I JOHN

Introduction

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.   The apostle John wrote five (5) books of the New Testament:  The Gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and the Revelation.

 

B.   1 John contains five (5) chapters and one hundred five (105) verses in the KJV.

 

C.   NOTE:  It falls into the category of General Epistles because there is no specific person or congregation to which it was addressed.

 

D.   In this lesson, let’s do a background study of the epistle. 

 

I.             THE AUTHOR

 

A.   The epistle is anonymous.  The author is not named.

 

B.   There are two individuals who are said to have penned this letter.

1.    One of them is a man named John, a presbyter in the first century church.

a.    “Eusebius, an early church leader, mentions a John the elder (presbyter) who was a disciple and companion of John the apostle in Ephesus.  Although we cannot say for sure, it may be that John the elder is the same ‘elder’ mentioned in 2 and 3 John” (Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 692).

b.    “The inclusion of personal testimony (1 John 1:1-4) indicates that John the elder depended directly on the testimony of the apostle John in writing these documents” (Nelson’s. 692).

c.    Assertions like this always have weaknesses.

1)    “Although we cannot say for sure…”

2)    He was a companion of John the apostle.

3)    He depended directly on the testimony of the apostle John.

4)    The word “elder’ in 2 and 3 John could refer to an older man which John the apostle would have been.  Paul referred to himself as “Paul the aged” (Phile. 9).

2.    The other view is that John the apostle wrote the book.

a.    There is practical unanimity that whoever wrote the gospel wrote also the Epistle.  Almost all believe the apostle John wrote the gospel.

b.    The writer proclaims that he was an eyewitness of the Christ (1 John 1:1).

 

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life.

 

c.    Why no name?  “The writer seems to stand in relation to his readers as teacher and taught (1:2, 3).  This theory accounts for the absence of the writer’s name and other details about himself.  They were superfluous, his thoughts, language, and emphasis were too well known to be mistaken” (Introduction to the New Testament, Thiessen, 307).

 

C.   Background information about the apostle John.

1.    He was the son of Zebedee (Luke 5:10).

2.    He had a brother named James (Luke 5:10).

3.    He was a fisherman (Matt. 4:21-22).

4.    He and his brother were partners with Simon Peter in fishing (Luke 5:10).

5.    He was a follower of John the Baptist (John 1:35).

6.    He was one of the first four apostles called (Matt. 4:18-22).

7.    He was part of the “inner circle” close to the Christ along with Peter and James (Matt. 17:1).

8.    He was the disciple whom Jesus loved (John 13:23; 20:2; 21:7, 20).

9.    He and his brother were called Boanerges, “the sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17).

10. He later became known as “the apostle of love.”

11. He was one of the three pillars in the early church (Gal. 2:9).

12. He was the last apostle to leave the stage of apostolic history.

13. At some point, he was exiled to the isle of Patmos (Rev. 1:10).

14. He appears to have died of natural causes.  Thus, he was the only apostle to escape martyrdom.

15. He wrote five books of the New Testament.

 

II.           PLACE OF WRITING

 

A.   Tradition associates John with the city of Ephesus in his later years.  Most believe that he wrote this epistle while in that city.

 

B.   The letter probably circulated among the seven churches of Asia.  Ephesus was one of those churches.

 

 

III.         THE RECIPIENTS

 

A.   The recipients are not named.

 

B.   They shared a close, loving relationship with the author.

1.    Little children (2:1, 18, 28; 3:7, 18; 4:4 5:21)

2.    Beloved (3:2, 21; 4:1, 7, 11).

 

C.   There are no quotations from the OT, but a warning against idolatry (5:21).  Thus, “the readers were probably converts from heathenism” (Know Your Bible, Frank Dunn, 616).

 

D.   Since John resided in Ephesus, it is believed that his letter would have been written to a group of churches rather than just one church.

 

 

 

IV.         THE DATE

 

A.   John did not arrive in Ephesus until after the fall of Jerusalem.

 

B.   Irenaeus claimed John lived until the time of Trajan (98-117).

 

C.   Approximately, A.D. 85-90.

 

D.   NOTE:  There are some who believe that all of the New Testament was written prior to A.D. 70.  This would mean that John would have written this epistle between A.D. 60 and A.D. 66.

 

V.           THE THEME

 

A.   Fellowship with God (1 John 1:3)

 

That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us:  and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

 

B.   Fellowship:

1.    Strong (2842):  koinonia, partnership, that is, (literally) participation, or (social) intercourse, or (pecuniary) benefaction

2.    Thayer:  fellowship, association, community, communion, joint participation, intercourse

3.    Vine:  communion, fellowship, sharing in common (from koinos, “common”)

 

VI.         KEY VERSE:  1 John 1:7

 

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

 

VII.       THE STYLE

 

A.   “First John has none of the usual factors of an epistle:  no salutation or identification of author; no greeting; and no references to persons, places or events” (Nelson, 692).

 

B.   The epistle is “chiefly didactic and controversial” (Theissen, 306).

 

C.   “Ironically, although its format is impersonal, like a sermon or treatise, its tone is warm and personal” (Nelson, 692).

 

D.   “Simplicity of language and majesty of thought are uniquely united in John’s writings” (Dunn, 617).

 

E.   “John’s colors are black and white, there is no gray” (Dunn, 617):  life and death, truth and falsehood, love and hate, light and darkness, righteousness and sin, the Father and the world, children of God and children of the devil.

 

VIII.     PURPOSE

 

A.   John often reveals his purpose(s) to us in the letter using the words:  “These things have I written unto you…”

1.    “…that your joy may be full” (1:4).

2.    “…that ye sin not…” (2:1)

3.    “To confirm the truth that the faithful have overcome the wicked one (2:12-14)” (Dunn, 616).

4.    “To warn against false teachers (2:21, 26)” (Dunn, 616).

5.    “…that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (5:13).

 

B.   NOTE:  “All three epistles were written to deepen the spiritual life of the churches while guarding against false teaching” (Nelson, 692).

 

IX.         OCCASION

 

A.   The initial teachings of Gnosticism were beginning to impact the church.  Gnosticism would flourish in the second century.

 

B.   The word “Gnosticism” comes from the Greek word “gnosis” which means “to know.”

1.    “False teachers now making inroads into the church were the Gnostics (knowing ones), who boasted that they alone had true knowledge and ridiculed those who held to the apostolic faith” (Dunn, 621).

2.    Thiessen affirms that these individuals had accepted the doctrines of the Nicolaitans and Cerinthus.

a.    The Nicolaitans were said to be associated with Nicolaus (Acts 6:5).

b.    Cerinthus was a teacher who had been educated in Egypt.

3.    Basic teachings:

a.    Spirit is good.  Flesh is evil.

b.    An all-spirit being, like God the Father, could not have created a world that involved flesh.

c.    An all-spirit being, like the Christ, could not inhabit an evil fleshly body of a man named Jesus.

1)    John confronts this teaching immediately and says that Jesus Christ did come in the flesh (1 John 1:1).

 

That which is from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life.

 

2)    John calls those who deny the incarnation the antichrists (1 John 4:2,3).

4.    John feared that such a splinter group would lead true believers astray.

a.    1 John 2:26

 

These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.

 

b.    1 John 3:7

 

Little children, let no man deceive you…

 

c.    1 John 4:1

 

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God:  because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

 

d.    1 John 4:4-6

 

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them:  because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.  They are of the world:  therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.  We are of God:  he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us.  Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

 

5.    John focuses on the word “know” in the book.

a.    Some refer to 1 John as “the epistle of certainty.”

b.    He uses the word “know” or a form thereof more than thirty (30) times in this letter.

c.    Fellowship with God is realized by knowing God and abiding in Him. 

d.    “He declared that these false teachers did not have a monopoly of knowledge, but that the inspired penmen had a knowledge not derived as theirs, from speculation, but from revelation (1:5; 2:20, 27) (Dunn, 621).

 

X.           OUTLINE

 

Introduction (1:1-4)

i.             God is Light (1:5-2:29)

ii.           God is Love (3:1-4:21)

iii.         God is Life (5:1-20)

Conclusion (5:21)

 

NOTE:  “These are the ultimate realities, and it was given to ‘the beloved disciple’…to make this final contribution to Holy Scripture, and so to crown divine revelation” (W.G. Scroggie as quoted by Dunn, 618).

 

XI.         INTERESTING STUDIES

 

A.   What is means to “walk in the light” (1:7).

 

B.   “…the anointing which ye have received…” (2:27).

 

C.   “Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not…” (3:6).

“We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not…” (5:18)

“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin…” (3:9).

 

D.   1 John 5:7 – Should it be in the Biblical text?

 

E.   “There is a sin unto death…” (5:16).

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.   John tells us a lot about the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

 

B.   Too, he reveals how to abide in Christ.  Twelve (12) times we read of a form of the word “abide” in John’s letter.

 

C.   In this study, I will be referencing the following commentaries:

1.    Commentary on the New Testament, Gospel Advocate Series, Vol. 7, Guy N. Woods

2.    Life in Christ series on 1 John, Martyn Lloyd-Jones

3.    The Interpretation of I and II Peter, the three Epistles of John, and the Epistle of Jude, R.C.H. Lenski.