The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1897-12-17
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
International Lesson for December
10, lsO7-John's Message About San
and salvattOn-1 John lt5-2v0.

0OA>DEN Il f-Al.-lI We Confess oot sihs'
He IL faithful and just 10 forgive w our
sins.-l John g.
THE sEcTIoN.-The First Eplstis Of
John.
TIME.-This Epistre was written prob
sbly about A. ID. " Farrar). possibly
earlier, but not before A. ID. TO-
PLAcE.-Either Ephesus or Patmos
LESSON COMMENT.
Subject: The Nature Of God. and
Some Practical Consequences Which
Flow from IL.
/. God Is Lightly. 8. Gods nature is
expressed 10 us by the three mightiest
and most glorious things that exist;
God is Life God is Light. God is Love.
5. THE message which we have
heard from Him." from Jesus Christ.
by word when on earth (John la, .;
s:l2), and by His own person, for He
was the brightness of the Fathers
glory. THAT God is light" absolutely
in His very nature. Light is mysteri-
Gus in nature, ineffably bright and
glorious, everywhere present swift
winged, undefled, and undeflable.
Light is the source of life, of beauty, OF
manifested reality. of warmth, Of conn
fort, and joy, of health and of power.
III. The Light Is Opposed to Darkness.
". 5. I'm Him is no darkness at all:"
The schoolmen well said that there is q
fourfold darkness-of nature, OF ignor-
ance, of misery, Of sin. All these forms
of darkness God. as light destroys.
Ill. Walking in the Light the Condi-
ton Of Fellowship.-Vs. Q, Z. 9. If we
says" If we should profess. That we
have fellowship" Belong 10 Him. are
His children and heirs, and are like
Him. "And walk" walk" signifies
the ordinary course of life ''ln dark
ness:" The exact opposite of the light
In which God is I'VE lie:" We say
what is entirely false. for il is'not pos
sible to have fellowship with God and
vet continue 10 do the deeds Of dark
ness. And do not the truth" Our life
Is as false as our words.
Z. "But il we walk" live habitually
"in the light" in Gods light, in sym.
pathy with Him, according to His
Word, in His conscious presence, In the
light of truth, in the light of holiness
"As He is in the light" In the same
kind of light as He is. made in His
image, possessing His nature. I'VE
have fellowship one with another
Since we all partake of Gods nature
and feeling, live for the same ends. en-
Joy the same joys, love the same things
we must have fellowship with one an
other. being one in sympathy, love
character, purposes.
". In the Light Is Cleansing from
Sin.--vs. 7-lO. And the blood o.
jesus" The blood of Jesus, |. e., Hi
death on the cross. expresses the love o.
God and of His Son for man. For The
manifest measure of love is what it il
willing to do and to suffer. "Cleanseth:
Not only forgives. but removes. From
all SIM" All kinds Of sin, all degrees o
sin.
S. "If we say that we have no SIM"
we think we are altogether free iron
sin and sinful nature. "We deceive our
selves" Literally. we lead ourselve
nstray. We do not know our own heart
in their depths. "And the truth is no
in u.s." The truth about God's holiness
the truth about righteousness in its pur
ity and perfection; the truth abou
our own characters.
Q. "If we confess our SINS" To God al
WAYS, and to men for the offenses com
mitted against them. HE is faithful.
10 His own nature and to His promises
Sand JUST" Righteous. Righteous
ness loves to forgive whenever forgive
ness tends to increase Righteousness
sand to cleanse u.:" Gods righteous
ness led Him to devise way to say
men from their sins. in accordance wit
His own righteousness. "Sins:" Her
word meaning missing the mark.
"Unrighteousness:" Another aspect @
sin, as transgression. Stepping owe
"A forbidden boundary is another.
10. 1--WE make Him liar:" God
scheme for forgiving sin. and His ca
upon all, would be dcceitful. if men hav
not sinned. His Word IS not in us:
His Gospel, His revelation of the need
OF men. the light which shines fror
His pure character.
v. The Way Out Of Sin.-Ns. /. 2.
"Write | that We sin not:" TIL
was his great desire for those he Gale
his children. for he was now very o.
man, between 30 and 100 years old.
IF any man sin:" There is ev,
danger of falling into unexpected an
unintended sin. -. e have an Adv
cate" The same word as Comforts
in John 14-16. One who stands by I
to defend. strengthen. comfort us.
q "And He is the Precipitation for OF
sins" The Scrptural conception is nj
that of an appeasing one who is angr.
with personal feeling against the o
fender, but of altering the charact'
Of that which. from without. occasion
a necessary alienation, and interpos'
an inevitable obstacle to fellowship.
vI.-The Test Whether We Are Wall
ing in the Light.-Vs. SO. 3. "Heret
we do know that we know Him
With the experimental knowledge I
love and fellowship. the knowledge th
comes from abiding in Him, and He
us. He now gives us an infallible ties
IF we keep His commandments"
Keep preserves its peculiar meaning
watching. guarding. as some precio
thing. Obedience. therefore. is the pro