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Knowing God in the First Epistle of John by Massimo
Lorenzini The book of First John is an ideal book for working with someone who professes to be a Christian but either lacks assurance of salvation or doesn’t seem to bear the marks of a believer. This introduction and overview of First John is for you to become familiar with the book so you can study it with someone you are counseling about salvation. Be sure to read through First John itself several times and have the other person do so as well. Author: John the Apostle Date and Place: Ephesus ca. A.D. 80-95 Ephesus was the Roman capital of Asia and was the intellectual center of the region. It was known for cultural diversity and was home to the Temple of Artemis. Paul had ministered there (Acts 19, 20:17-38) and wrote a letter to the church (Ephesians) as well as Timothy (1 Tim 1:3). According to tradition, John ministered there in his later years. Occasion: Pastoral and polemical Pastoral. As a faithful shepherd, John had a deep concern for the spiritual well-being of his flock. John purposed to promote joyful fellowship (1:3). But for the believers to have true fellowship, they needed to understand the truth (1:5; 2:29; 4:7-8). Thus the pastoral purpose naturally led to the polemical purpose (2:26), which was to protect his readers against the deceptive ideas of false teachers. Polemical. Polemics has to do with offering a doctrinal defense in the face of controversy. As predicted years before by Paul, (Acts 20:28-31) false teachers had arisen from within the church who were influenced by the prevailing philosophical trends. These false teachers infected the church with their false teaching which was an incipient form of Gnosticism (from the Greek word for “knowledge”). Full-blown Gnosticism did not develop until the second century. Beside the legalism of the Judaizers (see Galatians), Gnosticism was the most dangerous heresy facing the early church for 3 centuries. Paul may have referenced this in Colossians 2:8-10; 21-23 and 1 Timothy 6:20-21. Gnosticism, influenced by Plato, advocated a dualism that said matter was inherently evil and spirit was good. This resulted in the gnostic denial of Christ’s true humanity to preserve Him from evil. It also claimed to have an elevated knowledge or secret mystical truth that was hidden from the uninitiated. The proto-gnostic heresy included two forms: (1) Docetism (dokeo, to appear) said that Jesus did not have a real physical body, but only “appeared” to be physical. John firmly opposed this idea in 1:1-4; 4:2-3. (2) Cerinthus was a heretic who taught that Jesus was only a man and the “Christ spirit” came upon Him at His baptism and departed just before the crucifixion. John said that the same Jesus who was baptized was the same One who was crucified in 2:22; 4:2-3; 5:6. Such heretical views distort the person of Christ and undermine the Gospel. According to Scripture, Jesus had to be fully man and fully God to provide a substitutionary atonement for men’s sins (Heb 2:14-17; see also Jn 1:14; Gal 4:4; Phil 2:7-8; 1 Tim 3:16). An antinomian (lawless) influence existed in the gnostic teaching. They believed that because only the flesh (matter) is evil, they had no guilt of sin (1:8; 3:4). Theme: Knowing God results in truth, obedience, and love. The Greek verb ginosko (“to know”) occurs 25 times. The verb oida (another verb for “to know”) occurs 15 times. John contrasts true knowledge of God against the false so-called knowledge of the heretics. He repeatedly condemns the false teachers and offers reassurance to the believers. He does this by showing that there are only two kinds of people—the children of God and the children of the devil (3:10). There is no other category. John began his letter by assuring his readers that he, along with the other apostles, were eyewitnesses concerning the “Word of Life” (1:1) and what they had witnessed he was proclaiming to them (1:1-4). John based assurance of eternal life on a life that is consistent with God’s Word. One cannot claim eternal life if one’s lifestyle does not demonstrate obedience (1:6-10; 2:3-6, 17, 29). In this way John taught that salvation could be verified by the test of obedience to God. A person who consistently obeyed God (2:29; 3:3, 6, 9-10, 24; 5:3, 18), maintained sound teaching (2:20-27; 4:1-6, 15; 5:1), and had love for God and others (3:10, 14, 19, 23; 4:7-8, 12, 20-21) demonstrated genuine faith and thus could be assured of possessing eternal life. Indeed, John wrote that one of his purposes for writing this letter was that those who believe in the Son of God would be assured of having eternal life (5:13). The following chart highlights the distinctive differences between the departed heretics (2:19) and the true teachings of John, the last remaining Apostle of Jesus Christ at the time (1:1).
Purpose: 1. “And these things we write to you that your joy may be full” (1:4). (To promote true joy in the child of God) 2. “These things I write to you, so that you may not sin” (2:1). (To prevent the child of God from committing sin) 3. “These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you” (2:26). (To protect the child of God from false teachers) 4. “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (5:13). (To provide assurance of salvation for the child of God) The governing purpose statement is 5:13, to provide assurance for believers. Compare this with the purpose of John’s Gospel (John 20:31) which is written for an evangelistic purpose. John wants his readers to know that they can have assurance by knowing that God has brought about fundamental changes in their lives. God has given us a sure knowledge of Himself in Jesus Christ. This involves truth. He has given us a desire to pursue and obey the commandments of Christ. This involves obedience. He has given us a new relationship with other believers. This involves love. Love without righteousness is immorality, though today it is called the “new morality.” Righteousness without doctrine is legalism. This is the kind of religion that Christ severely opposed (Matt 23). Doctrine without love is a bitter orthodoxy. It is the kind of truth that is rigorously perfect, but does not win anyone. These three must be held in balance. How can you know if you are truly a child of God? John tells us that we can and should know whether or not we are a Christian and we can know this by seeing if we are walking in truth (the doctrinal test), obedience (the moral test), and love (the social test). Note that these are only tests of true faith. They manifest salvation, they do not gain salvation. Salvation only comes by grace through faith (Eph 2:8-9). Note the progression below: We come to God by the cross of Christ which is evidenced by a changed life and this results in fellowship with God and with other believers. How We Know God in First John JESUS GOD Truth, Obedience, Love …ðrð™ð Joyful Fellowship (1 Jn 1:3-4,7) Subjective assurance: Internal testimony of the
Holy Spirit (1 Jn 3:21-24) Objective assurance: Promises of God (1 Jn
5:12) & evidence of a
changed life (1 Jn 2:3-6) Now for the one who bears the marks of a genuine believer
(truth, obedience, love), how can you grow in your walk? John gives us three
keys to growth in the Christian life right in his opening words. Find Your Joy by Embracing the Word of Life 1 John 1:1-4 Here in the introduction to his letter, John demonstrates three responses
we should have to the Word of Life. Following his example and teaching, we
should: (I.) Examine the Word of Life (vv. 1-2); (II.) Expound the Word of Life
(v. 3); (III.) Enjoy the Word of Life (v. 4). I. Examine the Word of Life (vv. 1-2) the beginning - this phrase echoes back to John's Gospel. However
there are distinct emphases in these two books by John: The Gospel of John = Christ's deity that which - the neuter functions comprehensively to cover
the person, words, and works of Jesus Christ. This is the Word of Life. was - the verb used here signifies that Christ already
existed prior to His incarnation. John did not use the verb which means
"came into being." He didn't say Jesus "began." Rather he
said that Christ "was existing" prior to His incarnation. from the beginning - see Jn 1:1 where the Word existed
before the creation Here the Word existed before the Incarnation. From a new beginning in God's manner of speaking to mankind (Heb 1:1-2).
This verse is parallel to John 1:14, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt
among us." The beginning here is the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. which we have heard - to consider what is or has been said
or to understand, to perceive the sense of what is said. The apostles
("we") personally and repeatedly heard the message that Jesus taught.
What they heard had a transforming impact on them. Application - Have you heard and understood the who Christ is and
what He has done? Has that message transformed your life? Are you different
from those who haven't heard? which we have seen with our eyes - literal, physical vision
which makes up John's claim of being an eyewitness of the earthly life of Jesus
Christ. which we have looked upon - the verb here is connected with
"theater" and has the notions of a spectacle and a multitude. The
idea is of an intelligent looking-upon which interprets the significance of
that which is beheld. What exactly was looked upon? Probably the
"gaze" is to the post-resurrection appearance of Christ, as when
Thomas touched the Lord (Jn 20:27). and our hands have handled - the verb here is the same as
the one used by Christ as He invited the disciples to touch Him after the
resurrection (Lk 24:39). Application - Have you taken a believing look at Christ (Jn 20:29)?
What do you see when you look at Christ? concerning the Word of life - may also be understood as
"the Word which is the life" or "the Word which gives
life." The phrase is probably intentionally ambiguous or undefined to
allow John to be referring both the person of Christ and the message about Him.
Jesus is both the preacher of God's message and the message itself. Paul could
say "We preach Christ" (1 Cor 1:23), showing that the message and the
person are ultimately identical. In verse two John explains further what He
means by "life" showing that it does refer to the person of Christ. Vs. 2 - parenthetical statement manifested . . . manifested - the incarnation made clear
what was previously unknown. with the Father - suggests both equality with the Father
and distinction from the Father. So the first response to the Word of life is to examine the Word of
Life. Become a student of the Word of Life. II. Expound the Word of Life (v. 3) that which we have seen and heard - John refers back to his
previous thought in vs. 1. we declare to you - we are to follow John's example and
pass on to others the message we have received from the eyewitnesses of Christ.
The verb carries the idea of the proclamation being done unceasingly,
habitually. In other words, "we make it our business to keep
proclaiming." fellowship with us - though we have not personally been
eyewitnesses of Jesus Christ, we can enter into a common spiritual fellowship
with them by embracing the message they preached. This fellowship can only be
entered into by way of the true Gospel. truly our fellowship is with the Father - Those (gnostics)
who rejected fellowship with John and those he represented showed a fatal
defect in their professed fellowship with God (2:19). If one does not enjoy
fellowship with other Christians, it shows that he does not have true
fellowship with God. Application - Who do you enjoy hanging out with? Do you look
forward to meeting with other believers? Are you involved in a common purpose
with other Christians? Do you have true fellowship? and His Son Jesus Christ - when you see Jesus described as
God's Son, it primarily means that Jesus is equally God. He is of the same
essence as the Father. The same Jesus who came as a man is also God. The second response to the Word of Life is to expound the
Word of Life. Be involved in telling others. III. Enjoy the Word of Life (v. 4) that your joy may be full - John's purpose for writing was
that His readers would personally experience ever increasing joy which will be
ultimately realized at the final revelation of Christ. Joy is one of the necessary aspects of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22).
This is the evidence of the new life in Christ. Application - Are you experiencing this joy? Does your soul yearn
for Christ and the Gospel of Grace? What does joy look like?
The third response to the Word of Life is to enjoy the Word
of Life. God has taken the initiative in your relationship with Him, but we
must respond to His initiating grace. We respond by enjoying the Word of Life. So, find your joy by embracing the Word of Life. We do this by: Examining the Word of Life |
