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LESSON I.—SABBATH, OCTOBER 7, 1893

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Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Sep 25, 1893

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 19, No. 46.

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LESSON I.—SABBATH, OCTOBER 7, 1893

WALKING IN THE LIGHT.

Lesson Scripture, 1 John 1 : 1-9.
1. That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld, and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life
2. (And the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare unto you the life, the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us);
3. That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: yea, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ;
4. And these things we write, that our joy may be fulfilled.
5. And this is the message which we have heard from him, and announce unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
1. In what ways had the beloved disciple learned of the Word of Life?
2. What does John say of this life?
3. What kind of life was it?
4. Where was this life?
5. What does the apostle declare?
6. For what purpose?
7. With whom was his fellowship?
8. Why does he write these things?
9. What message does he declare?
10. From whom did he receive this message?
11. What is said of those who profess fellowship with God but walk in darkness?
12. What experience do those have who walk in the light?
13. What is the result of claiming to have no sin?
14. What promise is made to those who confess their sins?
15. What is said of those who claim that they have not sinned?

NOTES.

1. VERSES 1-4.—Christ is the Word (John 1:1) and the life (John 14:6), and hence he is the Word of Life. The Life was manifested in flesh (Rom. 8:3), and can be known to us only as an experience (John 1:12). When our eyes have been anointed (Rev. 3:18; 2 Kings 6:17) and our ears wakened (Isa. 50:4) so that we can hear aright (Mark 4:24), then we must testify (Acts 4:20), and our words will have effect (Acts 4:33). Fellowship with Christ is the experience of every Christian (1 Cor. 1:9), and this extends to his sufferings (Phil. 3:10; 1:29), as well as to the joy (1 Peter 4:13).
2. VERSES 5-7.—God is light and dwells in light (1 Tim. 6:16), and, as he was in Christ (2 Cor. 5:19), so Christ in his life (John 1:4) was the true light (verse 9), and his followers become light (Eph. 5:8; Matt. 5:14) if they walk in the light (John 8:12), and are to shine (Isa. 60:1); but this is done by the life (Matt. 5:16). "What is light?—It is piety, goodness, truth, mercy, love; it is the revealing of the truth in the character and life." We cannot have fellowship with light and darkness at the same time. 2 Cor. 6:14. "Sin and Jesus are never in copartnership." "The Lord Jesus will accept of no compromise." He says, "My glory will I not give to another." A lie may be spoken or acted, and those whose life is not in harmony with their profession do both. "A profession of piety is not enough. If religion is not brought into practical service, and does not produce good works, it is valueless." A Christian "is justified by faith but judged by his works." "Only the love which is shown by works is counted genuine."
3. VERSES 8, 10.—God has said that we are sinners (Rom. 3:23), and so we make him a liar by saying that we are not sinners. But while there is no good thing in us (Rom. 7:18), and we are poor and miserable (Rev. 3:17), we can boast of the Lord (Ps. 34:2; 1 Cor. 1:31), in whom there is no unrighteousness (Ps. 92:15), and who is made righteousness unto us (1 Cor. 1:30). "He was condemned for our sins, in which he had no share, that we might be justified by his righteousness, in which we had no share." The only way by which we may be "made free from sin" is to confess that we are full of sin. "Are you in Christ?—Not if you do not acknowledge yourselves erring, helpless, condemned sinners; not if you are exalting and glorifying self. If there is any good in you it is wholly attributable to the mercy of a compassionate Saviour." "There can be no self-exaltation, no boastful claim to freedom from sin, on the part of those who walk in the shadow of Calvary's cross." "And the claim to be without sin is, in itself, evidence that he who makes this claim is far from holy."
4. VERSES 9.—There are some notable examples of confession on record for our instruction. Daniel (Dan. 9:3-20), Ezra (Ezra 9:5; 10:1), and David (Ps. 51:1-4) are familiar cases. "True confession is always of a specific character, and acknowledges particular sins." "Confession will not be acceptable to God without sincere repentance and reformation." "Whatever the character of your sin, confess it. If it is against God only, confess only to him. If you have wronged or offended others, confess also to them, and the blessing of the Lord will rest upon you." "Sins that are not confessed will never be forgiven." "Our past sins will sometimes come to mind and cast a shadow over our faith, so that we can see nothing but merited punishment in store for us. But at such times, while we sorrow for our sins, we should look to Jesus, and believe that he has pardoned our transgressions." "If you believe the promise—believe that you are forgiven and cleansed—God supplies the fact; you are made whole, just as Christ gave the paralytic power to walk when the man believed that he was healed. It is so if you believe it." But "it is not faith that claims the favor of heaven without complying with the conditions upon which mercy is to be granted. It is presumption." "We are to believe that God accepts us when we fulfill his conditions, simply because he has said that he would."

ANALYSIS OF THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN.

It may assist to a clearer understanding of the portion of Scripture selected for study during this quarter if a general view of it as a whole can be obtained. The following analysis, taken from the "Cambridge Bible for Schools," may prove of some help in this direction:—

Chapter 1:1-4.—Introduction.

  1. The subject matter of the gospel employed in the epistle. Chapter 1:1-3.
  2. The purpose of the epistle. Chapter 1:4.

Chapter 1:5 to 2:28.—God Is Light.

a. Chapter 1:5 to 2:11.—What walking in the light involves; the condition and conduct of the believer.
  1. Fellowship with God and with the brethren. Chapter 1:5-7. 2. Consciousness and confession of sin. Chapter 1: 8-10.
  2. Obedience to God by imitation of Christ. Chapter 2: 1-6.
  3. Love of the brethren. Chapter 2: 7-11.
b. Chapter 2: 12-28.—What walking in the light excludes,—the things and persons to be avoided.
  1. Threefold statement of reasons for writing. Chapter 2: 12-14.
  2. The things to be avoided,—the world and its ways. Chapter 2: 15-17.
  3. The persons to be avoided,—antichrists. Chapter 2: 18-28.
  4. (Transitional) the place of safety,—Christ. Chapter 2: 27, 28.

Chapter 2: 29 to 5: 12.—God Is Love.

c. Chapter 2: 29 to 3: 24.—The evidence of sonship,—deeds of righteousness before God.
  1. The children of God and the children of the devil. Chapter 2: 29 to 3: 12.
  2. Love and hate; life and death. Chapter 3: 13-24.
d. Chapter 4: 1 to 5: 12.—The source of sonship,—possession of the Spirit as shown by confession of the incarnation.
  1. The Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. Chapter 4: 1-6.
  2. Love is the mark of the children of Him who is love. Chapter 4: 7-21.
  3. Faith is the source of love, the victory over the world, and the possession of life. Chapter 5: 1-12.

Chapter 5: 13-21.—Conclusion.

  1. Intercessory love the fruit of faith. Chapter 5: 13-17.
  2. The sum of the Christian's knowledge. Chapter 5: 18-20.
  3. Final injunction. Chapter 5: 21.