Study questions

Life-Study of 1 John

1. A Word Concerning the Writings of John (1)

  1. How is 1 John a revelation of the divine things? How is the purpose of these messages on writings of John related to this?
  2. What does it mean that John's writings are supplementary and complementary to the divine revelation in the Bible? What are four outstanding matters in 1 John?

1. A Word Concerning the Writings of John (2)

  1. How do John's writings inoculate us against heretical doctrines?
  2. How do each of the three sections of John's writing focus on the mysteries of the divine life?

3. The Divine Life (1)

  1. Where can we see that John's writings are primarily for our eating and enjoyment? Supplement your answer with references from the gospel of John and Revelation.
  2. What is the relationship between eating God and expressing Him?

4. The Divine Life (2)

  1. What does the word “eternal” denote in the phrase “the eternal life” in 1 John 1:2? What is the relationship between this life and God?
  2. How can we experience and enjoy this eternal life? In particular, how can we reign in life?

5. The Fellowship of the Divine Life

  1. Define and explain the fellowship of the divine life using two pictures: the river in Revelation 22, and electricity.
  2. What is the purpose of the fellowship of the divine life? Just to enjoy?

6. Conditions of the Divine Fellowship (1)

  1. Explain the difference between sin in 1:8 and “every sin” in 1:7 using Romans 7. Testify using your experience, supported by verses, that after being saved, believers still commit sins.
  2. What the difference in how permanent our relationship in life is with God vs. our fellowship in life? What do we need to do to maintain the latter?

7. Conditions of the Divine Fellowship (2)

  1. What does it mean to walk in the light?
  2. How is practicing the divine truth related to walking in the divine light?

8. Conditions of the Divine Fellowship (3)

  1. How is the "blood of Jesus, God's Son" able to cleanse us?
  2. What is the spiritual cycle referred to in 1 John, chapter 1? Explain how this cycle bring us onward in the growth of the divine life?

9. The Divine Light and the Divine Truth (1)

  1. What is the relationship between the divine light and the divine truth?
  2. What is the greek word for truth and what is the meaning of truth according to the New Testament?

10. The Divine Light and the Divine Truth (2)

  1. What are the prerequisites of the proper worship of God in the Old Testament? How are these typologies fulfilled by the proper worship in the New Testament?
  2. How can our experience of Christ constitute us the true worshippers of God? Give a brief testimony of how you have experienced Christ as the offerings.

11. The Divine Light and the Divine Truth (3)

  1. Memorize and recite the eight aspects or denotations of the truth as given in this Life-Study.
  2. Give two example references in the Bible where the word truth is used with a different denotation than that used in 1 John. Expain the meanings based on context.

12. Conditions of the Divine Fellowship (4)

  1. From your experience and backed by verses, prove that believers in Christ still can commit sin, indeed that sin still dwells in us.
  2. If we sin, how can we restore the fellowship with God? How do we remove the stain upon us of unrighteousness? How often do you do that?

13. Conditions of the Divine Fellowship (5)

  1. What does it mean that Jesus is our Advocate with the Father?
  2. What is propitiation? What does it mean that the Lord Jesus is the propitiation for our sins?

14. Conditions of the Divine Fellowship (6)

  1. What are the divine provisions to keep us in the divine fellowship?
  2. How can we apply these five provisions for the restoration of our fellowship?

15. Conditions of the Divine Fellowship (7)

  1. What is the relationship between knowing Him and keeping His commandments in 1 John 2:3? How can we know God in an experiential way?
  2. What does “perfected” mean in 1 John 2:5? How can the love of God be perfected in us?

16. Conditions of the Divine Fellowship (8)

  1. What is a sign or evidence that you are in the Lord?
  2. What kind of love does God want us to love Him and His children with?

17. Conditions of the Divine Fellowship (9)

  1. How can an old commandment be a new commandment, as in 1 John 2:7-8, in your experience?
  2. How can knowing God (in 2:3) lead us to staying in fellowship with Him? Give an example how this knowing of God led you to keep your love of the brothers.

18. Conditions of the Divine Fellowship (10)

  1. Why is the last requirement for maintaining the divine fellowship that of loving the brothers?
  2. How can we love the brothers, if our love is short? By what practice are we supplied to do so?

19. The Teaching of the Divine Anointing (1)

  1. What is the meaning of the anointing?
  2. What are the three stages of the growth in life and their characteristics as referred to in 1 John 2?

20. The World and the Things of the World

  1. How can we overcome the evil one?
  2. What is the world and what are three categories of things in the world?

21. Experiencing the Teaching of the Anointing Concerning the Triune God

  1. What is the anointing in 1 John 2:20 and what is it fully typified by in Exodus?
  2. How can the anointing teach us concerning the Triune God and His activities?

22. The Anointing

  1. John fought against heresy here in very experiential way. What was Brother Lee’s burden when covering this section of the Word?
  2. Using these verses, show that Jesus is the Christ, that Christ equals the Father and the Son, and that this One is also the Word of life and the eternal life.

23. The Teaching of the Divine Anointing (2)

  1. What is the twofoldness of the truth concerning the Trinity? How do we see this twofoldness in the word “triune?”
  2. Using 1 John 2:22-27, how can we see that there is no separation between the Father, the Son and the Spirit? How can we see there is a distinction between the Father, the Son and the Spirit?

24. The Anointing and the Antichrists

  1. What is an antichrist, according to 1 John? Use the original Greek.
  2. How in our experience are we sometimes anti-anointing? Why is it crucial to cooperate with the moving anointing in us?

25. The Virtues of the Divine Birth to Practice the Divine Righteousness (1)

  1. How can human beings abide in God?
  2. How can we practice righteousness habitually?

26. The Virtues of the Divine Birth to Practice the Divine Righteousness (2)

  1. How is the divine life the basis and the means for our practice of the divine righteousness?
  2. What is the reason a child of God cannot practice sin? Yet, why do we sometimes still sin?

27. The Virtues of the Divine Birth to Practice the Divine Love (1)

  1. Hows does the divine birth enable us to practice the divine love?
  2. What does it mean to pass out of death into life? What is the evidence that we have experienced this?

28. The Virtues of the Divine Birth to Practice the Divine Love (2)

  1. What does it mean pass out of death into the source, essence, element, and sphere of life? What is your experience of such a transfer?
  2. What does the divine life in us long for? What does it mean to love the saints in truth or reality?

29. The Virtues of the Divine Birth to Practice the Divine Love (3)

  1. Why does the infinite God care for the little things in our life? Give an example from your experience.
  2. Who is “the Spirit” in v. 24? How is this Spirit the key to experiencing all the matters in this epistle?

30. Proving the Spirits (1)

  1. What is the way to discern a false prophet from the true, according to 1 John 4?
  2. What is the meaning of the word, antichrist? Will there only be one?

31. The Principle of Antichrist

  1. What is the principle of antichrist?
  2. Explain how those who follow traditional theology unconsciously deny three aspects of what Christ is.

32. Experiencing and Enjoying the All-inclusive Spirit

  1. What is God's intention? And how can He carry out His intention?
  2. How can we experience and enjoy the Triune God who is now the all-inclusive Spirit??

33. Proving the Spirits (2)

  1. How does our confessing that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh affect our experience and enjoyment of the Triune God?
  2. What does it mean to practice the principle of antichrist? How can we be saved from following this principle in our daily living?

34. The Virtues of the Divine Birth to Practice the Divine Love (4)

  1. What does it mean to know God as love?
  2. As believers in Christ, how can we "abide in Him and He in us" (1 John 4:13)?

35. The Virtues of the Divine Birth to Practice the Divine Love (5)

  1. Contrast the moral thought of "He loved us first, setting the example, so also we should love others" with God's economy: mutual abiding and perfecting.
  2. How is it possible for us to love others and obey God's commandments? In our daily life, what pefects that love and teaches us to obey?

36. The Virtues of the Divine Birth to Overcome the World, Death, Sin, the Devil, and the Idols (1)

  1. Compare 1 John 5:4 with 3:9. What is implied in the more specific language of 5:4? What part of us is able to overcome? Can that get bigger?
  2. Use 1 John 5:13 to practice preaching the gospel. Why is it so important to have eternal life?

37. The Virtues of the Divine Birth to Overcome the World, Death, Sin, the Devil, and the Idols (2)

  1. How can we know that the thing we are asking God is according to His will?
  2. How can we ask and give life to a sinning brother?

38. The Virtues of the Divine Birth to Overcome the World, Death, Sin, the Devil, and the Idols (3)

  1. How can we be a channel for eternal life to flow out to others?
  2. Why should we never be careless concerning sin? How should we be careful in this matter?

39. The Virtues of the Divine Birth to Overcome the World, Death, Sin, the Devil, and the Idols (4)

  1. How does someone who has been regenerated keep himself from sinning?
  2. What does it mean to “know” God as seen in 1 John 5:20?

40. The Virtues of the Divine Birth to Overcome the World, Death, Sin, the Devil, and the Idols (5)

  1. How can we know Him as the "true God and eternal life" (1 John 5:20)?
  2. According to the apostle John's writing, what is an idol?