Download discussion questions:  1 John 2:1-11 knowing

Table Talk:  How would you summarize the Christian message to someone completely unfamiliar with the Bible – and without using common “religious” words like cross, died, believe, have faith, love, eternal, heaven, hell, holy, resurrection, receive, savior, lord, born again, new birth, invite?
[“Table Talk” is an opening question or topic for discussion at the beginning of our time together.  The intent is to help group members (around tables, with four to six at each table) build connections with each other, as well as to guide thinking in a direction related to the passage.]

Since I unfortunately was out of town and did not have the privilege of participating in the discussion of this passage on Sunday, I wanted to offer some of my comments.  I encourage those of you who did join in the dialog about these verses to add your input using the “leave a reply” link on the blog page.

This passage contains at least one (and probably several) familiar verses.  Many Christians memorize 1 John 1:9 early in their faith:  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  What a comforting reminder of the simplicity of grace.  And (as a member of our group commented to me later) that verse can also be reduced to a “mechanism for forgiveness” minimizing the profound depth of grace.  The context can make all the difference (often true of our favorite verses).

Sometimes a word processor can be a valuable tool for Bible study.  (See the article “The Word in Word” for some suggestions.)  Using some spacing and indenting often helps me to see more of the flow of ideas, the way parallel tracks relate, and other clues to what the Holy Spirit was doing in the writer’s mind.  Using this approach in the passage resulted in the formatting shown in “1John 1:3-2:2 outlined” (not the only possibility, but one I came up with – try and see if you have different ideas of how the passage flows).

What drew my attention quickly were the four parallel statements John makes regarding “if we say..”  The English word “confess” is from homologeo, ὁμολογέω, “say the same.”  John’s concern is that our talk may not be supported by our walk (to use a common metaphor).  Talking about our deep fellowship with God (1 John 1:6a) may impress others, at least for a time.  Some might claim victory over their sin (v. 8a).  Others could claim to have never sinned (v. 10a).  Talking about the wonderful progress in our Christian life is easy.  The true test is our behavior, how we walk (v. 7a) and especially how we walk in our relationships with others (v. 7b).  Claims or boasts about spirituality or great experiences or hearing from God lose credibility when not displayed in our behavior and our interactions with others.

One of the phrases that came from the discussion group was “love enabled by sacrifice.”  In the next passage, John will be even more specific.  The love of God is perfected or completed in how we walk the same way that Jesus walked (1 John 2:5-6).  The group discussed one of the problems the church faces in the twenty-first century:  the dilution of the concept of relationships and true community.  The digital age that believes connection via social media is fellowship is missing something.  Social media may have great value in communicating information, but I’m unclear how “love enabled by sacrifice” grows out of that kind of fellowship.  John makes it clear our talk about Christian experience is authenticated only as our lives exhibit love enabled by sacrifice.  He will have much more to say on that theme as we progress through this first letter.