“Jesus and the Johannine Letters” OR How to Respond in Times of a Church Crisis

[Due to other responsibilities there will no additional study notes this week]

July 4, 2009

Larry R Evans

Introductory Reflections

We now begin a series of studies of 1,2 and 3John. We will discover how the Apostle’s close relationship with Jesus for 3 ½ years gave him the necessary footing to withstand Satan’s onslaught of the truth that Jesus came to establish. Later on the Apostle Paul would say of his time “the secret power of lawlessness” (NIV) or “the mystery of iniquity” (KJV) was already at work! (2 Thess. 2: 7. We will gain valuable insights into what our response should be today in light of Satan’s persistent effort to dilute and confuse the truth even by those who profess to believe. (1 Jn. 1:6,8,10). The circumstances or heresy may be different but the principles for us to follow remain. Three vital responses need to be considered: How will we personally respond to the sacrifice of Christ for us?; When facing a church crisis what attitude and what kind of response should we take?; and finally, in our defense of the “truth”, how do we care for others in the midst of the crisis? Such questions have ever been a challenge for God’s people. It is certainly an issue for many today.

Reflective Quiz

1. John the Baptist wrote 1,2 and 3 John. True or False?

2. When it comes to combating heresy, it is important for the positive aspects of truth to be the dominating factor rather than the evils of the error. [1 Jn.1:4; 2:12-14; Jn.4; Prophets and Kings, p.658-659] True or False?

3. When it comes to heresy within the Church it is best to “let sleeping dogs lie.” [3 Jn.9, 11-12; Rev.13:15 with 14:12] True or False?

4. It is possible to have a saving relationship with God the Father while not accepting Jesus as the Messiah. [1 Jn.2:22] True or False?

5. Knowing Jesus makes us more knowledgeable of sin. [1 Jn.1:6-10] True or False?

6. The person who does not know Christ has the advantage of not being as conscious of sin. [1 Jn.1:7; Rom.6:6,7] True or False?

7. The work of Christ is to do more good on earth than the bad that Satan does. [1 Jn.3:8] True or False?

Comments

T said…
Is #4 a trick question? Reading the texts one might be tempted to say false, but since "not accepting" and "denying" are certainly not the same thing, the answer has to be True.
Monday, July 13, 2009 8:55:00 AM
LRE said…
Todd, I do appreciate your observations. The questions are meant to provoke some thought and further study. It seems to have done that for you. Many times the "tricky" questions can't be answered with a "True" or "False" response. In this case the "tricky" part I saw and the point I wanted to drive home is that Jesus was not a "created" being although he entered the scene through Mary. He pre-existed prior to coming to this earth as our Saviour. I wanted to emphasize his dual nature of being both human and divine. Does that help?
Monday, July 13, 2009 1:47:00 PM
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