1 John

Lesson 4 w/Answers1 John 3:1-12

Bible

As we continue our study of 1 John, we are welcomed into the family of God. As you read Chapter 3, read it as a member of a close family—God’s family, our new family—one in which we have been adopted as sons and daughters of God. In this context, see if the Holy Spirit doesn’t give you special insight into this passage of scripture.

Please read 1 John 3:1-12, and then consider the following:

  1. In 1 John 3:1-3, John tells us that we are to be called "the children of God." Read Galatians 3:26, Ephesians 4:6, and Hebrews 3:1. What does each verse tell us about being e a part of God’s family?
    1. Galatians 3:26
      1. ANSWER: Through Jesus we are children of God through faith. When through grace God saves us, we become His children.
    2. Ephesians 4:6
      1. ANSWER: We have one God and one father.
    3. Hebrews 3:1
      1. ANSWER: We are brothers and sisters in Christ, and he is our Apostle and Priest.
  2. How did we become children of God? See Luke 18:15-17, John 3:3, Romans 8:12-17, and Galatians 4:1-7.
    1. Luke 18:15-17
      1. ANSWER: Like little children, we have placed our faith in Jesus.
    2. John 3:3
      1. ANSWER: We must be born again. Our old self must be crucified and die so that we born again of the Holy Spirit. We become a new creation. (See also 2 Corinthians 5:17.)
    3. Romans 8:12-17
      1. ANSWER: Living by the Spirit, we are adopted into the family of God.
    4. Galatians 4:1-7
      1. ANSWER: Our faith in Christ results in the Holy Spirit living in us. Correspondingly, we are then adopted into God’s family through our faith in Jesus.
  3. List some of the things that are different about your life because you are now a member of the family of God.
    1. ANSWER: Each of us will have individual and very personal things that we now recognize as different. Overall, however, and common among the family of God is that we now see the world differently. Our "world view" has changed dramatically. (See 2 Corinthians 5:16 and 1 John 4:5.) Everyone in the family of God acknowledges that Jesus is their Lord and Savior, that the Holy Spirit lives within them, and that God is the only one true God. Before we were adopted into the family, we saw the world and the Trinity completely differently, if at all. However, because of these changes, we now act and think differently. We are not the same creature; we are truly becoming a new creation.
  4. When you consider your old life and walk with the world, and compare that life and walk with your current one, what is the single greatest blessing, i.e., the thing that you are most thankful for, that you did not have before you became a member of God’s family? How has God blessed you since He made you a part of His family
    1. ANSWER: I actually have two things along these lines that I am thankful for: (1) I have an inner peace that goes beyond explanation (see Philippians 4:7, and Matthew 11:28); and (2) my life now has direction (see Psalm 119:105, 133, and Matthew 6:33).
  5. When I consider my walk with Him, three verses readily come to mind: Jeremiah 29:11, Luke 18:27, and Romans 8:28. They give me hope and joy in terms of being a part of God’s family during times of struggle. This is a hope and joy that I would not otherwise have apart from His presence. What verses come to mind for you? How has God’s Word spoken to you?
    1. Jeremiah 29:11
      1. ANSWER: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
    2. Luke 18:27
      1. ANSWER: "Jesus replied, ‘what is impossible with man is possible with God.’"
    3. Romans 8:28
      1. ANSWER: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
  6. In light of the family that we are a part of, 1 John 3:4-12 refers to our brothers and to us as "little children." Can you also see a different group of "little children" that John refers to in the same passage?
    1. ANSWER: Yes; he is actually referring to two groups of little children. Those children who do right are considered righteous and are called the children of God. In contrast, "Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister." These are referred to as "the children of the devil."
  7. How can we tell the difference between the two groups of "little children?"
    1. ANSWER: We read in 1 John 3:12 that their actions declare who they have placed their faith in.
  8. Read 1 John 3:9 and 1 John 1:10. How can John say that both things are true? See Galatians 5:16-26, Romans 7:20, and Romans 7:25.
    1. Galatians 5:16-26
      1. ANSWER: "So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." [NIV]
    2. Romans 7:20
      1. ANSWER: "Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it." [NIV]
    3. Romans 7:25
      1. ANSWER: "Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin." [NIV]

Have a great week everyone!

In Christ,

Wes

[2021]

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