Redeeming Grace Ministries: Christ-centered teaching from the ministry of Stanford E. Murrell

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Thursday, 11 February 2010

Outline of 1 John

The First Epistle of John
Written: early date prior to AD 70;
late date c. AD 80-95

Key word: Fellowship

"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."—1 John 1:3

John: The Son of Zebedee

There are several individuals named John (lit. God is gracious) in the New Testament. There is a particular priest named John, who was on the council (before whom Peter and John were brought following the healing of the lame man at the Gate Beautiful, Acts 4:6). There is John Mark who wrote the second Gospel (Acts 12:12,25; 13:5; 15:37). There is John the son of Zechariah, a priest in the lineage of Abia (Luke 1:5), who is known as John the Baptist. His ministry began shortly before that of Christ, in fulfillment of prophecy (Isa. 40:3; Mal. 3:1). Finally, there is John the son of Zebedee, who became a disciple of Christ. He is the author of five books of the Bible: The Gospel of John, 1–3 John, and Revelation.

The date of writing is placed by scholars either as an early date, prior to AD 70, or as a later date, between AD 80-95. The exact dating of John’s epistles is not so important, except when we consider The Revelation, because only there does the date of writing affect proper interpretation.

John was in Ephesus when he wrote his epistles, serving as the leader of the church there. He thinks of his people as "my little children" (1 John 2:1), a reference to the circle of Gentile believers in Ephesus (5:21).

Why Written: Falsehood versus Fellowship

Similarly to Paul in Colossians, John’s purpose in writing his letters was to combat the rise of Gnosticism, the first major heresy in the early churches (see chapter 14). Gnosticism was a mixture of Greek philosophy, Jewish legalism, and Eastern mysticism. It taught: that matter was evil, that God did not create matter, but that an eon (a spirit) emanated from God until one of "them" created all things. In Gnosticism, angels were worshipped. The followers of this system came to believe that they were spiritually superior to all others, but yet sexual promiscuity was allowed. A dualism was embraced whereby there was a division between the soul and the body: what the body did might be sin, but it did not matter because the soul was pure.

As John wrote to combat the rise of Gnosticism in general, he also wrote to challenge the teaching of Cerenthus in particular. Cerenthus was the first heretic of the early Church. He suggested that the "Christ" was different from "Jesus." The "Christ," he said, was immaterial, sinless, and spiritual perfection. In contrast, "Jesus" was a material, sinful person. The "Christ" came upon "Jesus" at His baptism, but left Him prior to the crucifixion, so that it was the sinful man who 72 died at Calvary. Once, John fled from a bathhouse to which Cerenthus had come, crying out, "The enemy of the truth is within."

These thoughts deny the incarnation, that God became man. They also deny that the God-man died. It is instructive to notice that the denial of the humanity of Christ was challenged at the end of the first century, whereas the denial of the deity of Christ is the challenge to the Church in our day. The teaching of Cerenthus led to Docetism, which taught that Jesus only appeared to be a man. That He only appeared to be real, said Docetism, is confirmed by the life He lived, the

miracles He worked, and the death He died! Surely "God" could not have endured as this, they said. But John and the entire New Testament prove both the deity and the humanity of Christ.

Overview of 1 John

As John wanted to combat Gnosticism (1:1, 3:9, 5:6), he also wanted to accomplish other objectives. He wanted them to know fellowship with God (1:3) and joy as a Christian (1:4). John will teach that true joy does not come from circumstances, but from communion with Christ and other believers. John also wrote so that the Christians should not sin (2:1). Nor should they be deceived. As an apostle, John was determined that all teachers in the churches be tested for the truth (4:1). Chapters 2 and 3 contain over 25 tests which indicate whether or not a ‘professing Christian’ is truly saved. Finally, with a pastor’s heart, John wanted the true believers to have assurance of their salvation (5:11-13).

The Spirit of Anti-Christ

The primary biblical teaching of anti-Christ is found in the epistles of John, for the word only appears in the writings of this apostle.

Four verses set forth the biblical teaching. Anti-Christ is:

a. anyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ 1 John 2:22
b. anyone who denies the Father and the Son 1 John 2:23
c. every spirit that does not confess Jesus 1 John 4:3
d. all those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh 2 John :7

An excerpt from Stanford Murrell's The New Covenant in Christ: A Survey of the New Testament

(Click each link to read the associated Bible passages.)

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OUTLINE OF THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

I. Introduction: Eternal Life Has Appeared (1:1–4)

II. Light and Darkness (1:5–2:27)

A. Walk in the Light (1:5–2:11)

              1. Forgiveness of Sin (1:5–10)
              2. Keeping the Commandments (2:1–6)
              3. Loving the Brother (2:7–11)

B. Escaping from Sin (2:12–17)

1. Overcoming the Wicked One (2:12–14)
2. Overcoming the World (2:15–17)

C. Counsel for the Last Hour (2:18–27)

              1. Apostasy (2:18–21)
              2. Denial of Christ (2:22–24)
              3. Reminder About the Anointing (2:25–27)

III.   The Life of Righteousness (2:28–4:6)