an introduction to 1st John, 1, 2, & 3
The issue of the setting of the Fourth Gospel is really a kind of condensed history of a particular Christian community in the first century. The best efforts to reconstruct that history result in at least a three-stage view.
At the first stage, the Johannine community constituted a part of a Jewish synagogue. That is, the earliest Johannine Christians were Jewish Christians who believed that the Christian faith was continuous with the Jewish faith and who were content to live within the context of a Jewish community. At this first stage we may suppose that their beliefs were not radically different from Jewish beliefs. Their view of Jesus was that he was the Messiah who had come and then promised to return to fulfill the hopes of the Jews as well as the Christians.
The second stage of this history brought the split between the Christians and the Jews of the synagogue. It appears that the Johannine community experienced an expulsion from their religious home in the synagogue for at least two reasons.
First, their increasingly successful missionary efforts among their colleagues in the synagogue began to pose a threat to the leadership of the synagogue, and an earlier emphasis on what the two groups had in common was steadily giving way to an emphasis on the differences. Involved in this may also have been the effective missionary work of the Johannine Christians among Samaritans (Jn 4).
The second reason for the expulsion was the destruction of the Jerusalem temple by the Romans in A. D. 70 and the resulting crisis of faith. The destruction of the temple brought a kind of identity crisis for the Jews－what is Judaism without a center of sacrificial worship?－and may have resulted in purging sympathizers of Jesus of Nazareth from some synagogues. (In three places in the Gospel the expulsion of the Christians from the synagogue is echoed－Jn 9:22; 12:42; 16:2). This informal and localized expulsion of the Christians (like those remembered in the narratives of Acts, e.g., 19:8f.) was possibly (later) formalized and made a common practice by the Council of Jamnia (ca. 90 A. D.).
This expulsion had a mighty effect on the Christian community, producing a trauma of faith of major proportions. It was amid this crisis that the fourth evangelist gathered the traditions of the community and interpreted them so as to address the needs of the newly isolated community. It was then that the major themes of the Gospel took shape, providing the Johannine Christians with assurance and confidence in the midst of the uncertainty of their recent experience of deprivation. Furthermore, it was in the subsequent, and perhaps violent, debate with the members of the synagogue that the Gospel found its setting (e.g., Jn 16:2).
The third stage of the history of the community was close to, if not identical with, the setting for the publication of 1 John. While the crisis of the expulsion from the synagogue had been resolved and the community was an independent Christian body, there appeared some internal conflicts over the interpretation of the original Gospel of John in general, and proper belief and practice in particular. Moreover, relationships with other Christian communities had become important (cf. Jn. 21). Certain additions to the Gospel appear to address this situation.(1)
A study of 1st John
Opening Prayer
Father God we ask your blessing on this study tonight, that you would open our minds and our hearts to your word. Bring us to the realization of those matters that you would have us learn from this study. We pray that your peace and comfort be with those of us who are sick or disabled and cannot be here tonight. We ask that you share our blessing with them. Lead us now and give us understanding as we study these letters of The apostle John,The word of God.
About the author
Most bible scholars believe that the author of these letters also wrote the Gospel of John. John, the son of Zebedee, we believe is the author of these Johannine epistles. In addition, the epistles themselves imply an apostolic author because of the many passages alluding to an eyewitness account of Jesus’ ministry. John, the son of Zebedee, was one of the most important leaders in the early church. He planted several churches in and around the city of Ephesus. It is likely that his letters are addressed to these churches and were written shortly before he was exiled to Patmos where he received a special revelation from Jesus Christ. Tradition has John eventually being freed from Patmos and returning to Ephesus, overseeing the churches there until his death.
1st John 1: 1-4 The Incarnate Word
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
Discussion
John makes a strong declaration of the eternity of Jesus Christ, stating that Christ was with God from the beginning and it was Gods plan that Jesus came to bring us into fellowship with God by God's soverign plan for our salvation
Then one of the reasons John gives for writing this epistle is so that our joy may be complete. Happiness is no more than a temporary state of being which is directly related to our circumstances. Joy in the Lord is a constant, based on the relationship we have as His children, and is not affected by our circumstances.
Questions
1. In verse 1...Why is it important to understand why John is describing Jesus in such terms ? 2. In verses 2& 3 ,John says who Jesus is, what do you see in his words? 3. What is there in these first four verses that Christians can look to with confidence? 4. “that your joy may be made full”What does John mean by these words?
1st John 1: 5-10 God is light
5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not live out the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Discussion In these verses John describes God as light in a philosophical and moral sense. He is complete with no trace of darkness. Given that light is a synonym for truth and goodness, and darkness is given to mean that which is untrue, foreboding and evil. ( the dark side)
Given that God will never allow evil to come into his presence The blood of Jesus Christ is continually cleansing us from all sin so that we have a path,to the light, (the truth) of God's Holiness, a way in which God can look upon us and see us as Christ's righteousness. Such is a necessary part of God's plan of salvation because of man's sinful nature, which is dominated by the body's needs and appetites, and our superficial righteousness. We have to struggle to keep our desire to serve self, under control of the Spirit, in everything we do, say, think, and feel. Until we are under the influence of the Cross of Christ, accepting God's plan for our salvation, being led by the Holy Spirit, provided as our "helper" we cannot have fellowship with God and all the blessings that God has in store for us in the Heavenly realm. It actually is a struggle to resist the urge to let the things of this world dominate our very existence. Our rescue is in God's promise. John 3:16-21
Questions 1. In verse 5 John says that God is light, please explain that in more detail. 2. Define “fellowship,” and tell with whom we have fellowship if we accept the evidence. 3. What must one do to have fellowship with God & His people ? 4. Jesus died because of our sin, and as Christians we know that as truth, why then do we continue to sin? 5. Will we be saved only on the basis of our sinlessly perfect life?
Scripture reference
John 3:16-21; For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people 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 their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
Closing Prayer
Gracious God, we thank you for Jesus our savior. We pray for the need in our life to love and be loved in Christian fellowship. May we carry with us your blessing as we continue in our efforts to live the life of a disciple of Jesus Christ. Give us the wisdom and desire to seek the truth and walk in the light of Your word for our life. Now we offer up those who are on our hearts, whose names are on our lips who need your healing touch__________. We pray that you will impart to them your comfort and healing touch, that they might be more able to endure and prevail over their illness. These things we pray in the name of Jesus, Amen.
1st John1 Meditation
John was the last living apostle, the only one who wasn't martyred for Christ. The heresy of gnosticism was gaining a foothold in the Church when John wrote this letter. John sought to correct the heresy by emphasizing the deity of Jesus Christ in his writings.
John wrote his epistle in order to provide assurance for these early Christians, explaining that they in fact were true Christians. The false teachers left these new Christians with confusion and doubt about their faith. John wrote to help assure them of their salvation. This letter was not only heard, it was also lived in the person of Jesus Christ.
The Johannine Community
An introduction to 1st John, 1, 2, & 3
The issue of the setting of the Fourth Gospel is really a kind of condensed history of a particular Christian community in the first century. The best efforts to reconstruct that history result in at least a three-stage view.
At the first stage, the Johannine community constituted a part of a Jewish synagogue. That is, the earliest Johannine Christians were Jewish Christians who believed that the Christian faith was continuous with the Jewish faith and who were content to live within the context of a Jewish community. At this first stage we may suppose that their beliefs were not radically different from Jewish beliefs. Their view of Jesus was that he was the Messiah who had come and then promised to return to fulfill the hopes of the Jews as well as the Christians.
The second stage of this history brought the split between the Christians and the Jews of the synagogue. It appears that the Johannine community experienced an expulsion from their religious home in the synagogue for at least two reasons.
First, their increasingly successful missionary efforts among their colleagues in the synagogue began to pose a threat to the leadership of the synagogue, and an earlier emphasis on what the two groups had in common was steadily giving way to an emphasis on the differences. Involved in this may also have been the effective missionary work of the Johannine Christians among Samaritans (Jn 4).
The second reason for the expulsion was the destruction of the Jerusalem temple by the Romans in A. D. 70 and the resulting crisis of faith. The destruction of the temple brought a kind of identity crisis for the Jews－what is Judaism without a center of sacrificial worship?－and may have resulted in purging sympathizers of Jesus of Nazareth from some synagogues. (In three places in the Gospel the expulsion of the Christians from the synagogue is echoed－Jn 9:22; 12:42; 16:2). This informal and localized expulsion of the Christians (like those remembered in the narratives of Acts, e.g., 19:8f.) was possibly (later) formalized and made a common practice by the Council of Jamnia (ca. 90 A. D.).
This expulsion had a mighty effect on the Christian community, producing a trauma of faith of major proportions. It was amid this crisis that the fourth evangelist gathered the traditions of the community and interpreted them so as to address the needs of the newly isolated community. It was then that the major themes of the Gospel took shape, providing the Johannine Christians with assurance and confidence in the midst of the uncertainty of their recent experience of deprivation. Furthermore, it was in the subsequent, and perhaps violent, debate with the members of the synagogue that the Gospel found its setting (e.g., Jn 16:2).
The third stage of the history of the community was close to, if not identical with, the setting for the publication of 1 John. While the crisis of the expulsion from the synagogue had been resolved and the community was an independent Christian body, there appeared some internal conflicts over the interpretation of the original Gospel of John in general, and proper belief and practice in particular. Moreover, relationships with other Christian communities had become important (cf. Jn. 21). Certain additions to the Gospel appear to address this situation.(1)
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