Confession Study #1

2 John 1:7-8
Many false teachers are in the world now who do not confess that Jesus Christ came to earth as a human. Anyone who does not confess this is a false teacher and an enemy of Christ. Be careful yourselves that you do not lose everything you have worked for, but that you receive your full reward.

• This is a passage about false teachers. False teachers do not confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

1 John 4:13-16a
We know that we live in God and he lives in us, because he gave us his Spirit. We have seen and can testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God has God living inside, and that person lives in God. And so we know the love that God has for us, and we trust that love.

• There has to be a confession that Jesus is the Son of God.

1 John 1:5-10
Here is the message we have heard from Christ and now announce to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. So if we say we have fellowship with God, but we continue living in darkness, we are liars and do not follow the truth. But if we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God's Son, cleanses us from every sin.

If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done. If we say we have not sinned, we make God a liar, and we do not accept God's teaching.

• Forgiveness of sins is conditional. You have to confess the sins to be forgiven of the sins.

James 5:13-16
Anyone who is having troubles should pray. Anyone who is happy should sing praises. Anyone who is sick should call the church's elders. They should pray for and pour oil on the person in the name of the Lord. And the prayer that is said with faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will heal that person. And if the person has sinned, the sins will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so God can heal you. When a believing person prays, great things happen.

• Confession should be done between each other so that God can heal.

Matthew 21:21-22

Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

• With confession, there has to be prayer. With prayer, there has to be belief. If you believe when you pray, then it will be done. Condition: It has to be a righteous prayer. 

The Light Study #9

Proverbs 15:30
Light in a messenger’s eyes brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.

• I read this as you should share your faith. But it could also be read as visiting someone with good news (IE: good news sharing) lifts up the spirit. So, it is probably both.

Proverbs 20:27
The human spirit is the lamp of the LORD that sheds light on one’s inmost being.

• OK, this one is definitely about sharing your faith. Your heart is being convicted by the Spirit that is in you.

Ecclesiastes 2:13-14
I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. The wise have eyes in their heads, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both.

• Being in the light is better than being in the darkness.

John 11:9-10
Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

• If you are in the darkness, you will stumble. If you walk in the light, you will not stumble.

1 John 2:3-11
We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.

• If you are in the light, you have to love everyone, including your enemy (but not the devil, it's OK to hate the devil).