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BAB628

John’s Letters (1,2,3 John)

A study guide on Johns’ three letters for MINTS students

Rev. Dr. Julian Michael Zugg

Covenant PCA, Houston, Texas

Email: Jzugg@mac.com ,

Web: www.zugg.org

MINTS International Seminary,

14401 Old Cutler Road Miami, Florida 33158 USA

Tel. 786-573-7001, www.mints.edu

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OUTLINE

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

LESSON ONE: An Overview of John’s Three Letters

LESSON TWO: The Introduction ~ The Basis of Fellowship with God

LESSON THREE: Abiding In God ~ Warning against Antichrist

LESSON FOUR: Abiding in God ~ The Confidence of Those Born of God

LESSON FIVE: Test the Spirits ~ Love one Another; Abide in God

LESSON SIX: Assurance ~ Eternal life and Final Exhortations

LESSON SEVEN: An Exhortation to Walk in Truth and Love

LESSON EIGHT: A Commendation, a Warning, and a Good Example

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INSTRUCTOR’S MANUAL

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INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this course is for students to grow in their knowledge of the Scriptures, particularly, of the three letters of the Apostle John. In these letters, John writes to the Gentile church, encouraging and exhorting her to continue in the faith.

COURSE CONTENT

The course is divided into eight lessons. Lesson 1 introduces the three letters. Lessons 2 through 6 focus on 1 John, Lesson7 covers 2 John, and Lesson 8 discusses 3 John.

COURSE MATERIALS

The lecture notes are a full exposition for this course. The students are required to read them thoroughly along with the Scriptures. Students are also required to read one other course at the Bachelor’s level: John’s Gospel or The Book of Revelation by either Julian Zugg or Don Ritzman. Master’s level students must read two additional courses about the Gospel of John, 1,2,3, John, or Revelation from the website. All the additional reading is available on MINTS.edu.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

To study John’s three letters with other students

To acquire a detailed knowledge of the history and theology of 1,2,3 John

To develop a deeper understanding of God’s Word

To grow in knowledge of how God deals with His children

To master John’s letters in order to use them in preaching, teaching, and pastoral counseling

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1. Participate in fifteen hours of common teaching time.

2. Complete the Bible study exercises in the eight lessons.

3. Read the extra material outlined above.

4. Write a sermon or lesson plan on a theme from 1,2,3 John of five to seven pages at the Bachelor’s level and twelve to fifteen pages at the Master’s level.

5. Complete the exam on 1,2,3 John which is based upon the questions at the end of the lessons.

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COURSE EVALUATION

1. Student Participation (15%): One point may be given for each class hour attended.

2. Student Homework (40%): Five points will be given for completing the questions at the end of each lesson.

3. Student Readings (10%): Students will be given credit for completing the required reading.

4. Student Paper (15%): Students will prepare exegetical notes for a sermon/lesson.

5. Student Exam (20%): Students will take a final exam drawn from the questions at the end of each lesson. The exam is available in the instructor’s manual.

BENEFITS OF THIS COURSE

The course will ground students in the New Testament. It will show them the difficulties facing the early church, while giving them assurance and hope. Students will be shown the way that God works in this world.

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Lesson One: An Overview of John’s Three Letters

John, an eyewitness of the life of Jesus, writes these letters to the church in Asia Minor. In this section, we will consider John’s life and work as a crucial New Testament apostle.

1. The Apostle John

Who wrote the Johannine Epistles? The traditional view of the church is that at the end of his life, the elderly apostle John wrote a gospel, three letters, and Revelation. By so doing, he made a major contribution to the New Testament.

The Apostle John is a vital figure in God’s revelation to man and plays a critical role in the early church. On a personal level, John was close to Jesus. When Jesus was dying on the cross, He committed His mother into John’s care (John 19:26-27). John and Peter both went to the tomb, an illustration of their love and commitment to Christ (John 20:2-4), and they both preached the resurrection to the early church in Jerusalem (Acts 3,4,8). Later, Paul calls John, along with James and Peter, the pillars of the Jerusalem church (Gal. 2:9).

The New Testament record of John indicates that there were distinct phases in his life. As one of the twelve, he is featured prominently in the gospels and early in Acts. As the account of the book of Acts progresses, John is mentioned less and less. For a time, the focus remains on Peter and then switches to Paul. In fact, in the description of the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15), John is not mentioned at all. It is only many years later that he reappears. At this stage, John is the last living apostle shepherding the church in Asia. Early church history indicates that he moved from Jerusalem during the time of the Jewish war in AD 66-70 (Carson and Moo 675). It is at this time that John writes his gospel, his letters, and the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

John’s history is mirrored in his character. John was naturally a reflective man, given to deep spiritual insights (John 20:8). When faced with an empty tomb, it was John, not Peter that first realized that Jesus’ resurrection had occurred. Yet in the early church, it was impulsive Peter, not reflective John, who took the initiative. John, while an important witness, remained in the background. Unlike Paul, he was not a pioneer, but his later role supports Paul’s early mission work in Asia.

The Lord Jesus used John’s contemplative nature in a unique manner. John is more reflective than some of his apostolic counterparts; his thinking matures over time, and his gospel makes a unique contribution to the canon of Scripture. Jesus called John to write the last of the four gospels, along with the last book of the New Testament. John writes these works after fifty years of reflection. Using a simple yet profound style, he reveals themes of utmost importance in metaphors of light and darkness. When compared to Paul, who focuses on the strict principles of interpreting the implications of Jesus’

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death, John combines exact eyewitness detail with deep symbolism. He goes beyond the seen into the unseen realm in Revelation 4-22.

John’s ministry followed the pattern of the early church, beginning in Jerusalem and moving into Asia where the church, the new Gentile center of Christianity, was eclipsing the church in Jerusalem. At the close of John’s life, he was called to shepherd this Gentile church in Asia as she labored and struggled in a hostile world. The gospels, the epistles, and the book of Revelation focus on the church in this area.

The churches John wrote to were founded through Paul’s missionary work in the 50-60’s. Thirty years after Paul’s martyrdom, the churches are under John’s care. He continues nourishing and building her up, establishing the work that Paul began. Paul the pioneer sowed, and John reaped the fruits of Paul’s labor. It is important to see that Christ used two men who possessed very different talents to build up His church (Eph. 4:11ff).

Paul warned the elders that after he left, vicious men would enter the flock and attack it, twisting the truth: I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; (30) and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them (Acts 20:29-30). These attacks had begun and John proved to be the great protector, the shepherd who called the church to faithfulness and reminded them to flee idolatry and love one another (1 John 2:7-11; 2 John 5, 1 John 5:21). In this ministry, John had many roles. He was not only the apostle of love, but was also the one who called the church to repentance. George Findlay notes, “The chapter that tells how God so loved the world ends with the fearful words concerning the disobeyer of the Son: the wrath of God remains on him (John 3:36)” (68). John was also quick to separate the truth from the lie (1 John 1:6; 2:22; 4:20) and call judgment upon the unrepentant. He saw things in clear categories (Luke 9:51-56; 3 John 9-10). His symbolism is stark: light and darkness, love and hate, the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan.

John wrote his gospel a few years before giving this warning. In his gospel he laid a foundation for the people’s trust in Christ and proved from the Old Testament that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God. John then wrote letters to warn and protect them from heresy and error. His desire was for the church to continue in the faith that was first given to the apostles.

John suffered with the church, and endured great tribulation. He wrote his final letters from the island of Patmos where he was banished because of the great persecution which befell Christ’s followers. He was the very example of the doctrine that he was called to proclaim: I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus (Rev. 1:9).

John is the final author of the New Testament. His gospel, his letters, and Revelation were written from about AD 85 onward.1 His life directed his ministry, and his writings close the canon of Scripture.

1 Carson and Moo 676-677

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John is known as the disciple of love (1 John 4:7) and is the author of the most well-known quote in the whole of Scripture: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). John’s heart was formed and steeped in mature, redeeming love. This emphasis on love can be seen in the following verses:

[B]ut whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: (1 John 2.5)

By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. (18) There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. (19) We love because he first loved us (1 John 4:17-19).

Clearly, we can see that John was a loving, tender, wise, discerning father whose compassion shines forth from his letters written at the close of the apostolic age.

2. Asia Minor, the State of the Church, Hospitality, and Heresy

John ministered at the end of the first century in Asia Minor. His letters are to the men and women who lived and worked in this area.

2.1. Asia

At the time John writes, Asia Minor is under the power of the Roman Empire. The following map shows the general area of Asia Minor, focusing on Ephesus and the seven churches that John would address later in Revelation 2 and 3.

John wrote to the churches while many were under attack. It is important to understand the nature of the church in first century Asia. From John’s letters in 1,2,3 John and Jesus’ words to the seven churches in Asia Minor in Revelation, we can deduce the state of the church at that time. The world was attacking the church, politically, religiously, and socio-economically. Error had entered into her midst, and she was tolerating sin. John wrote the letters to prepare the church to defend herself.

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2.2. Hospitality and Heresy

Second and Third John are particularly concerned with issues of hospitality and heresy within the church. To understand these letters, we must understand how hospitality functioned in the early church. At the time of the Roman Empire, travel was easy. There was a single government and excellent road systems covering the entire empire. Paul used these roads in his missionary journeys, and many churches were founded alongside them; therefore, travel between the churches increased. In fact, it was easier to travel then than in any other time in the previous 2000 years of European history.

As the gospel quickly spread throughout the empire, hospitality was an important part of early Christian life. Churches hosted traveling Christians because there were no hotels in the modern sense of the word. Church members were mobile,3 but the local places to stay were often public houses used for drinking and immorality. Because they were places of temptation and sin, Christians did not stay there; instead, they stayed with church families. This fostered a very close link between hospitality, missionary activity, communication of church letters, and instruction. Hospitality directly affected the church because it influenced teaching, authority, doctrine, and fellowship. Because

2 The diagram is available at revelationcommentary.blogspot.co.uk.

3 E.G. Pricilla and Aquila and the household of Chloe (Acts 18:2,8; Rom. 16:3; 1 Cor. 1:11)

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preachers/teachers were generally supported by tent-making and local churches, hospitality directly affected the missionary activity of the church. Traveling Christians generally lodged only in believers’ homes, and many churches were also located in the home; therefore, who stayed in the home had a direct bearing on church life. The battles in 2 and 3 John, particularly 3 John 7, reflect this.4 Due to these factors, the role of hospitality was vitally important to the church. Hospitality was a grace to be cultivated as a qualification for eldership: Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach…”(Heb. 13:1-2). (Other verses on hospitality: Heb.13:1-2; Tit 1:8; 1 Pet. 4:8-10; 1 Tim. 5:3-10).

2.3 The Challenges to the Early Church

It is important to understand the nature of the church in Asia, and to accomplish this we use three main sources: 1) the Book of Acts, 2) John’s own pastoral letters, and 3) the letters to the seven churches in Revelation. We can also gain insights from writings of the early church fathers.

The Book of Acts: Acts tells us of the expansion of God’s kingdom through the

preaching of the gospel from Jerusalem into Asia. Paul founded the churches in Asia during his missionary journeys (circa AD 51-52). The initial extension was into Galatia, then Ephesus; afterwards, the gospel spread to the surrounding regions (circa AD 54). During Paul’s missionary journeys, He first preached the gospel to the Jews in the synagogues, and then to the Gentiles. Many who were converted at this time came from a background influenced by Greek myths and stories (Acts 17:15-32) and magic and witchcraft (Acts 14:12, 19:13-20).

Acts provides a picture of the first-generation church. The letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 describe the second-generation church in Asia . Here Christ speaks to the seven churches, identifying their weaknesses, commending their strengths, and encouraging them to faithfulness. Because these churches are located in the area of John’s ministry, and because John doesn’t identify the churches to which he is writing his epistles, the seven churches identified in Revelation might be the same churches that receive 1,2,3 John, passed around as circular letters.5

John’s letters highlight the state of the church in his day. By the process of mirror reading, that is, reading John’s commands to the churches in his letters and then working from these commands to discover what the circumstances leading to them were, we can determine many of the common issues facing the church in John’s day. In 1 John, we see a church under attack from false christs who denied that Jesus had come in the flesh. 3 John highlights moral issues in the church through John’s admonishment of Diotrephes, a man full of pride who always wanted to be first, and who was trying to control the church for his own ends.

4 For a fuller understanding of New Testament hospitality, missions, and the accompanying dangers, see Philippians 4:5, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12, Galatians 2:4, 2 Corinthians 3:1 and 2 Corinthians 11:13-15.5 A good student will consider all of these theories when looking for background to aid in the understanding of John’s letters.

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An early Greek threat to the church was Gnosticism. This heresy was only at its initial stages when John wrote his letters, but by the third century had matured into a completely apostate system. Gnosticism is driven by the dualistic idea that the spiritual is good and matter is evil. The ultimate god is a spirit and other lesser gods emanate from him. A lesser god created the world, flesh, and blood. The Gnostics believe that one needs to rise above materialism and move into the spirit realm in order to be saved.

When the church and Gnostic theology interacted, the Gnostics did not deny the Scriptures; instead, they would read the Scriptures through their own theological grid. They re-told and re-interpreted biblical stories according to their dualistic understanding. In their view of the fall, Adam and Eve were imprisoned in evil material bodies. The devil tried to give true knowledge to them, knowledge that would set them free. Adam later gave birth to Seth, who had a pure spirit. From the time of Seth, there have been two types of humanity: those who are a mixture of spirit and flesh, and lesser beings who are only of the flesh (Carson and Moo 679). In this scheme, salvation is through gnosis (mystical knowledge) and enlightenment of the fact that the spirit is everything and the body is evil. Gnostics developed into a number of different forms in the second century.

This Spirit/matter dualism led to a number of erroneous beliefs, some dealing with thoughts about the body such as: 1) the body is evil and must be subdued (similar to stoic theology), 2) the body is unimportant, and 3) because the body is unimportant, man could do whatever he wanted with the body (hedonism) so long as his soul is enlightened. In contrast, the Scriptures teach that man is made of body and spirit, matter and soul. Although the flesh is seen as weak, transitory, and waiting to pass away, in the creation the whole man, body and soul as a unit, is to be offered up to God.

A branch of early Gnostic dualism was Docetism meaning it seems. This heresy argued that since the spiritual was good and matter was evil, Jesus could not have become the God-man because His good spirit would be joined with evil matter. At best, Jesus assumed His flesh for a limited time (usually starting at His baptism), and then left the body at the cross. By thinking this way, they reinterpreted the biblical record in order to fit their own ideas. John directly challenges this view in the opening section of 1 John, asserting that Jesus did come in a human body to save men:

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— (2) 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— (3) that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us (1 John 1:1-3).

There are huge theological implications of denying that Jesus came in the flesh. Without the incarnation, Jesus could not identify with men, and therefore be our head; He could not pay for the sin of Adam, the first man. Without His coming in the flesh, there is no atonement.

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3. 1 John

1 John is a circular letter written to address various errors that had entered the churches in Asia. Paul warned the church in Ephesus about false prophets who would come in, seeking to destroy the flock (Acts 20; 1 and 2 Tim.), and in John’s time the church was under attack from idolatry, false christs, antichrists, and deceivers. To counter these errors John argues both positively and negatively. He contrasts light and darkness, truth and falsehood, God and the world, love and hate, Christ and the antichrist, and the Spirit of Christ with the spirit of the antichrist. In these bold contrasts, John calls for a clear distinction between God and an evil world. There must be no confusion; some things are good while others are evil (Findlay 78). Imposing any Greek philosophical system that seeks to separate the spirit from the flesh upon Scripture, thus changing the nature of God, is idolatry. That is why John ends with the challenge: Little children, keep yourselves from idols (1 John 5:21).

John stresses the need for ethical purity. He calls them to avoid the world, to practice brotherly love, and not to covet the things of the world. These imperatives are the very test of our theology, and it is through our faith that we will overcome the world.

John summarizes his position:

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (16) For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. (17) And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever (1 John 2:15-17).

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. (3) For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. (4) For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. (5) Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:2-5).

The central thought of 1 John is found in 1 John 3:23:

And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.

Outlining John is very difficult. John writes using a loose association of ideas with one thought flowing into another. He introduces a thought, develops another theme, and then returns to the former thought again. This makes dividing 1 John in a linear, western way very difficult.6 To assist with preaching, I suggest that John can be outlined as follows:

I. Prologue: The Word of Life (1:1–4)

A. The Object of the Proclamation Highlighted (1:1)B. The Object of the Proclamation Clarified (1:2)

6 In contrast, the outlines of 2 John and 3 John are very straightforward.

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C. The Purpose of the Proclamation Announced (1:3a)D. The Nature of the Common Fellowship Clarified (1:3b)E. The Purpose of the Writing Announced (1:4)

II. God Is Light (1:5–3:10)A. Walk in the Light (1:5–2:2)

(1) God is Light (1:5–1:7)(2) Resist Sin (1:8–2:2)

B. Obey the Command to Love (2:3–11)(1) Know God and Keep His Commands (2:3–6)(2) Learn the New Command and Love Others (2:7–11)

C. Know Your Spiritual Status (2:12–14)D. Be Warned of Enemies of the Faith (2:15–28)

(1) Beware of the World (2:15–17)(2) Beware of the Antichrists (2:18–28)

E. Live Like Children of God (2:28–3:10)(1) Be Confident and Ready for His Coming (2:28–3:3)(2) Be Righteous and Do Not Sin (3:4–10)

III. God Is Love (3:11–5:12)A. Love One Another: Part One (3:11–24)

(1) Love in Action (3:11–18)(2) Live in Confidence (3:19–24)

B. Test the Spirits (4:1–6)C. Love One Another: Part Two (4:7–21)

(1) Love Others because God Loves You (4:7–10)(2) Love Others because God Lives in You (4:11–21)

D. Obey God and Experience the Victory of Faith (5:1–5)E. Believe in the Son and Enjoy Eternal Life (5:6–12)

IV. Conclusion: The Confidence and Characteristics of the Child of God (5:13–21) A. Know You Have Eternal Life (5:13) B. Be Confident in Prayer (5:14–17) C. Do Not Continue in Sin (5:18–20) D. Keep Yourself from Idols (5:20–21)7

4. 2 John

John begins this letter with the phrase to the elect lady and her children. To whom is John referring? Who is the elect lady? Is John addressing a specific woman and her family, or is he addressing the church?

The elect lady is the church. The words John uses both identify and describe her. She is elect, chosen by God (Eph. 1:4-5; 1 Pet. 2:9); this is a title of calling. She is a lady as to rank, status, and dignity. John closes the letter with a similar reference to a lady:

7 Akin 47-48.

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The children of your elect sister greet you (2 John 13). Peter likewise ends his own letter with greetings from the church: She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son (1 Pet. 5:13). One would expect a personal letter to contain personal references. This letter does not, a fact which indicates that the letter is not to a person but to the church. On the other hand, 3 John is a private letter, and in it John makes a number of personal references.

The idea of the church as the bride of Christ is found in Ephesians 5:21ff and in Revelation 12, 21-22. In these passages, the church is seen as a bride adorned for her husband, and her children refers to all the church members.

In summary, the church is the elect lady, adorned with great dignity and separated unto God as His bride. 1 John and 2 John are closely related in both content and style, so it is possible that they may have been written to the same church.

5.3 John

John’s third letter is different from the first two epistles. It is written to an individual, and it concerns moral not theological warnings. The letter describes the morals and character of three people: Gaius (2-8), Demetrius (9,10), and Diotrephes (11,12). The letter touches on the issues of hospitality, love, and humility.

(1) Gaius

Gaius was a common family name during the New Testament period.8 Gaius seems to have been a layperson in the church, not an official church officer. He was a sincere, wealthy, loving disciple who opened his home to Christian missionaries and travelers. Gaius was beloved of John (3 John 1), and he seemed to be John’s son in the faith, converted through John’s ministry. He walked in the truth and gave the apostle great joy (3 John 3-5). His health may not have been good, but his soul prospered notwithstanding the difficulties in the church with Diotrephes.

Gaius often entertained strangers and assisted them in the gospel mission. This was his particular ministry (3 John 5), one that made him a fellow worker in the truth (3 John 8). He followed the apostle while the church, controlled by Diotrephes, did not. John exhorted Gaius to assist the church (7-8) and to imitate what is good, not what is evil (11).

(2) Demetrius

Demetrius, a Greek, was an active, loyal minister and traveling companion of the apostles. Sent to the church by John to be a New Testament prophet, teacher, or evangelist- one who was of the truth- his role was to uphold the truth until John himself

8 There are three men named Gaius in the New Testament. In 1 Corinthians 1:14, Paul baptized Gaius, the church met in his house, and he probably hosted traveling Christians. Gaius of Derbe joined Timothy when he carried his contributions for the churches in the Jerusalem famine relief (Acts 20:4), and Gaius of Macedonia was arrested with Timothy in Ephesus (Acts 19:29). Extra-biblical sources suggest the Gaius of the famine relief was the same Gaius mentioned here, but we cannot be sure.

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could come (3 John 12). He linked the churches together, preached the gospel in new areas, and had a good witness from all and from the truth. John adds his own personal testimony. Because of his good witness, Demetrius was to be received and imitated. John offered him as an example of good, to be contrasted with Diotrephes, the example of evil.

Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. (12) Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true (3 John 11,12).

(3) Diotrephes

Diotrephes was an ambitious church officer who sought power and position in the church. He rejected those in authority over him and sought to dominate those below him. He represented the dangers that can affect the church: pride, jealousy, false independence, and disunity.

It is unclear how Diotrephes occasioned his dominant position. It could have been from social standing or appointment. He is a single leader, an exception to the usual practice of appointing two elders in the church (Acts 14:23).

Diotrephes’s pride meant that he would not submit even to the apostle John. His dominant position cut the church from John’s influence, and thus, also cut it off from other New Testament churches, placing it in a very precarious position, particularly in the light of the antichristian errors that were invading the church (2 John and the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2,3).

Each of these characters presents a snapshot of good and bad workers, and when coupled with Revelation 2 and 3, they provide insight into the issues of the first-century church in Asia. In this letter, John commends the grace, hospitality, and righteousness of two while rejecting the third.

Lesson One Questions

1. Who is the author of 1 John?

2. Briefly describe the three phases of the apostle John’s life.

3. How is John’s character reflected in his writings?

4. Who is the audience to which John writes, Jews or Greeks?

5. Why does John write these letters?

6. Explain how hospitality and heresy are linked in these epistles.

7. What three biblical sources tell us of the state of the church in Asia Minor?

8. What was Gnosticism? Why was it dangerous?

9. What does John warn against in 1 John 2:15-17?

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10. Describe the character of the three men in 3 John.

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Lesson Two: Introduction ~ The Basis of Fellowship with God

1. Introduction to 1 John9

The apostle John, an elderly man, is concerned for the welfare of the church. Unable to travel to the church, John writes to them so they might continue in the faith given unto them (2 John 12, 3 John 13,14).

The churches to which John writes were founded through the missionary work of Paul in the 50-60’s. Thirty years later, Paul is dead and the churches are under John’s care. John’s aim is not to evangelize the church; he is writing to an older, second-generation church threatened by heresy and error.

A few years earlier, John had written his gospel, laying a foundation for the church’s trust in Christ, proving from the Old Testament that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. Now, John writes these letters to protect them from error. He wants them to continue in the faith that was first given to the apostles.

John tells us expressly why he is writing to them in a number of places in 1 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— (2) 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— (3) that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. (4) And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete (1 John 1:1-4).

I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin (1 John 2:1).

Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. (8) At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining (1 John 2:7,8).

I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. (14) I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one (1 John 2:13,14).

I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you (1John 2:26).

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:13).

In each case, John’s aim is to maintain the church in her faith. This is particularly clear in the opening section.

9 See Lesson One for the general background to John’s epistles.

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2. Opening: Our Fellowship Is with God (vv.1-4)

The opening section (1:1-4) of 1 John is similar to other significant opening passages of Scripture (cf. Gen 1:1; Mark 1:1; John 1:1). Among non-Johannine literature, it most resembles the introduction of the epistle to the Hebrews (1:1–4).10 Unlike usual letters of the time, it does not follow the standard greetings and conclusions. This indicates that it was a circular letter to the churches of Asia Minor.

In the opening, John outlines his reasons for writing:

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— (2) 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— (3) that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.(4) And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete (1 John 1:1-4).

John testifies and proclaims that the eternal life that was with the Father was manifest to them in human form. John was an eyewitness. He saw, heard, and touched Jesus, and because of that he is sure of God’s revelation to him.11

John develops a chain: he asserts that he knows he has had fellowship with Jesus, that Jesus was manifest, revealed by God the Father; therefore, all those- first the apostles and then others who have fellowship with John- also have fellowship with God.12

The chain can be developed as follows.

1. The Father sends the Son,2. The Son reveals the Father. 3. John has seen, heard, and touched the Son. He is a witness and has fellowship

with the Father. 4. John witnesses to the truth to the church. Those who accept his witness will

have fellowship with John (or the other apostles), and since John has fellowship with Jesus and the Father, they will share that same fellowship.

To John, truth is revealed in the gospel, and the gospel is revealed in time and space to men and women. He does not see truth as broad, conceptual, or abstract

10 The writer of Hebrews displays a style that is characteristic of classical Greek, while John writes in a Semitic Greek form (Kistemaker 232-33).11 In a way, while the basic message is clear and straightforward, the specific interpretation of important words and phrases in 1 John is very difficult, each being open to a number of interpretations. We will deal with each difficult phrase as we get to it. 12 Some recent scholarship has argued that this was not John; rather, it was a Johannine community, a group of John’s followers. This would mean that it was not a single, eyewitness account. This cannot be correct as the writer indicates that he saw, touched, and heard Jesus; he was a first-hand witness. For more information on the Johannine community debate, see R. Schnackenburg, The Johannine Epistles (New York: Crossroad, 1992), 51–56; R. E. Brown, The Epistles of John, AB (New York: Doubleday, 1982), 158–61 for a survey of the material; and I. H. Marshall, The Epistles of John, NICOT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978), 106.

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principles; rather, truth is found in personal, human terms in God’s revelation. It is revealed and that revelation comes through Christ’s human nature.

The true and final revelation of God, the gospel, is found only in and through the human life of Christ. The human life of Christ is the way the spiritual Father (John 3) reveals Himself, and this is sufficient revelation for salvation (John 14:6).

Human witness is also the means through which that truth is communicated from men to men. While the heavens declare the general revelation of God to all men (Ps. 19; Rom. 1), the deepest knowledge of God and the truth of salvation can be found only in the human revelation of Christ. John is a witness, an apostle, one who was given a unique revelation of God in Christ. As a witness, it is his calling to tell others. They will only receive the truth if they receive his witness.

John also sees that true fellowship with Christ is based on fellowship with others and in following the truth of God’s revelation.

2.1. From the Beginning

John begins with the key phrase, from the beginning, which occurs ten times in John’s letters (1 John 1:1; 2:7, 13, 14, 24 [2x]; 3:8, 11; 2 John 5, 6). The phrase is a formula, but it does not always mean the same thing because John uses it in different ways depending upon the context. Understanding the context is crucial for proper interpretation. Although John uses similar phrases throughout his works, they are never static, rigid formulas; rather, in each case, the context must guide our interpretation. We see this principle illustrated in the phrase, from the beginning.

The term, the beginning, is used in Genesis 1 and John 1:1, where it refers to the original creation or Christ’s pre-existence, respectively. In 1 John 2:13-14, it also indicates Christ’s existence before creation.

In 1 John 1, John stresses the consistency of the message, rather than Christ’s pre-existence. John urges the church to continue believing the very message that was revealed to him and the other apostles from the beginning. John has not changed the message. The church can have confidence that the truth they hold is the same message that was from the beginning.

I John 2:24 also stresses the consistency of the message. John speaks of what they had heard from the beginning, from the time the gospel was first preached. In 1 John 2:7ff, 3:11, and 2 John 5- 6, John stresses that they should love one another because this is the same message that Jesus taught from the beginning of His ministry. However, in 1 John 3:8, John speaks of the devil who has sinned from the beginning. This is not a statement of Satan’s eternal pre-existence or Godhead.

The best reading of from the beginning in 1 John is that from the beginning, from the time of Jesus’ incarnation, the message has been the same. Any later development of the message, any new doctrine, must be checked against what was preached and taught by Christ and the apostles from the beginning. If the new “truth” contradicts the apostolic witness, it must be rejected.

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At this stage in redemptive history, John appeals to his own living witness. With the death of the apostles, their physical witness of Jesus passes from their living spoken word to their writings. Because there will be no further witnesses to Jesus, the Scriptures and the testimony to Jesus are now complete; nothing can be added, nothing can be taken away (Rev. 22:18-19).

2.2. The Word of Life (1:1)

The term word builds upon the Old Testament, particularly Genesis 1:1. The psalmists and prophets both speak of the word in personal terms (Ps. 33:6; 107:20; 147:15,18; Isa. 55:10–11), but only John claims that the Word has appeared as an actual person in Jesus Christ (John 1:14).

Word of life: The phrase points to both Jesus and His message. Through Jesus’ ministry, the message and the messenger are joined; they are inseparable. John speaks of Jesus as the Word in John 1:1,14, I John 1:1, and Revelation 19:13. He also affirms that Jesus speaks the word of life.

As the Word, He speaks for God with absolute power (Gen. 1:3,9,11,15,24,30) and complete authority. According to Kistemaker, “Christ reveals the will of God and testifies to man what he has seen and heard (John 3:32) in the presence of God. Furthermore, Jesus not only reveals the message of life; he also possesses life in himself (John 1:4; 11:25; 14:6), and shares it with all who listen to his word in faith. He is the life-giver”.13

The Word of Life points to “Jesus’ entire ministry, placing all of Jesus’ works and words within the framework of both his eternal being and existence 18 and God’s self-revelation in salvation history”.14

2.3. Eternal Life

To have eternal life is a key theme in John.

Eternal life is more than an ongoing version of a present earthly physical life or even an ongoing, everlasting spiritual life after the body has died. At its root, eternal life is life lived in Christ (1 John 5:11-13 below) and by His power. It is a new life based on our joining in Jesus’ resurrection (John 11), a resurrection life that will continue in fellowship with God throughout eternity (Rev. 21,22):

And this is the testimony that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. (12) Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (13) I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:11-13).

13 235-236.818 Michaels (1989: 21) observes, “Elsewhere in John’s Gospel, Jesus speaks the word, but in the prologue he is the Word, the personal embodiment of all that he proclaims.”14 Kostenberger 25.

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John illustrates a full concept of eternal life. It is the life promised to those who believe in Him (1 John 2:25); it is found in Christ the Son (5:11), who is the true God and eternal life (5:20). From the beginning, this life was with the Father and later appeared in the person of Jesus Christ to eyewitnesses (1:2); those who believe in Christ may know that they have eternal life because they have the Son (5:12-13). John emphasizes that it is having the Son, Jesus Christ, that is key, for eternal life is tied up in Him (Kruze 136).

Matthew Henry states, “The eternal life would assume mortality, would put on flesh and blood (in the entire human nature), and so dwell among us and converse with us. Here were condescension and kindness indeed, that eternal life (a person of eternal essential life) should come to visit mortals, and to procure eternal life for them, and then confer it on them”.15

2.4. Life Manifested

In 1 John 1:1-2, John stresses that Jesus could be touched, heard, and seen. Once hidden from men, the divine pre-existent Son of God has come in the flesh, in time and space, in a way that men could see and touch Him. John was one of the original twelve disciples who accompanied the Lord from the time of Jesus’ baptism to His ascension (Acts 1:21–22); therefore, John could attest to the reality of who Christ was and what He revealed to man.

The important theological challenge John addresses is the nature of Christ. Many, though they embraced an abstract concept of Christ or God, denied that Jesus came as a real man, in time and space. This is the heart of the heresy. John makes it clear that only those who believe in the physical coming of Jesus in the flesh (and by implication all the things that flowed out of his physical life, death, and resurrection) have eternal life (1 John 5:11–13).

In 1 John 1:1-2, the apostle highlights the reality of the incarnation of the Word of Life, the physical nature of Christ, in the following words:

we have seen: John begins by saying he and the other apostles physically saw Jesus with their own eyes.

which we have heard: John personally received teaching from Jesus.

which we looked upon and have touched with our hands: Not only have John and the disciples seen Jesus, but moreover, they have actually touched Him, both before and after the resurrection. Thomas touched Jesus’ resurrection body, placing his finger where the nails had been, and his hand on the side of His body (John 20:20, 25,27). In Luke 24:39-43, Jesus denied that He was a spirit, saying that a spirit does not have flesh and blood, and ate before them.

and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life: In response to and based upon the physical, fleshly manifestation of Christ, the disciples proclaimed that word to the church. Peter said; For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard

15 Electronic Jn. 1:14.

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(Acts 4:20). Indeed, eternal life is found in the physical incarnation and resurrection of Jesus’ own life.

2.5. With the Father

Jesus discloses the life that He shared with the Father (John 1:14,18). He left this life and entered into the world that we might share in His life. The Father deliberately sent Him, and although He was with the Father, He chose to come.16

2.6. Fellowship with John and the Father

…you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ (I John 1:3).

John writes so that the church might have fellowship with us, that is, with John and the other apostles and the faithful apostolic church. If they walk in fellowship with the faithful apostolic community, believers will also have fellowship with the Father and the Son. By reading 1 John, we learn that to have fellowship with John, who had fellowship with Christ, is the same as having eternal life, since Jesus is eternal life (1 John 1:2-3, 1 John 5:12-13).

The exact definition of fellowship, koinōnia, is unclear. John seems to use the term to indicate a joining together, a participation in a common activity. John uses the term four times in 1 John 1:3–7, but nowhere else. The word is used only fifteen times in the New Testament. Generally, it includes the idea of a community or having a common aim or share in something, and so acting (walking) in a common way.

Because it involves sharing in a common activity, fellowship (1) is based on the testimony that the Father sent the One who was manifest in the flesh, (2) is proven by conduct, by walking in the light as God is in the light (1 John 1:6–7), (3) is manifested through loving one’s brothers and sisters in Christ (1 John 2:9–11), (4) is seen in obedience, for to know and obey Christ is to follow Him in His actions (1 John 4:8; 4:16), and (5) is rooted in love, for God is love, and Christian love begins with God (1 John 4:7–8). Indeed, the presence of Christian love is an evidence of having eternal life (1 John 3:14–15). John teaches that fellowship is based on walking in light and love, and it demonstrates the possession of eternal life.

Jesus came in the flesh, was raised from the dead, and has ascended into heaven. Even though He is in heaven, we can still have fellowship with Him because we have fellowship with the faithful apostolic church. As believers walk in fellowship with those who know Him, we can be sure that we join in fellowship with the resurrected Christ Himself. This fellowship is the source of a believer’s joy.

16 1 John 4:9–10, 14; 5:11; see also John 1:1–2; 3:13, 16–17, 31, 34; 4:10; 5:28–29, 37–40; 6:32–33, 37–40, 56–58; 7:28–29; 8:12 with 21, 26, and 29; 9:4; 10:36, 42; 12:44–50; 13:3, 20; 14:24; 16:6, 27–28; 17:3, 8, 18, 23, 25; 20:21).

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2.7. He Writes to Make Their (Our) Joy Complete

John moves between I referring to himself in the singular and we and our (plural) in this letter. Normally, he uses the word I, stressing his personal concern, but since John wants to include the church and the original apostolic fellowship, he also uses the word we. He urges them to continue in one common fellowship unto eternal life: “We [all the immediate disciples of Jesus] write this to make our joy complete”. 17

Their Joy might be full: John shows his pastoral heart. He cares for the sheep and wants to see the church prosper. He is concerned for her. In 3 John 4 he writes: I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. John wants more than his own joy; he wants the full joy of the entire visible body of believers. Their joy will be complete when they know and are assured that they are walking in the truth that was given to them in Christ.

John’s words parallel Jesus’ own words to him: As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. (10) If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. (11) These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full (John 15:9-11).18

In John’s theology, it is impossible to take away this joy from the true believer (John 17:12–13). The earthly joy will be made perfect in heavenly joy.

Verses 1-4 of 1 John 1 state that Jesus came in the flesh to give us understanding and to give us eternal life. John repeats this statement at the end of his letter: And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life (1 John 5:20).

3. God is Light, So True Fellowship is to Walk in Light (1 John 1:5-2 John 2:2)

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (6) If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. (7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (8) If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

John has just told the church that if they walk with him (the apostle), they have fellowship with him, with Jesus, and with the Father. John then warns them that they cannot have this fellowship if they are in sin. True fellowship must be consistent with

17 Kistemaker 238,239.18 In the same way, Jesus says that if they ask in prayer and receive, then their joy may be full: Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full (16:24).

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God’s character. It is based on both knowledge and conduct. We cannot claim fellowship and walk sinfully. If we do not walk in the light, we exist in darkness.

Because we are sinners, a vital part of walking in the light is the confession of sin. If we deny our sin, we are not being truthful, and are making Christ out to be a liar. If we confess our sin, our broken fellowship will be restored; we will be forgiven and cleansed. Jesus works for us as our advocate and helper. His work is based on the fact that He, Himself, is the propitiation for our sin.

3.1. If We Claim Fellowship, We Must Walk in Light Because God Is Light

The statement, God is light, is used in two ways. It points to God’s nature and the fact that He is a God who reveals Himself to men.19

God is light is a short summary of God’s nature in the same way that God is spirit (John 4:24) and God is love (I John 4:16) are. These statements show God’s character. God is the source of light. He created light (Gen. 1:3) and His light is revealed in Jesus who is the light of the world (John 8:12). In the Nicene Creed, the church confesses Jesus Christ as God of God and Light of Light. This simple sentence, God is light, shows the absolute nature of the character of God. He is light and in Him there is no darkness at all.20 God’s character, the nature of His being, is not adulterated; it is pure light.

God is light also stresses that God reveals Himself to men, that they may know who He is and what He requires of them. Anyone who has fellowship with God cannot be in darkness, for he is in the light, glory, truth, holiness, and purity of God.

3.2. Walking in Light and Darkness

John draws out the moral implications of God being light.

3.2.1. The Negative: Walking in Darkness (v. 6)

Those who refuse to walk in a way that is consistent with God’s revelation of His nature cannot claim to have fellowship with Him. It is easy to claim that we know and love God, but if our works are not those Jesus has asked for, then they show the claim to be false. We cannot claim fellowship and walk in a way that is contrary to God’s revealed nature. Our fellowship is linked to action, and it must be consistent.

3.2.2. The Positive: Walking in Light

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light: In 1 John 1:5, John stated that God was light, but here he says, God is in the light. In this case, being in the light seems to be the same as being morally good. If we walk in the way that His light shows us, then we

19 Although the two are not mutually exclusive, the primary meaning indicates God’s moral nature as his nature as light leads to moral demands.20 John often contrasts opposites, including light and darkness, truth and falsehood, love and hate, right and wrong, life and death, faith and unbelief. For John the lines are clear.

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can say we have fellowship. Walking in the light is continuous action, a direction in our lives. As we live in God’s light, we will have an ongoing moral direction.

John mentions two consequences of walking in the light: fellowship with our neighbor and assurance that God will deal with our sins (1:7).

1) Fellowship: In John, our fellowship is not just with God; it is also with all those who walk according to God’s light. To walk, to have light, and to have fellowship with others who also walk the same way are all linked in John’s mind, so he asserts: If we walk in the light, as [God] is in the light, we have fellowship with one another. Fellowship is both with God and with our neighbor. Since John walked in the light, all those who also walk in the light walk with John.

2) They receive forgiveness: John links fellowship with God to forgiveness in the blood of Jesus. Those who walk in the light can be assured that they also have the blessings of Jesus’ death which cleanses them from all sins. Sin breaks fellowship, but Christ’s blood cleanses us.

…the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin: The blood of Jesus refers to Christ’s death on the cross which is said to purify and cleanse us. Note the parallel passage in 1 John 1:9: He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

John says believers are both forgiven and cleansed. To forgive removes the barrier, and to cleanse indicates a new state of holiness, a new fitness for service. Both of these are mentioned in Jeremiah 33:8: I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me.21

John’s teaching concerning the atonement is based on Jesus’ temple and kingdom service. The background to Jeremiah’s quote is the forgiving and cleansing of wicked Jerusalem, the place of God’s temple and kingdom. In John’s gospel, Jesus replaces the temple and is the fulfillment of the feasts. In Revelation, Jesus is God’s priest and king in God’s heavenly sanctuary. 22

3.3. True Fellowship Is Based on Confessing and Resisting Sin (1 John 1:8-10)

Because sin breaks fellowship, true fellowship is restored not by denying sin, but by confessing our sin. John stresses this teaching through a chiasm in verses 8-10 of 1 John 1. Verse 8 and 10 are parallels, and 9 is the heart of the chiasm.

8. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth not in us.

9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins….

10. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

21 The idea is first introduced here, and John returns to it in more detail in the next few verses.22 The idea of Jesus’ being the advocate and propitiation is very similar to Jesus’ acting as High Priest in the book of Hebrews.

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True fellowship is to walk in the light and not sin, and when we sin, to confess our sin and not hide or deny it. False fellowship does not try to walk in the light and does not confess sin. Because John wanted to make this point clear, he repeats the statement with a variation in verse 10: If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. John states that those who claim they do not sin are lying to themselves (1:8), and even worse, they make God out to be a liar (1:10).

If we confess our sins (1:9): In true fellowship with God, we confess our sin and resist it. The idea of open verbal confession occurs only four times in Scripture. The first is found in the Synoptic accounts of John the Baptist’s ministry when people came confessing their sins to be baptized by him (Matt 3:6; Mark 1:15). In praying for the sick, James urges people to confess their sins and pray for each other that they may be healed (James 5:16). In Ephesus, believers confessed their evil deeds and burned their magical books during Paul’s ministry (Acts 19:18). In the passage we are discussing, it is unclear if John is speaking of private or public confession. Both may be indicated. To confess verbally is part of the broader demand to repent and turn away from sin.

Confession is the open and honest recognition of our sins without finding excuses. Since we sin daily, we should confess daily. The original Greek reads: If we keep confessing our sins.

3.3.1. God’s Response: Forgiveness and Cleansing

1 John1:8 states: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. God’s response to confession parallels this earlier thought, using antithesis: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

Kistemaker notes that the verb to forgive describes the act of canceling a debt and restoring the debtor (cf. Matt 6:9–15; 18:21–35). To cleanse refers to making the forgiven sinner holy. God removes the defilement which their sins had produced so that the believer is able to have fellowship with Him. In Isaiah 1:8, God states: Come now, let us reason together.…Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.23 David seeks purification in Psalm 51:1–2. Once cleansed, David again could serve God as king. In the same way, once purified, we too can serve as priests and kings before God.

The verbs forgiven and cleansed are aorist subjunctives, completed actions with ongoing effects. John speaks of cleansing from all sin. Both of these words indicate the complete nature of the cleansing. No aspect of a believer’s life remains unclean.

In 1John 1:5-8, John argues that we are to walk in light and live holy lives. If we do not, we cannot claim fellowship with God or the church. As those who walk in light, believers acknowledge, confess, and forsake their sins. If we do what God commands, God is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us. If we say we have no sin, we make God out to be a liar. In 1 John 1:6, 8, 10, John builds to a climax. He begins with we lie (v. 6), then, we deceive ourselves (v. 8), and finally, we make him out to be a liar (v. 10).23 246.

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Kistemaker says,“John speaks of God as light and love, but John begins with light. Light comes before love, for light uncovers that which is hidden. When we have fellowship with God (1:3, 6), we cannot hide our sins. Sins, like darkness, have no place in God’s light. They must be removed”.24

4. The Grounds of Forgiveness and Cleansing: Christ Our Propitiation and Advocate

John continues by developing the grounds for the forgiveness and cleansing. God can forgive and cleanse us because Jesus Christ, the righteous One, is our advocate. Our forgiveness and cleansing are based on His propitiation for our sins.

I am writing these things to you so…. (1 John 2:1,2): John places a deliberate emphasis on the words that follow. He wants to stress that the grounds for the church’s forgiveness is the fact that God has provided us an advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous.

4.1. Christ as Advocate

Believers have confidence in their fellowship with the Father because Jesus acts as their advocate.

John encourages the church. He says if sins happens, then we have, not we might have, the Paraclete (Jesus), whose great work is to provide for (by His propitiation) and maintain (as our advocate) our fellowship with the Father.

Advocate: The Greek word is Paraclete. The exact meaning of the word is debated. It may or may not be a technical, legal term.25 It more than likely has the general meaning of a helper. In non-biblical Hellenistic texts, the paraklētos is consistently portrayed as an advocate, one who speaks on behalf of the accused, not in the technical and professional sense of today, but as a friend or patron who speaks up in favor of the accused. In the fourth gospel, the Holy Spirit is described as the paraklētos, the one who testifies in favor of Jesus against a hostile world (John 16:7–11). The Holy Spirit’s work as advocate can been seen in John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7. In 1 John 2:1-2, Jesus acts as our advocate in the presence of His Father. 18 In total, including this passage, the word for advocate is used only six times in Scripture, and only once in describing Jesus.

Jesus Christ:

The title Christ indicates that He is the unique Son of God and the true King of Israel (1:41,49). John indicates He was crucified for these reasons (John 18:36; 19:13,19).

The Righteous One:

24 24725 The technical aspect is argued by Akin, who states that God has a lawsuit against those who sin (e.g., John 3:18–21, 36; 4:27–29; 16:8–11; 1 John 3:3, 6, 14) (79,80); therefore, they are in need of legal redress.

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As an advocate, Jesus is also the Righteous One (dikaios). The Old Testament background may stem from the references to the Righteous Branch of Jeremiah 23:5–6 and/or the Suffering Servant described in Isaiah 52:13–53:12 (cf. Isa 53:11). In Acts, Jesus is seen as the Righteous Servant who suffered and died an atoning death (Acts 3:14; 7:52; 22:14).

The term righteous (dikaios) is found in four other places in the letter (1:9; 2:29; 3:7, 12). In each case, righteous indicates behavior. Jesus is the advocate, the One who acted righteously and who now stands in the presence of the Father to speak on behalf of those who have not acted righteously (Kruze 73). In addition, the righteous One also gives Himself as a propitiation for sin.

As already noted, the background to the Gospel of John is the work of Jesus as the temple, the new grounds for worship (John 4), the One who fulfills the feasts (John 7), the Passover Lamb, and the Priest-King in the midst of the seven churches (Rev. 1-3) who intercedes for His people. In Hebrews, Jesus is also seen as our human and divine priest, mediator, and sacrifice who enters heaven to intercede for us. John’s view of Jesus’ work is that of the temple priest, forgiving and cleansing His people, sanctifying them for temple service

4.2. A Sacrifice or a Propitiation for our Sins

Jesus’ advocacy is based on His righteousness and His propitiatory death. John speaks of Christ as a propitiation for our sins in 1 John 2:2 and 1 John 4:10 (see also Rom. 3:25; Heb. 2:17).

He is the propitiation for our sins (1 John 2:2).

He [God] loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:10).

The Greek word hilasmos26 has been interpreted in a number of different ways by commentators and Bible translators. It has been called a propitiation (KJV, NKJV, RV, ASV, NASV, NASB, B, Moffatt), an expiation (RSV),V), an atoning sacrifice (NIV), and the

26 It occurs six times in the LXX (Lev 25:9; Num 5:8; Ps 129:4 [130:4 ET]; Ezek 44:27; Amos 8:14). 19

19Some argue that the idea of an atoning sacrifice has two parts: the “atoning sacrifice” involves propitiating God’s wrath by taking on the punishment due for the sins that needed removal (expiation). Then fellowship with God is possible because the sins that caused offense to God have been removed through Jesus’ atoning sacrifice. Due to this God’s wrath no longer abides on those who have fled for refuge in the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. See Akin 84.

V, NAS

B,

t

V),

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remedy for the defilement of our sins (NEB).

The descriptions are closely related, but not identical. To propitiate is to turn away God’s wrath from man so that the relationship between God and man can be restored. In 1 John 4:10, we learn that God the Father sent His own Son to propitiate His own wrath against sin. To expiate focuses on the removal of the guilt incurred in an offense. Its focus is man, and the removal of man’s sin from himself. To atone is a more generic term that means to make amends or supply satisfaction for sin.

The best reading of hilasmos is to propitiate. The idea is that God’s wrath lies over sinners, and his wrath needs to be turned away. God gave His Son (1 John 4:10) to be the sacrifice that turns away His wrath. Jesus’ propitiation is the basis for His advocacy. His work heals the relationship between God and men.27

4.3. The Scope of Propitiation

How wide is the provision of Jesus’ propitiation?

John says Jesus died for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). In a parallel passage, in 1 John 4:14, John says that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. In John’s gospel, John says Christ is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

There are three main interpretations of these verses:

1. Some argue that John is teaching a universal atonement, that Jesus actually and really propitiated the sins of the whole world, so all men are forgiven. This is not possible because John speaks of the need for fellowship in 1 John 1:5–10; 2:28; 3:14, 15; 5:12, 16. In 1 John 5:11–13, John clearly says those who have the Son have eternal life, but those who do not have the Son do not have life. To reject the Son is sin, and Christ could not have paid for that sin; therefore, Christ did not pay for the sins of all men.

2. Others argue that John teaches a universal provision in Christ; He did pay for all sin, a hypothetical universal atonement, but the effects of the sacrifice are not applied to all; they are only applied to those who believe. This is an abstract theological argument, not supported by any direct exegesis. Neither of these interpretations (1 and 2) is accepted in Reformed theology, which teaches particular or limited atonement. This means that Jesus’ death is only for His elect, and that He paid specifically for each one.

3. A third option, which is the Reformed position, is that John claims Jesus as the propitiation for the sins not only of John, his fellow apostolic eyewitnesses, and his

27 Some argue that the idea of an atoning sacrifice has two parts: the “atoning sacrifice” involves propitiating God’s wrath by taking on the punishment due for the sins that needed removal (expiation). Then fellowship with God is possible because the sins that caused offense to God have been removed through Jesus’ atoning sacrifice. Due to this God’s wrath no longer abides on those who have fled for refuge in the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Akin, 84.

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original readers, but also for the rest of the world, for all time, for those who believe that Jesus came in the flesh. In this interpretation, John emphasizes that Jesus’ death is sufficient for all who come to Jesus by faith. He can save all, but not everyone inclusively is saved.

World in 1 John

John use the term world twenty-three times in 1 John. 28 Its meaning varies according to context. It refers to the natural world (3:17), the place where people live (4:1,4,9,14,17; cf. 2 John 7); John also uses the term to indicate worldly values or attitudes that are opposed to God (2:15–17 [6x]; 5:4 [2x], 5). Commonly, the word refers to the unbelieving world, people who are opposed to God and believers, and who are under the power of the evil one (3:1, 13; 4:5 [3x]; 5:19). When the author says that Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, the phrase includes not only our sins (i.e., the sins of believers) but the sins of the unbelieving world as well, if they come to Christ. 29

Lesson Two Questions

1. How does John use the phrase from the beginning?

2. Define eternal life.

3. Explain what fellowship means.

4. What are the practical implications of God being light?

5. Do believers sin?

6. Explain forgiveness and cleansing.

7. Explain Jesus Christ the righteous.

8. Explain Jesus’ work as paraclete.

9. Explain propitiation in 1 John.

10. What is the scope of propitiation in John’s writings?

28 Kosmos is used seventy-eight times and with a similar range of meanings in the Fourth Gospel.29 Kruze 74.

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Lesson Three: Abiding In God ~ Warning against Antichrist In 1 John 1:6–2:2, John argues that those who have fellowship with God cannot

walk in darkness and must confess their sin. 1 John 2:3–11, John develops a variation of this theme, claiming that only those who keep God’s commandments can say they know Him. Those who claim they know Him must obey Him.

1. Knowing God/Abiding in Him and Obedience

John continues to build up the church, assuring and warning them of the realities of the gospel and the need to walk in the truth. He returns to the theme of a believer’s relationship with God and obedience that he began developing in 1:6ff using the images of light and darkness. In this passage, he uses Hebrew poetic parallelism to link knowing and obedience, abiding and walking.

This passage can be broken down as follows:

1. John is concerned with building up their assurance – we know that we have come to know him (2:3).

2. He links true assurance to obedience (to know and abide in Him) (2:3-6).3. Jesus taught the link between knowing and obeying from the beginning (2:7-8).4. John applies Jesus’ new command using light and darkness, love and hate (2:9-

11).5. John returns to his opening theme of encouragement.

1.1. Assurance-Knowing/Abiding and Obeying God’s CommandmentsAnd by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. (4) Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, (5) but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: (6) whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked (I John 2:3-6).

John uses the word to know in two ways. John begins by saying we know, meaning we are assured that we can have certain knowledge that something is true (2:3, 5, 29; 3:19, 24; 4:6, 13; 5:2). He also speaks of knowing him. In this, the stress is upon having fellowship and intimacy with Jesus Christ and/or God the Father (2:4, 13, 14; 3:1, 16; 4:7, 8). Throughout Scripture, to know is never merely an intellectual objective truth, but involves intimate, experiential knowledge. John asserts that we can have assurance of knowing Him. True believers can and should be assured that they know God. This is a settled assurance.

1.2. Knowing and Obeying

True assurance is linked to ongoing obedience. There is an absolute link between knowing/fellowship and obedience. The two must go together; they cannot be separated. In practical terms, the way for believers to maintain their fellowship is to obey. When they stop obeying, their intimate fellowship will be broken, and they will soon lose a sense of belonging to God. It is a common struggle for believers to feel a lack of

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assurance. An appropriate initial question to ask someone struggling in this manner is: How are you living? In many cases the answer will be, not well. This lack of obedience will be the source of their lack of assurance.

Him: This refers principally to the Father (1:5-7)

His Commands: What are these commands that John is talking about? There are three possible meanings: 1) the Law of Moses, 2) Jesus’ commandment to love one another,30 and 3) the Father’s command that we should believe in His Son and love one another. John never makes a direct reference to believers following the Law of Moses; when he does mention the Law, he links it to Moses, not the Father or the Son (John 1:17). Therefore, it is unlikely that he is referencing the Law of Moses here. This means John is referring either to Jesus’ command to love one another or the Father’s command to believe in Jesus and love one another. If the Him in this passage is the Father, then a command to believe His Son and His Son’s teaching on loving one another seems the most likely interpretation. These two concepts are clearly related and should be kept together.31 In fact, none of the three options are totally exclusive because the Ten Commandments are summarized by love.

The absolute link between obedience and the true knowledge of God is seen in the following text: Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar (2:4). In this sentence, to know is in the perfect tense, indicating an ongoing claim about knowing and loving Him. Those who claim to know Him but disobey are liars. It should be noted that John is not talking about individual lies, but is pointing to the whole of a person’s character. He goes on to say, the truth is not in him (2:4); he has a twisted character. The unregenerate are liars by character; their very beings do not have the truth in them.32

All those who keep His word, an even broader term than commandments, in him truly the love of God is perfected (2:5). This repeats the basic link between obedience and knowing God.

The interpretation of the phrase the love of God is perfected in him is difficult.

30 The two are not distinct; the command to love one another is the fulfillment of the Law.31 The last two are clearly related and need to be determined by context. John speaks of command/s fourteen times in this epistle. When he uses it in the singular, he speaks particularly of Christ’s command to love one another (2:7 [3x], 8; 3:23 [2x]; 4:21). “The plural form occurs where there is no explicit reference to Jesus’ command (2:3, 4; 3:22, 24; 5:2, 3 [2x]). In all but two of these references, the context indicates clearly that Jesus’ love command is in mind.” The exceptions are 2:3,4, where the evidence that people know God is that they keep His commandments and walk as Jesus walked. At first sight, this could be taken to refer to God’s Law, especially the Ten Commandments, which Jesus observed during His incarnate life. But there is no hint elsewhere in the letter that the author is concerned about obedience to the Mosaic Law. In 3:21–23, he speaks about God answering believers’ prayers because they obey His commands, and then continues: and this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he has commanded us (3:23). The Father commands us to believe in Christ and do what He commands. This letter highlights Jesus’ command to love one another. It may be best, therefore, to interpret the reference to I in this verse in that light as well. Kruze 78,79.32 The phrase the truth is not in him, is identical to 1:8, which says the truth is not in us.

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The alternatives include man’s love for God and God’s work in men. If the first is true, it implies that if we love, our love will be perfected as we lovingly obey His commandments. There is support for this teaching in Jesus’ saying, If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching (John 14:23).

The second alternative indicates that if a man keeps God’s word, God Himself will perfect him and bring him to perfection in love. The verb teleioō, to perfect, often means “to complete.” Jesus speaks repeatedly of completing the work(s) assigned to Him by His Father (teleioō) in John 4:34, 5:36, and 17:4. It is also used in this way in 1 John 4:12 (God’s love for us completes its work in us when we love one another), 1 John 4:17 (God’s love for us completes its work with us when we have confidence on the day of judgment), 1 John 4:18 (God’s perfect love casts out fear, so that it may be said that those who fear have not been perfected in [God’s] love [for them], that is, God’s love has not yet completed its mission). As these verses show, in John’s theology, truth and love originate and flow from God to men (1 John 4:10). Applying this concept to the present case, John seems to be stressing that God is the source and giver of love, and in love He will perfect those who walk in God’s commandments.

The second interpretation gives a better understanding of the relationship between the commandments, God’s love, and perfection, as John expresses it.

1.3. Abiding and Walking This is how we know we are in Him. Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked (I John 2:6).

This section continues the previous argument. John goes beyond the link between knowing and obeying to stress union with Christ. If we claim that we are in Him and are living or abiding in Him, we must walk as He walked. Our whole lives are united with Jesus’ ongoing life. In Christ is the root of all intimate fellowship. As those in Him, we have to walk in Him, according to His ways. It cannot be otherwise. If we do not walk in Him, we cannot be in Him.

John speaks of union with Christ and with God. The idea of living in Him is an easy concept to state but hard to define. John uses the expression ten times in 1 John (2:5, 6, 27, 28; 3:6, 24; 4:13, 15, 16; 5:20). We are united to God (3:24; 4:13, 15, 16), and to the Spirit (3:24; 4:13, see also John 15). Union is a new dynamic relationship with the triune God, one that includes obedience but is far greater.

In using the word to walk, John echoes his earlier command to walk in the light (1:7). The idea of walking with God is found in Amos 3:3: Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?

Knowing and obeying as well as abiding in Him and walking show the link between intimacy, knowledge, abiding, and our obedience.

In the next section, John reminds them that this is what Jesus taught from the beginning, and stresses the importance of this simple message.

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1.4. The Link between Knowing and Obeying Is from the BeginningBeloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. (8) At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining (1 John 2: 7-8).

John reinforces his point, arguing that Jesus Himself has always combined knowledge with obedience. John reminds them of Jesus’ command to love, not hate, one another (1 John 3:23; John 15:12), and he goes on to develop this in 1 John 2:10, 11 (below). From the beginning, Jesus taught men that believers are in Jesus, that they are to love one another, and that they must abide in Him.

What does John mean by a new commandment and an old commandment?

The command to love one another is not new, since it was given by Christ in His own ministry fifty years earlier. At the same time, when Jesus gave it, He called it a new commandment: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another (John 13:34). Jesus taught a new commandment, the need to love one another. Since John is repeating Jesus’ command fifty years later, he calls it the old commandment that they have had from the beginning.

Which is true in him:

Christ’s old commandment, that we love one another, is truly and fully expressed in Christ Himself, the one who gave His life for us. He is the great example: This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you (John 15:12).

Darkness is passing away:

Darkness refers to the sinful realm (1:6; 2:8, 9, 11) or sinful behavior (1:5; 2:11). Jesus is the light of the world, the light that is now shining in the darkness (John 1:4; 8:12; 9:5; 12:35-26, 6). In Him, the darkness of the old fallen world is passing away (1 Cor. 7:31). In 1 John 2:17, John writes, And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

1.5. The Application of the New Command Using Light and Darkness, Love and Hate (2:9-11)33

In these verses, John combines the idea that Jesus is light with the command to love (1:6). John parallels love and light, hate and darkness. Because God is light, all those who claim fellowship ought to walk in the light. To love is to walk in the light; to hate is an act of darkness. John begins with darkness, then reverses his train of thought to speak of the light, before returning again to the darkness

(1) John begins by stating that those who hate their brothers show that they are 33 1 John 2:3-8 and 9-11 are linked. John contrasts truth and lie, light and darkness, love and hate as he shows what it is to know God.

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still in darkness: Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness (I John 2:9).

(2) Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling (1 John 2:10). Those who love and walk in the light, will not fear stumbling. In the New Testament, the Greek word stumbling, skandalon 34 means to cause harm or offense to another through sin. If we love our brothers, we will not cause them to sin or stumble.

(3) John then returns to speak about the darkness: But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes (1 John 2:11).

In 2:9, those about whom John writes were in darkness. They walked in it, they practiced it, and they were in its realm. They hated, and their own hatred blinded their eyes so that they did not know where they were going. They had no love, light, or truth to guide them. In Jesus, the darkness is passing away.

1.6. Encouraging All Men

John returns to his opening theme of encouragement. He encourages three groups that represent the entire congregation.

I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake. (13) I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. (14) I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one (I John2:12-14).

John aims in this letter to comfort and strengthen his audience, so he speaks kindly to his children, the fathers, and young men. It is difficult to discern who these groups represent. They could refer to physical age or to spiritual maturity. Even if we cannot exactly identify who they are, what is clear is that John seeks to enable the whole church to have a right confidence and full joy.

(1) Dear Children: Children can refer to those who are young in age, young in the faith, or it could also refer to all those under his care, his spiritual children whatever their age or maturity. John uses the word children in this general way in 1 John 2:1,12,14,18, 28; 3:7,18; 4:4; 5:21.35

John reminds his children that their sins have been forgiven. This forgiveness occurs only in Jesus’ name, through His person and work. They can be sure that they know the Father, since they know the Son. They must not be moved to follow those who are leaving the faith.

34 Louw Nida 25.18135 The Greek is teknion (2:1, 12, 28; 3:7, 18; 4:4; 5:21) and paidion (2:14,18). There seems no difference intended between the two usages.

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(2) Fathers: The fathers are either those who are older in age36, or those who are older in the faith, so more mature in spiritual matters. The thought also could combine both ideas. John says twice that they have known Him who is from the beginning. As fathers, or those who have followed Jesus for a long time, they can look back upon their walk and take comfort from that.

(3) Young Men: These are a group of middle maturity in the faith or merely younger men in age.37 John reminds them that they are strong, they abide in the Word, and that they have overcome the evil one. John speaks of the evil one five times, each time referring to Satan (1 John 2:13, 14; 3:12; 5:18, 19). Thus far they have resisted his attacks, and they are to continue to walk in that way. In 1 John 2:14b, the parallel verse, he reminds them of their strength as the Word of God indwells them (they allow the message of Jesus to control them). In this they are said to have overcome the wicked one.

John speaks of overcoming in 1 John 4:4, 5:4-5 and being secure as God abides in them in I John 5:4-5. They overcome by remaining faithful to the message that God has for them.

In each case, John stresses the blessings they have, and these blessings become the basis for his next exhortation to forsake the world.

2. Exhortation - Do Not Love the World

John follows his encouragement to the three groups with exhortation to forsake the world and to flee the antichrist’s teaching.

In the previous section, John warned that the world is passing away (2:8). This passing away becomes the ground for obedience.

2.1. Do Not Love the World ~ It Is Passing Away.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (16) For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. (17) And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever (1 John 2:15-17).

Both John and James warn us not to love the world. John echoes James 4:4: You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

The word love is the same word for loving your brother. John says we must not take 36 In Timothy, the only other time believers are called fathers (1 Tim. 5:1), a father is one who is older, but not necessarily more mature, since Timothy is called to shepherd the fathers. 37 The word for young men (neaniskos) is found only here and in the next verse (2:14c) in 1 John. It is not found at all in the other Johannine letters or the fourth gospel. It does occur nine times in the Synoptic Gospels and Acts, where it consistently refers to people of fewer years. See Matthew 19:20, 22; Mark 14:51, 16:5; Luke 7:14; Acts 2:17, 5:10, and 23:18,22. In all cases it refers to young people, except Mark 16:5, where it refers to the young man (angel) whom the women found sitting on the stone rolled back from Jesus’ tomb.

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pleasure in the world; we should not attach ourselves to the world and have intimate fellowship with it. We are not to give our allegiance to the world.

Those who love the world show that the Father’s love is not in them. Love for the world and love for the Father cannot co-exist.

World: John expands the idea of the world in 1 John 2:16-17 and includes the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride in possessions. It is unclear if John is indicating three aspects of the creation: flesh, eyes, and pride, or two: desire (of flesh and eyes) and pride. Kruze argues that desire is one general category with flesh and eyes being two sub-categories.38 We will consider the world under the two headings: the desire of the flesh and eyes and the pride in possessions (pride of life NASB).

Desire of the Flesh: The word desire (epithymia) is found thirty-eight times in the New Testament, with thirty-five of the thirty-eight references being negative, Only Luke 22:15, Philippians 1:23, and 1 Thessalonians 2:17 use the word in a positive manner (Kruze 95). The desire manifests itself in the things we see, the sinful delight of our eyes, and those things that feed our fleshly desires.

Pride in possessions: This phrase refers to material things that are the joy of one’s heart, the delight we have in possessions so that we consume ourselves with them.

John warns we are not to love the world because the attitudes and values in the world are not from God, and the world is passing away. Passing away is in the present tense; it is an ongoing process (2:8). There is no future in this world. In contrast to the passing away of the world, the man who does God’s will abides forever. To remain forever means to live forever (John 6:51, 58; 8:51; 10:28; 11:26). Jesus is the supreme example; He did the will of God, He carried out His Father’s mission (4:34; 5:30; 6:38, 39, 40), and He rose from the dead into new life.

2.2. Warning against the Deception of the Antichrist (2:18-23)

Continuing the theme of the world passing away, John reminds the church that they are living in the last hour. In this time, antichrist/s both singular and plural will arise. Jesus warned that many would come in His name, claiming to be Him (Matt 24:5-24), and in these verses, John echoes that warning so that they not be led astray by false teaching. He goes on to explain why those who do fall away depart, and he assures those who remain that because they have been anointed, they will not be misled by the false teachers.

2.2.1. The Antichrist and the Last HourChildren, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour (1 John 2:18).

John specifically stresses the relationship between the last hour and the arrival of antichrists through a chiasm in verse 18. 38 95.

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A. This is the last hour

B. Antichrist is coming

B´. Many antichrists have come

A´. This is the last hour.39

The last hour: The phrase, the last hour, is only found in this verse, although it is related to the phrases the last days and the last times (Acts 2:17; Heb. 1:2; James 5:3; 1 Pet. 1:20). These phrases all refer to the period between the first and second coming of Christ. The phrase can also refer to a concentrated period immediately before the end (2 Tim. 3:1; 2 Pet. 3:3; Jude 18).

John uses it in the more general sense in this case. It is the last hour because the light is shining in the darkness and the world and its lusts are passing away. It is the last hour because many who were with Him are no longer with Him (2:19). John also says that the Spirit of the antichrist is already in the world (4:3).

This is a reminder. During Christ’s own ministry, He warned the church that antichrist(s) would come to attack His work. The doctrine of the antichrist(s), or false christs, is an important New Testament doctrine, one taught to the earliest converts who were warned from the very beginning that the church would be under attack.

Antichrist: John is the only one who uses the word antichrist (1 John 12:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7), although other New Testament writers express the same concept.40 The prefix anti in Scripture can mean either in the place of (2 Thess. 2:3, 4) or generally against, that is in opposition to Christ, indicating that the antichrist comes in opposition to and in the place of Christ. Paul sees a particular individual as the antichrist, whereas John focuses on the principles of the antichrist, a recurring pattern of hostility to Christ and His work. The antichrist lures men away from the community into a world of darkness, hostile to God, and passing away. John develops this idea in verses 19ff.

2.2.2. Those that Depart under the Antichrist’s Deception They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us (1 John 2:19).

John develops a second chiasm in verse 19:

A. They went out from us

B. They did not really belong to us

B´. If they had belonged to us

39 Akin 11340 The key New Testament Scriptures describing the work of the antichrist are Matthew 24, Mark 13, 1 and 2 John, 2 Thessalonians 1,2 and Revelation 12,13.

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A´. They would have remained with us.41

Went out from us:

John speaks of going out from them five times. These were people who were in the church, but left. We are not told exactly why they left, only that they broke fellowship over doctrine or holiness (for a comparison text see Heb. 6:4-6). By leaving, they showed they had left the fellowship of the apostles and Christ, and so they had left fellowship with God. This is a key reason for John’s writing: he wants men to remain in fellowship with the community, with himself, and ultimately with Christ and the Father. He does not want men to leave. This was happening in John’s day, and it continues to happen today.

Whatever the specific issues, John explains the fundamental reason why men leave the community so that the community will not be shaken. They leave because they were never truly of the community. They did not belong to us indicates that they were not true Christians; had they been, they would not have left. True believers remain, false believers leave, and their leaving manifests their true status. John wants those who remain not to be discouraged, so he goes on to explain the security of true believers, the reason why they will not leave.

2.2.3. Protection from the Antichrist But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge (I John 2:20).

Those that departed left because they were not of the truth; they believed the lie and left. In contrast, those that stayed did so because they were anointed by the holy one, the Spirit of God, and thus, understood the truth and were not deceived. It is this anointing of the Spirit that separates them from the world and is the source of their security. John encourages them that because God Himself has anointed them with the Spirit, they will not be led astray.

In the Old Testament, anointing was by oil, and it consecrated the person for a work. The use of oil pointed forward to the work of the Spirit (Exod. 29:7; 30:25; 40:15, 1 Sam. 16:13; Isa. 61:1). In the New Testament, God anointed Christ and believers (2 Cor. 1:21; Acts 10:38). Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One (Luke 4:18; Acts 4:27; 10:38), and He anoints His people.42 We know him because He has anointed us.

This is the truth of the revelation of God in Christ. He is the Holy One 43 (John 6:69), and as those anointed by the Spirit, all believers are led into all knowledge (John 15:26; 16:7, 12–15; 1 John 2:27). This is a fulfillment of Jeremiah 31:24; John 6:45: It is

41 Akin 11642 Because by faith I am a member of Christ and so share in his anointing. I am anointed to confess his name, to present myself to him as a living sacrifice of thanks, to strive with a free conscience against sin and the devil in this life, and afterwards to reign with Christ over all creation for all eternity. Heidelberg Catechism, 32.43 God is often called “the Holy One of Israel” (Ps 78:41; Isa 1:4; 5:19, 24; 10:20; 12:6; 17:7; 29:19; 30:12, 15; 31:1; 37:23; 41:14, 16, 20; 43:3, 14; 45:11; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7; 54:5; 55:5; 60:9, 14, John 17:11; 1 Pet 1:16; Rev 6:10 . This is now applied to Jesus, Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34; John 6:69 and the title “the Holy One” (Acts 3:14; Rev 3:7)

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written in the Prophets: “They will all be taught by God.”

Believers know the truth, and this allows them to discern the error of the antichrists: I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth (2:21)

2.2.4. Denying Christ ~The Lie of the Antichrist (2:22-23)Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. (23) No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also (1 John 2: 22,23).

John speaks of the truth and the lie. Those who deny the truth of Jesus Christ are liars and antichrists. By denying Jesus’ coming in the flesh as the Christ, they deny a vital aspect of the gospel.

Although there are many lies, typically John focuses on the key lie. To deny Jesus is the Christ is the root sin.44 This is the reason why he wrote his gospel, to show Jesus as the Christ. If we deny that Jesus Christ is the revelation of God, the Messiah, God’s Son, who came in the flesh to save men, we strike at the heart of Christianity. Christianity is built upon this truth. To deny Him is to deny His work. It denies His perfect revelation of the Father, His appearance to destroy the devil’s work (3:8), the reality of His death, the vicarious sacrifice, the redemption in His blood (1:7, 4:2–3, 15; 5:1, 6–8), and eternal life in the Son (2:25). To deny that He is the Messiah leads to a denial of all these aspects.

If any deny Christ, they oppose Christ, thus making them antichrists. They are also liars because the Father sent the Son (1 John 4:10), and the Father bore witness to Him as Messiah at His baptism (Matt 3:17; Luke 3:22; 1 John 5:9–10). As always in John, the truth and the lie (error) are mutually exclusive. There is no middle ground.

Any who reject Jesus as the Christ also reject the Father. The Father and the Son are linked. A person cannot have one without the other. If one truly has the Son, one has the Father, but if one rejects the Son, one rejects the Father.

44 We are not sure of the specific threat John faced. As we have already seen, this seems to be a Proto-Gnostic form that would later lead to Gnosticism, a full denial of Jesus’ fleshly human nature that leads to a denial of all of His works. The earliest creeds of the church have always claimed that Jesus is both God and man. “For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man. God of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and man of the substance of his mother, born in the world. Perfect God and perfect man….” (Athanasian Creed of the fourth century)

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Lesson Three Questions

1. How can we have assurance that we know God?

2. What are His commandments?

3. Is this a new teaching, or something that has always been taught?

4. What is the relationship between Christ’s coming and the darkness passing away?

5. If we hate our brother, then we walk in the _______________.

6. How does John encourage the children?

7. How does John encourage the young men?

8. Why must we not love the world?

9. What is the antichrist deception that John warns about?

10. Describe the two meanings of the prefix anti found in Scripture.

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Lesson Four: Abiding in God ~ the Confidence of Those Born of God

1. A Call to Continue to Abide in the Word, the Spirit, and Christ

Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. (25) And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life. (26) I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. (27) But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming (1 John 2:24-28).

In light of the attack by the world and the antichrist, John calls the church to continue abiding in the truth and in Christ in order to receive eternal life and have confidence when He comes. The church is only secure as she continues to abide in Christ.

To abide in the truth, in the Spirit, and in Christ is a key thought, and is mentioned six times in 1 John 2:24-28. The idea of abiding is linked to Christ. Abiding is used in a number of ways: 1) they are to abide in the Messiah’s gospel message (v. 24), 2) the Spirit abides on them, and 3) they are to abide in Him. All of these different ways of abiding flow from Christ. The message is about Christ, the anointing of the Spirit flows from Him, therefore to abide in Him is foundational.

1.1. Abide in the Word

Believers are to abide in the Word, resting in the promise of eternal life that they had from the beginning (I John 1:1,3,5; 2:7; Rev. 3:11). This means God’s people are to hear it, believe it, trust it, and continue to apply it to their lives. As they abide in the Word, so they will abide in the Father and the Son.

The Word promises eternal life, and eternal life is the great reward of which Jesus assures His people in the gospel (John 3:15,16,36; 5:24; 6:33,40,47,54; 17:3; 20:31). It is not only found in Jesus, but Jesus Himself is eternal life (1 John 1:2; 5:11,20), and because of this fact, we can say that the eternal life has been with the Father from the

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beginning (I John 1:2). Those who believe in the Son, who have fellowship with Him, possess eternal life (5:13).

Eternal life is already present in Christ, but it awaits its full manifestation in Christ’s return.

1.2. They Are to Abide in and with the Aid of the Spirit I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. (27) But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie (I John 2:26,27)

Even though the Word has been preached, there are many who will try to deceive the church and trick her into believing a lie. The opposition is active; therefore, it must be actively fought against. We cannot remain passive.

In this situation, the anointing of Christ Himself, the seal of the Holy Spirit, abides on believers. He, the Spirit, will teach them concerning that which is real and that which is counterfeit. As we abide in Christ, the Spirit will teach us. The indwelling of the Spirit of God, the seal of God, is the most fundamental defense against deception. He who is in you [Christ and the Spirit], is greater than he who is in the world (4:4).

And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD (Jer. 31:34).

And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee (2 Cor.1:21-22).

John links the Spirit’s anointing with the authority of the church. As is typical with John, he uses absolute categories when speaking about the work of the Spirit. Those who have the Spirit will have no need for any to teach them; the Spirit will teach them all things.

Some use this absolute distinction to argue 1) that believers will know all things directly by the Spirit, 2) that one does not have to listen to earthly teachers, and 3) that the church cannot claim to be the teacher of the truth or the pillar and ground of the truth, nor is the church able to formulate doctrine as this is solely the work of the Spirit. This thinking fails to read 1 John correctly. John often uses simple absolute categories, yet these categories need qualification. In 1 John 1:1-4, John began by appealing to the chain of witnesses from the Father to Jesus to John to the community. This chain is also a source of authority, an objective witness as powerful as that of the Spirit. John’s absolute claim here must be qualified. Because the Spirit is Christ’s Spirit: But the anointing that you received from him abides in you (I John 2:27), the Spirit’s work should be seen as taking the objective truth of Christ and confirming it to the hearts of believers. The Spirit teaches, reveals, and illuminates the objective truth of Jesus Christ as revealed in time and space. The inner light of the Spirit enables believers to understand and know the truth of His objective work, and so affirms the church’s doctrine. The Spirit does not reveal new teaching; rather, the Spirit helps the church to know all the things that have been revealed, that Jesus is the Christ (John 20:30,31; 2 John 2:24). In this regard, there is no difference between the inner work of the Spirit witnessing to the truth of the gospel and

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the church proclaiming and defending the truth to the world. The internal work of the Spirit and the objective witness to Jesus Christ are the same.

As believers abide in Christ, the anointing that they received from Him will keep them believing in Him and abiding in Him.

1.3. Abiding in Christ

John builds on the theme of the passing away of the darkness and adds that if we abide, we will remain in fellowship with the Son while we wait for His second coming.

…just as it has taught you, abide in him. And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming (1 John 2:28).

John returns to the focal point of the letter, which is an exhortation to abide in Christ. This is the most direct statement John gives on this theme. As already noted, to abide is an idea easily expressed but hard to define. John uses the expression ten times in 1 John (2:5, 6, 27, 28; 3:6, 24; 4:13, 15, 16; 5:20), and speaks of the powerful union in John 15.

Because Jesus has come, the darkness is already passing away. It will be fully dispelled on His return. The reason for our continued abidance in Christ is that Jesus will return. This idea is both simple and profound. It is simple in that if we are abiding in Him, we will want to be close to Him. We will want to have our lives and hearts in order. Its profundity comes from the fact that it goes to the heart of Christianity. The whole of Christianity points forward to the return of Jesus and our being ready for Him on that day.

Jesus will return in the same way in which He came. He came physically the first time, and He will physically return the second time (1 John 3:2). On that day He will judge all men. John encourages the church, reminding them that if they abide in Him (this would include being anointed and trusting in the Word), on that day they will have confidence; they will not be ashamed. The word confidence (parrēsia) is found four times in 1 John. It refers to a confidence in Christ’s coming, the judgment (2:28; 4:17), and a confidence in prayer (3:21; 5:14). If people remain in Christ, by following the teaching they heard from the beginning and through the anointing of the Holy Spirit by which they continue to be taught, then they can be assured that when Jesus comes again to judge the world, they will be able to boldly stand before Him.

Postscript:

If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him as he is righteous: everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him (I John 2:29).

As John closes this section, He introduces the ideas of being born of God and the need for righteousness. He speaks of being born of God in 3:1-3, and means that those in the church are sons of God. He deals with righteousness 3:4-10. The Judge, Jesus, who will come again, is a righteous judge, so all the true sons of God are also righteous.

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The basis for God’s people’s confidence is that Jesus is just, and if they are living just and righteousness lives, they can be sure that are born of Him. This is the same argument John used in 1 John 1:6. Because God is light, believers also walk in light (John develops the quick introduction found in 1:6 in more detail in 3:4-10). Jesus is righteous, and all who abide in His righteousness will be born of God.

2. The Confidence of Those Born of God (1 John 3:1-3)

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. (2) Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. (3) And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

John introduced the idea of being born of God in I John 2:29. In the verses we are dealing with now, he unfolds the blessings of being born of God as he continues to encourage believers in perseverance and obedience.

John links being born again with the theme of Christ’s return. John encourages them by reminding the church that in His return, the sons of God will shortly be manifest. He points out that they are already God’s children and as such, they already enjoy the benefits of sonship, even though it has not yet been fully manifest. As those already enjoying God’s blessing, the church should even now have great confidence.

[W]hat kind of love the Father has given to us: John emphasizes the amazing nature of the privilege believers already have. John is lost in admiration, wonder, and amazement over the claims that even now God’s people possess. The Greek word, translated how great or what kind of, occurs only six times in the New Testament and “always implies astonishment and generally admiration” (Matt. 8:27; Mark 13:1; Luke 1:29; 7:39; 1 Pet. 3:11; 1 John 3:1). 45

The blessings flow from God to us. It is God’s love for us that makes us His sons. Because God’s love is foreign to humankind, we cannot understand its magnitude. It should astonish, amaze, and create wonder within those who properly reflect upon it (Akin 133).

God loves us, not for any good in us, as there is none; rather, God loves us in spite of our sin and hostility toward Him. Due to His great love, God seeks out and makes the sinner a child of God. It is God who sends His Son to be a propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:10), an act which is God’s not ours.46 The love is freely and bounteously given, bestowed, granted, and lavished upon us.

God makes us His children, a concept which John taught in his gospel: But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, (13) who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man,

45 Kistemaker 293, 294.46

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but of God (John 1:12–13). To become sons of God, believers must be born again (John 3:3-8).

In the verses quoted at the beginning of this section, John calls God the Father and God. In using the title Father John stresses the new familial element in the relationship between God and men. He is their Father just as He is the eternal Father of His own Son, Jesus Christ. Through His Son’s work, believers join Christ as the Father’s children. We share Christ’s inheritance (Rom. 8:17).

The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him (I John 3:1b).

The world is the evil world system, depraved, sinful, man-focused, and under Satan’s control, a description that John also applies to the wicked religious leaders in the synagogues and churches of John’s day (John 16:2–3).

Because believers share God’s love and are made God’s sons, the world does not know them. The devil is the father of the unregenerate (John 8:38-44). Satan rejects Christ, the world under Satan rejects Christ, and therefore the world also rejects the church, the true sons of God. The very act of rejection of Christ by the world, of choosing one rather than the other, shows who their father is.

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2).

John offers a second ground for comfort: He says, now, already at this time, we are the children of God. We are already adopted into His family. Sonship and the privilege of God being our Father are not merely future rewards and rights; they are already here. It is amazing, but we will not be more a son or a daughter in the future than we are now. We may have more privileges, but we cannot be more of a son. These privileges, this present reality of our sonship, will fully appear when He returns.47

And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure (I John 3:3).

Understanding the reality that, as sons, we will receive the full glory of sonship when He returns is the great basis for our hope. The focus of all a believer’s hope, its foundation and our great motivation in life, is the return of Jesus Christ.

Those who have this hope will purify themselves. Eschatology is linked to holiness. As we hope for Christ’s future return, it will affect our lives in the present. Hope has practical consequences, making the hoped for future life impact the present. Only the blood of Christ can make us pure (1 John 1:7), but the believer’s response to Christ’s sacrifice on their behalf is to live a holy life and strive to be like Him (Jas. 4:8;

47 The verb to know, oidamen, is a certainty. John uses the word in the context of physically seeing with the eyes (1 John 1:1-3). It is a certain reality. The verb ephanerōthē, to appear, is used three times in 2:28–3:3. Its repetition stresses the certainty, that what we are already, which is currently hidden, will be publicly displayed. When we see Him, we will be fully transformed into His likeness. Paul develops the same idea of being changed into Christ’s likeness (Rom. 8:29,30) and that the process will be made complete when He returns (1 Cor. 13:12; Col. 3:1-4; 2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 3:21). At that time we will be glorified in both body and soul in the new creation.

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also 1 Pet. 1:22).48 If we want to be with Him, as sons of God, we must strive to act as Christ acted.

As He is pure: Jesus is the aim and example of holiness. We judge ourselves by Him, not by any other standard. He is righteous (2:29) and pure (3:3). He has always been pure, and He lived a pure and righteous life – Jesus Christ is righteous, and all those who are in Him must strive for purity.

John develops a series of contrasts that show the nature of true religion. If applied correctly, these contrasts will bring assurance to the children of God.

2.1. Sin, Lawlessness, and Righteousness (1 John 3:4-10)

John further expounds on the thought he introduced in 1 John 2:29: Christ as the righteous judge. Christ, the righteous (2:2), came to overthrow sin and lawlessness, and all those who abide in Him will likewise be righteous. They cannot continue in sin.

Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. (5) You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. (6) No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. (7) Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. (8) Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. (9) 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. (10) By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother (1 John 3:4-10).

Everyone: The rule applies to everyone, without exception. No one group is above God’s moral standards.

Sin is defined as lawlessness. Lawlessness means to break God’s Law, to transgress, to walk in darkness, and to hate the one’s brothers. Lawlessness can also be defined being against God’s revelation, in league with or aligned with the devil, who has sinned from the beginning. We cannot be indifferent to sin.

As he does throughout the letter (2:26ff), John builds a series of absolute contrasts while referring to sin and lawlessness. Any who abide in Christ do not continue to sin. They cannot. All who practice righteousness behave righteously, even as Christ is righteousness (John seems to use sin as an absolute controlling principle in an unbeliever’s life). They are Christ’s, and since His mission was to defeat sin, if they continue in sin they deny His mission.

48 “That initial purification with its transforming result is the necessary antecedent to this personal self-cleansing in daily experience. The more intimate the believer’s fellowship with God, who is light (1:5), the more conscious he becomes of his need to cleanse himself from all that is moral darkness (1:5–7). The more he contemplates this assured hope of being conformed to the image of Christ, the more eagerly will he strive for present personal purity” (Phil. 3:13–14) (Heibert, Epistles of John 140, - Akin 138).

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Appeared: John notes that Jesus appeared or was manifest. John reminds his readers that although Jesus was born in the flesh, He is also the pre-existent Son. He was before He was born, meaning He was already alive, but hidden. The word appeared is the same word that is used for Jesus’ second coming in 1 John 2:28 and 3:2. He, who was manifest once, will be manifest again.

Take away sins: The phrase can mean to lift up, to bear, or to remove. The Greek tense is aorist, a final action. It points to expiation, the removal of sin from the person (John 1:29).

In him there is no sin: Jesus Christ is sinless in both His actions and His nature. The Greek uses the perfect tense because sinlessness is an eternal and ever-present part of Christ’s nature. Jesus is righteous (1 John 2:9), pure (1 John 3:2), and sinless (1 John 3:5). As the righteous One, He is fully qualified to be our advocate and our propitiation (1 John 2:1,2). He is also the great example for His people.

No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him: This verse is the natural follow up to verse 5. He is sinless; therefore, if we abide in Him, we must be sinless. We cannot continue in sin as an ongoing lifestyle.

Those who continue to sin have neither known Him (have an intimate personal relationship) nor seen Him (present tense, are seeing Him). Their earthly life shows the reality of their spiritual life and the state of their fellowship with Jesus Christ. Our conduct is evidence of our nature. Believers must be absolutely clear about this simple test, there is no room for error.

Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning (I John 3:8).

A practice of sinning: John writes concerning the practice of sinning. In using these absolute terms, John is not claiming a believer is sinless. God’s children still sin. As discussed previously, John’s absolute statements must be qualified. For instance in chapter one, John argued that all believers must walk in light, another absolute, but he then went on to say that everyone sins and that sin must not be covered over; rather, believers are called to confess their sins. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8,9). This absolute statement does not contradict John’s opening statement in 1 John 1:1-4. Similar to 1 John 1, John uses absolute categories to teach that the child of God avoids a life characterized by sin. The Greek word poiōn is used in 1 John 3: 3,4,7,8,9,10 to indicate a continual practice of sin. To sin is an intentional, willful rebellion, a breaking of the commands of God. This is the incessant practice of the child of the devil; he continues to sin. The word for sin is in the progressive present tense signifying a continuous and ongoing action. It is a ceaseless constant way of life for the devil and his children (Akin 146).

John relates the conduct and character of sin to its ultimate source. Those who sin are from the one who has sinned from the beginning, the devil. The beginning is when

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Satan first sinned against God. Sin did not exist before the devil’s action. God made him sinless, and then he sinned through his own rebellion.

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil : John previously established that Jesus came to destroy sin, but now John points to the origin of sin, Satan. Sin is a fruit of the devil’s work, and Jesus appeared to destroy the works of devil. In this, He destroyed the devil on the cross (John 12:31; Heb. 2:14).

…for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God (I John 3:9).

The reason why one who is born of God cannot keep in sinning is that God’s seed abides in him. What John means by God’s seed is unclear. This is the only use of the term by John and it is the only use in the whole New Testament. The closest New Testament parallels are James 1:18 and 1 Peter 1:23–25, where both authors write of being born again by the Word of God. Some commentators interpret this as referring to a new principle of life, and others say it refers to the new birth by the Holy Spirit. Some try to combine seed to include both Word and Spirit. It seems best to interpret the word seed as a principle of new life through the divine action of the Spirit. Although the verse is difficult, we are to remember that the exact mechanism of how God works is not as important as the effect is has on believers. Because the seed remains in the believer; it will never leave; his conduct is fixed for eternity. As John mentions in 1 John 1:8ff, for those believers who do sin a result of ongoing corruption, not as a product of the principle of sinful rebellion, there is forgiveness for those who confess and repent in Christ’s work.

Although we cannot escape responsibility for our sin by claiming the devil made me do it, we do say that the devil is behind sinful deeds, using his real power to get believers to sin. In a similar (but not identical way), a believer is aided by God’s Spirit to be able to do the works of God.

By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother (1 John 3:10).

John 3:10 is a summary, a conclusion, and a transition to the next section.

2.2. Love and Hatred

John returns to the theme from 1 John 2:7, Jesus’ command to love one and not to hate one’s brother. Believers are righteous, they do not continue in sin, and they love one another. This is the first of six references to this found in the epistles of John (1 John 3:23; 4:7,11,12 2 John 5). Since this command is seen throughout this section many argue that God’s love and the need to love is John’s great theme in this second half of 1 John.

For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. (12) We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. (13) Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. (14) We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in

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death. (15) Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. (17) But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? (18 ) Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:11-18).

The message Jesus taught from the beginning of His ministry is that we are to love one another. To love is in the present tense, meaning a continuous, ongoing display. Love flows from the nature of God (4:7–8), and therefore is fundamental to Christianity (John 13:34; 15:12; 1 John 3:23). It is at the heart of the gospel.

John contrasts love and hatred using the actions of the first two brothers, Cain and Abel. Cain is of the evil one, the devil. He is the one whose life is marked by hatred and due to that he murders his brother (Gen. 4:1-25, Heb. 11:4). John says Cain’s works were evil, the very same word used of Satan himself (2:13,14; 3:12; 5:18,19). Similar to all of the devil’s children, Cain acts like and takes on the character and nature of Satan: Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning (1 John 3:8).

Abel’s works were righteous; this is the same word used of Jesus Christ (1:9. 2:1,3:7). In fact it was the very righteous acts of Abel that provoked the jealousy of Cain, which digressed into hatred and eventually murder. 49

The historic situation of Cain and Abel still applies today. In the same way, the world will hate believers, not because they are good, but because they do righteous works, and unbelievers, in jealousy, hate those works. Believers should not be surprised if their righteous works lead to scorn and hatred by the world. Wickedness hates righteousness.

The very hatred that flows from the devil into his children, the hatred that leads them to attack the righteous, becomes a ground for assurance. John says We know we have passed from death to life, if we love our brothers (John 5:24) “The mark of spiritual life is love”. 50 Those who hate remain in death, not life. “The absence of love proves that one still remains outside the sphere of the life of God and in the realm of death and darkness (cf. 2:9–11)”. 51

Since love is the mark of passing from death to life, John explains the nature of love. The supreme example of love is Jesus, who, as a deliberate act, laid down His life for the salvation of His people. In the same way, if we love, we should also purposefully and voluntarily sacrifice for one another (John 11:50, 15:13; 10:11,15,17–18). Life is the greatest thing we have to offer, so it is the greatest demonstration of love. Not every Christian is called to lay down his life, but we are all called to other sacrifices, especially the giving of our goods for the benefit of others. Our sacrifice should follow that of Christ’s, although it is always less than His own.

49 Akin 15550 Kistemaker 308.51 Akin 157

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But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? (18) Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:17,18).

Our love must not be only heard our words; it must be manifest in our actions. True love will show itself in actions, deeds, and truth. If one has possessions, and another one has needs, then the one who has must share with the one who has not (Deut. 15:7-11, Jas. 2:15–17).

2.3. A Child of God’s Assurance

By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; (20) for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. (21) Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; (22) and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him (1 John 3:19-22).

John continues to develop his theme of assurance. If we love, and love in deed and truth, rather than just in word, then our actions will tell us that we are of the truth. As we live like Jesus lived, so we can reassure ourselves in His love. Those that model their lives on Christ can have confidence before God.

John continues by warning them. If our hearts, our consciences, condemn us, as they are want do, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. This verse has a number of interpretations.

First, some interpret it to mean that if our hearts condemn us, we should be encouraged because God is greater, more merciful, than our hearts. John says God is greater than our own condemning heart, and because God is greater, He has made a full provision (1 John 2:1,2) in Jesus Christ, the righteous one, the helper and propitiation. In this sense it is an encouragement.

Second, others read it to mean that if we love as Christ did, our hearts will not condemn us. In this reading John is warning them if they do not act, they will not have the blessings. God is greater, than what we can see with our hearts. The immediate context is that we are told to give liberally to others (see above). As we give, we might be tempted by our hearts to say that the sacrifice is not worthy, and so not to act. In this case, the example of Jesus shows that God does not share our meanness, that His compassion and generosity are far greater. Due to this we must strive to overcome any thoughts of not helping our brother. Only if we do so, will we have the three blessings: (1) our hearts will not condemn us, (2) we will have confidence before God, and (3) God will answer our prayers.

John returns to God’s central commandment, to believe in Jesus and love one another.

And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. (24) Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us (1 John 3:23,24)

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Those who believe and love, these abide in God, and God abides in them. John explains the abiding of God in us as occurring by the Spirit.

Lesson Four Questions

1. What is the main theme in 1 John 2:24-28?

2. What is a chief source of a believer’s security?

3. Explain what John means when he says, no one shall teach his brother. Does this mean that there is no room for formal teaching in the church?

4. If we abide in Christ, how will we respond to His coming?

5. What shows us the greatness of our Father’s love for us?

6. Does God make us sons based on how good we are?

7. When do we become God’s children? When will it be fully manifest?

8. If we are God’s sons, why does the world not know us?

9. Why do believers not continue in sin?

10. Explain how Cain and Abel demonstrate love and hatred.

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Lesson Five: Test the Spirits, Love one Another, Abide in God

1. Test the Spirits

John has told his readers that the Spirit will abide in them, thus enabling them to know Christ: And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us (1 John 3:24). John also warns them to test the spirits and distinguish the true from the false. Because not every spirit is from God, Christians must be discerning. The church will be tested and challenged as error seeks to enter. Church members are called to love and to differentiate between right and wrong, truth and error. This imperative parallels his earlier warning about the antichrist. The antichrist will send false spirits into the church; he must be resisted.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. (2) By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, (3) and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. (4) Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (5) They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. (6) We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error (1 John 4:1-6).

Beloved (2:7; 3:2, 21; 4:7): Because John is about to warn them and call them to discernment and discipline, he begins with a positive. The term beloved refers to the whole church; therefore, John is calling the whole church to distinguish truth from error.

Test the spirits: Believers are not only called to love, they are also called to discernment, to separate falsehood from a lie. Christ calls us to love God first and men second. To test implies seeing if something is valid, if it has worth. This the same word used for testing to see if a coin is real or counterfeit.

False prophets: False spirits work in and through false prophets. Wicked deception has a source: wicked spirits. Behind every statement made is a spirit, either a false spirit or the Spirit of God. The false spirits work in the world, manifesting themselves as the false prophets. John tells us that there are two spiritual spheres in this world, a false sphere ruled by Satan and true sphere flowing from Christ and the Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells in the children of God and they speak and know the truth (1 John 3:24). The spirit of Satan, the false spirit, works in false prophets. To John, this is the spirit of the antichrist (for antichrist, see 1 John 2 and 2 John). We cannot see the spirit of the antichrist, but we can see his manifestation in false teachings and false prophets.

Many: John warns of MANY, not occasional, false prophets. The Scriptures repeatedly encourage the church to be on guard. The threat is real and sufficiently powerful to deceive even the elect (Matt. 24:24; Rev. 2:2). The Scriptures constantly call for spiritual discernment (Deut. 13: Jer. 29:8; Matt. 24:4; Acts 20:28-30; Eph. 5:6; 1 Thess. 2:4; 5:21, 1 Tim. 4:1, 2 Pet. 2:1-22, Jude 4-19).

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A test for discerning which spirit is at work is does the spirit believe that the Son of God came in the flesh, that He was both fully human and fully divine. False spirits deny that the Jesus who came had come in the flesh and was the Christ. John phrases the text in both a positive and negative way. In the negative, John implies that if one were to deny the incarnation, one would be denying Jesus.

You are from God and have overcome them: John reassures the church that they are of the truth. They are from God and are His own. They have overcome and can rest assured that their position is secure (2:13,14; 5:4,5).

For he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world: The church will overcome because He (God), who is in them, is greater than those who are in the world. Confidence and assurance do not come from within or from others; they come from God. Believers have this assurance (1 Cor. 1:31). It is the Lord Jesus Christ who has overcome the world (John 16:33), and He is in them. They abide in Him. His Spirit is in them (4:13), His seed remains in them, and so in Him they overcome. In the great battle between God and Satan, Christ has conquered the devil and overcome the world, the place of sinful pride, false prophets, the devil, false spirits, and the place where Satan is prince (John 12:31).

John ends this passage by claiming that what a person is will be manifest in his/her life. The non-Christians speak and act like the world, while those who are from God speak and walk as God commands them.

2. Love One Another

After warning men to test the spirits, John returns to his theme of loving one another. Here, John stresses that they must love, because love is of God. This means that everyone born of God must love as God loves. John points them to the great historical manifestation of God’s love, the revelation of Jesus Christ (4:9,10).

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. (8) Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. (9) In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. (10) In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (11) Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (12) No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us (1 John 4:7-12).

Let us love one another: John exhorts them to love one another. God is love, love flows from Him, and so all those who love, show that they have been born of God.

Born of God: It is necessary that a person be born again, not by men or the flesh, but by God (see John 1:12,13; John 3). This may also the basis of God’s seed abiding in them.

God is love: John claims that God is light (1:6), and he says God is love.52 Love is both His nature and His character. God’s love is proven and revealed to all men in time

52 In his gospel John has also said that God is Spirit.

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and space, in history. The love of God is supremely seen on the cross. God had only one Son, and due to His love for the world He sent His own Son to die for sinners. God’s character is manifest in His actions.

God sent His Son so we might live through Him. The great purpose the gospel and of this letter, is that we might have, and be assured of, eternal life. To live is to have life in Jesus Christ. Life is only found in Jesus Christ. Life involves knowing or having Jesus Christ and abiding in Him. There is no life outside of Him.

His only son: The Greek word is monogenēs. It is not a technical theological term to describe a relationship between the Father and Son; rather, the term stresses that the Son was the only one, the sole object of the Father’s affection. The term is used three times in Luke where it describes the widow of Nain’s one and only son (Luke 7:12), the one and only daughter of Jairus (Luke 8:42), and the one and only son of the man who sought Jesus’ help with his demon-possessed boy (Luke 9:38). It is found once in Hebrews, where Isaac, who Abraham was about to sacrifice, is described as his one and only son (Heb. 11:17). In each of these cases, the expression is used to add poignancy to a story by highlighting that it was the person’s one and only child who was in dire need, threatened, or had died. The stress is not on the fact that the person was begotten of the father or mother, but is expressly concerned with the idea that the father or mother had only one child, and that child was the one who was so sadly affected. 53

Monogenēs is used four times in John. As the Father’s only Son, Jesus is the unique revealer of God (John 1:14,18), and He is the most valuable thing the Father has to sacrifice (3:26,18). In 1 John 4:19, monogenēs stresses that God sent His unique, special, and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.

Sent into the world: Do these words imply pre-existence? In some cases the phrase does, while in others it does not. In John 17:18 and 20:21 for example, the disciples are sent into the world, but in these instances John is obviously not speaking of pre-existence. In other places, Jesus speaks of His own coming in a way that clearly implies pre-existence. In John 16:28 Jesus says, I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father. John also speaks of Jesus’ coming down from heaven, verses that indicate a pre-existent Son of God (John 3:13; 6:33,41,42,50,51).

In considering love, John does not focus on man’s love toward God; rather, love is supremely seen in God’s love for man. John clearly states that it is not that we loved God, but that God loved us. All love comes from God. It finds its source and beginning in Him. God is always first in all things.

The propitiation for our sins: Propitiation is the covering or turning away of God’s wrath by Christ (1 John 2:2). In 1 John 4:10, John adds that the Father is the ultimate source of propitiation. He sent His Son to propitiate His own wrath against us. It is not Jesus who argues for us against the Father; rather, the Father sent His Son, and the Son came willingly to turn away the Father’s wrath. They have one common purpose. It

53 Kruze 158.

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is God, the Father and the Son, who takes away sin. This is the great objective, historical manifestation of God being love.

John concludes. Because God is love, and has shown His love in history through the giving of His own Son, so we must love one another as God loved us. John restates John 1:18: No one has ever seen God (v.12). We cannot see God (the Father) because He is Spirit, but we can see His works manifest in Christ. In the same way, we show God by our works of love for one another.

…and his love is perfected in us (I John 4:10).

As John has stated previously (1 John 2:5), as we love, so God perfects His love in us.

3. Assurance of Abiding in God

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. (14) And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. (15) Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. (16) So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. (17) By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. (18) There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. (19) We love because he first loved us. (20) If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. (21) And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother (1 John 4:13-21).

He has given us his Spirit: John relates the knowledge of who we are to both the Spirit and the truth. We know we abide in Him due to the internal work of the Spirit, and we also have seen and testify, which are external actions, that Jesus is the Savior of the world (see 1 John 1:1-4). The main work of the Spirit is not to create an inner feeling; rather, the Spirit brings the objective revelation of Jesus Christ to us, convincing us of its truth.

We have seen and testify draws on John’s introduction in 1:1-4. It is the part of the objective confession of the church, both then and now.

Savior of the world: The term occurs twice in John’s literature: in John 4:42 and in this passage. Using this phrase, John stresses that Christ is the savior, or that He is the only savior for all, or John could also mean that Jesus is the savior of the whole world, Jew and gentile. That is John’s emphasis in John 4:42 when the Samaritan woman calls Him the Savior of the world: all men.

God abides in him, and he in God: It is unclear exactly what John means by this mutual indwelling of God in us and we in Him. John refers to mutual indwelling in four places (3:24; 4:13, 15, 16). In 3:24, 4:13 and it is linked to the presence of the Spirit. In 4:15 it is linked to confessing Christ.

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us: John refers back to 4:14, the testimony that the Father has sent His Son into the world. This act is the

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great proof that God loves them. These are facts we know and can rely upon. They assure us of God’s love for us.

Excursus: Of Assurance of Grace and Salvation in WCF54

Westminster Confession of Faith 18:1-4

In section 18:1 the confession identifies three types of assurance: 1) false assurance, 2) true assurance, and 3) a lack of true assurance with the ability to get true assurance.

I. Although hypocrites and other unregenerate men may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions of being in the favor of God, and estate of salvation which hope of theirs shall perish): yet such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus, and love Him in sincerity, endeavouring to walk in all good conscience before Him, may, in this life, be certainly assured that they are in the state of grace, and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, which hope shall never make them ashamed.

True assurance is based on three pillars: 1) the objective promises of the Scriptures, 2) the inward change as a fruit of the Spirit in a believer’s life, and 3) the inward and direct witness of the Spirit. These must be considered together, they are not independent of one another.

II. This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion grounded upon a fallible hope; but an infallible assurance of faith founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation, the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made, the testimony of the Spirit of adoption witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God, which Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance, whereby we are sealed to the day of redemption.

The confession makes a distinction between saving faith and assurance. A person may have saving faith, yet still lack assurance. Although a lack of assurance is possible, the believer should strive to gain full assurance.

III. This infallible assurance does not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may wait long, and conflict with many difficulties, before he be partaker of it: yet, being enabled by the Spirit to know the things which are freely given him of God, he may, without extraordinary revelation in the right use of ordinary means, attain thereunto. And therefore it is the duty of every one to give all diligence to make his calling and election sure, that thereby his heart may be enlarged in peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, in love and thankfulness to God, and in strength and cheerfulness in the duties of obedience, the proper fruits of this assurance; so far is it from inclining men to looseness.

54 The Westminster Confession of Faith is a summary of Christian doctrine written from 1642 to 1646. It is available online at http://www.reformed.org/documents/westminster_conf_of_faith.htmlhttp://www.reformed.org/documents/wcf_with_proofs/index.html?foot=/documents/wcf_with_proofs/XVIII_fn.html#fn11

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Assurance can be shaken from time. God may withdraw the peace His Spirit brings, we may neglect the means of grace, or we may sin, and in these ways we may lose the comfort.

IV. True believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken, diminished, and intermitted; as, by negligence in preserving of it, by falling into some special sin which wounds the conscience and grieves the Spirit; by some sudden or vehement temptation, by God's withdrawing the light of His countenance, and suffering even such as fear Him to walk in darkness and to have no light: yet are they never so utterly destitute of that seed of God, and life of faith, that love of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity of heart, and conscience of duty, out of which, by the operation of the Spirit, this assurance may, in due time, be revived; and by the which, in the mean time, they are supported from utter despair.

Lesson Five Questions

1. Are we to believe every spirit?

2. What is the test John uses to check the nature of the spirits?

3. What is the relationship between false prophets and false spirits?

4. Where does our confidence that we will overcome come from?

5. Explain the phrase he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

6. Give the definition of monogenēs.

7. Explain how Jesus is a propitiation for sin. Who sent the Son?

8. What are the two sources of assurance God offers?

9. God is love. How is that love perfected in us as we think about the Day of Judgment?

10. Our love for one another flows from what source?

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Lesson Six: Assurance, Eternal life, and Final Exhortations

1. Assurance of Abiding in God (Part 2)

This passage of Scripture is a continuation of 1 John 4. In these verses John seeks to confirm the believer’s assurance.

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. (2) By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. (3) For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:1-3).

John reasserts the idea that anyone who believes that Jesus is truly the Christ is born of God (2:22-23). This is the confession of all true believers. The expression who believes that Jesus is the Christ seems to refer to the whole gospel message, that Jesus came in the flesh, was the Messiah, was God’s Son, gave His life as a propitiation for sin, and continues as our advocate. In his epistle, John chooses to emphasize each of these elements in turn.

To be born of God: John developed this thought in 1 John 2:29 (see also John 1:12,13, John 3:1-11). Being born of God is a supernatural work of God through the Spirit. Everyone who loves the Father loves those born of Him; therefore, all those born again will love God and all other believers who have also been born again (4:7–5:4).

We know we love God: With this phrase, John reverses the usual thought. Earlier, John stated that we know we have passed form death to life if we love our brothers. Now John says we know we are the children of God when we love God and follow His commandments. The three aspects are interrelated: 1) love for God, 2) love for the brothers, and 3) love for God’s commandments. Because of their interconnectedness, John can, in the next verse, write that we can know we love God, if we obey His commandments. Because believers have been born of God, they now have a love for one another that they did not formally have. This makes the command to love not burdensome, but rather joyful.

All those who have been born of God overcome the world.

2. The Testimony of God unto Eternal Life

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world (1 John 5:4a).

John asserts that everyone who is born of God will overcome the world. In the following verses, John explains the true nature of the victory over the world. It is a victory we gain through faith in Jesus.

And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. (5) Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (6) This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. (7) For there are three that testify: (8) the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree (1 John 5:4b-8).

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John writes of our faith. Here, he is referring to faith as a noun, a thing, rather than an activity. He then explains the content of the faith which is that Jesus came by water and blood. In order to overcome, they must hold fast to the cry that Jesus has come in the flesh.

John uses the verb overcome in two different ways. In 1 John 5:4 it signifies a completed action, and in the following verse, it refers to an ongoing struggle. John can do this because both these meanings show the nature of the gospel message. It is a completed work and an ongoing event.

Water and blood: Both John and his heretic enemies believed that Jesus came by water, but John affirms that Christ came by water and blood. To come by water seems to be shorthand for Christ’s baptism. When Jesus was baptized, He received the Holy Spirit (John 1:33). In the conflict with the proto-gnostics, the spiritual nature of Jesus was not in dispute. By blood is the phrase with which the Gnostics had a problem, as most did not hold that Jesus came in the flesh or that He gave His life as an atoning sacrifice. John clearly states this as truth. The only other reference to blood in the gospel is in John 1:7 where John states: the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. In this sense, by blood refers to the human Jesus’ giving His life as a propitiation for sin on the cross. The phrase the water and the blood refer to the whole of Jesus’ ministry, from His baptism to His death upon the cross. These two events summarize and bear witness to Jesus’ work.

The Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth: The Spirit of Truth is one of the two names John gives to the Holy Spirit (Comforter is the other in John 14:17; 15:26; 16:3). The Spirit bears witness to the truth of Jesus. In this case, He particularly witnesses that Jesus came in the flesh.

The three who bear witness: John mentions that three bear witness to Jesus’ work: the Spirit, the water, and the blood. In the Old and New Testaments every fact was to be established by two or three witnesses (Deut. 17:6; 19:15; Matt. 18:6; John 8:17; 2 Cor. 13:1; 1 Tim. 5:19; Heb. 10:28). The witness of the Spirit is clear, but it is unclear what the witness of the water and the blood means. Some suppose it is a reference to the water and the blood that flowed from Jesus’ side. While that may be correct, it would be using water in a different way than we have in the section above. 55

If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. (10) Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. (11) And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. (12) Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have

55 Some bibles use the longer version of 5:7–8. ‘For there are three that testify in heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one; and there are three that testify on earth, the Spirit, the water and the blood, and these three are one’. This is called the Johannine Comma as ‘comma’ means ‘sentence’). As it is only found in a few Greek manuscripts from tenth to the eighteenth centuries, it does not seem to be original. It is not found in any early Greek manuscripts, nor Old Latin versions before the seventh century, nor in the Vulgate before the eighth century. Kruze 179-180, footnote 211.

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the Son of God does not have life (1 John 5:9-12).

John argues from the lesser to the greater thereby contrasting the lesser human testimony with God’s greater testimony. The basic point John is making is clear; the specifics are not. It is unclear to whose human testimony John refers. It is possible that it is a general non-specific statement. It is also unclear what he means by God’s testimony.

To believe is to accept God’s testimony or to accept God’s testimony about His Son. One receives the external testimony and then believes internally. In contrast, if we do not believe, we make God out to be a lair.

This is the fifth time in the letter that the author accuses his opponents of either being liars or making God out to be a liar (1:10; 2:4, 22; 4:20; 5:10) (Kruse 182). God has spoken, His testimony is sure, and so any who reject this testimony are lairs.

John clearly states the testimony: that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son (v. 11). Eternal life is found in a person, the resurrected Messiah, God’s own Son. He has life in Himself, and He is the resurrection and the life. If we have the Son, we have life. If we do not have the Son, we do not have life. To have the Son is a broad term including the ideas of: 1) possessing Him, 2) receiving the testimony about Him by faith, and 3) being born again of God, by the Spirit.

3.Conclusion: Assurance and Exhortation

John brings his letter to its conclusion. The section can be broken into four parts: 1) the reason for the letter (that those who have Jesus would know that they have eternal life), 2) an encouragement to prayer for those who have not sinned unto death (some have sinned unto death, and John tells his readers not to pray for those), 3) a reminder to them that they are no longer under the power of sin, the world, and evil one (they can be assured that they have the truth as the Son of God has come and given them understanding), and 4) a final warning to keep themselves from idols.

3.1. An Encouragement: That They Might Know They Have Eternal Life

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:13).

In summary, John’s reason for writing is that his readers might know that they have eternal life. John began his letter by saying that he was writing that their joy might be full (1:4). Then he said he was writing that they might not sin (2:1). Both of these are fruits of the greater category: that they might have eternal life. The theme of eternal life is at the heart of his letter. John begins the letter with a reference to eternal life (1 John 1:1,2) and he ends the letter with the same allusion (1 John 5:11-13). “The expressions ‘life’ and ‘eternal life’ are used interchangeably”. 56 Because life is in Christ, it is a present reality for those who have Jesus, one that will be fully manifest at His second coming. 56 Kruse 184.

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John’s gospel is evangelistic and written so that the readers might have life, but in 1 John, John wants them to hold on to the eternal life that they have.

3.2. An Encouragement to Pray and a Warning against Praying for Certain Things

(14) And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. (And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. (16) If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. (17) All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death (1 John 5:14-17).

And: Believers should be confident in eternal life, in their relationship to God, and particularly they should have confidence that God will answer their prayers (John 16:23–26).

John gives a particular example: if anyone should see a brother who has fallen into sin, he can pray for him and God will give him life. In prayer, they will ask for life and God will give them resurrection life on that last day.

John commands the church not to pray for those who commit the sin that leads to death. What is that sin? This answer to that question is highly debated. Some incorrectly assert it is a moral sin (i.e. murder, apostasy, and adultery). This cannot be correct because Christ pays for all sin. Kruse 191 argues that John is referring to the outcome of sin. For those who reject life in Jesus, His person and His work, for these people there is only death. They have placed themselves outside of the place of mercy and forgiveness, so their sin will lead to the full manifestation of death.

There is some similarity with Old Testament when the prophet Jeremiah was told

not to pray for Israel (Jer. 7:16–18; 11:14; 14:11), and Jesus Himself says that He does not pray for the world. The unelect are not His, so He will not pray for them.

In 1 John 5:17, John re-affirms the distinction between sin and the sin that leads to death.

3.3. Encouragement: They are No Longer under the Power of Sin, the World, and the Devil

We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. (19) We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. (20) And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life (1 John 5:18-20).

John reminds his readers of an earlier theme: that those born of God do not continue in sin (1 John 3:9). Those who read these words have not departed from the

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faith, they are not continuing in sin, and they will not. They are born of God, and God will assist them. John reminds his readers that HE who is born of God will protect them. The He is Jesus; He was born of God, and He will protect them (John 17:12-15).

The evil one: John uses the term in 1 John 2:13–14, 3:12, and here. He uses the titles evil one and devil interchangeably; they are the same. The devil exercises his power over the whole world, keeping the people in darkness. In contrast the readers of John’s letters know that because they are from God, and because the Son of God has come, and because He has given them true understanding, they need not fear the power of the evil one. They will remain in the hand of the Father. The understanding which the Son of God gives is knowledge of God the Father. In John 17:3, Jesus addresses His Father as the only true God (Kruse 196). In Jesus, we see the Father.

He is the true God and eternal life: The word He seems to refer to Jesus Christ. If so, this is clear statement that Jesus is the true God, with eternal life in Himself. John opens his gospel with a similar statement (John 1:1,2), and he draws the gospel to its climax with a matching assurance (20:28).

3.4. A Final Warning to Keep Oneself from Idols

Little children, keep yourselves from idols (1 John 5:21).

The last verses of 1 John 5 have been understood in two major ways. Some interpret them as a new exhortation, a new thought, that being a warning to resist idols in a world where idolatry is rife. Others see the idols as the errors that John has been discussing, the denial that Jesus came in the flesh. If this is so, then John is repeating and summarizing what he has already said in the letter. To deny that Jesus has come in the flesh is idolatry.

Lesson Six Questions

1. Explain the interrelationship between born of God, loving your brothers, and obeying God’s commandments.

2. What is the victory that overcomes the world?

3. In what way is the Spirit the Spirit of Truth?

4. What is the consequence of not believing?

5. What is eternal life and where is it found?

6. What four topics does John close the letter with?

7. How does the issue of eternal life frame the letter?

8. What is the purpose of John’s gospel? What is the purpose of John’s letters?

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9. To whom is John referring when he says that He is the true God and eternal life?

10. Explain John’s final exhortation: keep yourselves from idols.

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Lesson Seven: An Exhortation to Walk in Truth and Love (2nd John)

2 John is a shorter letter written by John, the elder, the aging apostle, as his ministry is drawing to a close. It is written to the elect lady, the church. In 2 John, John repeats many of the themes found in 1 John. The two letters are very similar in content.

2nd John teaches:

(1) That the church is to continue to walk as they were commanded, in truth and love.

(2) As they walk, they must beware of antichrists and deception.

(3) They must not give hospitality to the wicked, as it would allow error to enter the church.

1. Introduction

The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth, (2) because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever. (3) Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love (2 John 1-3).

The elder: The writer is simply called the elder, the same opening used in 3 John.57 The word elder can be understood in a number of ways. John uses the word elder due to his age. As the last of the apostles, he wielded a special position of authority in the church. The term elder is also a natural progression from apostle. The apostles were eyewitnesses of Christ; they laid the foundation of the church and were entrusted with the gospel witness. The original apostles were slowly passing from the scene, and the extraordinary office of apostle was being replaced with the ordinary and ongoing office of elder (Lesson One; Acts 15:2,5; 20:28; 1 Tim. 3; Tit. 1). The term elder stresses John’s office and status as the last of the apostles, the leader in the church of Asia, and elder in Christ’s church.

The Elect Lady: The formal title, elder, is followed by an abstract title for the church, the elect lady. She is elect, chosen, because she is called by God to be His bride. God called her. Her election is by His mercy and grace (v.3). Elect Lady also points to her exaltation. In Scripture, the church is often seen as a woman. Peter uses the same form of address for the church when closing his first letter. She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings (1 Pet. 5:13).

We do not know the exact church to which John is writing. It is unlikely to be Ephesus, since John lived there. Some commentators suggest Pergamum.

Whom I love in the truth: This phrase is unclear. It can be understood as John

57 For a fuller discussion as to authorship, see Lesson One.

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saying that he personally truly loves the church or it can mean that John says he loves those who love the truth (3 John 1). In this statement, as throughout this letter, John joins truth and love. John can join both because the truth is founded upon the person of Christ. Jesus as the eternal, abiding, unchanging God, who speaks truth, is the foundation of the truth. Truth is rooted in the person of Jesus. Because this is so, it can never be separated from His person. There is no such thing as abstract truth in John’s writings.

[A]nd not only I, but also all who know the truth: John stresses that all those who love the truth are part of one community. In fact, the truth lives and can only be found in the true community of the faithful. All those who love the truth are part of one community. Those who are outside the church remain outside of truth and love.

Grace, mercy, and peace: A similar formula is used in many other New Testament greetings.58 Grace refers to God’s unmerited and undeserved kindness freely bestowed upon sinners. It is only found in Christ. Mercy refers to God’s compassion and pity, His tenderness and readiness to forgive sin. Peace flows from the Hebrew shalom, indicating wholeness and well being of life in all its aspects. It conveys ideas such as safety, rest, and the absence of hostility (cf. Rom. 5:1; Phil. 4:9). Peace is God’s giving us what we need based upon His grace and mercy. The word order in the phrase grace, mercy, and peace is significant. God’s grace always comes first; mercy and peace flow from it (Akin 222).

John begins his letter by indicating all those in the church already have these blessings of God flowing from the Father and the Son. These are legal terms, a status bestowed on the church. Believers are in a place or status of grace and peace.

[F]rom God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son (v. 3b)

Christian grace flows from the whole Trinity, and in this case, John stresses that it flows from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son. While grace flows from all the members of the Trinity, each member of the Trinity plays a unique role in bringing grace, mercy, and peace to all.

Jesus is the human name of the Son of God, from the Hebrew Joshua. The name means savior and describes His work. Christ means Messiah, the Anointed One. Jesus is the Father’s Son, our savior, and the Messiah/Christ.

Truth and love are mentioned in the opening verse of the introduction (2 John 1) and again at the end of the letter opening (2 John 3). Truth and love frame the letter, and they are the main themes. Truth and love are central to a believer’s walk and conduct in the world. They must be kept together. Love without truth is nothing; truth without love is worthless. True Christianity combines both love and truth. Believers are to love one another and hold on to the truth. They must do both, because one without the other cannot exist. Paul also teaches the Ephesians that they are to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15), 58 Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:3; 2 Cor. 1:2; Gal. 1:3; Eph. 1:2; Phil. 1:2; Col.1:2; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:2; 1 Tim. 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:2; Tit. 1:4; Philem. 3; 1 Pet. 1:2; 2 Pet. 1:2; Jude 2; Rev. 1:4

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and although the church in Ephesus is commended for holding onto the truth, she is chastised for failing to continue in love (Eph. 2:1-7).

2. Walking in Truth and Love (2 John 4-6)

I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father (v. 4).

2.1. John Rejoices That Some Continue to Walk in Truth and Love

John begins by encouraging the church and by expressing his personal joy at the church’s progress. In pastoral situations, it is good to begin with the positive before moving to the negative. We do not know how he heard the report, as he does not tell us, but we do know that he heard a report, and that it was good news.

John builds on the idea of truth introduced in the opening verses. In verse 2, he says that they are to abide in it. Here, John commends his readers for their abidance in the truth, and by implication, encourages them to continue walking in it.

Some: John speaks of the some who are walking in the truth. It is unclear who he means. Who are those who are not walking in truth? Are some falling away or does the term some distinguish those who are in the church and the deceivers who now no longer walking in the truth?

2.2. Walking in the Truth as the Father Commanded

[J]ust as we were commanded by the Father: To walk in the truth is the command of God the Father. Although we listen to the voice of Jesus (see His commandments below), John stresses we are also to listen to the Father’s commandment.

It is unclear what John means by being commanded by the Father. Kruze 59 suggests three overlapping options, ranging from the narrow to the wide:

(1) John could be referring to the Father’s words at the time of Jesus’ transfiguration, when He said to Peter, James, and John: This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him! (Mark 9:7; Matt. 17:5) In this reading, the principal command is to listen to the Son. This is the most direct and also the narrowest way to understand the command of the Father.

(2) A more general understanding is that the Father commands us to listen to Jesus. Jesus only spoke His Father’s wishes, the truth. If this is correct, then the Father commands us to listen to the Son, to all the Son’s words (John 12:50): Whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say. This is a wider interpretation of the term the Father’s command.

59 207.

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(3) The widest interpretation is that the Father’s command refers to the whole gospel message. In 1 John 3:23, John tells us: And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.

Because each option is closely related, it is best to consider all of them. They all point to the Son and His work.

2.3. The Command: Love One Another

And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another (v.5).

And now: John is asking the church to continue to love one another.

It is important to note that this is not a new commandment; it is something that they were taught from the beginning. John is always stressing that he has had the same message from the beginning; he is not introducing something new and novel to the church in contrast to what many false teachers were doing (John argues in a similar way in 1 John 2).

The command to love one another is at the heart of Christianity. God is love, and those who follow Him must love each other. John mentions this theme six times in his letters (1 John 3:11,23; 4:7,11,12). It is also mentioned in the gospel of John (John 13:34; 15:12,17), by Paul (Rom. 13:8, 1 Thess. 4:9), and in 1 Peter 1:22. A gospel that does not include the duty to love the brethren is no gospel at all.

It is implied in this statement, that when men do not love one another or do not walk in truth, they are easily separated, and once separated, they can be easily deceived.

And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it (v. 6).

John explains what love is. John says true love is obeying His (Jesus) commandments including the command to love one another (John 15:10,12,14). If we love Jesus, we will obey Him. The opposite is also true; we cannot claim that we love Him if we will not obey Him. The two thoughts go hand in hand.

John writes that love manifests itself in a number of different ways as it is applied

to God and men. Akin says, “When John is focusing upon the believer’s relationship to the Father, we prove our love by obeying Him (cf. 1 John 5:3). If our brothers and sisters in Christ are intended recipients, we show our love for them by keeping God’s commandments (cf. 1 John 5:2). It seems best to combine these two options and see the whole family of God as the object of love made evident by obedience to the commands of God” (226).

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3. Guarding the Truth about the Son against Antichrists (7-11)

(7) For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. (8) Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. (9) Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son (v. 7-9).

John now warns against groups that were around in his day who tried to enter the church and deceive it with error. He cautions the church that they must be careful so to prevent deception by false teachers and antichrists. This was a real danger and the church needed to be active, watchful, and vigilant in order to be able to counter the threat. Due to these lies, many had already left the church and gone out into the world.

John warns of deceivers and antichrists. Westcott points out, “The idea of the ‘deceiver’ is mainly relative to men: that of ‘antichrist’ to the Lord”. 60

The deceivers are those who reject the truth and actively try to deceive other men, drawing them away. These men were already out in the world in John’s day, and John warns the church against them in 1 John 2:18-27 (against antichrists) and 1 John 4:1-3 (against false prophets and the spirit of antichrist).

The antichrists are those who replace Christ by opposition and who actively try to deceive; they actively proclaim error. They were the antichristian alternatives to true missionaries. They were false teachers and could be labeled the devil’s missionaries. They posed a great danger for the church. In 1 John 4, going out is associated with the evil spirits who have gone out, from Satan, to deceive the nations. In John, the world, kosmos, a complex term means the evil, organized system in hostile opposition to God (cf. 1 John 2:15–17). Stott thinks the statement is deliberately “reminiscent of the mission of Christ and of his apostles. Christ was being aped by antichrist” (210). They are Satan’s missionaries on assignment. Because 1 John 2:18–27 and 4:1–3 parallel these verses, it is probable that the same group of false teachers is in view.

In 2 John 7 and 1 John 2:19 the contrast is between being in the church and being in the world. The deceivers mentioned here are people who have gone out into the world, leaving the fellowship of the church. This group no longer believed that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, and so denied both His person and work. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God who came in the flesh, and only as the God-Man does He pay for sin. In writing his letters, John refers to individual aspects of this confession (1 John 2:22; 4:2, 3; 4:15; 5:1, 5,6). Because every aspect of Christ’s work flows from Jesus Christ’s coming in the flesh, the fact that He did come in the flesh becomes a touchstone of John’s orthodoxy. A denial of this central truth leads to a denial of all the truths of Christ. If He was not man, He could not pay for sin, and He could not save mankind. In this passage, the false prophets focus on this aspect of Christ’s work. We do not know the exact heresy, but is

60 229.

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seems to be an early form of Gnosticism, something that would fully developed in the second century.

Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist: John calls any who deny the gospel of Christ antichrists, those who do the devil’s work (1 John 2:18).61 In John’s writings, the antichrist is a final figure, one who will oppose God. He has forerunners, and therefore, any who oppose Jesus are branded antichrists.

John commands (Greek imperative) the church to (1) watch out (v. 8) and (2) do not take him into your house or give him any greeting (v. 10). 62Here John follows the example of Jesus who often used to warn His disciples about those who might deceive them (Mark 8:15; 12:38; 13:23; cf. also Heb. 3:12). The church must be on constant guard, and not sleep. They must not allow these men to enter the church (2 John 10).

so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward: John warns against a losing a reward. It could refer to being deprived of the whole blessing brought by Christ, or it could refer to a loss of reward in the context of Christian service. Since the error is so fundamental, John seems to be warning them about losing Christ. In fighting this fight, perseverance is a mark of possessing the truth. Akin states: “To stay with Christ gives the clearest evidence that one belongs to Christ. To cling to him and him alone is the surest and only path to receiving all-that God has provided. John is pastoral at this point of the letter” (231).

Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ: In verse 9, the elder speaks of the error of the antichrist as running or going on ahead and so not abiding. To run ahead seems to imply going beyond what was taught. It seems to refer to those who claim they are building upon Christian truth, but in their own wisdom they add new ideas to the gospel, instead of continuing in Christ. This attack is more subtle than merely denying Christ. It is saying that you believe in Christ, but then adding error to the basic revelation which then leads to the total undermining of it.

Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son: In contrast, those who continue in the teaching that has been given from the beginning, they will have both

61 A full discussion of the expression antichrist and its significance is included in the commentary on 1 John 2:18. Here it is sufficient to include a summary of the main points: First, the general concept of a powerful end-time figure opposed to God is found in Jewish apocalyptic writings, and it is probably in these writings that the background to the antichrist concept of 1 and 2 John is to be found. Second, it is clear that the coming of a powerful antichrist figure was part of early Christian teaching. Third, in early Christian teaching a distinction was made between the great antichrist figure who will appear near the very end, and lesser antichrist figures whose influence is already being felt. Fourth, it was widely recognized that the function of both the antichrist figure and those who precede him is to deceive people. Fifth, in New Testament sources apart from 1 and 2 John, the antichrist figures attack the church from without, and sometimes the portrayal of these figures has clear political overtones (Matthew/Mark, Revelation). Sixth, only in 1 and 2 John are antichrist figures identified as former members of a Christian community. Seventh, while human beings certainly can function as antichrist figures (plural), the depiction of the antichrist (singular) in both Jewish apocalyptic and New Testament writings involves characteristics which suggest a superhuman being in opposition to God and his purposes (Kruze 210-211). 62 Akin 228.

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the Father and the Son. To abide is to remain in the original revelation given in the Son. According to the original revelation, if we have the Son, we will have the Father also. It is impossible to separate the two. Jesus said this in John 14:6. If we have the Son, we have the Father; if we reject the Son, we are rejecting the Father. To reject the Son is to reject the Father who sent Him (1 John 4:10).

4. Warning against Hospitality/Assistance that will Further the Destructive Teaching

If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, (11) for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works (2 John 10,11).

John’s theology is practical. In the context of first century hospitality and the spread of gospel teaching (Lesson One), John calls the church to discernment. When false teaching/teachers come, he tells them that they must not provide hospitality or assist in any way. If they did so, the false teaching would enter and harm the church, and then spread to other churches. Those who assist are guilty of actively taking part of in the false teacher’s wicked works. The house is mentioned as a place of assistance because the early church often met in houses. In this case then, the danger was even higher as hospitality, or the offer to stay in the house, could influence the church. 5. Final Greetings (2 John 12-13)

Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete. (13) The children of your elect sister greet you.

John ends this letter by stating that he still has much to relay, but that he would rather speak to them in person.

so that our joy may be complete: If the church continues to walk in truth and love, then John’s (and others in the church) joy will be made full. In verse four, John spoke of having great joy as God’s people walked in the truth (2 John 4). In 3 John 4 he writes to Gaius: I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. John is always seeking the good of others. This shows us the true nature of John’s character; it is the great joy of John’s heart when he finds that his disciples are walking in truth and love.

The children of your elect sister greet you: John began this letter by mentioning the elect lady He ends in a similar way, speaking of the elect sister. The phrases elect lady and elect sister form an inclusion. The church, in Scripture, is often seen as a woman, and so this phrase would be a reference to greetings from the church he was attending at that time.

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Lesson Seven Questions

1. Name three main themes from 2 John.

2. Are the themes in 2 John closer to 1 John or to 3 John?

3. Why does John use the term elder when addressing the church?

4.What is the relationship between truth and love in 2 John?

5. What is the Father’s command that we are to listen to?

6. What great command does John make to the church?

7. According to Westcott and others explain deceiver and antichrist?

8. How is the church to protect herself against attack?

9. What might believers lose if they allow false teachers/teachings to enter into the church?

10. What practical steps are church members to take if false prophets come to us?

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Lesson Eight: A Commendation, a Warning, and a Good Example (3 John)

3 John is a personal letter to Gaius.63 It is the shortest book in the Scriptures, with only 219 words in the Greek translation. Unlike 1 and 2 John, this letter’s focus is not on theology; it deals with the practical issues of church government and the character of people within the church of the first century.

John had previously written to the church expressing his concerns, but his letters were rejected by Diotrephes, the leader of the church, and so his authority and influence in the church were rejected as well (3 John 9). In response, John writes another letter to Gaius, who was either a member of the church or one familiar with the situation. In this letter, John commends Gaius and asks him to receive his messenger, Demetrius. John goes on to say if he comes he will deal with Diotrephes directly (3 John 9).

The letter is important because it makes the three unique contributions to our understanding of the New Testament period and the early church.

1. This is a personal letter from John, giving us an insight into John’s character and his relationship with his friends and fellow believers. Because it is a personal letter, the closest parallel to it is Paul’s letter to Philemon. Both letters can be studied together for insights into the two apostles’ characters.

2. The letter focuses on personal and moral conflicts, rather than theological issues. It shows how moral issues affect the local church, interchurch relationships, and missions.

3. John offers important insights into the nature, grounds, and role of the local church in missions during the first century.

The letter can be divided into three parts. The first part is written to support and strengthen Gaius in his ongoing work of hospitality to traveling missionaries. The second part is a warning to Gaius concerning Diotrephes’ bad behavior and an assurance to him that John will deal with the situation. The final part of the letter serves as a recommendation of Demetrius to Gaius and the congregation.

An easy outline for preaching this passage would include an introduction and conclusion with focus on the strengths and weaknesses of the three main characters: Gaius, Diotrephes and Demetrius. It would also look at how their conduct affected the local church, the broader New Testament structure, and missions.

63 It follows the basic letter pattern: an introduction (1–4), a body (5–11), and a conclusion (13–14).

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1. The Opening (v.1-4)

The opening of this letter is written in standard first century style and includes (1) the identification the author and his recipient (v. 1), (2) an expression of good wishes (v. 2), and (3) a greeting or word of praise (v. 3–4).

The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth… (3 John 1)

The Elder: This title seems to refer to John, the Apostle (see the section on authorship in Lesson One and Lesson Seven). Although John is an apostle, he was also one of many New Testament elders (Acts 15:2,5; 20:28; Phil. 1:1; 1 Pet. 5:1). At the close of the Apostolic Period, the unique calling of the apostles ended and was replaced with the ongoing office of the elder. The Apostle Peter also calls himself an elder when addressing a group of elders in his first epistle (1 Pet. 5:1). As an elder, John had moral, pastoral, and theological leadership over church.64 In this particular case, the letter addresses the proper functioning of the church, but unlike other letters, it was also written to encourage private individuals.

Unlike most openings it omits mentioning the place from where it is written. John is most likely writing from Ephesus, but we cannot be certain where Gaius lived.

to the beloved Gaius: This is the only letter which John addresses to an individual. The name Gaius is found in four other places in the New Testament (Acts 19:29; 20:4; 1 Cor. 1:14; Rom. 16:23), but the name was common at the time of John’s writing, and there is no indication that he was one of the men from the aforementioned Scripture passages. From the way John writes to him, he seemed to be an important person in the circle of the church. We do not know what Gaius’ relationship to the church was or even if he held any authority in it. From the letter, it was Diotrephes, not Gaius who was the head of the local house church.

Gaius was beloved, a dear friend to John. It is clear that John and Gaius shared a relationship of love and trust due to their shared love of Christ.

whom I love in truth: John uses the same phrase in the opening in 2 John 1. The expression is capable of two interpretations. John might be saying that he truly loved Gaius, or more likely, John is saying that he loved Gaius as he continued in the truth (3 John 3). In 1 and 2 John, John joins love and truth together, indicating that John loves him because of Gaius’ love of the truth (John 14:6; 1 John 5:20). As Gaius loves the truth, so John loves him.

Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. (3) For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. (4) I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are

64 John moves between both singular and the plural in 3 John. He stresses the singular in 3 John 1- 4, 9, 10, 13, 14, but he also uses the plural when speaking of the community and sometimes even includes Gaius with himself when stressing the things they have in common. It is unlikely that too much should be made of the switch between singular and plural.

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walking in the truth (v.2-4).

John, as an elder and friend, is in prayer for those he knows and loves. John prays for God’s blessing on all things body and soul. In the Greek text, all things is put first in the sentence, emphasizing it. John asks specifically for good health. This was a common form of address in the first century, but it could also indicate that Gaius suffered from ill health, and that John desired that his health improve. It is important that we see that in addition to spiritual blessings, John also asks for material blessings. To ask for physical blessings is not wrong. We are told to pray for material blessings for both others and ourselves. Jesus told us to pray for our daily bread (Matt. 6:11), and He was also concerned about the physical needs (Mark 2:9–12; 6:34–44) of people during His time on earth. Since the rest of the epistle deals with hospitality and material things, these ideas might be linked. Because Gaius was faithful in hospitality to traveling missionaries, John may be praying that God would bless him in his faithfulness.

The fact that Gaius looked after missionaries also showed the health of his inner spiritual life.

For I rejoiced greatly… you are walking in the truth (v.3); John loves the truth, so in each of John’s letters the main source of John’s joy is when his children believe the truth and live and walk it (1 John 1:4; 2 John 4; 3 John 3–4). His child in this case was Gaius himself, and Gaius’s faithfulness in walking in the truth was the source of the elder’s greatest joy. Gaius’ faithfulness was seen in his actions. He received missionaries when Diotrophes did not (3 John 9,11–12). In this he showed himself a follower of Christ. 2. Gaius Is Commended for His Hospitality (v. 5-8)

The body of the epistle can be divided into three fairly even sections, each revolving around the main characters of the letter. The elder continues his praise of Gaius, specifically his faithfulness in showing hospitality to traveling teachers/missionaries (v. 5–8). John then addresses the arrogant and abusive behavior of Diotrephes (v. 9–10), and he concludes with a word of praise for Demetrius (v. 11–12). Within this last section is the main exhortation of the book: Do not imitate what is evil but what is good (Akin 242).

Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, (6) who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. (7) For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. (8) Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth (v. 5-8).

These verses give insight concerning how missionaries operated in the early church. Unless there is a good reason to change these practices, this should be the same way that the church supports missionaries in the church today.

The brothers mentioned in this passage were traveling missionary preachers.

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They would often be strangers to the local churches (as mentioned here), traveling large distances doing the Lord’s work. These missionaries would appeal to the church for assistance as Paul did when he wrote to Philemon asking him to prepare a guest room for him (Philem. 22). Gaius was faithful in his service to these missionaries and was thereby obedient to the teachings of Scripture. Akin states, “That Gaius would treat strangers in this faithful manner is a further testimony of the fact that he was walking in the truth. He did not know them, but did know they were from John and that they proclaimed the same gospel of Jesus as he did. That was enough for Gaius. To provide food, lodging, money, encouragement, and stand for them before the community was his pleasure” (242-243). Gaius walked in the truth, showing his love by acts of hospitality at personal cost in his care for strangers.

who testified to your love before the church: When the missionaries returned they would report of the hospitality that they received from others. In this case they reported that Gaius had supplied their needs, and they also gave a bad report concerning Diotrephes. As always, love is seen in action, in assisting one’s brother for the sake of Christ.

Church: This is the first of three references to the church (ekklēsia) found in this letter (6, 9, 10). John does not use it in any other place except Revelation. In this case, the word church refers to a local body of believers, most likely the church in which the elder himself was a member

You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God: To send them on their way is almost a technical term in the early church for mission work. The missionaries did not act independently of the church, they acted together with the church, being send out by the church (Acts 15:3; 21:5; Rom. 15:24; 1 Cor. 16:6, 11; 2 Cor. 1:16; Tit. 3:13). 3 John indicates it was a common practice for local missionaries to be supported by the churches as they went out to further the gospel.

John gives three principal reasons the church is to support the missionaries:

(1) For they have gone out for the sake of the name (7a): These people had gone out for the sake of the Name that is, for Jesus Christ, their Lord and Savior. True missionaries are called by God and go out for Him, in His name. Their call is validated by the church, and they will be separated by the Spirit for the task (Acts 13:1-2). Paul himself says he was sent out among the Gentiles for the sake of his name (Rom. 1:5).65

(2) accepting nothing from the Gentiles: The majority of unbelievers in Asia would be considered gentiles. As they traveled, missionaries preached the gospel free of charge so they could not be accused of peddling the good news for profit. Paul says the same thing in 1 Corinthians 8:18.

65 Akin states, “Though it may be subtle and inferential, the exclusivity of the gospel is certainly in view. There is one Name and only one Name that they proclaim. Interestingly this is the only time the Lord Jesus is mentioned in 3 John (and indirectly at that)”. 224.

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(3) we may be fellow workers for the truth; When those in the church assist missionaries, they become fellow workers in promoting the gospel to all nations. God’s ordinance of this as the correct and proper relationship between the missionary and the church member means that both the giver (the church or individuals) and the missionary join together in God’s work. Each is dependent upon the other and both share in the work.

3. Condemnation of Diotrephes’ Behavior (vv.9–10)

John now turns to Diotrephes’ conduct.

I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. (10) So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church (v. 9,10).

This is the only mention of Diotrephes in the New Testament. From 3 John we know he was a leader in the church and he was in the same city or area as Gaius, but it is not clear if they were part of the same church.

John, the elder, wrote an earlier letter to the church.66 When the letter arrived Diotrephes rejected John’s letter. This was a rejection of John’s authority and Diotrephes then slandered67 John and his friends. He had refused hospitality to traveling missionaries and those sent by John, and even worse, he had threatened to [put] them out, to excommunicate any who did offer them hospitality. The Greek word meaning to put them out is a very strong word. John uses that word when the Pharisees reject the blind man whom Jesus healed in John 9:34–35.

Diotrephes was not concerned about love or truth; all he wanted was to secure his own power in the church. In 1 and 2 John, we see that many left the church due to error and heresy, but here, those who wanted to remain in the church were thrown out. True believers were suffering at Diotrephes’ hands. Instead of shepherding the sheep, he was destroying them.

Diotrephes rejected John and all other authority, because he wanted to be the first in honor and glory.68 John’s letter challenged his authority. By rejecting John’s letters and his messengers, Diotrephes was also rejecting God (John 5:23; 12:44–45; 13:20; 14:24). By rejecting the messenger, Diotrephes was also cutting off the church from John’s legitimate power as an elder. Through these actions, Diotrephes was showing he was puffed up, and that he had fallen into the snare of the devil (1 Tim. 3:6). Pride, the love of

66 Although some have identified the letter as the one referenced in 2 John, it is unlikely. 2 John deals with theological issues; it does not raise issues of hospitality and character relevant to this situation. The letter referred to in 2 John 9 is probably lost because God did not wish it to be included into the canon.67 In Greek, the term gossiping against us means descriptive bubbles that appear momentarily and disappear, empty or meaningless insults (I Tim. 5:13, Exod. 20:16; Deut. 5:20).68 The verb translated loves to be first (philoprōteuon) is unique and found only here in the New Testament. Akin 24.

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being first, and the rejection of other people’s authority are real dangers for those in authority.

John tells Gaius that he will deal with Diotrephes when he comes. Since he had publicly challenged both John’s authority, the missionaries, and had publicly excommunicated (or was about to) the sheep, he would also have to be dealt with publicly. 4. Demetrius’ Good Testimony (11-12)

Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. (12) Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true (v. 11,12).

The elder now exhorts Gaius to imitate what good, not evil. Anyone who does what is good is from God. A good life shows he comes from God, the good source. Akin states, “Ultimately the child of God imitates the Savior, the Lord Jesus (1 Cor. 11:1). He is our supreme example. Yet it is the case that we all need earthly flesh and blood examples to imitate (mimic) as well. We should ever be mindful on whom we set our eyes. We must also be mindful of those who have set their eyes on us!” (250). John continues by stressing the negative, whoever does evil has not seen God (v.11).

In this specific context, to do good is to provide hospitality to traveling missionaries, and the reverse, to deny them, and to put others out of the church for supporting them, is to do evil. By his wicked conduct, Diotrephes indicated that he had not seen God. The verses also indicate that Demetrius was, in addition to being John’s aid, in carrying this letter to Gaius, also was probably one of the traveling missionaries.

There is a threefold commendation of Demetrius. He is well spoken of by all, an expression found in several places in the New Testament (Acts 6:3; 10:22; 16:2; 22:12; 1 Tim. 5:10; Heb. 11: 2,4,5,39). The Greek is in the present tense, implying a testimony over time, one that continues to be valid in the present. Everyone is a high recommendation, his good conduct was known by many, and by the truth itself. This is a more abstract claim. In this context, the truth refers to the truth of the gospel, the demand for faith, love and obedience. In this case it seemed that Demetrius’ conduct conformed to the demands of the gospel. His life witnessed to the truth of the gospel in and the gospel message served as a witness that all who lived in that manner were blessed of God. The we in verse twelve indicates that John and his community could also provide testimony as to Demetrius’ good reputation. Demetrius was to be received on the basis of this three-fold witness.

and you know that our testimony is true: In 1 John 1:1ff. John argues that he had known Jesus, had both seen and touched Him. Since John is an eyewitness to the truth, we know that His witness can be trusted.

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5. Conclusion and Benediction

I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink. (14) I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. (15) Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, every one of them (v.13-15).

The letter ends almost in an identical way to 2 John (2 John 12) with a few small changes: (1) John adds the word soon. The problem with Diotrephes must be dealt with quickly before it does more damage. (2) In 2 John, John uses the phrase that their joy might be full, but here John desires that peace be with them, seemly in the light of the current conflict.

The friends greet you. Greet the friends, every one of them: The expression friends (philoi) is unusual. Here in the closing, it is only used on believers. More broadly, Jesus spoke of the disciples as friends in John 15:13–15, where He says that the greatest evidence of love is to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. The disciples are Jesus’ friends, and so He tells them all things that He is doing. 69

Lesson Eight Questions

1. Does 3 John deals with practical or theological issues?

2. Name the three people mentioned in 3 John.

3. Name three unique contributions that 3 John makes.

4. Is John an elder, an apostle, or both? Use 1 Peter 5:1 in your answer.

5. Explain the character of Gaius.

6. Why does John pray that Gaius might prosper?

7. Give three reasons to support missionaries.

8. Give three reasons why Diotrephes is condemned.

9. According to Akin, in what way are we to imitate others?

10. What are the three commendations of Demetrius?

69 Kruze 234.

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Bibliography

Akin, D. L. Vol. 38: 1, 2, 3 John. The New American Commentary, Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001. Print.

Athanasian Creed; http://www.ccel.org/creeds/athanasian.creed.html

Brown, R. E., The Epistles of John. New York: Doubleday, 1982. Print.

Carson, D.A. and Douglas Moo. An Introduction to the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan,2nd edition, 2005. Print.

English Standard Version: “Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Findlay, George G. Studies in John’s Epistles. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1989. Print.

Grayston, Kenneth. “The Meaning of Paraklētos”. JSNT 13 (1981). Print.

Heidelberg Catechism. http://www.ccel.org/creeds/heidelberg-cat.html

Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. Vol. 14: Exposition of James and the Epistles of John. New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953-2001. Print.

Kruse, C. G. The Letters of John. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans Pub,2000.Print.

Kostenberger, A. J., John. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004.Print.

Marshall, I. H. The Epistles of John. NICOT. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978. Print.

Schnackenburg, R. The Johannine Epistles. New York: Crossroad, 1992. Print.

Westminster Confession of Faith; http://www.reformed.org/documents/wcf_with_proofs/

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Instructor’s Manual

Lesson One Answers

1. The author of 1 John is the Apostle John.

2. John’s life can be divided into three major phases. In the first phase, John is active in the early church in Jerusalem. We do not hear much about him in the middle phase of his life, but then he is very active in the final phase at the close of the apostolic period.

3. John’s writings show that he is deeply reflective, plus his writings show analysis and great depth.

4. John was writing to the second generation of the Greek church that was originally founded by Paul on his missionary journeys.

5. John writes these letters because the church in Ephesus was under attack from those who sought to lead it astray, just as Paul had warned them in the Pastoral Epistles.

6. Missionaries used to stop at people’s homes as they carried out their work. Because churches met in the homes, these men often preached there as well. To give hospitality to a false prophet was to allow error into the church.

7. The book of Acts, John’s letters, and the book of Revelation tell us of the state of the church in Asia Minor.

8. Gnosticism was a dualistic philosophy. It argued that the spiritual was real and the material, the flesh, was not important. They denied that Jesus Christ had really come in the flesh. John is writing to refute an early type of this error. Gnosticism would only become fully formed in the third century.

9. John warns against loving the world and the things of the world as they are not from the Father.

10. Gaius was hospitable and assisted John and his helpers in the gospel mission. Demetrius was a faithful man with a good testimony. Diotrephes was a proud man who wanted to be first and dominate the church.

Lesson Two Answers

1. Although the phrase from the beginning refers to Jesus pre-existence from before creation in John 1:1, In 1 John 1ff it means that the message is the same one we have had since the beginning when Jesus came in the flesh.

2. Eternal life is John’s key term. Life is found in Christ. He has life in Himself, and He gives resurrection life.

3. Fellowship means to be joined together in a common cause. It is to have a common aim or goal all focused in and around Jesus and His mission.

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4. Because God is light, those who follow Him must walk in the light. If they do not they do not have fellowship with Him.

5. Yes believers still sin, but the root of sin is now broken in a believer.

6. Forgiveness and cleasning are Old Testament terms. To forgive describes the act of canceling a debt; to cleanse is to make the sinner holy in order to serve God.

7. Jesus Christ the righteous referes to the fact that Jesus is the advocate, the one who acted righteously, and who now stands in the presence of the Father to speak on behalf of those who have not acted righteously.

8. The idea of Jesus being the paraclete most likely has the general meaning of a helper. When we sin, Jesus is our advocate with the Father.

9. God’s wrath lies over sinners and needs to be turned away. God gave His Son (1 John 4:10) to be a sacrifice to turn away His wrath. God sends Jesus, Jesus’ sacrifice turns away sin, and God is satisfied.

10. Jesus is the propitiation for the sins not only of John (and his fellow apostolic eyewitnesses) and his original readers, but also for the rest of the world for all time, for those who believe that Jesus came in the flesh.

Lesson Three Answers

1. We can have assurance that we know God if we abide in His commandments and walk as Christ walked.

2. His commandments are to believe in His Son and follow His Son’s teachings.

3. These things have always been taught from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.

4. In the revelation of Jesus the true light has come, and this signifies the end of the realm of darkness.

5. If we hate our brother then we walk in the darkness.

6. John reminds them that their sins have been forgiven and that they know the Father as they know the Son.

7. John reminds them that they are strong, that they abide in the Word, and that they have overcome the evil one. He reminds them of their strength due to the fact that the Word of God indwells them.

8. We are not to love the world because the world is passing away. It will not endure, but if we cling to Jesus, we will endure.

9. John warns of the coming of false teachers and false prophets who have gone out into the world.

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10. The prefix anti can mean against, as in they speak against (Christ), or it can mean in the place of, that they try to replace Christ.

Lesson Four Answers

1. The main theme in 1 John 2: 24-28 is abiding in the truth, in Christ.

2. The chief source of a believer’s security is the work of the Spirit in them, sealing them to God.

3. The phrase no one shall teach his brother does not mean there is no room for formal teaching in the church. The Spirit’s work is to take the objective truth of Christ and confirm it to the heart of believers. The Spirit teaches, reveals, and illuminates the objective truth of Jesus Christ as revealed in time and space and now in the Word. The inner light of the Spirit enables believers to understand the truth that the church teaches.

4. If we abide in Christ, we will have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame at His coming.

5. God’s great love for us is shown in the fact that God makes us sons in His Son.

6. God does not make us sons based on how good we are. He loves us so He sends His Son to be a propitiation for our sins.

7. We are already God’s children. We cannot become more of God’s children than we already are. These things will be fully manifest when Jesus returns.

8. The world does not know us because it does not know Christ.

9. Believers do not continue in sin because they are born of God. God’s seed remains in them thus making them unable to continue in sin.

10. John says Cain’s works were evil, the very same word used of Satan (2:13,14, 3:12 5:18,19). As we have seen, Cain acts like and takes the character and nature of Satan. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. In contrast Abel’s works were righteous; the same word used of Jesus Christ (1:9; 2:1; 3:7). In fact it was the very righteous acts of Abel that provoked the jealousy of Cain, which digressed into hatred and eventually murder

Lesson Five Answers

1. We are not to believe every spirit. We are to test the spirit to see if it is from God or from men. Believers are called to love, and they are also called to discernment, to separate truth from error.

2. The test that John uses to check the spiritual origin of the spirit is the confession that Jesus has come in the flesh.

3. False spirits speak through the false prophets.

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4. Our confidence that we will overcome comes through God’s Spirit and God’s seed which abides in us.

5. He who is in you is greater than He who is on the world means that as God’s sons, God’s seed remains in us in and by the Holy Spirit.

6. Monogenēs is not a technical theological term to describe a relationship between the Father and Son; rather, the term stresses that the Son was the only one, and therefore the sole object of the Father’s affection.

7. Propitiation is the covering or turning away of God’s wrath by Christ. The Father sent the Son to be a propitiation for our sins.

8. The two sources of assurance that God offers are an external historical source of assurance and an internal affirmation of this by the Spirit. The Spirit convinces us that John’s testimony is valid.

9. Love is said to have completed its work in believers when they can face the Day of Judgment without fear (Kruse 166). In those who still harbor fear, love has not yet worked its way out. In this a believer’s love is based on God’s love for us. His love for us will remove our fear.

10. His love for us is the first source; we love Him and one another because He first loved us.

Lesson Six Answers

1. The three ideas are connected, so John can cycle between them. If we are born again we have to love God, His commandments, and our bothers. These cannot be separated.

2. The victory that overcomes the world is our faith; our trust in the reality that Jesus as the Son of God, and that He overcame the world.

3. He is truth, and He points toward the truth of the revelation of God in Christ.

4. When we don’t believe we make God out to be a lair.

5. Eternal life is to be in fellowship with Jesus. It is found in the person of Jesus who is the source of life (John 1:5), and He is the resurrection and the Life (John 11).

6. John closes 1 John with the following topics: 1) eternal life, 2) prayer, 3) a believer’s confidence that they have been delivered from the power of sin, the world, and the devil and 4) a warning to keep themselves from idols.

7. John begins with the topic of eternal life and he ends the letter with it.

8. The purpose of John’s gospel is evangelistic; the purpose of his epistles is that the church might hold on to the eternal life that she has been given.

9. He is the true God and eternal life refers to Jesus and so it is a claim to divinity.

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10. Keep yourselves form idols could be a new exhortation, but it is probably a summary of the whole of John’s letter.

Lesson Seven Answers

1. The three main themes in 2 John are: (1) that the church continues to walk as they were commanded to, in truth and love, (2) that as they walk they must beware of antichrists and deception, and (3) that they must not give hospitality to the wicked, as it would allow error to enter the church.

2. 2 John deals with similar theological themes to 1 John.

3. The apostles, those who were eyewitnesses of Christ, who laid the foundation of the church, and were entrusted with spreading the gospel in the early church, were passing from the scene. As the church grew and matured, and the apostles died, the office of apostle was replaced by the ordinary and continued office of elder in the church. Like Peter, John was both an apostle and an elder.

4. The themes of truth and love occur throughout John’s letters. Jesus is the source of both truth and love.

5. The Father’s command could refer to (1) His a command for us to listen to Jesus which the Father made at the time of His baptism, (2) a general command to listen to Jesus’s words, or (3) a command for us to listen to the gospel of Jesus as preached by the apostles and now found in the scriptures.

6. The great command that John makes to the church is for believers to love one another.

7. The idea of the deceiver is mainly relative to men: that of antichrist is to the Lord. The deceivers are those who reject the truth and also actively try to deceive other men, drawing them away from the truth. The antichrists are those who replace Christ by opposition and are actively trying to deceive,

8. The church must be on constant guard, and not be asleep. She must not allow these men to enter the church

9. If false teachers/teachings are allowed in the church, believers might lose what they have worked for: their full reward.

10. Believers must not receive false prophets into their house or give them any greeting, for whoever greets a false prophet takes part in his wicked works.

Lesson Eight Answers

1. 3 John deals with practical issues: people’s character in the church.

2. The three people mentioned in 3 John are Gaius, Diotrephes, and Demetrius.

3. 3 John is a personal letter from John, it focuses on character, moral issues, and it shows us the nature, foundation, and role of the church in missions.

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4. Like Peter, John is an apostle and an elder.

5. Gaius was a faithful, hospitable man who loved the church and sought to assist ministers.

6. John prays that Gaius might prosper because Gaius might have had bad health or it might have been a common greeting. In either case, John is concerned with both Gaius’ physical and spiritual needs.

7. Missionaries should be supported because they have gone out for Christ’s name sake, they need to avoid being accused of selling the gospel for profit, and when missionaries are supported the church becomes a fellow worker.

8. Diotrephes is condemned because he wants to be first in the church, he slandered John rejecting his authority, and he attacked the church members who were doing good.

9. “Ultimately the child of God imitates the Savior, the Lord Jesus (1 Cor. 11:1). He is our supreme example. Yet it is the case, we all need earthly flesh and blood examples to imitate (mimic) as well. We should ever be mindful on whom we set our eyes. We must also be mindful of those who have set their eyes on us!”

10. Demetrius is well spoken of by all, by the truth, and by John himself.

Final Exam

1. Briefly describe the three phases of the apostle John’s life2. Explain how hospitality and heresy were linked?3. What was Gnosticism? Why was it dangerous?4. Explain what fellowship means.5. Explain Jesus work as paraclete.6. Explain the term propitiation in 1 John.7. What is the relationship between Christ’s coming and the darkness passing away?8. Describe the two meanings of the prefix anti.9. What is a chief source of a believer’s security?10. When do we become God’s children? When will it be fully manifest?11. If we are God’s sons, why does the world not know us?12. Are we to believe every spirit?13. Explain the phrase he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.14. God is love. How is that love perfected in us as we think about the Day of Judgment? 15. What is the victory that overcomes the world? 16. Explain John’s final exhortation, keep yourselves from idols. 17. Name three main themes from 2 John.18. What is the relationship between truth and love in 2 John?19. Name the three persons mentioned in 3 John.20. Give three reasons why Diotrephes is condemned.

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Author BiographyJulian Zugg was born in England and raised in South Africa. In 1986, he moved back to England. He read Law and qualified as a Barrister (US trial lawyer). He taught Law at Buckingham University for eight years and was involved in two Reformed Churches and a mission work to Eastern Europe.

In 2001, he graduated from Reformed Theological Seminary (MDiv. Jackson) and worked as an assistant/associate minster involved in all areas of pastoral ministry in the Presbyterian Church in America from 2002-2008. In 2008, he was called as the Director of Theology at Belize Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Belize, preparing candidates for pastoral ministry in the Presbyterian Church and other denominations. He is currently the International English Director for Miami International Seminary, where his duties include teaching, writing, developing, and supporting MINTS centers in eleven countries.

He has written the following courses for MINTS, available at http://courses.mints.edu/

Acts, Apologetics, Introduction to the Scripture, the Doctrine of the Church, Covenant Theology, Eschatology, Jonah, Mission, the Synoptic Gospels, Pauline Theology 1, Pauline Theology 2, 1,2,3 John, Reformed Worship, The Book of Revelation.

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