INTRODUCTION TO
THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN
The short epistle we know as
1st John is thought to have been among the last books to be written in the New
Testament. The church had now been
established for a number of years and had spread throughout the
As we now read this book
after nearly 2000 years, we ask whether we shall find it to be merely a study
in ancient philosophy or whether it will indeed be relevant for today’s Postmodern generation.
I believe it speaks as clearly and as meaningfully to the church today
as it did upon the day in which it was penned.
Before we begin an in-depth
study of this epistle, it is good to stand back and see it as a while within
its historic setting. Only after such a
perusal can we fully appreciate the parts that shall come together to form John’s
first epistle.
THE AUTHOR
Nearly all of the early
church writings agree that this epistle was written by the Apostle John. This conclusion is further evidenced as we
examine the language contained within the epistle.
• The author is a Jew. Although he writs in Greek, he follows more
of a Hebraic style, while his gospel account shows a great familiarity with
Hebrew customs.
• The author claims to be an eye witness of
Jesus Christ (1 John 1:1-3). John is not
merely giving a doctrinal summary of something he learned in his seminary
years. He is telling of personal
experiences. This will not be a “once
upon a time” narration of a fairy tale.
It is a living, breathing history as told from one who has been there.
There are some who have
wished to maintain that the author of the book of Revelation is a different
John than the apostle mentioned in the gospels—that he is only an elder in the
church rather than an apostle. But the
writer of the Gospel of John takes a special treatment of the apostle John that
would seem inappropriate were he not himself the author. As we shall see, the gospel account, the
epistles, and the book of Revelation bear all the marks of having been penned
by the same author. What do we know
about John?
1. The
name John was a common one in the days of the early church. It was a Hebrew name, pronounced “Yohanan” and means “Yahweh is gracious” or “gift of
Yahweh.”
2. His
home was in
It
is interesting to note that John seems to have been a personal acquaintance of
the high priest in
3. The
personality of James and John is suggested in the nickname Jesus gave to them
when He called them “the sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17). Does this mean they could stir up a storm
when they came into a room? Or perhaps
this name was a reminder of a time when these two brothers had suggested to
Jesus that they be permitted to call fire down from heaven to consume a city of
4. John
first met Jesus when he was a disciple of John the Baptist (John 1:35-40). He began following Jesus at the very outset
of His ministry and became one of the inner circle of
apostles along with Peter and James.
These
three saw the raising of the daughter of Jarius. These three were present at the
Transfiguration of Jesus. Only these
three went with Jesus into
5. John
is mentioned three times in the book of Acts (Acts 3:1-11; 4:13-20;
8:14-15). It seems as though he remained
in
If Irenaeus is correct, then
John may have been close to a hundred years old at his death. He was one of the first to be called by Jesus
to be a disciple. He was the last of the
apostles to die. His life spans the
first century of Christianity.
DATE OF WRITING
Irenaeus states that John
wrote all of his books except Revelation from
RECIPIENTS AND PURPOSE OF
THE EPISTLE
John does not address his
epistle to any single church within the ancient world. It seems as though this work was meant to be
distributed to all the churches.
The primary emphasis of this
epistle will be to Gentile believers.
This is seen in the fact that there are no Old Testament quotations as
well as in the closing injunction to “guard yourselves from idols” (1 John
5:21).
There is no reference in this
epistle to any great persecution of the church.
Instead, the issue they faced was that of false teaching that was threatening
to draw people away from the Christian faith.
John is not writing to
unbelievers, but to those who have already committed themselves to following
Christ.
My little children, I am writing
these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an
Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1).
I am writing to you, little
children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name's sake. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him
who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you
have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know
the Father. 14 I have
written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning.
I have written 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 2:12‑14).
I have not written to you because
you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of
the truth. (1 John 2:21).
These things I have written to
you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. (1 John 2:26).
These things I have written to
you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you
have eternal life. (1 John 5:13).
John writes this epistle to
encourage believers everywhere to remain in the faith that has been proclaimed
by the apostles. He writes so that his
readers might reject the false teachings that are assailing the faith. However, his message is not negative in
nature. It is positive. He does not merely present his readers with a
long list of “thou shalt nots.” He holds forth the truth of the gospel and
warns that anything contrary to that truth is in error.
STYLE OF THE EPISTLE
John’s simple style of
writing manages to relate some of the most profound truths man has ever
considered. Greek professors commonly
turn their beginning students to John’s writings, for this is the easiest
grammar in the New Testament. But under
that calm sea of simplicity lie boundless depths.
John manages to utilize a
Hebraic style with its parallelism, repetition, and short vivid sentences
without a single quote from the Old Testament.
He does not argue. He does not
attempt to prove the merits of Christianity to the unbeliever. He simple states the truth with a definite
finality.
Like the writer of the
Epistle to the Hebrews, John includes no formal salutation. He makes no personal references of any
sort. Instead, he begins in the same way
that he began his gospel account and his book of Revelation. He begins with a reference to Jesus.
CONTRAST BETWEEN JOHN AND
PAUL
We are able to see an
interesting contrast when we compare the style shown in 1st John with that of
the writings of Paul.
|
Pauline Writings |
The First Epistle of
John |
|
Presents truth
in a systematic argument, moving from point to point toward his final
conclusion. |
Presents truth
as an established fact and then draws his conclusions from that truth. |
|
Emphasizes
justification by faith and the righteousness of God. |
Emphasizes
regeneration and the holiness of God. |
|
Focuses on the
grace of God that is bestowed on the undeserving sinner. |
Focuses on the
love of God that is produced by God in the heart of the believer. |
|
Logically
moving from one plateau of thought to the next in clearly defined steps. |
Like a
composer, creating a symphony of thought and utilizing several harmonious
threads into a panorama. |
COMPARISON WITH JOHN’S
OTHER MAJOR WRITINGS
John’s Gospel account, his
epistles, and the book of Revelation form a collected unit that need to be
considered as a whole. It is only within
the framework of its neighbors that each can be fully appreciated. John Lawrence is helpful in pointing out the
following contrasts (1977:13-16).
|
Gospel of John |
1st John |
Revelation |
|
History. |
Doctrine. |
Prophecy. |
|
The deity of Christ is seen
in the life, death, and resurrection. |
The deity of Christ is seen
in doctrine and experience. |
The deity of Christ is seen
in the context of eternal glory. |
|
The word in bodily form. |
The word in resurrected
form. |
The word in conquering
form. |
|
Christ the Savior. |
Christ the Shepherd. |
Christ the Sovereign. |
|
Christ as Prophet. |
Christ at High Priest. |
Christ is King. |
|
Psalm 22. |
Psalm 23. |
Psalm 24. |
|
Written that we might have
life. |
Written that we might know
that we have life. |
Written that we might know
that we will have this life eternally. |
|
Foundation of our faith. |
Assurance of our faith. |
Culmination of our faith. |
|
False shepherds over |
False teachers in the
world. |
A false king over the
earth. |
|
The world judged and
condemned Christ. |
The world bids for the
believer’s affection. |
The world is judged and
destroyed by Christ. |
|
Faith. |
Love. |
Hope. |
Especially important in our
study of 1 John will be an understanding of the Gospel of John, for this will
be the foundation upon which the epistle will stand.
KEY WORDS AND CONCEPTS
There are several key words
and corresponding concepts that are used throughout this epistle. Most of them are rooted and find their
foundations in the Gospel of John.
1. Light
and Darkness.
There
are no grey areas presented either in this epistle or in John’s Gospel. The areas are clearly defined. To what do they refer? The answer is seen in the Gospel of John.
This is the judgment, that the
Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the
Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 For
everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear
that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that
his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God. (John 3:19‑21).
Jesus answered, “Are there not
twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble,
because he sees the light of this world.
10 But if anyone walks in the
night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” (John 11:9‑10).
So Jesus said to them, “For a
little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so
that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know
where he goes. 36 While
you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of
Light.” (John 12:35‑36a).
It
is very evident that the Light in these passages is a reference to Jesus and
the truth of His message. He is the One
who came and who walked among us. It is
by coming to Him that we can see. Darkness
is simply the absence of His light.
2. Truth.
This
is also a concept that is initially presented in the Gospel of John. When Jesus wanted to present the truth, He
pointed to Himself.
So Jesus was saying to those Jews
who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples
of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the
truth will make you free.” (John 8:31‑32).
“Why do you not understand what I
am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do
the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not
stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie,
he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John
8:43‑44).
Notice
that the unbeliever is not able to understand the truth because there is no
corresponding principle of truth within him.
Even if he sees the truth, he does not accept it because he does not
want it. To the contrary, he hates the
truth and wants no part of it.
3. Love.
The
love of God that is presented in the writings of John is an unplumbed
wellspring. It is a love that was
galvanized into action.
For God so loved the world, that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish,
but have eternal life. (John 3:16).
God’s
love was of such a nature that it gave the most precious and treasured
possession of heaven. God gave His only
begotten Son. The greatness of the gift
is a measure of the greatness of the love.
OUTLINE OF FIRST JOHN
This epistle is admittedly
difficult to fit into a simple outline.
This is because John’s circular style does not easily lend itself to a
point by point outline. It is as if we
are ascending a winding staircase, never moving too far from the central core
of truth, yet each step bringing forth a new thought that leads to the next and
the next and the next. We are able to
use the chapter divisions we have to form the basis of a working outline:
|
Chapter 1 |
Chapter 2 |
Chapter 3 |
Chapter 4 |
Chapter 5 |
|
Your walk in the light will
be evidenced… |
||||
|
In how you walk and in what
you say |
In how you obey |
In how you live |
In how you love |
In how you believe |
John did not write this
epistle to present the person of Jesus Christ.
He has already done that in his gospel account. Now he writes of the fellowship that the
believer will enjoy with Jesus as he walks in fellowship with the Savior. If you are connected to Christ through faith,
then that will bear fruit in your life and will be seen in what you do, in what
you say, in how you live, and in how you love.
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