Read 1 John 2:1-6 • John addresses people as beloved children. Consider how John views the people he is writing too. Let that attitude inform everything else. • How does John view Christ? o What does Christ provide for His people? o How does the presence of Christ impact the power of sin? The first and greatest commandment is love. John intimately connects Christ with love. They do not exist apart from each other. Therefore, God’s people must be people of love. Read 1 John 2:7-11 • Consider how John 13:34-35 informs this passage. I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” • Notice how John shifts his focus to how God’s people treat each other. • Hate is connected with darkness. Love is connected with light. The true light is connected with Christ. • It is impossible to live in the light of Christ while embracing the actions of the darkness. • Light and dark. Love and hate. Truth or lie. John is giving God’s people a clear foundation that reliably leads them to life in Christ. How willing are we to accept and live on this foundation?