Paul H

Q2. (1 John 4:4) What in us is greater than false prophets and even Satan? The power of the Holy Spirit In what sense have we overcome them? We have overcome them by accepting Jesus, being anointed by the Holy Spirit and by following in the path of righteousness. In what way will we overcome them in the future? We will continue to overcome them by continuing to follow Jesus and by continuing to be guided by the Holy Spirit. How should this truth affect fear in our lives? It will conquer all fear.

Q1. (1 John 4:1-3) Why is believing that Jesus was God in the flesh so important? Because unless Jesus became flesh, most of what Christians believe is simply not true or is irrelevant to the plight of mankind. First of all, He had to become flesh in order to take the sins of mankind upon himself. As a divine being, Jesus as the son of Gog could not take on sin and if he had "died" on the cross only as a divine being, it would have been irrelevant to mankind which would remain in its hopeless sinful state. As it was, Jesus became fleah and was able to take these sins upon Hinself on the cross. Second, if Jesus had been only divine, then He would not have died on the cross and therefore, not only would He not have died to atone for our sins, but also the ressurection would have been a sham and again meaningless. Finally, at least for this discussion, by becoming man, He effectively met us half way. He knew what it was like to be a man and yet He lived a perfect sinless life as a man. In doing that He showed us the way to what lay ahead for us. Our path is to be guided by the Holy Spirit along the opposite route so that we become less man and more Christ like. In short, in my view, the concept of Jesus becoming flesh and living as a man amongst other men is a cornerstone of Christian faith. Why doesn't Satan want us to believe that? Because if Jesus was only a divine being then our situation is hopeless, which is exectly what Satan would have us believe. What are the implications of the fact that Jesus could live out his divine life in a human body like ours? There are many implications, but for me the outstanding implication is that it points the way along the path that I have been commanded to follow. He lived a perfect sin free life in a human body, just like mine and subject to all of the same issues as I have. I am need to follow the path to become less of me and more like Christ and Christ himself provided me with the perfect example. What significance does it bring to the crucifixion and to the resurrection? Without it, the crucifixion and resurection are meaningless, and worse, a sham. What is the significance for your Christian life? It is a huge source of inspiration for me. Jesus lived as a man here on earth in the same way as I do. He went through some of the same issues and trials that I go through and more. He suffered in a horrible way just for me. If He can do that what can I do for Him? Love HIm, follow His commandments, give myself to Him completely and walk the path towards becoming like Him.

Q4. (1 John 3:22) We know that God doesn't "owe" us anything. So what is the relationship between obedience and answered prayer? Do we "earn" God's favor through obedience? Everything that we receive from God, whether in response to prayer or not, is given to us by God's grace. We do not earn it or deserve it. However, if we are in real communion with God, we will naturally be obedient to God. Earlier in this passage, John has been talking about sin and how "no one who abides in Him sins" (3:6). It follows from this that if we are abiding in Him we will obey Him and if we are not being obedient then something is wrong and we are not abiding in Him fully. This is an impediment to our communion with God, and naturally affects the results of our prayers. This doesn't mean that God simply abandons us, that never happens, it simply means that our communication with Him cannot be as effective.

Q3. (1 John 3:16-18) What does it mean to "lay down your life for your brothers"? I think that it means that we should be prepared to give everythhing for a fellow Christian. Does it mean literally that I should be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice and lay down my life literally for another Christian? I think that,ulimately, yes it does mean that. Whether I could do this is another question, but Christ laid down His life for me and I am on a path which with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is leading me to be more like Christ, and ultimately, I will become like Christ when I see Him in all His glory. So to me, it means that I should be prepared to give everything for a fellow Christian. What are some concrete examples of this kind of love in action within the Christian community? It means giving real help that is real active help to any Christian who is in need. This could be financial help, emoional help, givng up time to help, supporting a fellow Christian for example at work when they are coming under attack for their beliefs. In fact the list is almost endless. Here is a real example. I know of a Christian who was stuggling financially as a result of losing his job. He had been out of a job for over 5 months and was quite literally at the end of his financial resources. He didn't know where the money for food for his family for the next week was coming from. A fellow Christian, who was by no meansrich herself, but who had sufficianet ot live on, gave him a bag which contained some christian books and a CD which she told him he would find useful in his life. When he got home he opened the bag and at the bottom of the bag under the books was an envelope containing

Q1. (1 John 3:12-15) Why did Cain resent Abel? Why did Cain kill Abel? Cain resented Abel because he saw that Abel was righteous, whilst his own actions were evil. This eventually boiled over into a jealous rage resulting in Cain killing Abel. How does the story of Cain and Abel illustrate Jesus' explanation of why the world hates us? Jesus said (John 15: 19-21) "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the World, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." When we are chosen out of the world, we are annointed by the Holy Spirit. From that point on, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we are righteous as we strive to become more like Christ. The world sees this and the righteousness itself shows up the world's evil. The world hates this and therefore hates us.

Q5. (1 John 3:3-10) How does John's teaching on sin and righteousness in this passage relate to combating the false teachers? What did they seem to be teaching about sin and righteous living? The false teachers were teaching that sin was not important and that it was possible to continue to sin and still remain a Christian. John makes it clear throughout this passage that this is not correct when he says in 3:10 " This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor does anyone who does not love his brother" and again in 3:9 "Those who have been born of God do not sin because God's seed abides in them; they cannot sin because they have been born of God" and in verse 4 "Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness" and in verse 8 "Everyone who commits sin is a child of the devil" and in verse 6 "no one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has either seen Him or known Him". In short, John leaves no room for doubt in this passage about his feelings on this issue! For me, the critical message in this whole passage apart from the obvious one referred to in the verses quoted above is that contained in 3:2 and 3 where John explains that we will become like God when He is revealed to us. At that point He will be revealed to us and we will become like Him and "all who have this hope in Him purify themselves, just as He is pure!" To me what this is saying is that we are working, with the influence of the Holy Spirit in us, to that end and as such are a work in progress, with progress being perhaps the most important aspect of this.

Q4. (1 John 3:6, 9) How does the presence of God's seed in us keep us from habitual lawlessness and sin? How does the Holy Spirit sanctify us and make us like Jesus? I really can't add anything to what pickledilly said on 25 October, which I think sums it up perfectly. So this time I will take the lazy option and quote what pickledilly said:_

Q3. (1 John 3:4) How does lawlessness show up in a person's attitude and actions? It shows up as an attitude of rebellion against God and His commands. In what sense is an attitude of lawlessness the cause of sin in our lives? The attitude is one of no one else can tell me what to do, in other words I make up the rules and am a law unto myself. This itself is lawlessness, and leads to sin.

Q2. (1 John 2:28; 3:2-3) In what way does our expectation of Christ's Second Coming motivate us to purify ourselves from sin? We never know when Christ will return, we just know that He will return. Based on that it is crucial that we maintain ourselves in a purified state in anticipation of His return. How does purifying ourselves from sin relate to God's grace? We can never purify ourselves fully, that can only happen through God's grace, but we must honestly and openly repent as a part of the purification process which is completed through God's grace.

Q1. (1 John 2:29-3:2) In what sense are we "children of God"? We have been born again in God and are therefore children of God. What does the Holy Spirit have to do with this "new birth"? Our new birth occurs at the the time of our anointing and it is at the point when God anoints us and fills us with His Holy Spirit that we are quite literally in a spiritual sense, born again. How does the new birth change us? We become righteous. As John says, in 3:9 "Those who have been born of God do not sin, because God's seed abides in them; they cannot sin because they have been born of God" I don't think that this means that instantly we become sinless like Christ, but because of our anointing with the Holy Spirit, when we do sin, we are instantly able to recognise that sin and act on it. In that way, at our new birth, we have begun on a journey which will, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, lead to us becoming righteous and ultimately walking in Christ's footsteps.

Q5. (1 John 2:26-27) If we have the Holy Spirit, why do we need teachers in the church? The Holy Spirit speaks to us through teachers, and teachers are, if they are not false teachers, inspired by the Holy Spirit and blessed with the gift of teaching. In us, as recipients of the teaching, the Holy Spirit is there, in this context, to help us discern the true teachers from the false How does the role of the anointing differ from the Holy Spirit's spiritual gift of teaching? The annointing is given to all Christians and gives each of us an internal guidance mechanism which we can use to determine the truth. The gift of teaching is a specific gift of the Holy Spirit given to some Christians to be used for the benefit and teaching of others. In other words one is a personal internal thing whereas the other is a gift to be used for the benefit of all.

What does it mean to abide/remain/continue in Jesus? It means to remain in full contact with Jesus and all His teachings and to continue to have Jesus day in day out as the central focus of my life. Give an example of what a Christian might be doing who is "abiding" in Jesus. On the one hand, regular prayer, reading the bible and attending church (in other words regular communion with God) and on the other living out the teachings of Jesus in my life in a practical way and aspiring to be like Him. What are symptoms in a Christian who is not "abiding" in Jesus? I guess the opposite of the above, but what you would see would be someone who has no peace because a Christian not abiding in Jesus is like a fish out of water. When you take a fish out of water it thrashes about for a while. Eventually, sadly, it dies and so it would be with a Christian abiding outside of Jesus.

In what ways is the Holy Spirit an internal Guide for us? The Holy Spirit is an internal guidance mechanism which guides us to the truth in everything and at all times. He guides us to an understanding of what we are reading in the Bible and what we hear from Christian teachers to a discernment of what comes from God and what comes from the Antichrist around us and He opens our ears and eyes to what God is telling us and where He is leading us. Whereas the disciples and all of Jesus' followers whilst He was here on Earth had Jesus to look to for this guidance, as Jesus knew, that would not always be the case and it was for that reason that He arranged for God to send the Holy Spirit after He had ascended into heaven. The Holy Spirit essentially acts as our communication channel to the truth of God. In what ways does he teach us? Though the Bible, through preachers, through fellowship with other Christians and sometimes through a still small voice when we are alone in prayer with God. In what ways does he point us to Jesus' teaching? I am not sure that I understand what this question means, but as I see it, the Holy Spirit is a continuation of Jesus' teaching. The Holy Spirit continues to teach us and guide us to and in the the truth of God in the same way as Jesus did whilst he was here on Earth.

Following my last post, I have now read all of the other posts to date and there are some interesting ones, but the post quoted above raises the issue which I still don't have the answer to. It seems from your post BJB 123 like the baptism of the Holy Spirit is an event separate and distinct from the anointing, and I can understand that concept and see it in other Christians, but is it a single one off event (one minute you are not baptised by the Holy Spirit and the next minute you are) or is it a process by which the Holy Spirit grows in us if we allow Him to or maybe it can be either of these. What does seem clear to me though is that the strength of the Holy Spirit within us is a critical part of our ongoing Christian lives and it was for that reason that the spirit was sent to us starting at Pentecost following the ascension

What is the "anointing" that John is talking about? He is talking about the giving of the Holy Spirit to the members of the church to which John's letter is addressed. In what way is anointing connected to the Holy Spirit in the Bible? In several places in the bible anointing, either literally anointing with oil, as in the case of David in 1 Samuel 16: 12 -13, or figuratively is associated with the gift of the Holy Spirit. In Samuel, when David had been anointed, it says "from that day on the spirit of the Lord came upon David in power". Isaiah says "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me" (Isaiah 61:1) Jesus repeats this in Luke 4:1 and Peter confirms in Acts 10:38 how "God anointed Jesus of Nazereth with the Holy Spirit and power". In 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 Paul says " But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us, by putting his seal on us and giving us his spirit..." So frequently, although not exclusively anointing is associated in the bible with the giving of the Holy Spirit. Has every Christian received this anointing? This is a very good question, and one to which I don't know the answer. What I am going to do is write what I think to be the answer before I read anyone elses comments. Then, if after reading other comments, I think something different, I will post again!! What I think is that yes, every Christian receives the anointing of the Holy Spirit, but that not every Christian benefits from the powers which that anointing gives them in some cases because they are new Christians and need to learn and be nurtured in order to understand what the anointing means and how it can be used, or in other cases because they are older Christians in terms of numbers of years of being a Christian, but have yet to learn or be nurtured. That is what I think, but as I put myself firmly in the learners camp, I would love to develop my understanding of this.

What is this antichrist that John expects to come? I don't believe that we can possibly conceive what or who the antichrist will be, or what form it will take, but what we do know is that the time of the antichrist will be a terrible time as Jesus outlined in Mark 13. Beyond this, I think that it is pointless to speculate but we must be on our guard not only against the dawning of that day (and as I understand it, there will be no doubt when that day arrives) but against the spirit of the antichrist, which is, and was in John's time, already at work in the world. What is the difference between the antichrist and antichrists in the church John is writing to? The antichrist had not and has not yet come into the World, but the spirit of the antichrist was and is already at work in many guises preparing the way for the antichrist. The antichrists which John is specifically addressing here are those who denied that Jesus was God. As I understand it, these people, who were members of the early church, took the position that Jesus was not God. That he was born a human and that he somehow became a God or was taken over by God during the course of his life, but that God left him before his crucifixion and death and that he did not rise again or ascend into heaven. Now you can't get much more anti christ in the literal sense of the word than that, but that is the doctrine which I think John was specifacally addressing here. Through the ages since John, there have been many more antichrists who are literally adversaries of Christ in the same way as these people in the early church and if we look around today, they are everywhere. In what ways do we see the spirit of antichrist at work in our day? It is everywhere. There are false doctrines, prophets, messiahs etc everywhere leading both believrs and unbelievers astray. The spirit of the antichrist can be very subtle but as Christains we must, as Jesus said, be constantly on our guard.

What kinds of sins are covered by the three examples of worldliness that John gives? The 3 headings given by John are the desire of the flesh (or the cravings of sinful man -NIV), the desire of the eyes and finally, pride in riches (or the boasting of what he has and does -NIV)(I have included the NIV translation for the first and the third categories, because for me it made the concepts easier to understand). I think that there is quite a bit of cross over between these 3 categories, and in particular between the 1st and the second where as I see it, the desires of the eyes could quite easily lead on to the desires of the flesh. However, in an attempt to break them down, I would say that the desire of the flesh is giving in to our basic sinful desires. So, for example, adultery would fall into this example. Desire of the eyes is a craving for all of the worldly things that we see around us, whether it be seeing someone and wanting to commit adultery (here is the potential for one example to lead on to another) or seeing something eg a bigger faster car, and wanting that car above all else. John's final example is taking pride in our own worldly achievements be it the salary we are earning, our status in society, or dare I say it, our status within the Church! Why are these sometimes so difficult for us to discern in ourselves? Because they are a natural product of our sinful human nature and have been ever since the first fall of man in the Garden of Eden. We are naturally greedy, we want more all the time, both in terms of possessions and in terms of recognition from other people. Look at the celebrity culture in which we live and you will see how this works itself out in the World. So we might perceive it as normal and certainly not sinful to desire a big fast new car and it can become difficult to discern when we slip into this mindset (which living in the World is all around us, and generally seen as a good thing). Why is worldliness so harmful to our future? Because if we walk in the World, we walk in darkness and are alienated from God. The World and all that is in it will pass away, but God endures forever.

What is "the world" in verses 15-16? What kind of love of "the world" keeps us from loving the Father? The World here means what is commonly referred to as the way of the world, that is the way that human's live and behave which is contrary and hostile to the ways of God. Of course, all of us are human and therefore have and will continue to have human experiences and pleasures, but as Christians, we are in the World, but not of it. We have human experiences, emotions and pleasures, but the centre of our lives and our whole existence is not this, but God.

John encourages "children," "young men," and "fathers." Why do you think he takes time to encourage them? He is taking time to address and encourage the whole church and hence all Christians by addressing his encouragement to all levels of spiritual development. Coming from someone like John, who must have been a very important figure in the early church which he was addressing, this encouragement must have been a fantastic morale boost for those receiving it. In what ways does he encourage them? (i) Their sins have been forgiven; (ii) They know Him (God) who is from the beginning; (iii) They have conquered evil; (iv) they are strong and the word of God abides in them; (v) They know the Father;

How does hate and unforgiveness blind us spiritually? Because it causes us to walk in darkness, that is cut off from the light of God If we have been darkened by hurt and hate, how do we come into the light? By asking God for forgiveness and by asking our brothers or sisters against whom the hate or bitterness has been directed for forgiveness and by offering our forgiveness to those brothers or sisters who we perceive to have hurt us.

How can we be serious about obeying Christ without become legalistic and judgmental, with a self-righteous attitude like the Pharisees had? Our obedience to Christ comes from love not from a slaveish following of a rule book. The two great commandments identified by Jesus to love God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind and to love your neighbour as yourself are the basis of this. These commandments flow from love. We follow these commandments and obey Christ not because they are written but because of the love that is within us which itself flows from us following Christ's example and in following Crist's example, we are obeying Him. As John says in ch2 v5 & 6 " whoever obeys His word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we are sure that we are in Him: whoever says I abide in Him ought to walk just as He walked How do love and legalism differ? In this context, they are different because of the way they affect why we act in a particular way. If we do something because it is written, that is a blind slaveish following with no need for any will or desire on our own part. In this case, the words become the important thing rather than the action itself. On the other hand, if we obey out of love, it comes from within us it is a part of us. We are doing something out of love not because we have to. How can we be serious about obedience and make love our center? Look at the example of Jesus throughout His time on Earth. For a specific example look at Christ's words in Luke 22, 42 "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done." There is obedience flowing from pure love

What assurance does John give us if we do sin? We have an advocate before God in Jesus Christ. How does this comfort us? Jesus has already offered himself as the atoning sacrifice for all of our sins and as He is our advocate before God, we can be sure that our sins will be forgiven through His sacrifice and intercession on our behalf. How does it make us want to avoid sin? Jesus has given me so much. He gave everything for me so I want to do everything possible to please Him and to walk in His light.

Hi Sandra You raise an interesting question here. I am not sure if I am qualified to answer it but I think that it is a great thing if Christians can share their ideas and thoughts as much as possible so that we can build each other up. I think that salvation is sure and permanent as long as we continue to walk in the light. The minute that we start to walk in the darkness, then the surety and permanence of that salvation begins to erode. Were I to have become perfect after I had originally become a Christian, and sinned no more, then I would be continuing to walk in the light and my salvation would be sure and permanent. However, that is far from the case. I stray into sin on a sometimes miserably regular basis, and for me, that is why I need to confess and renew my relationship with God on a regular basis so that I can have my sins forgiven and continue to walk in the light. In that way, my salvation remains sure. As I say, I am not sure that I am qualified to comment on which is the correct way of looking at this issue, but I share my view with you in Christ.

How would you define "confession"? To me it means first and foremost confessing my sin openly and honestly before God in prayer and in making that confession, coming with an honest and serious resolve to commit that sin no more. It can also mean, on occasions, confessing the sin to others, in particular where the sin is clearly a continuing problem or one which is going to need support from other Christians to overcome. Why is confessing our sins so important? What happens to us if we stop confessing our sins? If we confess our sins, then they are forgiven and we walk in the light. If we stop then we start the walk into darkness. What are the promises given to us if we do confess our sins? God will forgive our sins and will cleanse us from all unrighteousness. How is forgiveness of sins different from cleansing? Forgiveness of sins is exactly what it says; our sins are forgiven and we are treated as if we had never sinned, in other words we are pardoned. Cleansing is the process which God undertakes in us as a result of the act of confession which deals with our propensity to sin (our unrighteousness) and removes it.

What is the result when a Christian walks in darkness, that is, continues willfully to do what he or she knows to be wrong? When a Christian walks in darkness then they are walking outside God's fellowship and therefore outside of fellowship with other Christians. In other words (like it or not) they are not Christians. I suppose that means that by definition it is not possible for someone to be a Christian and also to walk in darkness, although, of course it is always possible for someone who says they are a Christian to walk in darkness, but tha person is deceiving themselves and other Christians. How does this involve self-deception? A person cannot be a Christian and walk in darkness. It is like saying you are a vegetarian but continuing to eat meat! It is meaningless and a deception not only to yourself but to all around you. Of course, a person may deceive himself and those around him or her, but God is not deceived. What is the result, according to verse 7, when we walk in the light? We have fellowship with one another and are cleansed from all sin by the blood of Jesus Christ How do we get back into the light if we sin By confessing our sin and by renouncing our sin. By renouncing, I mean that we confess and ackowledge that sin and resolve to commit it no more.