In the beginning of the church when the original apostles were teaching and planting churches, including Paul, the New Testament as we have it today had yet to be compiled. The writers of the New Testament were all first generation Jesus followers and their work would not be complete until John finished his revelation almost a hundred years after Jesus resurrection. But when Paul, Peter, John, Luke, and others were writing the inspired Scripture there were heresies and lies being passed around the churches.
There were three big lies that the New Testament writers address. The first lie was that Gentile Christians had to become Jews before they could become Christians. Paul went to great lengths to explain that this was not true. He even confronted Peter who had to repent of this lie. John doesn't address this particular heresy in First John, probably because Paul did a really good job of exposing it in his letters and teaching.
But the book of First John does expose the following lies that became significant and wide spread after the apostles were dead.
The second lie was called Gnosticism. This false teaching in a very simplified statement said that Jesus wasn't really human but an illusion, therefore, he didn't die because he was never really human. The Hebrew writer spoke to this when he said, "He was tempted in every way like we are." In other words Jesus was a human being not just an illusion.
The third lie John labeled as the Nicolaitans. This word is a combination of three Greek words that basically mean, "victory over people." Jesus is the victory, John will respond in this book. This falsehood taught that only certain people had access to God. Those who spread this heresy were abusive of their perceived power and many manipulated Christians who didn't know better for financial gain. Some of these folks even claimed to be apostles just like Paul, Peter and John. Peter addressed this when he said "Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example."
John was an elder in the church in Jerusalem but after Paul's execution there was a leadership void in Asia Minor. The churches that Paul planted during his missionary career were floundering even though they had received further teaching from Paul through his letters. John was the last apostle to survive and it fell on his shoulders to shepherd the churches that Paul had planted. John set up shop in Ephesus, the same church where Timothy preached.
John summarized the state of the seven churches in Asia Minor in his Revelation letter. The first church he describes through the voice of Jesus is his home church in Ephesus; "...You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! ...But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do..."
John had to be despondent to hear Jesus talk about his church losing their love for Jesus and for each other. I also believe he would've taken satisfaction in hearing Jesus commend this church for their diligence to discover the truth and expose the lies of false teachers. That would've been because of the work John did with the church in Ephesus.
Through the book of First John God defines the Jesus movement. There were many confused people in the first century, not sure of what the truth really was. Was Jesus human? Were his apostles really inspired by God? Could only certain people communicate with God and did they have spiritual authority to forgive sin? Did I really have to be a practicing Jew in order to be a follower of Jesus? There was a need to provide a definitive statement to address these questions and First John is that source. If you're a Christian but you struggle with who is telling the truth about God stuff, then, read this book. John wrote it for this reason. We're going to walk through the book of First John one chapter a week. In each chapter of the book John defines these characteristics of the movement, chapter 1- Jesus, chapter 2- Faith, chapter 3- Love, chapter 4- Church, chapter 5- Eternal Life.
So today John defines for those who might be confused about who Jesus is, especially for those who struggle with his humanity and divinity in Chapter One.
Try to imagine John in a courtroom on the witness stand. The jury is listening intently, the judge is leaning forward, and the room is packed with people all wanting to hear John's answer to the question the prosecutor has just asked. John is not only the last remaining apostle alive, but, he was the best friend of Jesus. He was the inner circle. According to John, Jesus loved him more than he loved anyone else. No human being knows Jesus better than John. This is why John has credibility. He walked with Jesus, talked with him, witnessed the most incredible things human eyes have ever seen with Jesus, including a dead guy raised from the dead, five loaves of bread and two fish multiplying itself enough to feed thousands of hungry people, and Jesus walked on water. John was there. He could tell you every little detail about what happened, and Peter's epic fail, of course, John would always get a laugh out of that.
But now things are serious. People are confused. They don't know what is real, what is truth, what is fabricated. They are frustrated. People are leaving churches. They are leaving faith. They have lost their love for God. The prosecutor has asked a question that everyone wants to know the answer to. Of anyone on earth that could answer this question it's the best friend of Jesus, sitting right here in the courtroom under oath. The prosecutor asks, "Who in the world is Jesus?"
I can picture John taking a deep breath and leaning back in his chair. So many memories. So many stories, where should he begin? "Who is Jesus?" As John opens his mouth to answer, God breathes these words, "We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy."
Here's the testimony of John about Jesus defined:
Jesus is real and was human. Seven times in eight sentences in his opening remarks John uses the words, 'seen', 'heard', and 'touched.' What is John's testimony? Jesus is as real as you and I are. He was seen, he was heard and he was touched as any other human being. Jesus lived. Jesus died. And Jesus resurrected Himself from the dead. And John was there as an eye witness.
Jesus is divine. John teaches the church that Jesus was with the Father. Jesus is the Son of God. Those who choose to believe this enjoy fellowship with God and with each other.
Jesus is eternal life. John recorded in his Gospel that Jesus himself said, "I am the way the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through me." There is no other person who can give you a promise of eternal life, only Jesus. If any human being claims to speak for God you should immediately dismiss that person as a liar. Jesus is the Word of Life. He has spoken and His Word is in your hands so no human being has authority over your soul.
In his opening statement John addresses the major heresies of the first generation church. The human Jesus was real not an illusion, he is also divine, and he alone is eternal life. I hope you know this as fact. I hope you believe it as truth. John will go on to claim in this book that those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God will live their lives as He did.
There are many today who are confused about Jesus. The most effective testimony in any court is an eye witness. John is an eye witness and you heard his testimony today. Anyone at any time and in any place can hear his testimony if they have ears to hear. I hope you heard and believe. If so you have fellowship with God.
