Thessalonian Faith

Reasons to Abide in Fellowship with God (1 John 2:12-29)

(62-05a)

Study Guide

Sometimes knowing how to do something isn’t enough. We also need to know why we should do it.

In the previous lesson, we learned how to abide in fellowship with Jesus by avoiding sin, obeying Jesus, living like Jesus, and abiding in the light.

What makes this week’s study passage essential for abiding in fellowship with God is its practical framework.

When fellowship breaks down, the cause can be traced to believing falsehood, disobedience, or lack of love. The remedy requires immediate confession and acceptance of God’s forgiveness.

Rather than leaving us confused about our salvation, John equips us with reasons to abide in fellowship with God so we can identify spiritual drift before it becomes destructive.

In this study passage, God gives us six reasons to abide in fellowship with Him. (Read the verses for each to understand what each means.)

  • The Faith Family (1 John 2:12-14)
  • The Wicked World (1 John 2:15-17)
  • The Treasonous Teachers (1 John 2:18-19)
  • The Timeless Truth (1 John 2:20-23)
  • The Perpetual Promise (1 John 2:24-27)
  • The Anticipated Appearance (1 John 2:28-29)

Read the Passage

Read 1 John 2:12-29 several times from one or more of the following key translations. This, with the outline above, will help you see the boundaries, content, and flow of the study passage.

  1. Your own Bible
  2. New Living Translation (NLT)
  3. Berean Standard Bible (BSB; audio with transcript)

Study the Passage

Study Questions:

  1. What are some of the reasons this letter was written for us? (1 John 2:12-14)?
  2. Which reason in the outline above has helped your fellowship with Jesus most in the past?
  3. Which reason has the greatest potential to improve your fellowship with Jesus?
  4. What steps can you take to have continuous fellowship with Jesus (like a stream of water), instead of intermittent fellowship with Jesus (like a dripping faucet)?

Study Resources:

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Additonal study tools and resources available HERE.

Memory Verse

1 John 2:28 (NLT)
“And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ
so that when he returns, you will be full of courage
and not shrink back from him in shame.”