1st Letter of John Chapter One
I.
Authorship.
A. External evidence.
1. Polycarp quotes extensively from John’s letters and attributes them to the apostle.
2. Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian and others confirm John is the author.
B. Internal evidence.
1. John does not name himself, but speaks as an eye-witness, as if his information was first-hand.
2. John’s apostolic authority is clear in the writing. He writes in categorical, almost dogmatic, terms. There is no disputing the truth of what he says. He condemns error in no uncertain terms!
3. “Johnannine” thought pervades the epistle, which would be expected if John the apostle was the author.
II.
Occasion
and Background.
A. Attacks of Gnosticism.
1. The strongest kind of attack Satan can bring against the church is an internal one.
2. When the church begins to produce division rather than harmony hard times are coming on that congregation.
3. This was the case in the last half of the first century and even more so in the following two centuries.
4. The church had segments of believers who were causing strife and division by their teachings and beliefs.
5. A very destructive force during this time (and is still present today) is known as Gnosticism.
B. Early stages of Gnosticism.
1. The Gnostics felt they possessed special knowledge which was not generally known in the churches.
2. When one believed that knowledge is the key to salvation, he and such doctrine were “Gnostic.”
C. Gnostic Theology
1. Mystical Cosmology
a. The Father/Mother is the One True God. He/She dwells in the pleuroma (fullness).
b. There is no physical matter there. There are other divine beings there.
c. One of the youngest of the divine beings (Sophia-wisdom) wanted to give birth to another being and gives birth to a dark creature.
d. She dislikes the creature and casts this creature out of the pleuroma.
e. This creature wants to imitate the father/mother and he creates a material world. This is Yahweh and everything he created is tainted.
f. He doesn't want people to know about the pleuroma and their heaven like origin.
2. Gnostics believed that all matter is evil.
a. They believed that man’s body was evil, but had a divine spirit.
b. They also believed that sin is ignorance, so knowledge brought you away from sin.
3. The Gnostics did not believe in a bodily resurrection, but believed at death their spirits entered into the “spirit world.”
4. Three main bodies of Gnostics:
a. Ebionites - denied the deity of Christ.
b. Docetists - denied the humanity of Jesus. They taught that He was only a vision (He could not leave footprints in the sand, etc.).
c. Cerinthians - taught that Jesus was just the ordinary son of Mary and Joseph, that God put the Divine Christ into Him at baptism, then took away the Divine Christ at His crucifixion.
5. Consequences of the Gnostic belief:
a. Asceticism - the punishing of the body.
1) Forbade marriage.
2) Extended fasts.
3) Poverty vows.
b. Epicureanism - the body is evil, therefore is not responsible for its acts. The body commits the sin. Epicureans were also called “Libertines.”
c. Perfectionism.
1) With a “second experience of grace” the Gnostic was above sin. Therefore it was impossible for him to sin. (Compare the Church of God, Mormonism, etc.)
2) This caused discrimination toward less knowledgeable brethren.
D. There was an inadequate sense of what constitutes sin.
1. They taught that what you did in your body did not affect your soul
2. They taught that to free your spirit you had to succumb to the fleshly desires to release your spirit
3. Others taught you had to beat down the flesh to release your spirit – the total opposite. They treated their bodies very severely (Col 2:23).
4. Some of these ascetics were so deluded as to believe the angels couldn’t tell them apart from God! they believed they had never sinned.
III.
Purpose.
A. To fight false knowlegde.
B. To clarify what faith, love and obedience are all about.
C. John’s own four-fold reason:
1. That we may have joy - 1:4.
2. That we may not sin - 2:1.
3. That we might be on guard against error - 2:26.
4. That we might know we have eternal life - 5:13.
IV. Date: The writing is from Ephesus about 90-95 A.D.
V.
John’s
“six-way test” to see if we are walking in the light:
A. Admit you are a sinner - 1:8-10.
B. Obey God’s will - 2:4.
C. Imitate Christ - 2:6.
D. Love others - 2:9.
E. Hate the world - 2:15-17.
F. Live righteously - 2:29.
VI.
Major
themes in 1st, 2nd and 3rd John:
A. The assurance of salvation.
1. One of the main purposes of the letter - 1 John 5:13.
2. The need for assurance is needed by all Christians.
a. This is especially true for new converts.
b. The ability to live victoriously depends upon this assurance.
3. We reject the false teaching of “once saved always saved;” we do not dare to reject the biblical doctrine of assurance.
4. There are four grounds of assurance in this letter:
a. The Holy Spirit has been given to us - 1 John 4:13.
b. Our confession of Christ - 1 John 4:14-16.
c. Love for the brethren - 1 John 4:16-21.
d. Obedience to the will of God - 1 John 5:1-5.
B. “Sin unto death.”
1. Indicates sin so serious that one cannot recover from its effects - John 11:4.
2. The reference is to an attitude toward one’s sin, not an act of sin per se.
a. Murder, adultery, homosexuality and all other sinful deeds can be forgiven - 1 Cor 6:9-11,
b. But one must acknowledge his sin and desire to be forgiven.
3. We can be cleansed from any sin we confess - 1 John 1:9.
4. The unconfessed sin can be fatal – its root is deliberate disobedience and defiant transgression.
a. This agrees with the teaching of Heb 10:26.
b. This passage, Mt 12:31-32 and Heb 6:4-6 refer to the same sort of willful impenitence.
5. One can pray for God to forgive the sins of a penitent Christian, but there is no such promise on behalf of the impenitent person.
C. Christian hospitality.
1. Hospitality is practiced by Christians - Heb 13:1-2.
a. The “strangers” were brothers and sisters in the Lord who had previously been unknown to one.
b. The difficulties of travel in the first century made this care a necessity.
2. Traveling evangelists were particularly in need of such hospitality.
a. The recipients of John’s last two letters were known for such kindness - 3 John 5-8.
b. But John warned against receiving and encouraging any teacher who “abides not in the doctrine of Christ” - 2 John 10-11.
3. With our society being so insensitive and impersonal, we need to revive this practice again!
I. Introduction ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .1:1-4
II. God is Light ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. 1:5-2:29
III. God is Love ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. 3:1-5:12
IV. Conclusion ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 5:13-21
I. Introduction ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ......... 1:1-4
A. Proof of the Manifestation of the Word . . . . . . . ..... 1:1-3
B. Purpose in Writing ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..1:4
II. God is Light ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ............... 1:5-2:29
A. Conditions of Fellowship with God . . . . . . . . . ........ . 1:5-7
B. Sin and Forgiveness ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ........ 1:8-10
C. Jesus Our Advocate ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .... 2:1,2
D. Tests of the Christian ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...... 2:3-6
E. Commandments Old and New ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. 2:7-11
F. Little Children, Fathers and Young Men Addressed .. 2:12-14
G. Love of the World Forbidden ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. 2:15-17
H. Warnings Against Antichrist ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .... .. 2:18-29
III. God is Love ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ................ 3:1-5:12
A. God’s Love for Man ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...... .. 3:1,2
B. Origin and Characteristics of Sinful Conduct . . . ….. . . 3:3-12
C. Love and Hatred Contrasted ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..... ... .. 3:13-24
D. Spirit of Truth and Spirit of Error Contrasted ...... ….. . 4:1-6
E. Brotherly Love Commanded ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... . ….... 4:7-21
F. Tests of Faith and Love ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... …..... . 5:1-12
IV. Conclusion ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ............... 5:13-21
A. Additional Object in Writing ... ... ... ... ... ... ... …... ...... 5:13-15
B. The Sin Unto Death ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...... ........ 5:16,17
C. Divine Assurances..... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ............. .. 5:18-21
1 John 1:1 (All verses from the English Standard Version)
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--
JOHN’S TESTIMONY
John begins his letter by assuring his readers that he is about to share the truth. This true message is what they:
1- Came to understand as existing from the beginning
2- Heard
3- Witnessed – saw
4- Touched – handled
All this concerning the word of life – Jesus! Jesus is The Word John wrote about in the Gospel of John (1:1), the logos; the living and active word of God (Hebrews 4:12)! This Word of God was not some mystical concept, but a physical manifestation of flesh and blood. It was important for John to mention touch. The Gnostics believed Jesus did not come in the flesh; that He was some sort of apparition or better yet, a facsimile, a very advanced hologram, in you will – like on the Holodeck of the Enterprise.
John assures his readers that Jesus, the very center of John’s testimony and the very Word of Life, was very real within our very own dimensions. He was palpable in every which way a human being is palpable.
1
John 1:2
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--
John was a first-hand eye-witness of the life that was made manifest – God in the flesh: Jesus – and he proclaims exactly what he heard and saw, from the Father. We’re not talking about a story or an idea, but about the historical person of Jesus, who walked the earth two thousand year ago and changed the history of mankind by opening back the way to God, the Father.
Made manifest…
A term frequently used in the New Testament of the appearance of Jesus in the flesh (1Tim 3:16; 1Peter 1:20; 1John 3:5-8); a revelation that comes from God – neither an idea of man nor a reasoning of man.
Jesus came to bring eternal life, and this is very particular to this life that was made manifest. John ties the Gospel, the life made manifest, to the person of Jesus, essentially putting the kibosh on any other kind of so called “gospel” that may be proclaimed by people. There is really no other kind of gospel! Paul also made that very clear:
Galatians 1:6-8 NIV I am astonished that you are so quickly
deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a
different gospel-- 7 which is really no gospel at all.
Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert
the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if
we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we
preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!
Only Jesus was with the Father, with God, before and only Jesus is authorized by God, the Creator and Father!
1
John 1:3
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.
KOINONIA
I. fellowship, association, community, communion, joint participation, intercourse
1. the share which one has in anything, participation
2. intercourse, fellowship, intimacy
a. the right hand as a sign and pledge of fellowship (in fulfilling the apostolic office)
3. a gift jointly contributed, a collection, a contribution, as exhibiting an embodiment and proof of fellowship
n
Thayer’s
Lexicon
The basis of the fellowship with the Father is the life that was made manifest. John takes care to transmit that exact message since it will allow us fellowship with the Father and Jesus as well. The focus of our fellowship is not one another, but the Father and His Son. They are the center and circumference of the fellowship we have through the life that was made manifest in Jesus.
Out of this fellowship we can experience Koinonia with others as well, but only to the extent we have it with the source – our heavenly Father. When the message is altered the fellowship is disconnected and you will only experience what man is capable of doing, not the love of God – what God is capable of doing in you and through you.
John adds he is sure of where his fellowship is: with the Father and His Son Jesus. He knows because the fruit of this fellowship are unequalled and unmatched by any other human experience: Peace and Joy leading to eternal life!
Any congregation or church which depends upon a superficial social camaraderie to replace the word and doctrine as its cohesive power blunders fatally. If there would be fellowship, first let the heresies be denied and thwarted and the ethical behavior of Christians restored. This was exactly John's purpose in this letter. – Coffman
1
John 1:4
And we are
writing these things so that
our joy may be complete.
The message is being shared and declared that our joy made be complete. The outcome of such a message, such a fellowship; free from man-made traditions, teachings and extremes; only truth, peace and love: – is complete joy. There is no partial joy here, as the things of man bring. The joy is complete when Jesus and the Father are our center and circumference.
Complete (pleroo):
I. to make full, to fill up, i.e. to fill to the full
A. to cause to abound, to furnish or supply liberally
1. I abound, I am liberally supplied
II. to render full, i.e. to complete
A. to fill to the top: so that nothing shall be wanting to full measure, fill to the brim
B. to consummate: a number
1. to make complete in every particular, to render perfect
2. to carry through to the end, to accomplish, carry out, (some undertaking)
C. to carry into effect, bring to realization, realize
1. of matters of duty: to perform, execute
2. of sayings, promises, prophecies, to bring to pass, ratify, accomplish
3. to fulfill, i.e. to cause God’s will (as made known in the law) to be obeyed as it should be, and God’s promises (given through the prophets) to receive fulfillment
n
Thayer
Lexicon
1 John 1:5
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.
THE MESSAGE OF GRACE
The essential message of the Gospel of Christ is one that has to come by revelation.
1. Only God is light
a. Man is not light – man is in darkness
b. Only light – truth comes from God
c. He is the source – 1 Tim 6:16
d. Enlightment only happens by God and through God
2. He has no darkness
a. There is no deceit in Him
b. There is no evil in Him
c. Man has allowed evil
d. Evil is in man
3. There is no gray
a. Man accepts double mindedness
b. Man is hypocritical
c. The world is dual
Some may think truth is in man, but this is the premise of the whole deception of man brought on by the devil – thinking we know better than God.
John 3:19-21 NIV This is the verdict: Light has come into the
world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were
evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and
will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the
light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done
through God."
If we want to live by the truth we need to come into the light – into fellowship with God that we may be exposed and transparent; that what we do may be clearly seen that it is done by God.
This requires:
1- A desire to relinquish all things us
2- An acceptance and conviction that God is our only source of authority
In a more real and literal sense, light may be an attribute of God beyond the understanding of human eyes.
· God “wraps Himself in light” (Psalm 104:2).
· God “lives in unapproachable light” (1Timothy 6:16).
· “Father of the heavenly lights” is one of God’s names (James 1:17).
· Jesus’ clothes, at His transfiguration, became dazzling white (Mark 9:3).
· The angel at Jesus’ resurrection was dressed “white as snow” (Matthew 28:3).
· The two who stood beside Jesus at His ascension were in white (Acts 1:10).
· In the vision in Revelation 1:14–16, Jesus’ head and hair were “white as snow.” (See further on Revelation 3:4)
--
Halley’s Bible Handbook
In order to walk in the light we need to die to self:
1
John 1:6
If we say we have
fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
We cannot claim partnership with God and walk according to our standards. We cannot protect our own life (ideals, likes and dislikes, prejudices, etc.) and say we walk with God. If we do we are liars, making God out to be a liar which He is not. This is why He takes it personally.
To walk in darkness is to pretend to be something you really aren’t. This could be by ignorance but mostly it is by hypocrisy. Darkness is things you want to remain hidden. If you have things in your life you want to remain hidden then you are not fully exposed. You are waking in darkness. What else is darkness?
1. Ignorance John 12:35
2. Immorality John 3:19
3. Unfaithfulness Ephesians 5:11
4. Separation from God Matthew 25:30
5. Hostility to light John 1:5
6. Hatred 1 John 2:9
Notice how John distinguishes between what we may say and how we are walking. To claim to have fellowship without living a transparent, self denying and crucified life is a farce. Such people are powerless since they are full of themselves. This is what happens when people follow a personality other than Christ. This is man-based religion with man-based power.
It is impossible to practice the truth while walking in darkness because you are walking according to your understanding and under your control. You must relinquish these to embrace the exposing light – you need to humble yourself and kill your pride – die to self.
To practice truth is not only to discover it, but to know it, hold onto it, obey it, love it and let it continue to transform every aspect of your life until your old self is so far removed from your actualized self in Jesus. A Christian that is not growing (being transformed) is not walking in the light.
1
John 1:7
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.
Vertical fellowship precedes horizontal fellowship. Only by walking in the light can we truly experience the fellowship with God and with one another. They are interdependent. In this walk we are unblemished through the cleansing and total efficacy of the blood of Christ.
Walking in the light is done, as John puts it, as He is in the light. As we adapt and conform to Jesus we are walking with Him as we are in Him (Romans 12:2; 2Co 3:18). This fellowship with God brings about our fellowship with one another. Our partnership with God requires transparency which requires a conviction of acknowledging the evil within us. Rightfully understanding that God is light will cause us to see the sin within and to walk in step with the Spirit, aligning ourselves and conforming ourselves to Jesus – the light of the world, since we so love the truth.
A yearning to be with the Lord is the motivation for our transparency which results in righteousness – walking in purity as Jesus’ blood cleanses us from all the evil we know is within! All the sin is cleansed! How amazing is that! This blood of Jesus that keeps on cleaning as we keep on walking in the light was the blood sprinkled on us when we first were united with Him in His death at baptism (Romans 6:3-8; 1Pe 1:2). It was sprinkled on us as we died with Him and continues to work on us as we continue to die to self – keeping the old man buried and being renewed by the Holy Spirit every day. To live and walk as we are transformed requires death to self, keeping our old man buried and living resurrected lives in Christ by the power of the Spirit. We are to be walking Gospels!
Exposure, vulnerability and humility are requirements for this partnership since our dependence needs to be on God for everything! Our surrender must be complete since the day we are baptized! Notice how the walk in the light is described as present continuous. We must not stop, move backwards or run ahead. It is not about how far we have walked or how fast we walk but where we are walking. As long as we are walking in the light we are being cleansed from all sin! We are walking towards Him and away from the world! We are walking towards our home and away from darkness!
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Of course, if you say you have no sin then you are deceived! You have no truth for you have not looked at yourself through the light of God. You cannot see yourself clearly! You probably don’t see God as light! You’re still commandeering your own life!
People who think they are not that bad, or who think themselves as good people are completely missing the point as they are deceived about their own heart:
Jeremiah 17:9 ESV The heart is deceitful above all things, and
desperately sick; who can understand it?
Matthew 15:18-20 ESV But what comes out of
the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart
come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness,
slander. 20 These are what defile
a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone."
God had made it clear long ago what the heart of man is all about. It constantly deceives us, more than anything else! From our heart (emotions, feelings) comes all the evil that hurts us and those around us. We read about it in the news every day! These are the things that have separated us from the Lord (Isaiah 59:1-2)!
Saying you have no sin is the second false claim John is refuting from those who claim to know (Gnostics). The first one was 1 John 1:6. Claiming to have fellowship while not abiding by the truth is self-deception. Saying you have no sin or that there is no sin in what you do is the root of walking in darkness. For example: justifying infanticide in this country by calling it abortion or the right to choose, is self-deception. Those who justify abortion are saying they are not sinning or that others are not sinning by having or performing an abortion. They are deceived and cannot possibly have the truth or know it, much less have fellowship with God.
Man's presumptuous blindness in denying the existence of sin, either as a principle, or as existent within himself, is self-deception at its worst. The Lord's Prayer which enjoined the petitions for daily bread and forgiveness, both assumed and implied the need of daily prayers for forgiveness. – Coffman
Genesis 4:6-7 ESV The LORD said to Cain, "Why are you
angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do
well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at
the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it."
In anger we try to justify ourselves thinking we are good or better, but it is sin that is close by and it is our heart that hijacks our faith. This is walking in darkness – walking according to our feelings, opinions and presumptions and not wanting to see ourselves clearly in the light (word) of God. Those who do this cannot possibly know the truth nor have the truth. God's encouragement to Cain is still applicable and possible for us to do – we must rule over the desire to sin! How do we this? John explains:
1
John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We must acknowledge what’s in our heart and reject it – put it in its place – in the grave. When we were baptized we chose to die with Jesus to our sinful selves and we buried that old man and a new creation was born by God (Romans 6:3-4)! What is dead and buried should not be seen. Also, Jesus said our cross must be carried daily, not just when we were baptized (Luke 9:23). As we carry that cross we ensure the old man stays dead and buried that we may walk in the light in our new and resurrected life!
Seeing the light of God should draw you to your knees in confession of your evil thoughts and desires and deeds. To confess voluntarily because you see the holiness of the Lord is rewarded by forgiveness from the Lord. This was Isaiah’s experience when he saw the vision from God in Isaiah 6:1-5. The vision of God's holiness caused Isaiah to confess his own sin and resulted in God taking his sin away.
God is faithful and desires to cleanse us that we may enjoy fellowship with Him despite our foolishness. Just like parents should have a desire to draw near to their children despite their flaws. Of course, if someone chooses to not want God’s fellowship then God separates Himself from that person. God does not force Himself onto anyone.
God sees our plight and does for us what we cannot do for ourselves – cleanses us from unrighteousness. But God needs to see in us a desire to own up to our sin and a desire to flee from wickedness and embrace the light and the truth.
Romans 12:9 NIV Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil;
cling to what is good.
It is difficult for man's ego to admit blame and guilt, society as a whole being hardly capable of any such admission. More and more, the trend is to deny sin exists. Drunkards have merely contracted an unfortunate disease, alcoholism! Adulterers and philanderers are schizophrenic! Thieves, murderers, outlaws, etc. are not criminals at all, but anti-social, a state induced by society itself. Sinful behavior is not that at all, but the natural response to one's heredity, environment, deprivation or other things beyond the sinner's control. The apostolic word for all such thinking is "self-deception." – Coffman
1
John 1:10
If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Saying that you have not sinned is making Jesus out to be a liar since he was born into this world specifically to save us from our sins:
Matthew 1:21 NIV She will give birth to a son, and you are to
give him the name Jesus, because he
will save his people from their sins.
“Jesus” in Hebrew means “the Lord saves”. Saves us from what? From our sins – from the fact that we continually miss the mark, and therefore, God's grace. In Jesus, however, we do not miss if you make Him Lord and Savior; meaning you will obey Him as Lord and you will submit to Him by dying to self that you may walk in the light and have His blood work on your behalf!
Romans 3:23-24 NIV for all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through
the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
So saying you have no sin – which in reality means you’re trying to justify yourself, makes you out to be a liar as well since humans are very fallible, falling short of God's glory. More than that – God's word is definitely not in you since His words are living and active and convict us of sin (Hebrews 4:12-13). Our choices are clear: justify yourself or let Jesus justify you. Justifying yourself is a lie and makes you walk in darkness, missing out on God's grace. Recognizing you need divine justification enables you to walk in truth and in the light, receiving God's grace on a daily basis as you carry your cross on a daily basis. This requires for you to be in the word of God on a daily basis!
The difference between the believer
and the non-believer is not that one never falls, but the believer gets up
after his fall and begins walking toward the light again.
– World Video Bible School Commentary
So the test of fellowship is walking in the light which involves:
Acknowledging sin = vulnerability
Confessing sin = transparency