1 John Study Questions #10
Live As One Who Has Had Victory
1 John 5:1-12
INTRODUCTION: John has been clear in his letter when we follow Jesus, our lives are supposed to resemble Jesus’ life. In other words, we are supposed to be different. Three times in three successive sentences, as if to hammer the truth home, John repeats the phrase overcome the world. First, he declares that ‘everyone born of God overcomes the world’ (4a). He goes on to ascribe the Christian’s conquest not to his birth but to his faith (4b). He then proceeds to enlarge on this fact in the form of a question which he immediately answers: Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.[1] In other words, spiritual victory is not reserved for spiritual giants.
GETTING STARTED – John opened up his letter by letting the church know that what he is telling them about Jesus is not just something he heard about secondhand. No, it was something he heard directly, touched, and saw with his own eyes. Our personal experiences with the Lord are powerful testimonies. Share with your group a time that you experienced victory over temptation, an attitude, or in some other aspect of life change that came after following Jesus.
IN THE WORD – Let’s dig back into the passage. It is important to strengthen our muscles in reading God’s Word. On Sunday, we walked through the passage in the sermon. Hopefully, that helped you to see the landmarks of the passage with fresh eyes. Now, with your group, go back through it and see what God is saying to you specifically.
First, before you read the passage, take a moment to ask God’s Spirit to quiet your mind and heart and to illuminate the text to you. Second, read the passage aloud to the group. Then, follow the simple method below. (O.P.A)
Observe: Make 8-10 observations from the passage. Pay close attention to observe and note repeated words and phrases, names, places, and themes.
Principles: From your list of observations, what patterns or big ideas do you see emerging? Can you distill it down into 2-4 big idea truths?
Apply: Moving from your list of principles, it is time to apply God’s Word. Remember, we believe that God’s Word is living and active and that it can change the way we live Monday- Friday. What is one tangible way to apply a truth from your list above?
[1] John R. W. Stott, The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 19, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 174.