Our Savior Lutheran Church

Open It

1. What do you associate with the term “fellowship”?

2. How do we know that the events we read about in history books really happened?

Explore It

The first four verses of John’s letter are unlike the beginning of most letters in the New Testament. There are no preliminaries. John quickly jumps to his point. The absence of such expected elements draws attention to the urgency of the situation and leads the reader right into the heart of the letter. Although John did not use the traditional opening, he prefaced his letter with four verses of foundational material concerning the apostolic proclamation (vv.1, 3a), the source of the proclamation (v.2), and its purposes (vv.3b-4).

This preface has many similarities to the prologue of John’s Gospel (John 1:1-18). He used similar words in each (e.g., “word,” “life,” “witness”) and parallel phrases (e.g., “In the beginning was the Word,” and “That which was from the beginning”). Furthermore, both focus on the person of Jesus. The prologue, however, dwells upon His deity where the letter’s preface turns the focus on His real humanity while acknowledging His deity. As in the Gospel, the initial verses of this letter dive headlong into the essential topics to be elaborated in the rest of the letter. After one paragraph, John challenged the false teaching and began to help his flock find security.

3. What was from the beginning? (1:1)

That which has always been from eternity – God.

4. What contact did the writer and other apostles have with the Word of life? (1:1)

John began his letter by proclaiming to his readers what the apostles (“we proclaim”) had proclaimed, namely, “the Word of life.” But what is “the Word of life”? Since it is the subject of the proclamation, it becomes an important question. There are two possibilities. The first takes the phrase to be impersonal and means the life-giving message. The second possibility takes the phrase

“the Word of Life” to be personal and means the living Word of God. In this sense, it is a personal name for Jesus Christ. The earliest Greek manuscripts we have today are written with all capital letters (uncials) and provide no help in determining if the author wanted “Word” (logos) capitalized or not. The best support for this view comes from John’s similar uses of the term logos in the prologue to his Gospel (John 1:1, 14) and in Revelation (19:13).

If John wrote his letters shortly after the Gospel and as a companion piece, then it seems he would be using the terms in the same way. Therefore, the second interpretation seems correct. The “Word of life” is Jesus Christ Himself. “Word” is a special, almost technical term that John borrowed from either Jewish or Greek use and redefined it to represent Jesus. Christ is the subject of the proclamation.

The substance of this proclamation is filled out with four relative clauses. These apparently were placed at the beginning of the sentence and the letter for emphasis. The first deals with Christ’s eternal preexistence, and the last three deal with His humanity. Each serves both to strengthen the readers’ understanding of who Jesus is and to confront the false teaching that challenged these understandings.

Jesus’ eternal preexistence is confirmed in the first clause of the letter. “From the beginning” is equivalent to “from eternity.” The phrase is used of the eternal God in 1 John 2:13-14 and of the sinning activity of Satan in 1 John 3:8. Although it is not stated with the exact same words as in the Gospel, the meaning appears to be the same. The Gospel claims that “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God” (John 1:1). The letter claims “That which was from the beginning,” and he “was with the Father” (1 John 1:3a). In every instance the verb (“was”) is an imperfect tense, suggesting a continual existence that always has been. John’s claim is that Jesus is preexistent, or, that he has always been.

Moreover, John claimed that Jesus was really human. He succinctly unites the divine with the human, the timeless with the historical, the preexistent Word and the visible and tangible Jesus. By tying the doctrine he is about to teach to the authority that he had to teach it, John testified to his eyewitness account of the reality of Jesus’ humanity.

The phrases “we have heard,” and “we have seen with our own eyes” begin to prove the humanity of Jesus. Although Jesus existed from the beginning, John had heard Him and seen Him. Both statements are in the perfect tense, which denotes a past action with present implications. They point to the many audible and visual experiences of the apostles. John adds “with our own eyes” to emphasize that the experiences were actual.

When John stated “we have looked at and our hands have touched,” he developed his case even more. The tense changes from perfect to the aorist. This may indicate a single act in the past. If so, it probably referred to a time when John and the other apostles had seen and touched Jesus’ resurrected body. John talked about such a time in his Gospel (John 20:24-29; cf. Luke 24:39). John emphasized his historical experience of seeing and touching Jesus, thereby testifying of His humanity.

An understanding of John’s use of the various tenses of Greek verbs is critical for understanding some of his key points. The key to the tense is not so much the time of the action, but the type of action. Generally speaking, and “imperfect tense,” a “present tense,” and a “future tense” verb relate to action that is ongoing in past, present, and future time, respectively. An “aorist tense” verb relates action that happened in the past with no type of results inferred. A “perfect tense” very relates an action that occurred in the past, the effects of which remain in the present.

The Greek root word for “we have touched” (pselaphao) is a picturesque word. It means “to grope after,” “to handle,” or “to feel for something like a blind man in the dark.” In this context it means to examine something closely. This examination of John and the apostles is one of the bases for our faith.

5. How did God reveal Himself to us? (1:2)

He appeared.

6. What was being proclaimed by John and the other apostles? (1:2)

That they have seen this life that appeared and they testify to it.

7. Where had the eternal life been, and to whom had it appeared? (1:2)

With the Father.

Verse 2 serves as an aside or as a parenthesis in thought. John stopped in mid-sentence and explained how that which was from the beginning could have been experienced by the three main human senses. He did this by explaining that the life “appeared,” before he elaborated on what the “life” in the “Word of life” is.

How was it possible for people to see, hear, and handle the eternal Word? John explained this in verse 2. Although “life” may be a reference to the life offered in Christ, it seems to be another distinct reference to Jesus Himself. This life is both “eternal” – a reference to the quality of life that transcends time – and “was with the Father,” implying a face-to-face relationship.

John maintained that this “life appeared.” The word “appeared” can be translated “to manifest,” “to reveal,” and more literally means “to bring to light that which already exists.” The life was manifested in a human body. John’s testimony reveals the progressive experience of the human senses from the most unreliable to the most reliable, from the most abstract to the most tangible. He heard, saw, and felt the human body of Christ, proving it was real.

After the first sentence (vv.1-3a), John took aim at the two primary tenets of the false teachers. To those who were claiming that Christ simply appeared to be human, John said he had heard, seen, and felt Him. To those who said the man Jesus was not the Christ, John said He was the one who was from the beginning. While declaring the foundation of his doctrine, John shot down the foundation of his opponents.

8. Why were the author and his fellow apostles telling others about Christ? (1:3)

That the readers of this letter might have fellowship with John and the other apostles, and since they were in fellowship with the Father and Son, the readers could share in that fellowship.

9. Why was this letter written? (1:4)

John’s joy in the Lord would be complete when his readers shared in that true knowledge of Jesus.

With the two aspects of the apostolic proclamation out on the table (the preexistent [eternal] and human aspects of the Word of life), John gave the purpose of that proclamation in verses 3b and 4. John revealed two purposes for telling these readers about this apostolic proclamation.

The first purpose was for John’s readers to have fellowship with him and with God (v. 3b). It is a natural result of the proclamation and acceptance of the Word of life. Salvation is under stood to be the foundation of this fellowship, and fellowship is the visible social consequence of converted hearts. Community is created. The shared life is begun. Church happens when Christ is proclaimed and apprehended. Fellowship grows when life in Christ is the common thread and the central focus.

“Fellowship” (Koinonia) is a wonderful New Testament word. Its basic meaning is “to share something in common with another.” Here it describes the unique Christian relationship that occurs when people share in common their experiences with Christ and their daily lives. True koinonia is a distinctly Christian experience.

The second purpose is found in verse 4. John wanted their joy to be complete. He may echo the words of Jesus here as recorded in John’s Gospel (15:11; 16:24). John reminded his readers of that teaching, clarifying that true joy is a result of true fellowship, which is the result of understanding and personally accepting the truth about Christ. In the churches that were about to be torn asunder by false doctrine, John gave a clarion call, proclaiming that the right doctrine doesn’t pull people apart; it brings believers together.

In John 15, Jesus spoke about the relationship of Himself with the believer as a vine is connected with branches (an important word picture for “fellowship”). After teaching with that metaphor, he added, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). Later, Jesus stated, “Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete” (John 16:24).

In this preface, John took his readers from one extreme of eternity to the other while grounding them in the basics of true fellowship and true joy. With his final words being “make our joy complete,” he described a perfect and permanent situation that will occur only in heaven (the Greek uses a perfect tense for “make complete”) In this way, he led his readers back to before time existed (“from the beginning,” v.1) and forward to when time as we know it will no longer exist. In order for them to experience this fellowship and joy, they must hold to the right basis, which is the reality of the apostolic proclamation about Jesus Christ.

Get It

10. Why do you think John stressed his and this community of believers’ personal, physical, historical encounter with Jesus?

11. How important are firsthand eyewitness testimonies, such as this writer’s, to your belief in Jesus?

12. What fellowship do you have with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ?

13. What fellowship do you have with other believers?

14. How is our fellowship with God related to our fellowship with other believers?

15. What blocks our fellowship with God and others?

16. In what ways can we enhance our fellowship?

17. In what way is your joy complete?

Apply It

18. What can you do to gain a better appreciation of the historical foundation of your faith in Christ?

19. What specific steps will you take this week in order to deepen your fellowship with other believers?

INTRODUCTION TO 1 JOHN

VITAL STATISTICS

AUTHOR: The apostle John

DATE WRITTEN: Since the author of 1 John seems to build on concepts and themes found in the fourth Gospel, it is reasonable to date the letter somewhere between A.D. 85 and 95, after the writing of the Gospel, which seems to have been written between A.D. 80 and 90.

TO WHOM WRITTEN: This letter is addressed to believers. But the letter itself does not indicate who they were or where they lived. The fact that it mentions no one by name suggests it was a circular letter sent to Christians in a number of places. Evidence from early Christian writers places the apostle John in Ephesus during most of his later years (c. A.D. 70-100). The earliest confirmed use of 1 John was in the province of Asia (in modern Turkey), where Ephesus was located. Clement of Alexandria indicates that John ministered in the various churches scattered throughout that province. It may be assumed, therefore, that 1 John was sent to the churches of the province of Asia.

FALSE TEACHING ADDRESSED – GNOSTICISM: One of the most dangerous heresies of the first two centuries was Gnosticism. Its central teaching was that spirit is entirely good and matter is entirely evil. From this unbiblical dualism flowed five important errors:

1. Man’s body, which is matter, is therefore evil. It is to be contrasted with God, who is wholly spirit and therefore good.

2. Salvation is the escape from the body, achieved not through faith in Christ but by special knowledge (the Greek word for “knowledge” is gnosis, hence Gnosticism).

3. Christ’s true humanity was denied in two ways: [1] Some said that Christ only seemed to have a body, a view called Docetism from the Greek dokeo (‘to seem”), and [2] others said that the divine Christ joined the man Jesus at baptism and left him before he died, a view called Cerinthianism, after its most prominent spokesman, Cerinthus. This view is the background of much of 1 John.

4. Since the body was considered evil, it was to be treated harshly. This ascetic form of Gnosticism is the background of part of the letter to the Colossians (2:21-23).

5. Paradoxically, this dualism also led to licentiousness. The reason was that, since matter – and not the breaking of God’s law – was considered evil, breaking his law was of no moral consequence.

The Gnosticism addressed in the New Testament was an early form of the heresy, not the intricately developed system of the second and third centuries. In addition to that seen in Colossians and in John’s letters, acquaintance with early Gnosticism is reflected in 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, and 2 Peter and perhaps 1 Corinthians.

OCCASION and PURPOSE: John’s readers were confronted with an early form of Gnostic teaching of the Cerinthian variety (see FALSE TEACHING ADDRESSED). This heresy as also libertine, throwing off all moral restraints. Consequently, John wrote this letter with two basic purposes in mind: (1) to expose false teachers and (2) to give believers assurance of salvation. In keeping with his intention to combat Gnostic teachers, John specifically struck at their total lack of morality; and by giving eyewitness testimony to the incarnation, he sought to confirm his readers’ belief in the incarnation of Christ. Success in this would give the writer joy.

SETTING: John was an older man and perhaps the only surviving apostle at this time. He had not yet been banished to the island of Patmos, where he would live in exile. As an eyewitness of Christ, he wrote authoritatively to give this new generation of believers assurance and confidence in God and in their faith.

KEY VERSE: “I write these things 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).

KEY PEOPLE: John, Jesus

SPECIAL FEATURES: John is the apostle of love, and love is mentioned throughout this letter. There are a number of similarities between this letter and John’s Gospel—in vocabulary, style, and main ideas. John uses brief statements and simple words, and he features sharp contrasts—light and darkness, truth and error, God and Satan, life and death, love and hate..

OVERVIEW

“A GOOD MAN. . . yes. . . perhaps one of the best who ever lived. . . but just a man,” say many. Others disagree, claiming that he suffered from delusions of grandeur—a “messiah complex.” And the argument rages over the true identity of this man called Jesus. Suggestions have ranged from “simple teacher” to “egomaniac” and “misguided fool.” Whoever he was, all would agree that Jesus left his mark on history.

Hearing these discussions, even Christians can begin to wonder and doubt. Is Jesus really God? Did he come to save sinners like us? Does God care about me?

First John was written to dispel doubts and to build assurance by presenting a clear picture of Christ. Entering history, Jesus was and is God in the flesh and God in focus—seen, heard, and touched by the author of this letter, John the apostle. John walked and talked with Jesus, saw him heal, heard him teach, watched him die, met him arisen, and saw him ascend. John knew God—he had lived with him and had seen him work. And John enjoyed fellowship with the Father and the Son all the days of his life.

The elder statesman in the church, John wrote this letter to his “dear children.” In it he presented God as light, as love, and as life. He explained in simple and practical terms what it means to have fellowship with God.

At the same time, false teachers had entered the church, denying the incarnation of Christ. John wrote to correct their serious errors. So, John’s letter is a model for us to follow as we combat modern heresies.

John opens this letter by giving his credentials as an eyewitness of the incarnation and by stating his reason for writing (1 John 1:1-4). He then presents God as “light,” symbolizing absolute purity and holiness (1 John 1:5-7), and he explains how believers can walk in God’s light and have fellowship with him (1 John 1:8-10) with Christ as their defender (1 John 2:1-2). John urges them to obey Christ fully and to love all the members of God’s family (1 John 2:3-17). He warns his readers of “antichrists” and the antichrist who will try to lead them away from the truth (1 John 2:18-29).

In the next section, John presents God as “love”—giving, dying, forgiving, and blessing (1 John 3:1-4:21). God is love, and because God loves us, he calls us his children and makes us like Christ (1 John 3:1-2). This truth should motivate us to live close to him (1 John 3:3-6). We can be sure of our family relationship with God when our lives are filled with good deeds and love for others (1 John 3:7-24). Again, John warns of false teachers who twist the truth. We should reject these false teachers (1 John 4:1-6) as we continue to live in God’s love (1 John 4:7-21).

In the last section, John presents God as “life” (1 John 5:1-21). God’s life is in his Son. To have his Son is to have eternal life.

Do you know God? Do you know Christ? Do you know that you have eternal life? First John was written to help you know the reality of God in your life through faith in Christ, to assure you that you have eternal life, and to encourage you to remain in fellowship with the God who is light and love. Read this letter written by one overwhelmed by God’s love, and with renewed confidence, pass on his love to others.

THE BLUEPRINT

John wrote about the most vital aspects of faith so that readers would know Christian truth from error. He emphasizes the basics of faith so that we can be confident in our faith. In our dark world, God is light. In our cold world, God brings the warmth of love. In our dying world, God brings life. When we lack confidence, these truths bring us certainty.

MEGATHEMES

THEME: Sin

EXPLANATION: Even Christians sin. Sin requires God’s forgiveness, and Christ’s death provides it for us. Living according to God’s standards in the Bible shows that our lives are being transformed.

IMPORTANCE: We cannot deny our sin nature, maintain that we are “above” sinning, or minimize the consequences of sin in our relationship with God. We will desire to resist the attraction of sin, yet we will confess when we do sin.

THEME: Love

EXPLANATION: Christ commands us to love others as he loved us. This love is evidence that we are truly saved. God is the Creator of love; he cares that his children love each other.

IMPORTANCE: Love means putting others first and being unselfish. Love is action—showing others we care—not just saying it. To show love we will give sacrificially of our time and money to meet the needs of others.

THEME: Family of God

EXPLANATION: We become God’s children by believing in Christ. God’s life in us enables us to love our fellow family members.

IMPORTANCE: How we treat others shows who our Father is. Live as a faithful, loving family member.

THEME: Truth and Error

EXPLANATION: Teaching that the physical body does not matter, false teachers encouraged believers to throw off moral restraints. They also taught that Christ wasn’t really a man and that we must be saved by having some special mystical knowledge. The result was that people became indifferent to sin.

IMPORTANCE: God is truth and light, so the more we get to know him the better we can keep focused on the truth. Don’t be led astray by any teaching that denies Christ’s deity or humanity. Check the message; test the claims.

THEME: Assurance

EXPLANATION: God is in control of heaven and earth. Because his word is true, we can have assurance of eternal life and victory over sin. By faith we can be certain of our eternal destiny with him.

IMPORTANCE: Assurance of our relationship with God is a promise, but it is also a way of life. We build our confidence by trusting in God’s word and in Christ’s provision for our sin.