The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown (183 page)

II. Overview (1:5-2:27)

By way of introduction, this section features an ethical and doctrinal preview of the rest of the letter, sounding many major themes such as the need for believers to remain in Christ and the importance of brotherly love.
⁷⁹

A. True Believers Walk in the Light (1:5—2:2)
The text is developed in terms of two implications of the principle that God is light (1:5), which may imply his holiness or the revelation provided by him or both. The first implication (1:6—7) is that if God is light, his children will “walk in the light,” that is, conduct their lives in the sphere of righteousness. The second implication is that those who “walk in the light” confess their sins (1:9; cf. 2:1).
⁸⁰

B. True Believers Keep Jesus’ Commandments (2:3—11)
In 2:3 John elaborated on the previous unit.
⁸¹
Those who claim to be Christians either keep Jesus’ commandments or they turn out to be liars. The principle described in 2:3—6 (those who remain in him keep his commandments) is illustrated in 2:7—11 by the failure of the secessionists to keep the most prominent of Jesus’ commands, the “new commandment” of love (see John 13:34—35; 15:9—17). The present and the previous sections form the basis for the extended two-part appeal made in the next two units.

C. Grow in Christ and Do Not Love the World (2:12—17)
John proceeded to issue instructions to the shaken believers.
⁸²
The apostle did not doubt their salvation but sought to reassure them in light of the recent departure of the false teachers. John's comments to three groups at different levels of maturity move, somewhat curiously, from “little children” to “fathers” and then to “young men,” whereby the instructions to young men are the most detailed.
⁸³
Apparently, “little children” become “fathers” by following John's instructions for young men.

John then instructed the recipients of his letter not to love the world (2:15—17). This relates to the need for believers to remain in Christ, which constitutes the subject of the following section.
⁸⁴
John reminded his readers that the things of this world will pass away, while those who do the will of God will remain forever.

D. Abiding and Departing (2:18—27)
John opened this section with a contrast between the secessionists who had left the church and the believers who had remained. The former (whom he called “antichrists”) departed both theologically and physically, which
demonstrated that they were not “of God.” By contrast, true believers have an “anointing” from God and need no further instruction because the Holy Spirit is their teacher.
⁸⁵
This contrast forms the foundation for the command in 2:24, “What you have heard from the beginning must remain in you” (see v. 27).

III. Ethics (2:28-3:24)

In the first major unit (1:5—2:27) John underscored the ethical and doctrinal necessities for believers. In the second major unit (2:28—3:24), he highlighted the first of these—the ethical dimension. His thesis seems to be that the children of God and the children of the devil are recognized by their deeds.

A. Children of God Sanctify Themselves (2:28—3:10)
In this section John elaborated on the differences between the children of God and the children of the devil. God's children, because Jesus was revealed to destroy sin, do not persist in a sinful lifestyle (i.e., they “do not [characteristically] sin”; see 3:6). John frankly acknowledged that Christians still sinned (2:1: “if anyone does sin”), but he made clear that, for believers, sin is not characteristic of, and compatible with, their true nature as God's children. Conversely, children of the devil are controlled by their sinful nature (3:8).

B. Children of God Keep His Commandments (3:11—24)
John transitioned from the negative (i.e., not practicing sin) to the positive (keeping God's commandments, especially the “new commandment” of love). John used the biblical illustration of Cain (the only OT character mentioned in the letter), who murdered his brother because Abel's works condemned his own. In essence, John's message is that words by themselves are empty; true love is expressed “in deed and truth” (3:18). The essence of remaining in Christ, therefore, is keeping his commands.

IV. Doctrine (4:1-5:12)

The issue of proper doctrine controls the present section. In 4:1—6, John cautioned Christians to be discerning about which spirits to believe. This judgment requires a correct Christology. Brotherly love, likewise, presupposes right doctrine (4:13—21). Finally, in 5:1—12 the author contended that only “the one who has the Son has life.”

A. Test the Spirits (4:1—6)
John cautioned believers to exercise discernment. Since there were many false prophets, they should not “believe every spirit” (4:1) but should test the spirits to see if they are from God. This plainly echoes Jesus’ warnings, especially in the Sermon on the Mount and the Olivet Discourse (Matt 7:15-20; 24:4-5,23-26 and parallels). Only the Spirit that confesses Jesus is the Spirit of God. The words “come in the flesh” may refer to a docetic error (denying the full humanity of Christ by arguing that Jesus only appeared to be human) but more likely pertain to the incarnation. If so, the issue at hand
is that
Jesus
is the Messiah.
⁸⁶
In either case, one's Christology identifies the spirit behind one's message. Those who receive the apostolic preaching regarding Jesus and remain in it can be victorious over the spirit of the world.

B. The Theological Basis of Brotherly Love (4:7—12)
Although it may appear that the command to love one another is a return to the ethics of the previous section, the basis for the command is not ethical (because this is morally right) but theological (because God is love). In fact, John made a theological point: believers love others because the God who is love indwells them. This is how “his love is perfected in us” (4:12).

C. Confidence from. Correct Doctrine (4:13—21)
Possession of the Spirit is proof that a person is a believer (4:13), and confession of Jesus as the Son of God results in God's remaining in him or her (4:15). In 4:15—16 John took both elements of the previous sections and applied them to the believer: “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God. …God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.” God's love is manifested in believers so that they may have confidence on the day of judgment (4:17).

D. Testimony and Proof (5:1—12)
By restatement, John clarified the previous section's main points: “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent also loves his child” (5:1). John proceeded to note that the essence of loving God is keeping his commandments, and this is not an impossible task because believers have been born of God. Thus faith in Jesus has overcome the world.

The evidence for John's confidence is stated in 5:6—12. The burden of proof (two or three witnesses) demanded in the OT is met by the testimony of the Spirit, the water, and the blood, a probable reference to Jesus’ baptism, Jesus’ death, and to the inner testimony of the Spirit of God.
⁸⁷
The content of the testimony is identified in 5:11: “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”

V. Epilogue (5:13-21)

The conclusion states the purpose of the letter: “I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life” (5:13). John elaborated on this purpose in three ways, each of which includes the phrase “we know.” First, 5:14—17 describes the confidence in prayer that believers possess when they ask according to God's will, including prayer for “those who commit sin that doesn't
bring death” (5:16).
⁸⁸
Second, those who belong to God do not practice sin (5:18). Third, believers know the truth and are in the truth (5:19—20). John's final comment, “Guard yourselves from idols,” provides an abrupt and unconventional ending to the letter, but one that is appropriate for the occasion. It is a warning to believers to accept no substitute for God.

2 JOHN

I. Introduction (1-3)

John employed a standard prescript to this letter, including an identification of sender and recipients and a Christian “well-wish.”

II. Body: “Walking in the Truth” (4-11)

The body of the letter consists of a sustained instruction to the church defining “walking in the truth.” John instructed his readers to keep the “new commandment” and to guard themselves from antichrists.

A. “Walking in the Truth” Requires Brotherly Love (4-6)

The return of the group to the church (v. 4) provides the occasion for John to remind his readers to be diligent about “walking in the truth.” This is defined as keeping the “new commandment” to love one another.

B. “Walking in the Truth” Requires Guarding the Truth about the Son (7-11)

John insisted that the church must guard itself against deceivers. This is done in two ways. First, believers must recognize imposters who do not abide by the apostolic teaching and thus have neither the Son nor the Father (v. 9). Second, once the false teachers have been identified, believers must not offer any help to them (v. 10).

III. Conclusion (12-13)

John concluded with a standard postscript that features plans to visit soon and greetings from mutual friends (the “elect sister” and “her children”).

3 JOHN

I. Introduction (1-4)

Again, John employed a standard prescript, featuring sender, recipients, and a Christian well-wish. As in 2 John, it appears that the elder had received a delegation from the church led by Gaius, and he commended this group of believers for “walking in the truth.”

II. Body: Commendation of Gaius and Demetrius, Condemnation of

Diotrephes (5-12)
In the body of the letter, John requested support for Demetrius. Gaius is commended for his past exposure of the sin of Diotrephes, and the church is urged to support Demetrius.

A. Gaius's Godly Behavior Toward Other Believers (5—8)
John began by commending Gaius's past behavior. Gaius displayed his faith by being hospitable to “the brothers,” who most likely were emissaries from John. The apostle encouraged Gaius not only to receive this group but also to send them on with ample provisions. The future tense “you will do well” (v. 6) indicates that this implies support of Demetrius who is introduced later.

B. The Ungodly Behavior of Diotrephes (9—10)
Verses 9—10 outline John's charges against Diotrephes, who did not recognize the authority of the elder and his emissaries and who slandered the apostolic group. What is more, he censored those who received them, all because he “love[d] to have first place among them,” in blatant contradiction of Jesus’ words that “whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave” (Matt 20:27).

C. The Commendation of Demetrius (11—12)
The commendation of Demetrius is set in contrast to the reprehensible conduct of Diotrophes. John instructed Gaius not “to imitate what is evil” (i.e., Diotrephes). He concluded with a brief commendation of Demetrius, who had the respect of his peers, who spoke the truth itself (probably a commendation of his doctrine), and who had the respect of the apostle also (whom Gaius knew declared the truthful testimony).

III. Conclusion (13-14)

The conclusion (similar to 2 John) is a standard postscript that contains John's desire to meet Gaius face-to-face, a brief greeting from John's friends, and an instruction to “greet the friends by name.”

THEOLOGY

Theological Themes

Ethical Conduct Grounded in Proper Christian Doctrine
John's first letter is dominated by his concern for believers to find assurance of their salvation and to continue in the truth. He first affirmed the trustworthiness of the message through his status as an eyewitness (1:1—4). Then, in the overview (1:5—2:27), he introduced the concern that
believers act in keeping with their beliefs (i.e., that their ethics match their doctrine). At the heart of this is the assurance that coming to Christ is a life-changing experience.

If coming to Christ is a life-changing experience, then what believers do serves as an indicator of whether they have had that experience (3:9). Thus the second division of 1 John (2:28—3:24) explores the ramifications of what believers do. If they have the hope of his return, they purify themselves. Those who remain in him do not practice sin (which he came to destroy). The children of God and the children of the devil are manifested by their righteous or unrighteous lives. Keeping the new commandment is a matter of obedience. The source of all obedience is love for the Father (2:15—17). So love and obedience go hand in hand and constitute the essence of remaining in Christ.

Although the second division is doctrinally grounded, in the third division (4:1—5:12) John made a subtle shift that focuses on doctrinal issues, especially the nature of Christ and God. Only the Spirit that confesses Jesus is from God. This idea “from God”
(ek tou theou)
dominates 4:1—6. Those who love do so because the nature of God is love (and the absence of love reveals one who does not know God; vv. 7—9). That the children of God have victory over the world is the result of being “from God.” The command to love one another is repeated but this time with a doctrinal rather than an ethical rationale. Believers are to love because God is love. Likewise, they are to keep his commandments, but this time the reason is grounded in the nature of God's redemption (5:4).

Christian Discipleship and Assurance of Salvation
The Johannine Letters give insight into the basic theological commitments of believers. Believers are not called on to develop a new theology but to cling to that which they received “from the beginning” (1 John 1:1). It turns out that there were “progressives” already then who, ironically, advanced in the wrong direction (2 John 9). Both 2 John and 3 John develop the appropriate Christian response to these individuals in further detail, calling on believers to reject aid to the “progressives” (2 John 9) and to provide aid to those associated with the apostle (3 John 6—8). Believers are challenged to love Christ and one another, not “in word or speech, but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18), and to grow spiritually by remaining in his word (1 John 2:12-14).