16This is how we know what lo...

16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

17If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?

18Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth

- P40

23And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.

24The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us. - P41

The apostle John contrasts the world‘s hatred with the believer‘s call to love.
The example of Christ shows that true love is sacrificial, intentional, and ac-tive. Genuine Christian love is not proven by empty words but by tangibleaction, even to the point of laying down one‘s life. Many believers strugglewith the temptation to reduce love to polite speech, digital "likes," or goodintentions without sacrifice. In a culture of convenience, John‘s challengeto the church is all the more relevant.  - P42

Our faith is evidenced by the kindof love Jesus showed: a love that meets needs, gives generously, and servessacrificially. Our faith is proven real through love in action. - P42

Dear heavenly Father, You are the God of love. Help me love You and my brothers and sisters sincerely with actions, not just with words or feelings. Make me more attentive to Your Spirit’s testimony that I belong to You. In Jesus’ name, amen. - P43

John continues to teach believers that they can find assurance before Godthrough love in action, obedience to His Word, and the Spirit‘s abidingpresence. Confidence before God does not rest in our personal feelings orperformance but in living out a faith rooted in Jesus Christ through loveand obedience. Many Christians wrestle with guilt, doubt, or self-condem-nation, especially when they feel their faith is weak.  - P42

In a performance-driv-en culture, assurance is often tied to personal success of emotions. Johnreminds us that even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than ourhearts. We can rest in who God is for us, obey His command to believe inJesus, and to love one another. Let us trust His Spirit‘s witness as assuranceof our abiding in Christ. - P42

28And now, dear children, con...

28And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.

29If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.

- P36

The apostle John instructs his readers to continue in Christ so that they willbe confident when He returns. He invites them to consider the great loveGod lavishes on believers by calling them His children. In view of this love,
believers are called to do what is right and to love one another.  - P38

Those whoare truly God‘s children will reflect their Father‘s character. Christians todayface countless influences that normalize all kinds of sin or wrongly redefinelove. This can make it more difficult to practice God‘s commands and eas-ier to give in to sin. Just as John warned of those who practice lawlessnesswhile claiming to follow Christ, we too must discern between the ways ofthe world and the ways of God.  - P38

Let us pursue righteousness by abiding inthe Son of God who came to destroy Satan‘s power over us. In doing so, wereveal our identity as God‘s children. - P38

Dear Jesus, thank You for bringing us close to the Father. Help us keep ourhope in You and strengthen us to remain faithful as we wait for the daywhen we will see You and become like You. In Your name, amen. - P39

Our relationship with God is ...

Our relationship with God is like a marriage, where love is exclusive between husband and wife. We express our love for God through our faithfulness to Him and by keeping our hearts "full" of Him. - P32

12I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.

13I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. - P30

l
20But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.

- P31

26I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. - P31

As the gospel spreads and new communities of believers emerge across theRoman Empire, false teachings also crop up, threatening to lead believersastray. So, John emphasizes the importance of grounding our faith in truth.
Genuine faith entails belief in what is true. The person that denies what istrue-that Jesus is the Messiah-is anti or against Christ.  - P32

Christians mustlearn to discern truth from false teaching. This is why it is important toread and study the Bible to understand what God is truly like.  - P32

If we do notknow the truth, we will easily fall for ideas and teachings that sound truebut contradict God‘s Word. - P32

Heavenly Father, You tell us in Your Word that we cannot love both You and the world. I confess that too often my heart strays from You after temporary pleasures. Transform my desires and lead me by Your truth so that I may not fall for alluring untruths. In Jesus’ name, amen. - P32

God converses with us primarily through His words in Scripture.
We can also use His words to respond to Him.
Use the following guide to pray through this week‘s memory verse.
God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. - 1 John 1:5b - P33

1My dear children, I write th...

1My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. - P26

5But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him:

6Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. - P26

10Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.

11But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.

- P27

The writer says he writes so that believers will not sin, but if anyone does, theyhave an advocate with the Father. He writes that the evidence that someoneknows God is their obedience to His commands. Those who claim to live inthe light must love their brothers and sisters. Hatred is evidence of darknessand blindness. - P27

John encourages the believers not to sin. He reminds them that the evidence that we truly know Jesus is our obedience to His commands. Disobeying Him while claiming to walk with Him is hypocrisy. In other words, what assures us of the genuineness of our faith in Jesus is obedience to Him. - P28

Faith is not inherited from our parents or acquired by growing up in a Christian culture or attending church. - P28

What identifies a true believer is whether their life aligns with and is patterned after the life of Christ. Those who say they follow Jesus must live as Jesus did. - P28

As we mature in faith, we should be growing to become more like Him in character and service. - P28

Someone who hates others is still in the darkness, even though they claimto be in the light. To love one‘s fellow believers is to walk in the light andtherefore be less likely to stumble. If anyone claims to be a Christian butdoes not love others, this puts their Christian faith into question. Theirattitude shows that they are still blinded by darkness (v. 11).  - P28

When we giveour life to Jesus, we are filled with the Holy Spirit, who gives us the capacityto love others. This is why John says that loving others is a marker of truefaith.  - P28

When conflicts or misunderstandings arise, settle the issue quicklyand peacefully, letting God work greater Christlikeness in you and in thosearound you - P28

Father God, You call me to live as Jesus did, but I fall short of this calling so many times. Empower me with Your Holy Spirit to restore my broken relationships and serve others with compassion just as Jesus came not to be served but to serve. In His name, amen. - P29

1That which was from the begi...

1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.

2The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.

3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

- P22

4We write this to make our joy complete.

5This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. - P22

7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

- P23

8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. - P23

When the apostle John wrote this epistle, false teachers were claiming that Jesus was a spirit and did not exist in a fully human body. So, the first point John makes as he introduces his letter is that Jesus came in the flesh. Like most writers of the New Testament, John was an eyewitness with the authority to claim that this is true: Jesus is fully human and fully God. - P24

During His earthly life, He experienced the events recorded in the Gospels. He ate and talked and walked and performed miracles in real historical places, many of which still exist today. One cannot be considered a Christian without believing in this reality (v. 3). - P24

God is light, meaning He is holy and without any impurity. Just like turn-ing on a light banishes the darkness, God‘s purity and sin‘s impurity cannotcoexist. No one can claim to have fellowship with God and yet walk inthe darkness. Those who walk in God‘s light walk in fellowship with otherbelievers and trust in the blood of Jesus to purify them from all sin.  - P24

Whenour lives display holiness, it shows that we truly have fellowship with Godand one another. We also need humility in our fellowship because none ofus can claim perfection by God‘s standards (v. 8).  - P24

We are dependent uponJesus for forgiveness in order to continue in fellowship with God and withHis people. - P24

Heavenly Father, it is only by Your grace that I dare to approach Your throne or even call You my Father. I know that when I come to You in humble confession, You forgive me and welcome me as Your child. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, amen. - P25