Purkey's Bible Study Outlines

(Read: 1 John 5:11-21)

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13).

First, if you have sincerely given your life to Jesus Christ and are trusting Him alone for your salvation, then God has promised to forgive you. The Bible says, “This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life” (1 John 5:11-12). That includes you! The key is to depend not on your feelings, but on facts—the fact of Christ’ death and resurrection for you, the fact of your commitment to Him, and the fact of God’s promise to forgive you. Feelings come and go, and they can deceive us.

Second, the facts of God’s Word, however, don’t change. You can depend on them. Don’t focus on your feelings, but on Christ and what He has done for you. Imagine for a moment that you had a very wealthy relative, and one day you received a call from an attorney telling you that she died and left you a million dollars. What would you do? You might say, “Oh well, it can’t be true,” but would that be wise? Instead, you would probably accept by faith what he told you, and then begin to act on it. In a far greater way, Christ offered you a gift—the gift of salvation—and you have accepted it. Now act on it! Begin by thanking Him for saving and forgiving you, and seek to live for Him every day.

Third, one of the Bible’s greatest truths is that Christ died to take away all our sins—not just part of them, but all of them: past, present and future. Never forget: Your salvation does not depend on you and how good you are; it depends solely on Christ and what He has already done for you through His death on the cross. Concerning Jesus Christ the Bible says: “but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:26).

Fourth, does that mean it doesn’t matter whether or not you sin? No, of course not. Sin is serious; it is an offense to God, and it breaks our fellowship with Him. God calls us to “be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). We should also be a good witness for Christ; others should be able to look at us and tell that something is different about our lives.

Insight: You can’t live the Christian life in your own strength. You need God’s help, which is why He has given the Holy Spirit to you. When you sin, confess it immediately, then (through prayer) seek the Holy Spirit’s help each day to live as you should.