1 John Study – Set 1 (Chapters 1–3)
Fellowship, Light, and the Love of the Father
1. Summary of the Chapters
- Chapter 1: John begins by declaring that he and the other apostles are eyewitnesses to the Word of Life—Jesus Himself. The goal is fellowship with God and with one another. God is light, and walking in that light means honesty, confession, and cleansing by the blood of Jesus. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and purify us.
- Chapter 2: Believers are called to obey God’s commands, walk as Jesus did, and love one another. John warns against loving the world and its desires, which are passing away. He also warns about antichrists—those who deny Jesus as the Christ—and urges believers to remain in the truth they received from the beginning, anointed and taught by the Holy Spirit.
- Chapter 3: John calls believers children of God and reminds them that the world will not recognise them because it did not know Christ. He contrasts the life of sin with the life of righteousness and love. True children of God love one another, not with empty words but with action and truth.
2. Key Themes and Lessons
| Theme | Lesson |
|---|---|
| Fellowship with God | True fellowship is found in walking in light and truth. |
| Confession and Cleansing | Honest confession leads to forgiveness and freedom. |
| Obedience and Love | Love for God is shown by obedience and love for others. |
| Avoiding Worldliness | The love of the world distracts from love for the Father. |
| Identity as God’s Children | Believers are called to live as reflections of their Father’s love and righteousness. |
3. Encouragement
John says, we’ve seen Him—the Word of Life! This isn’t theory, it’s reality.
You’re invited into fellowship with the Father and His Son. That’s not religion—it’s union!
Walk in the light—be honest, transparent, free.
And when you stumble, confess it—He’s faithful to forgive and cleanse.
Love isn’t a feeling—it’s obedience that flows from knowing Him.
Don’t love the world; it’s fading away.
You’re a child of God—born of His nature, filled with His love.
So don’t live in darkness or fear—live as His reflection, shining love in action and truth.
Sister, the Father’s love defines you.
4. Reflection Questions
- What does true fellowship with God and others look like in my daily life?
- How can I more freely walk in light, confession, and honesty before God?
- Where do I need to align my actions with love rather than mere words?
- What worldly desires compete for my heart’s affection toward God?
- How can I live more consciously as a child of God in my choices and relationships?
1 John Study – Set 2 (Chapters 4–5)
Perfect Love, Overcoming Faith, and Eternal Life
1. Summary of the Chapters
- Chapter 4: John urges believers to test the spirits, for not every spirit is from God. The true Spirit confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. God is love, and those who live in Him must love one another. Perfect love drives out fear, for fear has to do with punishment. We love because He first loved us, and love for God is proved through love for others.
- Chapter 5: Everyone born of God overcomes the world through faith in Jesus as the Son of God. The Spirit, the water, and the blood testify to this truth. Believers can have assurance of eternal life through Christ and confidence in prayer. John concludes by calling believers to keep themselves from idols and to live in the reality that they belong to God.
2. Key Themes and Lessons
| Theme | Lesson |
|---|---|
| Discernment and Truth | Test every spirit—truth acknowledges Jesus as God in the flesh. |
| God Is Love | Love originates in God; to know Him is to live in love. |
| Perfect Love and Fear | God’s love casts out fear, giving peace and confidence. |
| Faith That Overcomes | True faith in Jesus conquers the world’s power and deception. |
| Assurance of Eternal Life | Believers can live with confidence, knowing they belong to God. |
3. Encouragement
John says, test the spirits—don’t believe every voice that speaks.
Truth always points to Jesus—fully God, fully man.
And then he says it plain: God is love. Not just loving—He is love.
If you live in Him, love will define you.
Perfect love kicks fear right out of the room, because fear’s about punishment, and you’re not under that anymore!
You’re loved, forgiven, accepted.
And faith? It’s not trying harder—it’s believing who He is and who you are in Him.
That’s what overcomes the world!
You can walk fearless, confident, full of love, and sure of eternal life.
Sister, you’re His—live like it.
4. Reflection Questions
- How can I grow in spiritual discernment to recognise truth from deception?
- What does it look like for me to live in the reality that “God is love”?
- Where do I need to let His perfect love drive out fear in my life?
- How does my faith in Jesus help me overcome worldly temptations and lies?
- What gives me the deepest assurance that I belong to God and have eternal life?
Overall Summary of 1 John
1. Big-Picture Summary
1 John is a powerful letter written by the apostle John to strengthen believers in their fellowship with God and one another. It reveals the essence of true Christianity — walking in light, living in love, and standing firm in truth.
John’s message is both tender and direct: believers must not only profess faith but also live it out. True fellowship with God is marked by confession, obedience, and love. God is light — meaning He is pure, holy, and transparent — and those who belong to Him must walk in that same light, free from deception.
John contrasts the ways of the world with the life of God’s children. The world offers temporary desires and distractions, but believers are called to live out divine love that reflects the Father. He warns against false teachers who deny Christ’s divinity and exhorts the Church to discern truth through the Holy Spirit.
The letter climaxes in the revelation that God is love. His perfect love casts out fear, and those born of God live in confident faith, overcoming the world through Jesus. John closes by assuring believers of their eternal life and calling them to stay free from anything that might steal their devotion to God.
2. Major Movements
- Fellowship in the Light (Ch. 1): Walking in honesty, confession, and forgiveness.
- Obedience and Love (Ch. 2): Keeping God’s commands and rejecting worldliness.
- Identity as God’s Children (Ch. 3): Living in righteousness and love, not sin or hate.
- Perfect Love (Ch. 4): Knowing God through love that drives out fear.
- Overcoming Faith (Ch. 5): Assurance, confidence in prayer, and victory through faith in Jesus.
3. Key Themes and Lessons
| Theme | Lesson |
|---|---|
| Walking in Light | Fellowship with God requires transparency, truth, and purity. |
| Love in Action | Genuine love is practical, sacrificial, and rooted in obedience. |
| Discernment of Truth | True believers confess Jesus as Lord and walk by the Spirit. |
| Perfect Love and Fear | God’s love brings peace and security, removing fear of punishment. |
| Assurance of Salvation | Faith in Christ gives confidence in eternal life and belonging to God. |
4. Encouragement
John’s heart cries out: this is real — we’ve seen Him, touched Him, walked with Him! He’s the Word of Life.
And now that same Life is in you.
Walk in the light, stay honest, live forgiven.
Don’t just say you love God — let it show in how you love people.
The world’s chasing shadows, but you’ve got eternal light inside you.
Don’t fear false voices — the Spirit in you is greater than the one in the world.
And know this: God is love. That’s not what He does, it’s who He is.
When you live in His love, fear dies, faith rises, and victory becomes normal.
Sister, you’re His child — shine like it.
5. Reflection Questions
- How does walking in the light practically look in my daily relationships and habits?
- Where can I express love more tangibly, not just in words but in action?
- How can I strengthen my discernment through the Holy Spirit and Scripture?
- What fears still linger in my heart that God’s perfect love wants to remove?
- How can I live every day with confidence that I belong to God and have eternal life?