The Epistles of John

1
The Epistles of John

• The Truth of God Demystified

2
Demystifying Fellowship Sin

• The Truth of God Demystified

3
Johns Environment
4
From Eternity to Eternity

• beginning arches v1
• appeared ephanerothe v2 (2x)
• we proclaim apangellomen v3
• fellowship koinonia v3 (3x)
• joy chara v4

That which was with the Father in the
beginning,as his inseparable inward thought and
concept,as eternal as himself,has now
progressivelyappeared in the person of
Christ,been proclaimed by the apostles to the
believers,resulted in the believers fellowship
of the Father and Son, will climax in the
ultimate joy of eternity with God and Christ.
5
Doctrine in Johns Epistle is Given its Ultimate
ImportJohn does not expand on Jesus teaching,
but rather outlines the absolutes intended, but
which may not be readily perceived.It is very
important to understand Johns meanings in the
use of words or we will miss the whole point of
his message to us.

• First Epistle of John
• Subject Nominal Meaning Johns special use
  meaning
• 12 Eternal life everlasting life The quality of
  Gods life His inextinguishable character.
• 13 fellowship sharing with A state of personal
  acceptance believers with God and Christ.
• 15 light illumination The very nature of God
  His glory enlightenment Genuine living of Gods
  principles.
• 15 darkness unenlightened Walking after fleshly
  principles
• 16 truth true belief Living with right
  attitudes actions which make truth visible.
• 16 we lie tell untruth A denial of Christs
  principles in life

6
Doctrine in Johns Epistle is Given its Ultimate
Import

• First Epistle of John
• Subject Nominal Meaning Johns special use
  meaning
• 21 little children believers The genuine
  believers.
• 215 the world unbelievers One who surrenders
  to fleshly lusts.
• 34committeth sin transgression A lawless
  disposition.
• 36 sinneth not no transgression A state of
  constant repentance.
• 39 cannot sin perfect A state of constant
  forgiveness.
• 312 righteous sinless Practising the principles
  of God.
• 315 murderer to kill To hate ones brother.
• 520 true God not false The genuine and real God.

7
These Epistles are the Very Last Writings of the
Apostles

• How can we benefit from a study of Johns
  Epistles?
• De-mystify the text by clarifying the words and
  phrases into their simple meanings.
• Read the letter in the right frame of mind. See
  it as John writing it in a heightened emotional
  state of mind and maintain this appreciation
  whilst reading it.
• Dont get bogged down with too technical
  analysis.
• You can understand it because it is the language
  that only those in the truth know.
• It is not an exposition of chapter and verse It
  swallows all the real issues of a life in the
  truth of God and is Johns most mature
  expressions in his old age.

8
When John Wrote the Epistles

• John was banished to Patmos in about AD93
• before the end of the reign of Domitian, AD96
• The issue as to whether the Gospel was written
  first or last seems to be settled by comparing
• John 2031 with 1John 513
• John 2031 These things are written that you
  might believe
• 1John 513 These things have I written unto you
  that believe
• 1John 218
• Little children, it is the last time lit. hour
• This is a description of a time for urgent review
  rather than some artificial end of an age.

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Why Did He Write?

• The Negative
• Fear that the true brethren might be deceived by
  the false. 1John 213
• The Positive
• That the true brethren might have their joy
  fulfilled even in this life. 1John 14

10
Why Did He Write?

• Crowning Facts for The True Believer
• Looked at in the ideal they cannot be wilful
  sinners 36.
• Sin is real betrayal before God but recovered by
  confession 19.
• The proof of a life in Christ is its seeking to
  obey the will of God 25.
• Proof of the credentials of the true brother is
  brotherly love 210.
• The greatest danger to the true believer is to
  fall to lust 214-17.

11
The Divisions of the First Epistle of John

• 11-5 The Prelude The beginningEternal life
  Joy.
• 16-10 Fellowship and sin How to view.
• 21-3 Jesus Christ Advocate and Propitiation.
• 24-5 The First Test Knowing God Never
  intellectual only.
• 26-8 The Second Test Abiding in Christ Seen
  in our walk.
• 29-11 No enlightenment without love being
  practised.
• 212-14 Little children are the true believers.
• 215-17 The world and the believers.
• 218-23 Little children Identify the antichrist.
• 224-29 The spirit of Christ must continue to
  abide.

12
The Divisions of the First Epistle of John

• 31-3 The Fathers love the purified sons of
  God.
• 34-15 Sin versus Eternal life.
• 316-24 Christs love and its reality in our
  life.
• 41-24 Test the spirits The true are
  identified by love.
• 419-21 The Third Test Perfect faith casts out
  fear.
• 51-5 Combination of the Three Tests Faith and
  love victorious.
• 56-8 Three Witnesses Spirit, water blood.
• 59-13 The witness in himself.
• 514-15 In harmony with Gods will.
• 516-19 Born of God.
• 520-21 Finale The True God Eternal life.

13
John the Author of Gospel Epistle

• John was the closest and most eloquent of the
  disciples and had the most intimate relationship
  with Jesus. Clearly, of all the Gospels, the
  Gospel of John emerges as the most profound.
• The first Epistle of John is an extension of the
  Gospel and comes at the latter end f his life
  where his appreciation of his Masters love for
  him and the understanding of his Lords nature
  and mission would be enriched by his own life
  experiences. His long years of devotion and
  service following Jesus ascension was spiced
  with the challenges of persecution and the
  disappointment of seeing a decline in the
  believers to false attitudes and concepts of the
  teaching and character of Christ.
• The Epistles offer a vivid picture of the
  ecclesia near the turn of the century where
  Pauls warnings to the Ephesian elders had now
  become a reality and presented a different crisis
  where the foundation of the Truth was threatened
  from within. This provides a good case for
  saying that the first Epistle of John is the most
  vital of all Divine pronouncements.

14
John the Author of Gospel Epistle

• The similarities and style in the subject matter
  between the Epistle and the Gospel are striking.
  Both writings dwell on contrasts light with
  darkness, life with death, love and hate, truth
  and error, children of God or children of the
  devil, of the world or not of the world, either
  knowing God or not knowing God.
• The unique sentence constructions found nowhere
  else in the New Testament are easily illustrated
  as
• this is the condemnation, that light is come
  into the world (John 319)
• this is the record, that God has given to us
  eternal life (1John 511)
• Or his unique expression everyone that
• Everyone that doeth evil hateth the light
  (John 320)
• Everyone that loveth is born of God (1John 47)

15
Why Does John Write?
There can be no doubt that John was seeing
teachings and attitudes developing, in the
ecclesias he moved amongst, which threatened the
very salvation of his hard won beloved brethren
and sisters

• It was not just a different slant or
  comprehension of some areas of doctrine of little
  importance but these new teachings carried with
  them the power to transform one from being in
  fellowship with God to being excluded and
  rejected altogether.
• Fellowship with God exists because ones
  appreciation of divine truth and attitude of
  mind makes us acceptable to God. We must see
  sin as God sees it in order to be able to
  respond ourselves in a way that God can forgive.
• If by our belief of false concepts, we relegate
  the sins we commit to a position of unimportance
  in our own minds, we fall from light to darkness
  and lose acceptance with God. Such a mind change
  results in our failure to appreciate the obvious
  reasons for Christs death, hence to lose
  appreciation for His atoning work, and finally,
  has inevitably lead us to a loss of fellowship
  with the Father and Son. This fellowship is
  dependant on such a sympathetic sharing of those
  realities.

16
Why Does John Write?

• This is exactly what John could see was taking
  place and hence he begins his letter with the
  absolutes of being in the Truth.
• 1. Light darkness 2. Fellowship 3. Sin
• 4. Know him 5. Abide in him 6. Love his brother
• False Teachers
• The various references by John make it clear that
  this was a very serious situation that had
  developed.
• The expressions If we say and he that saith
  presumes that some, by their very attitudes
  revealed, were doing exactly what John is citing
  as examples.
• Cp. If we say 16,8,10 and he that saith
  24,6,9

17
Why Does John Write?

• Other significant statements follow such as
• antichrist 218,22
• they went out from us 219
• them that seduce you 226
• whosoever doeth not righteousness 310
• believe not every spirit 41
• They are of the world 45
• He that loveth not 48

18
The Epistles of John in Context

• The Epistles of John and similarly that of Jude
  offer an insight into ecclesial life where Pauls
  prediction of troubles from within had now swept
  over the ecclesias. This is the period around
  AD90. Jerusalem had been destroyed and hostility
  had now subsided, offering occasion for spiritual
  growth but contrariwise, opportunity for apathy,
  false seducing teachers and dissension within.
  1John 226.

19
The Seven Ecclesias of Asia

• The first epistle is no doubt written to his home
  ecclesia at Ephesus and from thence it would
  circulate his circuit of ecclesias in Asia Minor.
  When one asks, why the Lord specifically chose
  the seven ecclesias of Revelation to address the
  letters of the Apocalypse to? the key is
  surely found in His selection of John as the one
  who should receive these visions. These
  ecclesias would have been Johns regular circuit
  of responsibility and they would have been
  already conscious of the many prior warnings he
  had given them. Hence Jesus words to them,
  though now cast in symbols, were not seen as
  containing lessons foreign to them, but rather
  highlighting that Christ as judge was aware of
  their responses to their apostolic instruction,
  whether negative or positive.

20
The Relationship of the Epistles to Johns Gospel

• Whilst Johns letters are specific to the
  spiritual needs of his ecclesias they draw
  heavily, as one would expect, on the words of his
  Lord recorded by John in his gospel record.
  Consequently the epistles become a further
  exposition of Jesus teaching a further emphasis
  of the deepest spiritual meanings contained in
  the sections of his Gospel record he now cites.
• The relationship of the Epistle to the Gospel
  could not be more evident than in the opening
  verses of both the first Epistle and first
  chapter of the Gospel.
• We note the repetitive use of the words
• beginning Word life light darknessGk.
  arches logos zoe phos skotos
• all of which are the same specific Greek words
  characteristically used by John. The connection
  is just so obvious, that of necessity, a
  comparison is urged upon us if we wish to fully
  understand.

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Demystifying Light Darkness

• The Truth of God Demystified

23

• 1John 16
• If we say
• We have fellowship with him
• And walk in darkness
• we lie
• and do not the truth

• v7
• But if we
• walk in the light
• as he is in the light
• we have fellowship with one another,
• and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from
  all sin.

24

• v8
• If we say
• that we have no sin,
• we deceive ourselves
• and the truth is not in us.

• v9
• If we
• confess our sins,
• he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
• and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

25
Repentant Disposition

• 21-2 (My little children, these things I write
  unto you, that you may not sin.)
• But if any man sin we have an advocate with the
  Father,
• Jesus Christ the righteous,
• and he is the propitiation for our sins.

Self RighteousDisposition

• v10
• If we saythat we have not sinned,
• we make him a liar
• and his word is not in us.

26
Propitiation 1John 21

• he is the propitiation for our sins but also
  for the whole world
• The added statement means the understanding must
  be qualified.
• How is he a covering for sins for the whole
  world?
• John 317 explainsthat the world through him
  might be saved
• Luke 1813 has the same formGod be merciful to
  me a sinner propitious
• Also in Heb 217to make reconciliation for the
  sins of the people a state whereby we can be
  viewed favourably.

27
Propitiation 1John 21

• It is not universal salvation.God is unable to
  pass over rebellion without repentance and will
  by no means clear the guilty.
• (Not the same word for reconciliation as in 2Cor
  518,19 Eph 216 Col 120)
• Christs sacrifice is for all,provided they
  respond to Gods love,in giving him for the sins
  of the world.God would that none perish,but for
  that to result all must repent.
• Jesus offering is the means to bring all to
  acknowledge Gods righteousness in requiring
  death for sin, but also to open the way of
  forgiveness to those who recognise it and pattern
  their lives thereafter on the principles of
  Christ.

28

• 1st Half God is LightCh 15 228
• The leading thought v5
• First InferenceThe true fellowship
  v6,7Believer must not sin
• Second InferenceConfess sins v8-10Must not
  conceal sins
• Third InferenceRemedy for sins 21,2
• Obedience The sign of walking in the Light
  v3-8

• 2nd Half God is LoveCh 229 512
• Righteousness criteria for Divine birth 229
• Divine birthOutcome of Gods love 31-3
• Its consequence on human conduct v4-10
• Brotherly love pre-requisite of Divine birth
  v10-18
• Result of Gods love v19-24Assurance
  v19-21Grant requests v22Gods presence
  v24Gift of spirit v24

29

• 1st Half God is LightCh 15 228
• EspeciallyBrotherly love v9-11
• Things they must not love to be walking in light
  v12-17
• Manifestations of darkness v12-17
• Signs indicative of a last time v18-23
• Exhortation to continue in the Light v24-28

• 2nd Half God is LoveCh 229 512
• Test the spirits 41-6
• Perfect LoveThe surest test v7-21
• Faith The test of love 51-12
• Power of faith v1-5
• Witness of faith v6-10
• Content of faith v11-12

30
Light DarknessWhat you should say what you
should do.Obedience First Test (v4-6)

• v3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if
  we keep his commandments
• (v4-11) The True and the False
• v4 He that saith I know him, and keepeth not
  his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is
  not in him.
• v5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is
  the love of God perfected hereby know we that
  we are in him
• v6 He that saith he abideth in him ought
  himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

Contrast
31
Light DarknessWhat you should say what you
should do.The Test of Love in Social Reality
Second Test (v7-11)

• v7 Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you,
  but an old commandment which ye had from the
  beginning. The old commandment is the word which
  ye have heard from the beginning.
• v8 Again, a new commandment I write unto you,
  which thing is true in him and in you because
  the darkness is past, and the true light now
  shineth.

32
Light DarknessWhat you should say what you
should do.The Test of Love in Social Reality
Second Test (v7-11)

• v9 He that saith he is in the light, and
  hateth his brother, is in darkness even until
  now.
• v10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the
  light, and there is none occasion of
  stumbling in him.
• v11 But he that hateth his brother is in
  darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth
  not whither he goeth, because that darkness
  hath blinded his eyes.

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Demystifying Personal Purification

• The Truth of God Demystified

35
Light DarknessLittle Children Identify the
Antichrist.Doctrinal Third Test (v7-11)
(Only used here)rather, a period preceding a
crisis

• v18 Little children, it is the last timeand
  as ye have heardthat antichrist shall
  come,even now are there many antichristswhereb
  y we know that it is the last time.
• v19 They went out from us,but they were not of
  us for if they had been of us, they would no
  doubt have continued with us but they went
  out, that they might be made manifest that they
  were not all of us.

(not the antichrist) rather a proper nameIt
means instead of Christ(one who denies Christ)
36
Light DarknessLittle Children Identify the
Antichrist.Doctrinal Third Test (v7-11)
(Ointment of anointing)

• v20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One,
  and ye know all things.
• v21 I have not written unto you because ye
  know not the truth, but because ye know it,
  and that no lie is of the truth.
• v22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that
  Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that
  denieth the Father and the Son.

37

• v23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath
  not the Father (but) he that acknowledgeth the
  Son hath the Father also.
• The Spirit of Christ must continue to abide (John
  15)
• v24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye
  have heard from the beginning. If that which ye
  have heard from the beginning shall remain in
  you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in
  the Father.
• v25 And this is the promise that he hath
  promised us, even eternal life.

38

• v26 These things have I written unto you
  concerning them that seduce you.
• v27 But the anointing which ye have received of
  him abideth in you, and ye need not that any
  man teach you but as the same anointing
  teacheth you of all things, and is truth,
  and is no lie, and even as it hath taught
  you, ye shall abide in him.

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Demystifying Confession Witnessing

• The Truth of God Demystified

41
1John 314
Something has changed from one position to another
i.e. from one State to another

• Passed from death to life

11,3,7A State of acceptance, in
fellowship. 15,13 has eternal life abiding
in. v14 because we love the brethren Eph 26
made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ
a State of unacceptance, out of fellowship. v15
no eternal life abiding in. v14 he who loves not
his brother abides in death.
42
Let Us Be Sure To Pass From Death To Life

• DO NOT
• harbor bitterness
• be self righteous
• be unforgiving and love not
• be given to the lust of other things

43

• John 173
• This is life eternal,
• that they may know thee,
• the only true God.

1John 520 that they may know him that is
true, We are in him that is true, This is the
true God and eternal life.
44
1John 210Brotherly love (adelphos agapao)

• He that loveth his brother abideth in the light
• Defined by John
• This love is the fulfilling of the law,
• the proof of union with God,
• the sign of having passed from death to life,
• the great commandment of Christ
• the outcome of birth from God,
• the witness of Gods presence,
• the perfection and crown of our love to him

The absence of brotherly loveis the mark of
spiritual death.
45

• Christ In The Life of JohnWe can see the effect
  that Jesus had on John in his writings.
• The Gospel of John
• 114 Full of grace truth
• 336 he that believeth hath everlasting life
• 436 Life eternal wages for service to God
• 442 Saviour of the world
• 523-25 Honour the Son Everlasting life
• 651,54 eat the flesh? Blood eternal life

• Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.Comparative
  thoughts found in the Epistles
• 1John 11,2
• 2John 7
• 1John 225
• 1John 513
• 1John 414
• 1John 314

46

• The Gospel of John
• 812 The light of the world
• 1334 That ye love one another as I have loved
• 1511,12 that your joy.. full
• 1633 I have overcome the world
• 1934,35 one of the soldiers spear pierced
  blood/water and his record is true
• 215 children

• Comparative thoughts found in the Epistles
• 1John 511-13
• 1John 15
• 1John 27-10 1John 317
• 1John 14 2John 12
• 1John 581John 510-11
• 1John 21,13,18,28 37,18 44

47
A Comparison in Materialbetween Johns Gospel
and the Epistle

• In our natural state have sinned and thus are
  blind
• Walking in darkness
• Spiritually dead
• God loved us and sent his son
• Christ came in the flesh
• Jesus laid down his life for us
• Sin taken away by his sacrifice
• Witnessed by those who have seen him
• Receiving the witness of the believers
• Passing from death to life

• John 1240 1John 211
• John 812 1235 1John 16 211
• John 525 1John 314
• John 442 1John 414
• John 114 1John 42
• John 1011-18 1John 316
• John 129 1John 35
• John 1527 1 John 12,3
• John 311,32 1 John 59
• John 524 1 John 314

48
A Comparison in Materialbetween Johns Gospel
and the Epistle

• We have life, because life is in the Son
• To be born of God
• We are then of God
• We have seen God(even though that is literally
  impossible)
• The world will hate us
• We are no longer of the world
• We belong to Christ who overcame the world

• John 14 146 1John 511,12
• John 113 1John 229 39
• John 173 1John 520
• John 149 1John 213John 118 646 1John
  412,20
• John 1518 1John 313
• John 1519 1 John 45,6
• John 1633 1 John 54,5

49
AntichristEvil, Firstly from within 1John 218

• and as you have heard that antichrist shall
  come, even now there are many antichrists(within
  )
• Clearly there is to be a final corporate
  antichrist that they had been taught about.
• Where had they heard?Only John uses this word
  and refers to this title.
• If we go to the gospel of Johnthen Jesus refers
  to the wolf who catches and scatters the sheep.
  John 1012(within)

50
AntichristEvil, Firstly from within 1John 218

• Johns references give us the story
• 1John 222
• He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and
  the Son(within)
• 1John 43
• Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus
  Christ is come in the flesh is not of God and
  this is that spirit of antichrist(within)
• whereof ye have heard that it should come cp
  Matt 1338 and even now already is it in the
  world (kosmos)(within)
• 2John 7
• For many deceivers are entered into the world,
  (kosmos)who confess not that Jesus Christ is
  come in the flesh.(within)
• This is a deceiver and an antichrist

51
Paul spoke of a great antichrist lie Acts
2029,30

• That would follow his death,whom he calls
  grievious wolves not sparing the flock
  (within)
• Jesus called this in Matt 1325 (cp 2Tim
  31-13)an enemy that sowed tareswhile men
  slept(within)

And this was spoken to those of Ephesus, Johns
city home later, and one group to whom this
Epistle was written.
52
Perhaps the greatest identity would be Pauls
words to the Thessalonians 2Thess 23-17

• For that day shall not comeexcept there come a
  falling away first, (within)
• and that man of sin be revealed, the son of
  perdition(without)
• who opposeth and exalteth himselfabove all that
  is called God, or worshippedso that he as God
  sitteth in the temple of God,shewing himself
  that he is God...
• Then shall that wicked be revealed,(without)
• whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of
  his mouth,and shall destroy with the brightness
  of his coming
• even him, whose coming is after the working of
  Satan
• with all power and signs and lying wonders,and
  with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in
  them that perishbecause they received not the
  love of the truth,that they might be saved.

53
False Teachers

• The various references by John make it clear that
  this was a very serious situation that had
  developed.
• The expressions If we say and he that saith
  presumes that some, by their very attitudes
  revealed, were doing exactly what John is citing
  as examples.
• Cp. If we say 16,8,10 and he that saith
  24,6,9

54
Other significant statements follow such as

• antichrist 218,22
• they went out from us 219
• them that seduce you 226
• whosoever doeth not righteousness 310
• believe not every spirit 41
• They are of the world 45
• He that loveth not 48

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Demystifying Abiding in the Father Son

• The Truth of God Demystified