Knowing God

1. Verses 3-11. If a man claims to know God, to abide in Christ and to be in the light, what must be his attitude to (a) Christ's word and commandment; (b) the example of Christ's life on earth; (c) fellow-Christians?


2. Verses 18-29. Amid false teachers and defection, what three safeguards for continuance in the faith does John give? See especially verses 24-27. If a professing Christian falls away from the truth, what is proved thereby which, before the falling away, may not have been at all obvious?


3. Verses 15-17. With what two arguments does John support the commandment of verse 15? How may this commandment be reconciled with Jn. 3:16?
   
   

1. Verses 3-11. If a man claims to know God, to abide in Christ and to be in the light, what must be his attitude to (a) Christ's word and commandment; (b) the example of Christ's life on earth; (c) fellow-Christians?

A man who makes such claims must keep His commandments and words, walk as Jesus has walked and love fellow Christians. To Know God is to Love God: Knowing God and obey God come side by side since being a Christian is not a purely intellectual activity or some mysterious experience as those apostate Gnosticism's had suggested. To know God is to live as Jesus Lived.

2. Verses 18-29. Amid false teachers and defection, what three safeguards for continuance in the faith does John give? See especially verses 24-27. If a professing Christian falls away from the truth, what is proved thereby which, before the falling away, may not have been at all obvious?

John gives us three safeguards against false teachers: confessing Jesus is the Christ; hold fast to the teachings of apostles through the Holy Spirit, and Live a righteous life. A lot of people nowadays think they can know God apart from Jesus, but John makes it very clear hear that "No one who denies the Son can have the Father; (AI) he who confesses the Son has the Father as well". Christians don't need those "special knowledge" that those gnosticism claim to have, instead, they have the knowledge that they heard from the beginning and the Holy Spirit would give them understanding and lead them into the Truth.

If a Christian falls away from the truth, it may well be that he did not know the Truth from beginning. That is exactly what happened to those "teachers going out from us".

3. Verses 15-17. With what two arguments does John support the commandment of verse 15? How may this commandment be reconciled with Jn. 3:16?

Christian should not love the world for two reasons: 1. a person can not serve two masters: if he loves the world, the love for God is not in his heart. 2. the world and all that is contained in it are passing away, but the one who does God's will will last forever. the "world" here is not the world God created, it is the world system that is against God. the "world" in John 3:16 is God's creation and God loved the world so much to give his only Son.
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