two groups with children referring to the whole church (see 1 John 2:1, 18).

Verses 12-14 remind them of what is true about them. How can these statements help those who are being disturbed by false teaching? What from these truths has already been referred to in the letter so far. What is still to be covered? (Have a look at 1 John 5:4-5)
How might each truth stated be especially relevant to each group addressed? Do they still apply to the others in the church as well? Are these statements true of you?
What does it mean to love the world? What can it not mean?
What is the basis for not loving the world?
Reflect on how these verses challenge you with regard to worldliness.

Pray, thanking God for the truths about those who belong to Him. Ask Him to help you battle against worldliness and to grow your eternal perspective to your daily living.

Day 5:

1 John 2:18-27

Key: Christ = Anointed; antichrist = one who is against the anointed; This should be noticed and connected with anointing in these verses.

What is the evidence that the danger in the last days (‘last time’) has already appeared?
What is their activity according to verses 23 and 26? Can you think of another more commonly used name for these antichrists?
Why do verses 20-21 talk about what believers have already come to know? How does verse 21 help us understand ‘knowing all things’ in verse 20, which obviously cannot mean exhaustive knowledge about every topic?
How does his anointing help us with the dangers of these false teachers (antichrists)?
How are you to remain in Him (verse 27)? See verse 24 for the answer. Have a think what one hears from the beginning to become a believer which you should continue to hold on to?

Pray, thanking God that He teaches us everything we need to know to gain His promise of eternal life. Thank Him that we don’t need any special or secret wisdom beyond what He’s done and revealed in the gospel. Ask Him to help you hold on to the truth and not be deceived by false teachers.

Day 6:

1 John 2:28-3:10

Don’t let the absoluteness of these verses trip you up in understanding (e.g. verse 9). It is not that a true believer can ever sin (see 1 John 1:8-10; 2:1-2). A key to understanding this section is to note that most of the verbs are in the present tense. It is talking about present ongoing actions. In other words, it’s about our way of life.

Look through the passage and observe what the key words or ideas are. There’s at least 3.
Note what it says about the two types of children. Who are they from? How can you know whose child a person is?
Has a child of God reached their final perfected state? Why not? (verse 2-3)
What characterises the way these two types of children live?
Note how sin is defined (verse 4) and how practising righteousness (‘doing what is right’) is defined (verse 10)?
How do these verses challenge and encourage you about who you are and how you live?

Pray, thanking God for His love that makes us His children. Ask Him to help you to walk as His child practising righteousness (love) and not practising sin (lawlessness).

Day 7:

1 John 3:11-24

Observe what the key theme in the passage is. Note also what it is contrasted with.
How is love defined and applied practically in the passage?
Verse 19 transitions in idea. What is the evidence (‘this is how’) that we are of the truth? Hint: it looks back to the previous verse.
Our English translations tend to translate a word in verse 19 as ‘reassure’ or ‘set at rest’. The word never means this elsewhere. It is better to translate the word in its more natural sense of ‘to persuade’. i.e. ‘… we will persuade our hearts before him, if the heart is condemning us; for God is greater than our hearts and he knows everything.’ If we are not loving in the way of verses 16-18, then our hearts should and will condemn us. We need to then persuade our hearts to change; to not shut off our affection and to love ‘not in word or speech, but in action and in truth.’
How will our hearts not be condemning us and what can we then expect?
What are His commandments in these verses? (verse 23) Do you think this is a good summary of the Christian life?
What does it say is about someone who keeps these two commandments? (verse 24)

Pray, thanking God for His love for you by Christ laying down his life for us. Ask Him to help you love like He loves – in deed and in truth. Ask for His help to notice and to persuade your heart when you are not compassionate toward others.

Day 8:

1 John 4:1-6

John has spoken of the anointing we have from the Holy Spirit (1 John 2:20-27) so that we know the truth and will not be deceived by the antichrists (1 John 2:18-19, 22). Then in 1 John 3:24 he reminds us that we know God is remaining in us by or from the Spirit whom he has given us. He therefore returns to the topic of spirits and the antichrist.

What is the danger expressed here and how do we tackle it? (verses 1-3) Think about the kind of sources of this danger today.
Can you identify each ‘one’ and ‘them’ referred to in verse 4? Why have those who are of God overcome the false prophets / false teachers? If you want to consider how we overcome, see 1 John 5:4-5.
Can you think of or identify Christian teaching that is worldly and that the world (i.e. non-Christians) would happily listen to? (verse 5)
What are the options for who the ‘we’ and ‘us’ could be in verse 6? Which makes best sense in the context? Consider 1 John 1:1-5 in the background as well.
How can we, today, listen to those identified in verse 6? Who are you listening to?
Can you identify the two integral parts to discerning true teaching from God?

Pray, thanking God for His Spirit in us who helps us overcome the false teaching that is in the world. Ask Him to help you keep listening to the message of the apostles about Christ and how to follow Him.

Day 9:

1 John 4:7-16

Observe the main command and the reasons given to follow it?
What is the definition of love provided in these verses?
What is the purpose of God’s own love? i.e. How is it brought to completion? (verse 12)
How does verse 14 support the claims of verses 9-10? Consider who the ‘we’ is referring to. See also 1 John 1:1-3. What is the right response to this eyewitness testimony? (verse 15)
How do we know God’s love for us? (verse 16a; cf. verse 9-10, 14)
How can we know we have genuine relationship with God (‘in us’/‘in Him’ etc)? (verses 13-16) Is this true of you?

Pray, thanking God for His love through His Son. Ask Him to help you love as He has loved us.

Day 10:

1 John 4:16-5:4

In what way are we like Jesus in the world? (verse 17)
What is the purpose of God’s love in relation to judgement day? Why does it do this? Is this true of you?
What is the expectation for those who say they love God? Why? (4:20-5:1)
Verses 2-3 refer to practicing and keeping God’s commandments. What are God’s commandments that this letter of First John highlights? (See 1 John 2:5-8; 3:22-24)
Reflect on how you are going with loving God and what it looks like practically? Does it look like what these verses are saying love for God is?

Pray, thanking God again for His love for you and the confidence you can have before Him on judgement day. Ask Him to help you love Him more and to show that practically in love for His children.

Day 11:

1 John 5:4-13

Observe what the key words are in this section. (Note: There’s at lease three that are repeated multiple times).
How do we have victory to overcome or conquer the world? (5:4-5; Note also 1 John 2:13-14)
The references to ‘water’ and ‘blood’ in verse 6 most likely refer to Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist and His death. What is the significance of John emphasising that Jesus came by both and not only water? Think about what it might reveal of the false teachers views about Jesus.
Why is Jesus’ death important?
Have you come across anybody who denies or downplays what Jesus’ death has accomplished?
What is the Spirit’s role? How do you think this happens?
What are the relationships between between the ideas of testimony, faith and life in these verses?
Have you accepted this testimony about Jesus? On what basis? What results come from it?

Pray, thanking God for the true testimony we have about His Son, Jesus Christ and for the eternal life we have through believing it. Ask Him to help you hold firm to this testimony and to overcome the world through faith in Jesus.

Day 12:

1 John 5:14-21

We come to the conclusion of the letter. It has dealt with knowing you are (or who is) genuinely a child of God. The goal is that we continue on in relationship with God (‘in Him’ and ‘He in us’). A component is that true Christians don’t continue to walk in sin. Rather we walk in love, like Jesus (1 John 2:5-6; 3:16; 4:10-11). Another is that we confess and hold to the truth (1 John 2:21-23; 2:27; 4:1-6; 4:15; 5:4-6; 5:10).

Don’t get bogged down the on the issue of sin that leads to death. We know that a ‘sin that does not lead to death’ includes any sin that can be atoned for by Jesus’ death (1 John 2:2). The best explanation for ‘sin that leads to death’ is the sin of unbelief or denial of the truth, which is what the false teachers who have broken fellowship have done.

Look through the verses and discern what the main themes are. To help consider that verses 14-15 start with the more general point and verse 16 moves to a more specific application of it which also open up a new theme.
Why can we have confidence toward God that verse 14 says we have? (i.e. consider the wide context or letter as a whole)
What guides does he put around asking God (i.e. in prayer) for things or people?
The sin of a believer does not prevent them from gaining eternal life. Yet verse 18 also states they won’t continue in sin (it is present tense; see also 1 John 3:3-10). There is a role for us helping one another continue, what is another way we can be certain of gaining eternal life in verses 18-20?
What idols (God-substitutes that we could worship or trust) do you need to guard against in your life? (verse 21; see also 1 John 2:15-17.)
Think back over what you have learned, been challenged by or encouraged by as you’ve read through First John. What do you need to continue to believe and put into practice.

Pray, thanking God for His forgiveness, for brothers and sisters in Christ who help us and who we help, and for His protection from the evil one. Ask Him to help you guard yourself from the idols you identified.