Starting Over. From the Beginning.........

I gave this blog up sometime ago because creating it seemed cumbersome.  For some reason I feel compelled to give it another try.  The purpose of this blog is very selfish, I want to learn more about the scriptures and my learning style demands that I write things down, read things out loud and interact with both several times.  Otherwise nothing gets "learned".  The SCRIPTURE tab will be just that.  The Scripture that I am currently working through and a list of questions.  The QUESTIONS tab is where I will work through my learning.  My hope is that anyone who sees this blog will chime in and we can learn together.  Maybe my "techy" daughter can help me change the format so that it is more interactive?  I will try.

So here we go!


1 John 3:11 - 21 (NIV)

11 For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters,[a] if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.

16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: 20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God

1. In verse 11, what "beginning" is John referring to?

2. Do you see any tie-ins between verse 12 and verses 4 & 8 (we looked at those in our last study)?

3. Verse 13 seems to kind of stand out on its own - he suddenly talks about the world hating us in the middle of talking about the importance of love. Why do you think John interjected this?

4. There is an interesting bit of word play going on in verses 14 & 15 - Its the murders who are dead. How does hate = murder = death?

5. Ponder a bit what is really encapsulated in that little phrase "Jesus Christ laid down his life for us." (v. 16). What all did that encompass (cf Philippians 2)

6. Compare verses 17-18 with James 2:5-18. Do you suppose John and James had a few personal discussions about this stuff? Where do you see God calling you to put this kind of love into action?

7. John finishes with some comments about how to deal with a self-condemning heart. What do you make of that?