The Word of Life—1 John 1:1–4
Topics: Basics of the Faith, Doctrine, Eternal Life, Evidence, Faith, Fellowship, God, History, Jesus Christ, Joy, Life, Words
Open It
1. *What do you associate with the term “fellowship”?
2. How do we know that the events we read about in history books really happened?
Explore It
1. What was from the beginning? (1:1)
2. What contact did the writer and this community of believers have with the Word of life? (1:1)
3. *How did God reveal Himself to us? (1:2)
4. What was being proclaimed by this community of believers? (1:2)
5. Where had the eternal life been, and to whom had it appeared? (1:2)
6. Why were the author and his fellow believers telling others about Christ? (1:3)
7. *With whom did this community of believers have fellowship? (1:3)
8. *Why was this letter written? (1:4)
Get It
1. Why do you think John stressed his and this community of believers’ personal, physical, historical encounter with Jesus?
2. How important are firsthand eyewitness testimonies, such as this writer’s, to your belief in Jesus?
3. What fellowship do you have with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ?
4. What fellowship do you have with other believers?
5. How is our fellowship with God related to our fellowship with other believers?
6. *What blocks our fellowship with God and others?
7. *In what ways can we enhance our fellowship?
8. In what way is your joy complete?
Apply It
1. What can you do to gain a better appreciation of the historical foundation of your faith in Christ?
2. *What specific steps will you take this week in order to deepen your fellowship with other believers?
Walking in the Light—1 John 1:5–2:14
Topics: Atonement, Children, Confession, Darkness, Denial, Disobedience, Doctrine, Evil, Fellowship, Forgiveness, God, Guilt, Habits, Jesus Christ, Life, Light, Lying, Obedience, Pride, Reconciliation, Sacrifice, Satan, Sin, Truth
Open It
1. *Why might it be hard for someone to admit that he or she was wrong about something?
2. About what do we tend to deceive ourselves?
3. When and why might someone need an attorney?
Explore It
1. What message did the writer hear and declare? (1:5)
2. *What inconsistency did John address? (1:6)
3. What results from “walking in the light”? (1:7)
4. *How were some believers apparently deceiving themselves? (1:8)
5. What is the result of confessing one’s sins? (1:9)
6. In what way can a person make God out to be a liar? (1:10)
7. *Why did John write this letter? (2:1)
8. For whom is Jesus an atoning sacrifice? (2:2)
9. What test did John describe for knowing whether or not a person truly knows God? (2:3–6)
10. What did John say he was giving to his readers? (2:7–8)
11. How are claiming to be a Christian and loving one’s fellow Christians related? (2:9–11)
12. Why did John write to “the dear children”? (2:12–13)
13. Why did John write to “the fathers”? (2:13–14)
14. Why did John write to “the young men”? (2:13–14)
Get It
1. What do you think the terms “light” and “darkness” represent?
2. In what way is God similar to light?
3. *In what way do we “walk in darkness”?
4. *How can we “walk in the light”?
5. How does the promise of being purified from all sin make you feel?
6. Why would someone claim that he or she was without sin?
7. What role does the confession of sins play in your daily life?
8. How important is fellowship with other believers to you?
9. In what way is Jesus like our attorney?
10. How can we get to know God better?
11. What does the way in which we treat other believers reveal about us?
12. What confidence does Jesus’ atoning death give to us?
13. What confidence should our relationship with the Father give us?
14. What area of your life do you need to examine in order to see your sins more clearly?
15. How do you need to change the way you relate to fellow believers in order to develop a deeper relationship with God?
Apply It
1. *What steps will you take this week to walk in the light?
2. What will you do to incorporate the confession of sins into your daily routine?
Do Not Love the World—1 John 2:15–17
Topics: Affections, Culture, Desires, Ego, Eternal Life, God, God’s Will, Happiness, Joy, Life-style, Love, Lust, Needs, Obedience, Peer Pressure, Pride, Relationships, Satisfaction, Self-esteem, Sin, World
Open It
1. *What makes TV commercials and advertisements so appealing?
2. What sort of promises do TV commercials and advertisements make?
3. Which of these three most clearly motivates the people you know and live near: (1) the drive to meet their physical needs, (2) the drive to get things, or (3) the drive to succeed?
Explore It
1. *What restrictions should we place on our affections? (2:15)
2. What should believers not love? Why? (2:15)
3. What is the result of loving the world? (2:15)
4. Why did John tell us not to love the world? (2:15–17)
5. What are the things of the world? (2:16)
6. How did John categorize the things in the world? (2:16)
7. From where do the things in the world come? (2:16)
8. From where do the things in the world not come? (2:16)
9. *What passes away? (2:17)
10. *Who lives forever? (2:17)
Get It
1. *How do we love the world and the things in it?
2. What things in the world are you tempted to love?
3. What would you categorize as “the cravings of sinful man”?
4. What would you categorize as “the lust of the eyes”?
5. What would you categorize as “the boasting of what he has or does”?
6. *Why are the things and values of the world so enticing to us?
7. What worldly things or values do we substitute for God?
8. What does it mean to do the will of God?
9. How can we guard against adopting the values of the world?
10. From what worldly thing or value do you need to turn in order to pursue your relationship with God?
Apply It
1. *What specific steps will you take in order to find satisfaction in your relationship with God rather than in the things of the world?
2. How will you do the will of God today?
Warning Against Antichrists—1 John 2:18–27
Topics: Believers, Christianity, Church, Denial, Doctrine, Eternal Life, Fellowship, Forsake, God, Heresy, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Knowledge, Last Days, Rejection, Teaching, Truth, Unbelievers
Open It
1. Who are the enemies of the Church today?
2. What do you think is the best defense against cults and other false spiritual teaching?
3. *What effect do you think warning labels on cigarettes and alcohol have?
Explore It
1. What time did John say it is? (2:18)
2. *Who was coming and who had come at the time John wrote this? (2:18)
3. What did John say about those who had left? (2:19)
4. What did the readers of 1 John have? (2:20)
5. What did the readers of 1 John know? (2:21)
6. How is the antichrist identified? (2:22)
7. *In what way is denying (or acknowledging) the Son related to having the Father? (2:23)
8. *What did John encourage his readers to do? (2:24)
9. What did the Father promise? (2:25)
10. Why did the author write these things? (2:26)
11. What was the relationship between the anointing these believers received and their need to be taught? (2:27)
Get It
1. What makes you think that we are living in the last hour today?
2. What antichrists are among us today?
3. What truths do we know about Christ?
4. What have we been taught by the anointing of the Holy Spirit?
5. How can we remain in or have fellowship with Jesus Christ?
6. *What groups of people are trying to lead believers astray today?
7. *How can we protect ourselves against false teachers and antichrists?
Apply It
1. What will you do this week to deepen your fellowship with Jesus Christ?
2. *What steps do you need to take to better prepare yourself against antichrists and their false doctrines?
3. Who is someone you can encourage in their relationship with Christ this week?
Children of God—1 John 2:28–3:10
Topics: Basics of the Faith, Believers, Children, Disobedience, Doctrine, Fellowship, God, Habits, Jesus Christ, Life-style, Obedience, Satan, Second Coming, Sin, Unbelievers, World
Open It
1. *In what way(s) are you like your mother or father?
2. What was one of the benefits of being the child of your parents as you were growing up?
3. How would most people define the term “sin”?
Explore It
1. Why did John encourage his readers to continue in Christ? (2:28)
2. *What is true about everyone who does what is right? (2:29)
3. How has the Father lavished love upon believers? (3:1)
4. Why doesn’t the world know Christians? (3:1)
5. What will happen to the children of God when they see Christ? (3:2)
6. What kind of person purifies himself or herself? (3:3)
7. What is sin? (3:4)
8. Why did Christ appear? (3:5)
9. *How is a person who lives in Christ unusual? (3:6)
10. What does it mean to do what is right? (3:7)
11. What did John say about the person who does what is sinful? (3:8)
12. Why did the Son of God appear? (3:8)
13. *Why can’t the person who is born of God continue to sin? (3:9)
14. How are children of God and children of the devil identified? (3:10)
Get It
1. What does it mean to continue in Christ?
2. How are you preparing yourself for Christ’s return?
3. What is so great about being a child of God?
4. *When have you felt that your non-Christian friends did not really know or understand you?
5. *How do you reconcile the fact that Christians do sin with the statements that they cannot sin or keep on sinning?
6. How can we know that we are children of God?
7. How do you need to change your daily routine so that you may be confident and unashamed before Christ at His Second Coming?
Apply It
1. What step will you take today to purify yourself?
2. *What area of weakness will you ask God to strengthen this week?
Love One Another—1 John 3:11–24
Topics: Basics of the Faith, Believers, Caring, Children, Compassion, Death, Disobedience, Eternal Life, Evil, God, Hardheartedness, Hatred, Heart, Holy Spirit, Hypocrisy, Jesus Christ, Life, Life-style, Love, Murder, Obedience, Poor, Prayer, Satan, World
Open It
1. *Who is someone (in history or alive today) whose life is an example of what it means to love?
2. Who is someone (in history or alive today) whose life is an example of what it means to hate?
Explore It
1. What message had the readers of 1 John heard from the beginning? (3:11)
2. Why did Cain murder his brother? (3:12)
3. About what should believers not be surprised? (3:13)
4. How can a person know that he or she has passed from death to life? (3:14)
5. What is the result of hating one’s brother? (3:15)
6. *How do we know what love is? (3:16)
7. What question did the author ask his readers? (3:17)
8. *How should Christians love? (3:18)
9. What is God greater than? (3:20)
10. What is the result of not being condemned by one’s heart? (3:21–22)
11. What is God’s command? (3:23)
12. *What is the result of obeying God’s command? (3:24)
13. How do believers know that God lives in them? (3:24)
Get It
1. How does the world hate believers today?
2. When have you experienced the hatred of the world?
3. What does it mean to love one’s brother?
4. *When do you struggle with loving other Christians?
5. *How do you demonstrate your love for fellow believers?
6. Why do we struggle with loving other Christians with our material possessions?
7. Why is it easier to love with words rather than actions?
8. In what way does love result in life, and hate result in death?
Apply It
1. *For what fellow Christian whom you have difficulty loving will you do something kind this week?
2. How can you use your material possessions to love another believer this week?
3. What specific step will you take this week to put your love for another Christian into action?
Test the Spirits—1 John 4:1–6
Topics: Basics of the Faith, Believers, Christianity, Confession, Demons, Denial, Doctrine, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Satan, Testing, Unbelievers, Victory, World
Open It
1. *What standard would you use for testing a person’s credentials to do your job?
2. What makes something either “worldly” or “Christian”?
Explore It
1. *What did John instruct his readers to do? (4:1)
2. Who did John say had gone into the world? (4:1)
3. How is the Spirit of God recognized? (4:2)
4. *How can we distinguish truth from error in spiritual matters? (4:2–3)
5. What spirit does not acknowledge that Jesus is from God? (4:3)
6. Why did the writer say that believers had overcome the spirit of the antichrist? (4:4)
7. Where is the spirit of the antichrist from? (4:5)
8. From what viewpoint does the spirit of the antichrist speak? (4:5)
9. *Who does and does not listen to those who are from God? (4:6)
10. How are the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood recognized? (4:6)
Get It
1. What spirits should we be testing today?
2. What false prophets are in the world today?
3. *What segments of our society would you say are influenced or controlled by the spirit of the antichrist?
4. What is the significance of acknowledging that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh?
5. In what way have you overcome the world?
6. How does the truth that Christ is greater than the devil make you feel?
7. *How can we reflect our confidence in Christ’s supremacy over the devil?
8. How would you distinguish between seeing from the world’s viewpoint and seeing from God’s viewpoint?
Apply It
1. *What influences in your life (for example, books, movies, music, ideas, etc.) will you “put to the test” this week to see whether they are from God?
2. What false prophets do you need to guard yourself against this week?
God’s Love and Ours—1 John 4:7–21
Topics: Atonement, Believers, Caring, Fear, Fellowship, Friendship, God, Hatred, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Judgment, Love, Lying, Perfect, Sacrifice, Sin, World
Open It
1. Which do you think is a more powerful motivator—love, fear, or hate? Why?
2. What popular figure alive today or from history used hate to motivate people?
3. When have you been motivated by love?
Explore It
1. What were the readers of 1 John encouraged to do? (4:7)
2. *What is the relationship between loving and knowing God? (4:7–8)
3. How did God show His love? (4:9)
4. Why did God send His Son? (4:9)
5. What is love? (4:10)
6. Why should Christians love one another? (4:11)
7. What is the result of loving one another? (4:12)
8. *How can believers know that they live in God and God lives in them? (4:13)
9. What did John testify concerning? (4:14)
10. What happens when we acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God? (4:15)
11. Why is love important? (4:16–17)
12. How is love made complete? (4:17)
13. What does perfect love do? Why? (4:18)
14. *Why should we love? (4:19)
15. What is the relationship between loving God and loving one’s brother? (4:20–21)
Get It
1. *How can we demonstrate our love for God?
2. What example has Jesus set for us to follow?
3. How should God’s love motivate you to love others?
4. How do you know that God lives in you?
5. What does it mean to live in God?
6. Why is it be easier to love God than other Christians?
7. *When you have difficulty loving other believers, what is it that makes it difficult?
8. *How can we demonstrate our love for others?
9. What are you afraid of?
10. How can we overcome our fears?
11. How does love drive out fear?
Apply It
1. Who is someone that you have a difficult time getting along with that you need to ask God to help you love this week?
2. What fear will you ask God to help you overcome?
3. *What specific steps will you take this week to demonstrate your love for another believer?
Faith in the Son of God—1 John 5:1–12
Topics: Basics of the Faith, Believe, Believers, Children, Eternal Life, Faith, Fellowship, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Life, Love, Obedience, Truth, Victory, Witnessing, World
Open It
1. What makes a person’s testimony seem credible or incredible?
2. How do you demonstrate love for your parents?
3. *What do you find burdensome or a drag to do?
Explore It
1. Who is born of God? (5:1)
2. What can be said about the person who loves the Father? (5:1)
3. How can a person know if he or she loves God’s people? (5:2)
4. What is love for God? (5:2)
5. *What unique quality do God’s commands have? Why is this true? (5:3–4)
6. *Who overcomes the world? (5:4–5)
7. *How can we overcome the world? (5:4–5)
8. How did Jesus Christ come? (5:6)
9. Why does the Spirit testify? (5:6)
10. What three things are in agreement? (5:7–8)
11. Why is God’s testimony greater than man’s testimony? (5:9)
12. Who has made God out to be a liar? (5:10)
13. What testimony has God given concerning His Son? (5:10–11)
14. What do we have if we have Christ in us? (5:12)
Get It
1. What does it mean to be born of God?
2. How can we know that we are born of God?
3. How do you know that you are a child of God?
4. What are the commands of God with which you struggle with obeying?
5. In what way should we love the children of God?
6. *When have you thought that God’s commands were burdensome?
7. *What does it mean to overcome the world?
8. How have you overcome the world?
9. What is your relationship to the Son?
10. How can a person receive eternal life?
Apply It
1. *How will you demonstrate your love for the Father today?
2. What steps do you need to take in order to be certain you are a child of God?
3. What will you do to celebrate your life in the Son today?
Concluding Remarks—1 John 5:13–21
Topics: Believe, Believers, Children, Confidence, Death, Disobedience, Eternal Life, Evil, God, God’s Will, Jesus Christ, Life, Obedience, Prayer, Satan, Sin, Understanding
Open It
1. *What might make someone afraid to ask another person for something?
2. What sort of things do people today pin their hopes on?
Explore It
1. Why did John write this letter? (5:13)
2. What confidence can believers have? (5:14–15)
3. *About what type of sin did John say his readers should pray? (5:16)
4. What is sin? (5:17)
5. What does the person born of God stop doing? (5:18)
6. What sort of protection do Christians enjoy? (5:18)
7. *Under whose control is the whole world? (5:19)
8. *What has the Son of God done, and what has He given? (5:20)
9. Who is Jesus Christ? (5:20)
10. What was the last instruction John left with his readers? (5:21)
Get It
1. How can we be confident that we have eternal life?
2. *When is it hard for you to approach God with confidence?
3. How can we know whether something is according to God’s will?
4. In what way can sin lead to death?
5. To what sort of death might sin lead?
6. In what way has sin led to death in your life?
7. What type of sin does not lead to death?
8. By what modern “idols” are you tempted?
9. *About what issue do you need to approach God more confidently?
Apply It
1. What specific step can you take this week to place more confidence in God and less in the idols of this world?
2. For what fellow believer who has sinned will you pray today?
3. *What matter will you bring before God this week?
Adult Questions for LESSONmaker (2024). Bellingham, WA: Logos, p. 1 Jn 1:1–5:21.