Rob Mc.

(1 John 3:15) How can anger turn into hatred in our hearts? Anger is an emotion. It is first felt internally. The anger must find a safe outlet so that the emotion is reduced; letting go of the issue is the first step to lessen what you feel. If the anger is not vented, it becomes hatred towards the source of the original issue. In what way do anger and hatred relate to murder? If the anger/hatred is held inside, it will fester, putrefy and grow. If it gets to a point where it cannot be controlled, the hatred overflows, the need for action intensifies, and possibly murder is the result. How can we get rid of stored-up anger in our hearts so that we may love those who have offended us? The key is to act quickly and quell the initial anger. Several things must happen: recognize what is happening and why we are reacting the way we are, calm ourselves so we can think clearly, and seek to quickly forgive the offender for their actions. Remember, our pent up emotions aren’t affecting the offender, they are eating at us. If we don’t forgive, we may take action and that may lead to something we could later regret (or worse, be arrested for).

(1 John 3:12-15) Why did Cain resent Abel? Cain resented him because God accepted Abel’s offering while also shunning Cain’s own. Cain was weak and veered towards sinning, while Abel was righteous and so found favor in God’s sight. Why did Cain kill Abel? Cain was jealous of Abel. Instead of looking inward at himself, he lashed out at his brother. His anger led to murder, because he couldn’t control his emotions. How does the story of Cain and Abel illustrate Jesus' explanation of why the world hates us? In today’s world, Christians are shunned and hated because when they look at us, they see a negative reflection of themselves. As we try to live life by moving away from sin, they are rushing headlong into sin, caused in part by their reluctance to open their hearts and listen for God to call them. Like Cain, their emotions cause them to lash out at us, resulting in “shame (on their behavior), anger, hatred -- and persecution…”

(1 John 3:3-10) How does John's teaching on sin and righteousness in this passage relate to combating the false teachers? Because we have a moral compass (the Holy Spirit), we have an awareness that recognizes when someone is teaching us false information. We accepted Christ, we want Christ in our lives, so we are very conscious now about the increase of sin in our world. We understand that we have to fight against evil and the false teachers. They won’t go away or stop trying just because we are saved. They will fight even harder to turn us away from Jesus. What did they seem to be teaching about sin and righteous living? Sin is Lawlessness. Those that continually do what is sinful are of Satan. They that keep on sinning cannot know God. We cannot let anyone lead us astray. We must strive to do what is right to remain righteous, just as God is righteous. Thankfully Jesus Christ became man and died for our sins. Now we have both him and the Holy Spirit to help us with the fight.

(1 John 3:6, 9) How does the presence of God's seed in us keep us from habitual lawlessness and sin? Jesus Christ is from the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David, all were men and all procreated. Since we are also descended from Abraham, et.al., we, having become Sons of God, also received the seed from the lineage. Since we have this critical lineage, once we are born again and are brothers with Jesus, we consciously shy away from habitual sinning. We make the effort to not sin, but being human we fail often. Our new “habits” are more god-like, re-born in faith and grace, and less like the flesh habits of this world. How does the Holy Spirit sanctify us and make us like Jesus? Since the Holy Spirit now dwells in us, it continually tries to point us in a spiritual direction and away from sin. We are no longer in charge since we gave our life to the Lord at Baptism. Thank goodness we have the help, because we would quickly fall back into sin otherwise (being human).

(1 John 3:4) How does lawlessness show up in a person's attitude and actions? Sin is an attitude, an attitude that leads to either action or inaction. When our “Me-first” attitude is “action,” we place ourselves first, above God, and do the behaviors that we want to do. When the attitude is “inaction,” we find ourselves in situations where sinful behaviors are taking place, and we passively accept the behaviors and do not act to remove ourselves. In what sense is an attitude of lawlessness the cause of sin in our lives? Because we have this sinful attitude, we are rejecting God by actively or inactively stating that we can do OK in life without Christ’s help. We forget how our lives were so much less fulfilling before we first accepted Christ. We’re tired of trying, so we fall away instead of increasing our efforts to get more of Jesus in our lives. We will learn, one way or the other, hopefully before it is too late (and we run out of lamp oil).

(1 John 2:28; 3:2-3) In what way does our expectation of Christ's Second Coming motivate us to purify ourselves from sin? We must be motivated by the fact that the actual day and time of his coming is unknown. Like the servant of the house, or the virgins having extra lamp oil, we must be vigilant and ready. How does purifying ourselves from sin relate to God's grace? Bluntly put, we MUST turn away from sin now, not later, for later may be too late. Thinking we can do a “quick reversal from sin” at the day of His return, is a too-little, too-late effort. We will be lost to salvation if we don’t give our own effort above God’s grace.

(1 John 2:29-3:2) In what sense are we "children of God"? Children are only children in the few years after they are born. Because we have accepted Jesus Christ, and have been baptized with water, we have received the Holy Spirit. In God’s eyes, we have been “born again.” What does the Holy Spirit have to do with this "new birth"? Since we are reborn by the Holy Spirit (and our acceptance of Christ), we are now children, once again. We will remain children of God as long as we continue to accept him as our Father. How does the new birth change us? We have New Life. God now expects us to grow and mature in our faith. Though we remain “Children of God,” for the rest of our eternity, while we are alive on earth we must mature in our understanding of His Word and speak that Word out loud to bring others to the Faith.

(1 John 2:26-27) If we have the Holy Spirit, why do we need teachers in the church? We don’t need the heretical teachers in the church if their focus is solely to drive good Christians away from Christ. We must reject them and not listen to their version of scripture. We can, however, learn from good, godly human teachers because there is always something “still remaining” in scripture that they may glean and can then relate to us. How does the role of the anointing differ from the Holy Spirit's spiritual gift of teaching? Anointing is the act of giving/receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit from God to each member of the church that has been baptized and has accepted Jesus Christ. It is a single act; once performed, the Spirit remains within us. It does not have to be refreshed over and over. Teaching, of course, is ongoing. It is an excursion into a subject and can be a lifelong experience depending on the subject, the teacher, the student and the situation.

(1 John 2:24-28) What does it mean to abide/remain/continue in Jesus? Abiding with Jesus means staying with the teachings (the truth) as written in the Bible. Only God’s Word, recorded by the prophets and disciples, is the truth. Any diversion from the true Bible is a path towards the Antichrist. Give an example of what a Christian might be doing who is "abiding" in Jesus. On a daily basis, or as often as possible, they will read the bible, pray to the Lord, and continue to accept and believe that Jesus Christ is their savior. The also tell others the good Word about Jesus as savior. What are symptoms in a Christian who is not "abiding" in Jesus? They are denying that Jesus Christ was born as a man, lived on earth, suffered and died for our sins, and rose from the dead after 3 days. When they deny Jesus, they deny God, also, and so are lost to eternal life.

In what ways is the Holy Spirit an internal Guide for us? The Holy Spirit helps us know the truth. John calls the spirit “Counselor”; think of your guidance counselors from school days. They were there to answer questions, guide us to make right decisions and support us as we grew in knowledge. In the same way, the Holy Spirit guides us as we learn and grow, directing us towards the “right/Godlike” way to live, versus following the ways of the world and falling back into sin. In what ways does he teach us? In what ways does he point us to Jesus' teaching? In this particular passage, John is using the presence of the Holy Spirit in us as the way to recognize the false prophets and the antichrist(s). He is still focused on the local (church) factions that are trying to change the true word of God.

(1 John 2:20-21) What is the "anointing" that John is talking about? John is talking about the Energy that God sends to each of those that believe in him, AND accept his Son, risen from the dead. After one’s baptism, they are anointed with the Holy Spirit, and this will help open their eyes to the truth as found in God’s Word. It remains in us from that point forward, and it is real, always leading to the Truth. In what way is anointing connected to the Holy Spirit in the Bible? Especially in the Old Testament, oil was used to Anoint a person as a symbol of God’s power place upon them. It was usually poured on their head, to simulate the blessings from above. Anointing is a link to the presence of the Holy Spirit, and the power that it unleashes. Has every Christian received this anointing? What do you think? No, only those that have both accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, and have been Baptized in water are accepted by God and Christ as ready to receive an anointing of the Holy Spirit.

(1 John 2:18) What is this antichrist that John expects to come? He is telling us that a false Christ will come at the end of days. There will be “godly” signs and miracles performed to sway the believers towards this false messiah. What is the difference between the antichrist and antichrists in the church John is writing to? THE antichrist will be a nationwide (worldwide) figure, leading a centralized new “religion.” He will appear on the scene at once (rise to ‘fame’ from practically nowhere), supported by the governments and spiritual leaders of that day. The false prophets in the church are more localized, and are leading the perversion and falling away from the ground up. In what ways do we see the spirit of antichrist at work in our day? In simple terms, in the decadence and sinfulness of today’s world. Many former Christians have been led back into lasciviousness behavior, and many worldly nations’ leadership/governments are leading the way.

(1 John 2:15-17) What kinds of sins are covered by the three examples of worldliness that John gives? **** is the broadest sin presented by John. **** isn’t only “of the flesh” but of any desire for something forbidden, which eventually leads to rebellion against God. Then he discusses the eyes. The eyes are usually what leads man to commit sin, for as we see something and find we crave it, we desire it, ignoring the consequences to our eternal salvation. Finally, John reviews our innate want to boast about things that we think we accomplished alone; an arrogance in one’s self. We “preach” in the street like the Pharisees, calling attention to ourselves instead of towards God. Better to pray in the closet and give all the glory to our Father. Why are these sometimes so difficult for us to discern in ourselves? We become blind to God. Something great happens in our life and we think that we alone have accomplished this moment of success. We forget God’s hand in our lives, we “fall away.” Without God, we lack wisdom. Therefore we struggle lo look inwardly, for fear that we might discover that we are “less” than we imagined, and weak without God. Why is worldliness so harmful to our future? Anything accomplished in the flesh will be left behind when we die. Everything store up is lost to us, and left for others. We must remain laser focused on that which will keep us in the covenant of eternal life: loving God, believing that Jesus lived as a man, and that He died for our sins on the cross. Only then will we rest in the Kingdom of God.

(1 John 2:15-16) What is "the world" in verses 15-16? The world is all of the various other "gods" that man tends to worship, such as sex outside marriage, worldly goods, the love of money, covetousness, power over others, etc. What kind of love of "the world" keeps us from loving the Father? The blind love that humans have for their "wants" versus their "needs." Seeking pleasure in life at the cost of (possibly) losing our promise of eternal life (the effort of trying to serve two masters).

(1 John 2:12-14) John encourages "children," "young men," and "fathers." Why do you think he takes time to encourage them? In what ways does he encourage them? He separates and distinctly encourages believers who are at different places in their relationship with God. He does this to form an inclusive relationship with all that are reading his words. The bible speaks to each of us in a different way, and John realizes this. In addition, he offers at least one specific area that each is excelling at, to promote enthusiasm for their continued learning. He demonstrates to each level that they have at least one weapon in their arsenal to combat the devil.

(1 John 2:7-11) How does hate and unforgiveness blind us spiritually? If we are unable to forgive others when they do wrong against us, we are living in the darkness. The darkness is total, so we cannot see the Way anymore: we are spiritually blind. We have not followed God's second greatest command: Love thy Neighbor. If we have been darkened by hurt and hate, how do we come into the light? Though we struggle to forgive those that hurt us, we must forgive them and “get beyond” it. Carrying this burden really hurts us more than it hurts the one who harmed us. As we forgive (and forget, as much as possible), our own burden lifts, we are again open to the Word, and we can rejoice in the fact that we just came one step closer to God.

(1 John 2:3-6) How can we be serious about obeying Christ without become legalistic and judgmental, with the self-righteous attitude that the Pharisees had? Focus on the bedrock of Christ’s teachings: That we are sinners, that mankind have always been sinners, that Jesus came into the world to be born of the flesh to better understand man and finally, to suffer and die for our sins on the cross. Not just one set of sins but the sins of believers for all time. The focus must not be on us, it must be on Jesus. This immediately negates the “self-righteous attitude.” How do love and legalism differ? Legalism is about self, and what I - me - my can get out the situation. Love is about focusing on others (love thy neighbor), and especially on God and Jesus Christ. How can we be serious about obedience and make love our center? Contemplate, Meditate, and Regurgitate the 10 Commandments. Follow them, do not break them, speak them out loud. But when we do break them (sin), immediately repent, ask forgiveness, move on, knowing God loves you and rejoice in God’s Love.

What assurance does John give us if we do sin? When we sin, we have someone who speaks to God the Father in our defense -- Jesus Christ. He is our defense attorney and he intervenes for us, so we are not asking for forgiveness alone. How does this comfort us? Since we know we are sinners, and that no matter how hard we try to be “perfect,” we are NOT, we can be comforted knowing that Christ “has our back,” so to speak. I sleep better at night after expressing my daily sins to God and asking for His forgiveness. How does it make us want to avoid sin? I know that I don’t want to rely on Jesus for everything, because I own the burden of my sins, too. Trying hard to avoid sinning frees me from having to invoke Jesus to help intercede for me. I want to savor the POWER of Jesus for those times when I really need his help. That said, it is wonderful knowing that Jesus is there when I need him. Amen.

(1 John 1:9) How would you define "confession"? The speaking out loud, to God, of our transgressions. We must let God know that we are aware that we have sinned. Why is confessing our sins so important? If we are not repentant, God cannot forgive us. We must be aware that we have broken his commands, and let God know that we recognize that we have sinned. What happens to us if we stop confessing our sins? We experience the “falling away” from God. He has made a covenant with us. He cannot keep his end of the bargain, if we don’t keep ours. We have to admit that we are sinners, say it out loud to Him, and repent for those sins. What are the promises given to us if we do confess our sins? That we will be forgiven for those sins. God both Forgives, and Forgets our past sins. How is forgiveness of sins different from cleansing? God forgiving our sins is an immediate action: we confess, we repent, He forgives, He forgets. Cleansing is a journey: We are cleansed over time by (hopefully) gaining wisdom to recognize where we fall short in serving God. We Learn, we Grow, we become Wise and sin less (especially in repeating the same sins over and over again).

(1 John 1:5-7) What is the result when a Christian walks in darkness, that is, continues willfully to do what he or she knows to be wrong? Since ‘"God is light and in him is no darkness at all." (1:5)”’ then we no longer wish to know God. We are no longer walking in the truth of His Word. God expects much from us, and at the same time he expects little. Much: Do not sin, practice self-control, Love only God, not idols, and Love your neighbors (fellow Christians). Little: He just wants us to Love him and accept that his Son died for us on the cross, on that terrible day. How does this involve self-deception? We need to be honest with ourselves, and accept the fact that we are sinners. We can choose to think that since we are “born again”, there is nothing else we need to do to enter eternity with God and Jesus. That may be so, but is that all we truly want? We should strive for the Power and Authority that is ours, if we truly live as Christ, and walk in his ways. What is the result, according to verse 7, when we walk in the light? We can now equate ourselves with our brothers and experience fellowship with them. As mentioned above, accepting that his Son died for us on the cross will cause God to Forgive and Forget our sins. How do we get back into the light if we sin? Repent, and ask forgiveness.

Why is our fellowship with fellow Christians so often just on a surface level? The pressures and expectations of the outside world have caused us to keep our true feelings shrouded. We fear opening up to others, instead showing a false “godly” persona: “Look at me, now here’s a practicing Christian.” Add to that the newly exotic “cancel culture,” and people are afraid to show their true selves for fear of being ridiculed, or canceled. How can we have fellowship at a deeper level in Christ? Be true to God, and then be true to yourself. Put on the armor of God and do not be afraid to wear your Love for Jesus Christ on the outside. What would it take in your Christian group or your relationships with other believers to deepen your level of fellowship so it is authentically Christian? After acknowledging pleasantries with your fellowship group, drive the crux of every conversation towards the glory, and the Love of God. He is/ must be the focus of your life. Tell others that this is how you live and you want the same JOY for each of them. Welcome them with Love.