Forever in His Presence – Part 5

Discussion Questions: Read verses 10-12. How do the words “obvious”, “love”, and “hate” make John’s point clear? Read verses 13-15. How does John continue to drive the “obvious” contrast home for us in these verses? Read verses 16-18. How is Jesus the example? Example of what? Read verses 19-22. Why is this not a “name it, claim it” passage? What is John’s meaning instead? Read verses 23-24. What two commandments is John referring to? Why is it important to define “commandments” in this context? How are these the natural mark of every believer? React to this statement: A majority of this entire passage is descriptive, not prescriptive. Now, how does this statement keep us from a performance mentality and help us to identify ourselves as new-hearted believers? (Note: Verses 16 and 18 are indeed prescriptive.)