Important Themes in First John

• Lesson 11 for the week of September 5 to September 12

Observations for discussion and questions: The Godhead: The clearest examples of triadic formulation of the Godhead are found in Matt 28:19 and 2 Cor 3:14, but even there we do not have any attempt to...

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Confidence

• Lesson 10 for the week of August 29 to September 5

Observations for discussion and questions: The overall unity of this passage may be seen in the density of recurrences of the clause we know that. The subunit of 5:14-17 defined by the recurrences of the...

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Believing in the Son of God

• Lesson 9 for the week of August 22 to August 29

Observations for discussion and questions: The following passage as a whole is delimited by three recurrences of belief in relation to Jesus: who believes that Jesus is the Son of God (5:5), who believes in...

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Walking in the Light: Keeping His Commandments

• Lesson 4 for the week of August 18 to July 25

Observations for discussion and questions: Here again we see John ministering to a community that are suffering from the impact of the schism he mentions later in this chapter. He gives them tests both as...

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Loving Brothers and Sisters

• Lesson 8 for the week of August 15 to August 22

Observations for discussion and questions: The topic of this lesson focuses on two major passages, 1 John 3:11-24 and 1 John 4:7-5:4. 1 John 3:11-24 is carefully structured by the overall recurrences of we should...

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Living as Children of God

• Lesson 7 for the week of August 8 to August 15

Observations for discussion and questions: The overall unity of 1 John 2:28-3:10 is supported by the recurrences of manifested, everyone, who does/does not do right, children of God, born of him/God. The subsections are demarcated...

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Walking in the Light: Rejecting Antichrists

• Lesson 6 for the week of August 1 to August 8

Observations for discussion and questions: The principle occasion for the writing of 1 John was most likely a serious schism of the Johannine community over teaching about Christ. There are two well defined passages that...

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Walking in the Light: Renouncing Worldliness

• Lesson 5 for the week of July 25 to August 1

Observations for discussion and questions: 1 John 2:12-14 is puzzling. The fact that the author says almost the same thing in each stanza with a shift of verb tense in “writing” and “wrote” may be...

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Walking in the Light: Turning Away From Sin

• Lesson 3 for the week of July 11 to July 18

Observations: 1 John 1:5-2:2 is carefully crafted in terms of structure where between an introductory proposition and a concluding application and exposition we have three false claims reflected in if-clauses, “if we say that we…,”...

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Experiencing the Word of Life

• Lesson 2 for the week of July 4 to July 11

Observations: If, as noted in the previous lesson, the primary purpose of 1 John was to give instructions and encouragement in the wake of a painful schism over views that questioned the incarnation of Jesus...

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Jesus and the Johannine Letters

• Lesson 1 for the week of June 27 to July 4

1 John Observations: The Author: Although traditionally the author was taken to be the Apostle John, none of the letters identify the author by name. In 2 and 3 John he is referred to as...

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“Here Am I; Send Me!”: The Prophet Isaiah

• Lesson 13 for the week of September 20 to September 27

Questions and observations for discussion: 1. What do we know about Isaiah with regard to his background and ministry as a prophet? Basic facts of his life may be gleaned not only from Isaiah itself...

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Gifted for Service: Philip

• Lesson 12 for the week of September 13 to September 20

Questions and observations for discussion: While our study is about Philip the Evangelist, there were two known ‘Philips’ who were followers of Jesus, the Evangelist we meet in Acts and Philip the Apostle who preceded...

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Mission in a Pagan Land: Daniel and Company

• Lesson 11 for the week of September 6 to September 13

Questions and observations for discussion: 1.    What can we know about Daniel’s family background and early formative circumstances of his life?  (The following observations are taken from Z. Stefanovic, Daniel: Wisdom to the Wise: A...

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