Two Resolutions – Bethlehem Forward

Bethlehem Forward, Part Two
1 John 1:5-10

1. Two Resolves from Bethlehem Forward (1 John 1:5)
   1. There is no article in front of “light” – he is not A light nor is he THE light, he is LIGHT.
   2. Cross reference to 2 Corinthians 4:6, Hebrews 1:3
2. Reconciled to the Light (1 John 1:6-7)
   1. “If we say” refers to a CLAIM. You can’t just claim to be OK with God, there is more to your salvation than that.
   2. “If we say” is a singular event, but “walk” is something continuously. There is a conditional IF/THEM clause. They go together.
   3. “Fellowship with one another” refers to community, connection, cleansing.
   4. Cross reference to John 8:12, 12:35, 13:34-35, 1 John 2:9, 4:12.
3. Reconciled to the Savior (1 John 1:8-10)
   1. “Have no sin” refers to not the principle of sin but to specific individual sins.
   2. “Confess our sins” refers to my personal and specific sins, not a general sinfulness.
   3. Confession – living a life of brokenness.

Ask yourself whether you are attending or connecting. Are you in fellowship with one another? If not, you’re not doing Christianity right.

Questions for Further Discussion

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?
4. What message did the writer hear and declare? (1 John 1:5)
5. What inconsistency did John address? (1 John 1:6)
6. What results from “walking in the light”? (1 John 1:7)
7. How were some believers apparently deceiving themselves? (1 John 1:8)
8. What is the result of confessing one’s sins? (1 John 1:9)
9. In what way can a person make God out to be a liar? (1 John 1:10)
10. What do you think the terms “light” and “darkness” represent?
11. In what way is God similar to light?
12. In what ways do we “walk in darkness”?
13. How can we “walk in the light”?
14. How does the promise of being purified from all sin make you feel?
15. Why would someone claim that he or she was without sin?
16. What can you do to make yourself spiritually clean?
17. What role does the confession of sins play in your daily life?
18. How important is fellowship with other believers to you?
19. What steps will you take this week to walk in the light?
20. What will you do to incorporate the confession of sins into your daily routine?