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1 John Overview
Contributed by Luther Sexton on Jan 14, 2022 (message contributor)
Summary: An introduction and overview of the most common concepts of 1 John.
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1st John Introduction and Overview
I. The Penman – Apostle John – The Beloved
A. Writings:
1. Gospel of John (Saint John)
2. 1st John
3. 2nd John
4. 3rd John
5. Revelations -- Written around 95 AD
B. John – from Hebrew Johanan – Yahweh has been gracious
C. History:
1. Son of Zebedee (Mt. 4:21) & Salomme (Mt. 27:56 & Mark 15:4)
2. Convert of John the Baptist
a. then of Jesus (John 1:35-42)
b. Matt. 4:21 Fisher of men
3. Brother of James
a. James was first and older
b. Martyred Acts 12:1-3
4. Chosen as one of the twelve
5. One of the Inner Circle – Peter, James, and John
a. Jairus’ daughter Mk. 5:37
b. Transfiguration Matt. 17:1
6. Beloved disciple – Apostle of Love --- John13:23
7. Commissioned to care for Mary as his own mother – John19:25-27
8. Bishop of Ephesus (In modern day Turkey) Polycarp and Ignatius – Disciples
9. Persecution:
a. Under Domitian (Roman Emperor) – Thrown into boiling oil – no harm
b. Exiled to labor in a mines on Patmos
10. Death:
a. Natural – Only of 12
b. Around 100 AD – 93 to 94 yrs. Old
II. Written:
A. When? One source = 85-100 when John was 80
If John was aware of the fall of Jerusalem and
the destruction of the Jewish Temple (that occurred in 70AD), it makes
sense he would have included Jesus’ predictions in this regard as a point of emphasis. So probably prior to 70AD.
B. Where? Ephesus
C. To whom – The churches established by John in Asia Minor (Turkey)
D. Reasons for writing
1. I John 1:4 that your joy may be full.
2. I John 2:1 that you sin not
3. I John 2:12 because your sins are forgiven
4. I John 2:13-14 ye have know Him
5. I John 2:26 concerning them that seduce you have eternal life and that ye may
Believe
I just don’t feel like I’m saved. How are you supposed to feel when you are
saved? I know we do have some feelings that help us to describe and understand
the relief of sin, but I don’t know of specific feeling that we should have as being
among the saved.
III. Current Facts Concerning time of writing:
A. Christians now 2nd to 3rd generation after Christ
B. Excitement Fading
C. No Persecution but Seduction:
1. Many false prophets (Mt. 24:11 & 1 John 4:1)
2. Grievous wolves enter among you (Acts 20:29-30)
3. The Spirit of Anti-Christ
D. The Contemporary Philosophy – Gnosticism gnosis = knowledge
1. Only spirit is good
2. Matter is essentially evil
3. Liberate the spirit from the body by elaborate, secret, knowledge and ritual and
initiation which only the true Gnostic that can supply.
4. Real incarnation of God in man was impossible (Phil. 2). Good (spirit) cannot
take on flesh (evil).
a. Docetism – no physical body but purely spiritual.
b. Cerinthus – “enemy of truth” Drew a distinction between the human
Jesus and the divine Christ. He said Jesus was a man, born in a perfectly
natural way (Joseph biological father). Jesus lived in special obedience to
God, and after His baptism, the Christ in the shape of a dove descended
upon Him, from that power which is above all powers, and then Jesus
brought to men news of the Father who had been as yet unknown. Nor did
Cerinthus stop there. He said that at the end of Jesus’ life, the Christ again
withdrew from Him, and that the Christ never suffered at all, but that it
was the human Jesus who suffered, died, and rose again, while the divine
Christ remained absolutely incapable of suffering, and in purely spiritual
existence.
E. Consequences of Gnosticism:
1. Implication of Matter being Evil.
a. Body Evil -- Fasting, celibacy, rigid control, and even deliberate ill-
treatment of, sex identified with sin.
b. Since the body is evil, it does not matter, therefore, its appetites and its
lusts might be gratified without control and without limit.
c. True Gnostic is an altogether spiritual man; having released his spirit
from the bondage of matter. Such Gnostics held that they were
completely above sin; that sin for them had ceased to exist; that
they were so spiritual that they were above and beyond sin, and
that they had reached spiritual perfection (1 John 1:8-10).
2. Implications of Special Knowledge – Divided men into two classes:
a. psuchikoi [soulish men]—men who could never advance beyond the
principle of physical life, men who could never attain anything else
than what was to all intents and purposes animal living.
b. pneumatikoi [spiritual men] – those who were truly spiritual, and who
were truly akin to God.
3. Consequences:
a. Fellowship –only within society (clique)