仁愛

 

Leader's Notes: Purpose: To help those in the group to seek another's highest good whether they feel warm about the person or not. To help the group to know God loves us through his son Jesus and the testimony of the Holy Spirit. To help the group to respond the love of God. Love in the New Testament can refer to sensual, brotherly or divine love, depending on the word used. Here Paul speaks of divine love, which reaches out to others in sacrificial service.

 

【打開話閘子】

 

1. 你覺得愛是一種感覺，還是理智上的決定？

 

Leader's Notes: The word love is often abused these days. It is used in the context of close, cozy feelings; of ecstatic, exuberant sexual passion; and of conditional commitments ("I'll love you if you live up to my expectations").

 

2. 誰是你見過最有愛心的人，為什麼？

 

3. 有人說，衡量愛的方法就是看一個人犧牲的程度，你覺得呢？

 

Leader's Notes: Almost every study begins with an "approach" question, which is meant to be asked before the passage is read. These questions are important for several reasons. First, they help the group to warm up to each other. No matter how well a group may know each other, there is always a stiffness that needs to be overcome before people will begin to talk openly. A good question will break the ice. Second, approach questions get people thinking along the lines of the topic of the study. Most people will have lots of different things going on in their minds (dinner, an important meeting coming up, how to get the car fixed) that will have nothing to do with the study. A creative question will get their attention and draw them into the discussion. Third, approach questions can reveal where our thoughts or feelings need to be transformed by Scripture. This is why it is especially important not to read the passage before the approach question is asked. The passage will tend to color the honest reactions people would otherwise give because they are of course supposed to think the way the Bible does. Giving honest responses to various issues before they find out what the Bible says may help them to see where their thoughts or attitudes need to be changed.

 

【上帝有話說】

 

『 7 親愛的弟兄啊，我們應當彼此相愛，因為愛是從上帝來的。凡有愛心的，都是由上帝而生，並且認識上帝。8 沒有愛心的，就不認識上帝，因為上帝就是愛。9 上帝差他獨生子到世間來，使我們藉著他得生，上帝愛我們的心在此就顯明了。10 不是我們愛上帝，乃是上帝愛我們，差他的兒子為我們的罪作了挽回祭，這就是愛了。11 親愛的弟兄啊，上帝既是這樣愛我們，我們也當彼此相愛。12 從來沒有人見過上帝，我們若彼此相愛，上帝就住在我們裏面，愛他的心在我們裏面得以完全了。13 上帝將他的靈賜給我們，從此就知道我們是住在他裏面，他也住在我們裏面。14 父差子作世人的救主；這是我們所看見且作見證的。15 凡認耶穌為上帝兒子的，上帝就住在他裏面，他也住在上帝裏面。16 上帝愛我們的心，我們也知道也信。上帝就是愛；住在愛裏面的，就是住在上帝裏面，上帝也住在他裏面。』(約翰一書4章7-16節)

 

【觀察討論】

 

4. 數一數上面的經文總共有幾個「愛」字？試著用圖來表達上帝，我們，愛，靈，耶穌等等之間的關係，愛如何聯繫這些關係？

 

Leader's Notes: From the Christian point of view, what is this thing called love? How do we get it and how can we give it away to others who need it? The word love (or some form of it) is mentioned sixteen times in 1 John 4:7-16. These relationships are quite hard to describe. For non-Christians, they may not understand who are Jesus and the Holy Spirit, try to explain that Jesus is God's son sent by God to die for our sins, and the Holy Spirit is sent by God to direct us to understand the truth. Try not to go into the topic of trinity.

 

5. 為什麼我們應當彼此相愛？（７、１１節）

 

Leader's Notes: From the Christian point of view, what is this thing called love? How do we get it and how can we give it away to others who need it? The word love (or some form of it) is mentioned sixteen times in 1 John 4:7-16. These relationships are quite hard to describe. Aim is to show that God is the source of love. However, when John says "Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God" (1 John 4:7), we should understand his words in context. He is not saying that love is the only mark of being a Christian, so that even non-Christians who love are born of God. Elsewhere in the letter he makes it clear that there are two other evidences of being born of God: living an obedient life (1 John 3:9) and believing that Jesus is the Christ (1 John 5:1).

 

6. 我們如何知道神愛我們？ (９、１０節)

 

Leader's Notes: Notice that our assurance of God's love comes from both objective and subjective sources. Objectively, John and the other apostles saw and knew God's Son, who was lovingly sent to be the Savior of the world (1 John 4:14). Likewise, on the authority of God's Word, John assures us that anyone who acknowledges Jesus as the Son of God will live in God and God will live in him or her (1 John 4:15). Subjectively, we know God's loving presence within us through his Spirit who lives in us (1 John 4:13). If someone in the group does not understand the meaning of the word incarnation, explain that it refers to Christ's taking on humanity, which is the way God sent his one and only son into the world (John 3:16; 1 John 4:8).

 

【生活應用】

 

7. 你覺得有神嗎？你覺得神愛你嗎？如果你覺得神愛你，請分享神如何愛你．

 

8. 你的生命中有沒有誰曾經傷害過你，你是否願意用愛去饒恕他／她？是否願意求神幫助你懂得更愛他人？

 

9. 如果神是愛，親近神就能更愛人，你是否願意試著更親近神？你應當如何親近神？

 

Reference: LifeGuide Topical Bible Studies - FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT - Leader's Notes - Study 1