1st John: Chapter 3 01/17/2009
Bible Study w/ Abouna Zakaria Notes Written by Servant Serving in Mexico Chapter 3-Children to God Vs.1-2 and the love of God makes us his true children through grace Christains are the only ones who can call God their father This is because Jesus became incarnate and is considered our brother therefore by relation we are children of God Because there are so many people who don’t want to know God, verse 1 will always be true for us but verse 2 is our hope and joy during the liturgy the priest turns the body of Christ towards the congregation twice, as if to say God has come once and He is coming again Verse 3 as children of God our responsibility is to be pure As christians we should be constantly be purifying ourselves and never stop. We should not platau or think that we have reached our maximum because throught the Holy Spirit we can always become more pure Vs4-5 our responsibility as children of God is in writing not to do? Ignoring the voice of God in our lives and continuing to sin makes his voice solfter and after a while sin dosent seem like sin anymore because the voice of God is no longer heard. For example: when you stain a new white shirt the stain is obvious. However, when you continue to stain the white shirt it becomes harder and harder to tell the original color of the shirt. In our spiritual lives the more our shirt is stained the more we need to pray for Gods help in removing that sin from our lives. Vs.6-21 Verse 6 (refer back to chapter 2 verse 1) vs. 6 refers to not wanting to return from sin Vs.9 we are born with sin but through baptism and chrismation we are reborn with vs.9 We have both voices within us telling us what to do. we should listen to the right voice so it can grow stronger in our lives. Vs.10 practice righteousness and love your brother Vs.11-12 no love=murder but love for God=love for others Vs.13-15 hate=murder but love=life (vs.14) Example: St. Stephen the first martyr Acts 7:54-60 When priest washes His hands during the liturgy and shows them to the people he is asking if he has wronged anyone to the point where they cant forgive him…if that is the case their blood is on his hands Vs.16-21 Giving to those in need=love of God Vs.16-18: how to treat your brother Vs.19-21 signs of your spiritual status Vs.22-24Trust in God our Father 1) Believe in Jesus Christ 2) Love one another CommentsLeave a Reply | AuthorFather Zakaria is the current priest at St. Mary and St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Church in Tlayacapan, Mexico  ArchivesCategories |
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