Overview of 1st John

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life -- the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us..." (1:1-2) 

THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN. In this first epistle from the Apostle John there are many themes carried over from the gospel which he wrote, the Gospel of John. He is writing late in the first century to a number of churches in Asia Minor (now Turkey), including Ephesus, where he lived his last years and was buried.  It seems that his readers were being tempted to move toward a hybridized philosophy of Christ, which was more acceptable to Greek thinking at that time.  This included a de-emphasis on the humanity of Jesus (some of the later Gnostics would say that Jesus was a kind of hologram from heaven), and an over-emphasis on knowledge, that knowing about heavenly things (especially secret things) was the main thing, rather than any kind of moral or social life-change. So, John writes that a real relationship with Christ is manifested in three main areas:  a) sound doctrine (knowledge of the truth); b) obedience (our moral response); and c) love for one another (our social response).  [See chart above.]  

TOUCHED WITH OUR HANDS. The Apostle John begins with the real human nature of our Lord Jesus -- heard, seen, touched -- who himself is the life of God physically manifested (John 1:14). After the resurrection, the Apostle Thomas gave testimony to both the human and divine natures of Christ, when he touched Jesus' wounds, and said, "My Lord and my God" (John 20:24-29). God's life was manifested in Jesus so that we might have eternal life and fellowship with him. "God is light" (v 5) tells us that God is holy, good, and pure, and that those who walk with him will desire to have the same character. We acknowledge and confess sin not only at our conversion but also throughout our Christian life (vv 7, 9).   

REFLECT.  This chapter tells us that we must deal with two great realities -- the reality of our sin, and the reality of Jesus coming in the flesh. God's Son, who is Life, came to us in human form. He came to, and for, sinners, including you and me. We can deny or hide our need, but it is best to come into the light (John 3:19-21). Even as we walk with Christ in the light, he will provide the cleansing we need.  Is it enough for you just to know something about Christ and to check off a religious preference box? Or should your trust in the Lord Jesus affect your thinking, your morals, and your relationships?

CHAPTER 2

"And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." (2:17) 

CHRIST OUR PROPITIATION. The atoning value of Christ's death is available and sufficient for anyone and everyone in the world who would trust him. This propitiation -- which means the satisfaction of God's justice and wrath -- when received produces people who do not want to sin any longer. The Lord Jesus is also an advocate for his people even when they lapse into sin. The Apostle John makes a distinction between a lapse into sin and the practice of sin (vv 1-2, 29).  Those born of God are seeking righteousness as a way of life. John is writing about the evidences of God's life in those born again. He is answering the question, what does it mean to "walk in the light" or to "have fellowship with God"?  Especially, what does this mean in contrast to what the false teachers were saying (see yesterday's post).  Sound doctrine always gives central place to "God in Christ reconciling the world to himself" (2 Cor 5:19). 

HOW JOHN WRITES. His style is not like Paul's or Peter's letters, but is more poetic, with repeated phrases of parallel or antithetical statements. First John is simple, terse, and one of the easiest books in the NT to translate from the Greek. But it is very deep. Some have compared this letter to OT wisdom literature, like Job or Proverbs. As noted in yesterday's reading, John has a number of themes he writes about, and he presents them in a circular (or spiral) fashion, returning again and again to the key themes. In this chapter he addresses the moral (sin / righteousness) in verses 1-6, the social (love for the brethren) in verses 7-11, the doctrinal (knowledge of the truth) in verses 18-28, and back to the moral again in verse 29.  The "anointing" in verses 20-27 is referring to the Holy Spirit who gives believers insight into the true meaning and application of God's word.  

LOVE NOT THE WORLD. Verses 12-17 form a kind of parenthesis in the middle of this section. The "children - fathers - young men" (a couplet of three statements) is referring more to our calling and maturity rather than to physical age (cf. vv 18, 28). The "young men" conclude each triplet, highlighting the strength needed to resist conformity to the world in verses 15-16. These verses are likely an allusion to Gen 3:6, "...saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise...", telling us that Satan's evil dynamic is ongoing in this world. This section is concluded with, "the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever" (v 17). 

REFLECT. Many of us have been in hospital rooms where monitors keep track of a patient's heart rate, pressure, and blood oxygen level. The Apostle John is showing us the signs of a healthy Christian life: the habitual turning away from sin in order to walk obediently with God; a growing love for God's people (both as individuals and as a group); and an enduring faithfulness to the gospel and to sound biblical teaching.  These are the vital signs on the spiritual life monitor, so to speak.  So, how does your monitor read? Remember that Christ himself is your propitiation and advocate. Go to him. Confession is a good thing! (cf 1:9)

CHAPTERS 3 AND 4

"No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God." (1 John 3:9)

CHILDREN OF GOD (ch 3). Being a beloved child of God, awaiting Christ's return, will have a purifying effect upon us. As we have seen in the previous chapters, the Apostle John is showing us that the new birth results in changed lives -- we think differently (we love the truth); we live differently (we love God's ways); and we relate to others differently (we love God's people). This is our new DNA as children of God. It does not mean that Christians don't sin, which they do (1:8-9; 2:1-2), but that they do not continue to live in unrepentant, habitual sin. They desire to walk as God's obedient children. As seen in the diagram above, John writes in a kind of circular fashion, moving back and forth between these great themes. In this chapter he comes back to the moral dimension (practicing righteousness, vv 1-10), and then to the social dimension (love, vv 11-18), and then back again to the moral (keeping his commandments, vv 19-24).

DOCTRINE AND LOVE (ch 4). In his rotation of themes, John returns to doctrine (4:1-6). There is truth and there is error. Truth matters. Some in John's day believed that Jesus didn't come in the flesh (as fully human) but rather was some kind of emanation or hologram from God. This is false teaching. And of course, that would affect one's understanding of salvation, as well. To deviate from the biblical presentation of Christ is to have the "spirit of antichrist", which means that person denies or substitutes something for the truth about Christ. The beast of Revelation (Rev 13) and the lawless one (2 Thess 2) are referring to the ultimate imposter, the false Christ, who is usually referred to with the capital A, the Antichrist. Then John returns to the topic of love again (4:7-21). God loved us before we ever loved him, and his love is shown to us in Christ's atoning sacrifice (propitiation) for our sins. This love, and our love for him in return, gives us confidence before God and becomes the basis from which we love others.

CHAPTER 5

"For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world- our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1 John 5:4-5)

FAITH THAT OVERCOMES (ch 5). John returns to the theme of obedience (5:1-3) and then to the topic of faith (5:4-15). Faith is receiving God's testimony about his Son (vv 9-10). It is to receive life and to have the assurance of life. We pray now for the things that God wills and have confidence that he hears and answers. On the "sin unto death" see Tom Constable's notes on this chapter in the NET Bible.  Those born of God cannot continue their habit of sinning (or, the practice of sin, vv 18-19). "Keep yourselves from idols," is an unusual way to end this letter, but it is an arresting way of saying that whenever we accept false teaching about Christ, or whenever we neglect obedience to God or love to others, we are acting like idolaters. In that sense, we have exchanged the truth of God for a lie (Rom 1:25; see Ex 20:2-6).  D. L. Moody once said, "Satan doesn't care what we worship, as long as we don't worship God."

REFLECT. Though John treats many aspects of the Christian life, such as obedience, love of the brethren, and sound doctrine, he comes back to faith as the fountainhead. It is our trust in the Lord Jesus -- who he is, and what he has done for us -- that is the foundation of all that we do. Obedience, love, and doctrine are not separate additions to our faith, but rather flow from our faith in the Lord. Our trust in the Lord, however, is shown by our willingness to obey him in love, to hold firmly to biblical truth, and to love our fellow believers. Is this true of us? That's the question that the First Epistle of John poses to us. 

[Photo below: the tomb of the Apostle John in Ephesus, Turkey. Image credit: Wikimedia]