1 John 4:1-6

Can you throw yourself back into the late first century, perhaps 50 or more years after Jesus was crucified and resurrected? His re-appearance to his disciples triggered a massive, worldwide movement. He was alive! When He appeared to Mary in the garden, he gave her the first missionary message: Go tell the disciples and Peter...” Then after over a month of appearances, He left them with that famous missionary challenge: Going into all the world, make disciples...  Later the Holy Spirit interrupted a prayer meeting and ignited the Christians gathered there. They erupted onto the streets and began preaching Jesus. Peter preached what became a tremendously famous and important sermon. In that message Peter reviewed OT history and concluded with an accusation that his countrymen had crucified Jesus. He then called on the people to repent and believe. Three thousand did! That message was enough to get people into the kingdom of God.

For years, that message was all that was needed. God sent the Messiah in Christ. Believe in Him and  you will be saved. Very simple. But as the gospel spread and people all over the world began to follow the Way, different opinions arose, often because of a person's background. Jews who were devoted to the law of Moses wanted to know what their believing in Jesus still meant following the Jewish law. Then the question of whether Gentiles could become Christians, and if so, did they have to keep the law. Peter had a dream and preached to a Roman household. Paul's call to missions specifically sent him to Gentiles. Perhaps some of Paul's letters, like 1 Thessalonians, were the first books in the New Testament to be written. Paul repeatedly explained that salvation came by faith alone, not by works of the law.

Still other Christians from the Greek world would explore what this new religion meant to them. Many of these are grouped together and called “Gnostics,” from the word meaning “know.” They believed secret knowledge led to salvation and/or rewards. The underlying Greek idea was that spirit was good and matter was evil. Thus, Jesus only appeared to be human, and he only appeared to die on the cross. That belief underlies John's insistence that one who denies Jesus has come in the flesh is an antichrist. It was essential to preach Jesus as both Son of God and son of man.

Another factor in the writing and collecting of the New Testament books was that  disciples who knew Jesus began to die. Just this week I saw on Facebook a reminder to interview your grandparents while you still could.  Probably the loss of first-hand witnesses influenced people to start writing down what they remembered. Mark wrote first, and traditionally recorded Peter's remembrances. Though the Matthew and John are not identified in the text as the authors (compare Paul's letters), tradition says they were, and as disciples their witness is firsthand. John wrote the last gospel as an old man in the 90's. His letters may have been ten years earlier. This particular part of his first letter is aimed at preserving faithful witness and doctrine.

4:1 – Don't believe every spirit. He assumes that every preacher or witness is led by some spirit, preferably the Holy Spirit. Since some spirits are lying spirits, John wants his readers to question all the spirits, that is the messages they hear from various preachers or teachers. In Acts 17:11 the Bereans were praised for both receiving the gospel eagerly, but also searching the scripture (Old Testament) to see whether these things were so.

Our traditional Baptist view has been the authority of Scripture supersedes any creed. In our occasional confessions of faith (we have no creed) we are making a statement about what most Baptists believe at that time. Thus it has altered from time to time. But we have always said that in any conflict between Scripture and statements of faith, we must give the Bible the top authority. John was adding to this the authority of the Holy Spirit, who inspired the Bible in such a way He can lead Christians to interpret and apply it correctly. John, Paul, Peter, and others won that fight, so we have a Bible verified by its authors and the church that received it as scripture.

“Many false prophets have gone out into the world.” This has been true since the beginning of the faith. How can you tell the difference?

4:2 “Every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus in not from God.” That's how you tell the difference. Though we don't know exactly who John was writing to, it seems obvious he was writing to a church or churches that had been exposed to some form of the Gnostic heresy. Even today that's the basic test. Whatever your denomination recognizing Jesus as the incarnate Son of God who came in the flesh is a great test of your Christianity. (Not the only one, because next week we'll look at the test of love.)

4:3 He goes on to say that those refusing to confess Christ and preaching against his incarnation are filled with the spirit of anti-Christ. Note they have heard anti-Christ is coming. Does this mean John does not believe in one final world ruler anti-Christ? Remember this same guy may well have written Revelation. You can take it either way. There may well be a final Anti-Christ. But whether or not there is, we must deal with those anti-Christs of our day as John did in his day. He is speaking not simply with unbelief, but with those who teach and propagate unbelief.

4:4 Here is one of the most exciting verses in the NT! “The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” I've had friends who have taken that as one of their mottoes for life. This fact is so strong John assures them they are God's people and thereby have ALREADY overcome.


4:5 Their opponents are from the world, the non-Christian society, who promote alien values. They speak from the viewpoint of the world, and so the world listens to them. In today's world much of what passes as political correctness comes under this category. Remember there are multiple ideas of what is PC, depending on where you live, your own upbringing, and the influence of family and friends. The challenge is to evaluate the world's teachings piece by piece and compare each of them to the scripture.

4:6 – John unequivocally states “we are from God.” Those who listen share that faith, but those who do not listen are non-believers.

A final comment. Today's national political correctness has launched into a discussion of the value and limits of marriage. As I understand it, a major trend believes that whatever consenting adults do sexually together is fine. Anyone who hinders that is considered bigoted or reactionary. The gay marriage is just the latest. In fact, since surveys show only about 2% of the population is gay, and not all of them want to marry, this may be of the least concern. A huge amount of couples now live together before and without any thought of marriage. Some figures say that 30-40% of babies are born to unmarried mothers. Sex for many has become only a recreational activity.

This is just one area of concern. There are many others. Frankly the church is losing this battle. We have not yet become smart enough and effective enough to call the nation successfully to a higher moral status. Pray we can do better than that. And be alert that you and your friends are not swept away by these trends.

1 John 2

OK, Confession time: I got carried away in that last lesson and ran on into the next one. For your convenience, I copied and pasted that part again below. If you remember it and want to, skip to the Antichrist! You may have to wait an extra week until I have time to work in Chapter 3, because the quarterly we are using skips that chapter.

:15 – 17 – Don't love the world – don't become attached to it. Paul says at the beginning of Romans 12, “Don't be conformed to this world.” JB Phillips' translation says “Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold.” I really like that, because the world tries to make us conform. Current Political Correctness is becoming a school of ethics demanding all surrender. The big current example keeps knocking down any walls of sexual boundaries. So far only child abuse and outright rape are the only things they consider sin. Everything else you may want to do is ok, as long as the participants agree. Of course, underlying this is a deep resentment of morality that would stifle one's slightest whim. Both Paul and John command us to resist this. Indeed, you love either the world or God. You cannot love both. Note that “world” here refers to humans in rebellion against God, not planet Earth.

Compare verse 16 with Genesis 3:6:

the lust of the flesh – the fruit of the tree was good for food

the lust of the eyes, - pleasing to the eye

the pride of life – desirable for gaining wisdom

Almost certainly John had that comparison in mind. And not the results. “their eyes were opened.” And what was this new wisdom? They discovered they were naked! Like duh!

Likewise, the path of sin today still leads to major crashes. We've all been there. But the good news is that the sacrifice of the cross, brings redemption. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and go on cleansing us from every bit of unrighteousness!”

This world is temporal as is its political correctness. But the Kingdom of God is eternal. Our most important citizenship is in His Kingdom. So let's live as citizens of that Eternal Kingdom!

ANTICHRIST(S) – All my life I've heard the Antichrist is coming. First some said it was Hitler, the Stalin, then Hussein. I've even heard Bush and Obama accused of being the “man of evil,” though obviously not by the same people. Both groups need to get more into this love thing.

People getting caught up in Revelation and related apocalyptic works conveniently ignore 1 John. But if they're going to pick and choose from Corinthians and Thessalonians, why not 1 John. After all, most believe he's the same dude that wrote Revelation. He says some shocking things if you take him seriously.

This is the last hour. THEN? Around 80-90 AD? The quarterly writer suggests that all time between the Ascension of Christ and the end of the world can be called the last hour. Others suggest the early church expected Jesus back any day. Other writings had projected that a sign of the end would be the appearance of Antichrist. John now says there's not just one, but a whole host of antichrists and that proves it's the last hour. In verse 22, he defines the antichrist as whoever claims that Jesus is NOT the Messiah. That denial of the Son results in also denying the Father. The two go together. Believers know that Jesus was God in the flesh. Anything else is a lie, and the one uttering it is an antichrist.

Remember the churches were in an early stage. They were determining what was true and what was false about Jesus. All sorts of idea emerged, and the churches leaned heavily on the authority of the apostles, the men who had been with Jesus. They had been there, so their witness was valid. Churches valued writings by these men. John here is affirming that Jesus and God go together, and Son and Father.

We have had the NT all our lives, so it's easy to forget that John's first readers did not have the entire NT, and we don't know which books they did have. Most of those books had been written by this time, but now every church had all 20+ of them. I've read a number of other books that the church refused to accept as scripture, and they show there were many ideas competing out there. They are very diverse, and some are just plain weird. So it's no wonder that the church leaned strongly on apostolic testimony including Paul.

In verse 20 John says they know the truth because they have an anointing from the Holy One. Likely he meant they had the leadership of the Holy Spirit that would lead them to the truth in fact he writes them precisely because they are believers and he wants to confirm them in their faith.

KEEP THE FAITH

He repeats his theme from verse 1. Remember what you heard from when you became a Christian? Right from the beginning? As you stay with that, you will also stay connected to Jesus and to the Father. That reminds me of Jesus's challenge in John 15 that He is the vine and we are the branches. The branch draws its life from the vine, so it much remain connected or it withers. Indeed, in verse 25 John claims exactly that – eternal life. Also remember that eternal life is not only everlasting life, a quantity. Eternal life is also a quality of life, life as a citizen in the Kingdom of God. Compare the beatitudes in Matthew 5 and the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22.

1 John 2

OK, Confession time: I got carried away in that last lesson and ran on into the next one. For your convenience, I copied and pasted that part again below. If you remember it and want to, skip to the Antichrist!

:15 – 17 – Don't love the world – don't become attached to it. Paul says at the beginning of Romans 12, “Don't be conformed to this world.” JB Phillips' translation says “Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold.” I really like that, because the world tries to make us conform. Current Political Correctness is becoming a school of ethics demanding all surrender. The big current example keeps knocking down any walls of sexual boundaries. So far only child abuse and outright rape are the only things they consider sin. Everything else you may want to do is ok, as long as the participants agree. Of course, underlying this is a deep resentment of morality that would stifle one's slightest whim. Both Paul and John command us to resist this. Indeed, you love either the world or God. You cannot love both. Note that “world” here refers to humans in rebellion against God, not planet Earth.

Compare verse 16 with Genesis 3:6:

the lust of the flesh – the fruit of the tree was good for food

the lust of the eyes, - pleasing to the eye

the pride of life – desirable for gaining wisdom

Almost certainly John had that comparison in mind. And not the results. “their eyes were opened.” And what was this new wisdom? They discovered they were naked! Like duh!

Likewise, the path of sin today still leads to major crashes. We've all been there. But the good news is that the sacrifice of the cross, brings redemption. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and go on cleansing us from every bit of unrighteousness!”

This world is temporal as is its political correctness. But the Kingdom of God is eternal. Our most important citizenship is in His Kingdom. So let's live as citizens of that Eternal Kingdom!

ANTICHRIST(S) – All my life I've heard the Antichrist is coming. First some said it was Hitler, the Stalin, then Hussein. I've even heard Bush and Obama accused of being the “man of evil,” though obviously not by the same people. Both groups need to get more into this love thing.

People getting caught up in Revelation and related apocalyptic works conveniently ignore 1 John. But if they're going to pick and choose from Corinthians and Thessalonians, why not 1 John. After all, most believe he's the same dude that wrote Revelation. He says some shocking things if you take him seriously.

This is the last hour. THEN? Around 80-90 AD? The quarterly writer suggests that all time between the Ascension of Christ and the end of the world can be called the last hour. Others suggest the early church expected Jesus back any day. Other writings had projected that a sign of the end would be the appearance of Antichrist. John now says there's not just one, but a whole host of antichrists and that proves it's the last hour. In verse 22, he defines the antichrist as whoever claims that Jesus is NOT the Messiah. That denial of the Son results in also denying the Father. The two go together. Believers know that Jesus was God in the flesh. Anything else is a lie, and the one uttering it is an antichrist.

Remember the churches were in an early stage. They were determining what was true and what was false about Jesus. All sorts of idea emerged, and the churches leaned heavily on the authority of the apostles, the men who had been with Jesus. They had been there, so their witness was valid. Churches valued writings by these men. John here is affirming that Jesus and God go together, and Son and Father.

We have had the NT all our lives, so it's easy to forget that John's first readers did not have the entire NT, and we don't know which books they did have. Most of those books had been written by this time, but now every church had all 20+ of them. I've read a number of other books that the church refused to accept as scripture, and they show there were many ideas competing out there. They are very diverse, and some are just plain weird. So it's no wonder that the church leaned strongly on apostolic testimony including Paul.

In verse 20 John says they know the truth because they have an anointing from the Holy One. Likely he meant they had the leadership of the Holy Spirit that would lead them to the truth in fact he writes them precisely because they are believers and he wants to confirm them in their faith.

KEEP THE FAITH

He repeats his theme from verse 1. Remember what you heard from when you became a Christian? Right from the beginning? As you stay with that, you will also stay connected to Jesus and to the Father. That reminds me of Jesus's challenge in John 15 that He is the vine and we are the branches. The branch draws its life from the vine, so it much remain connected or it withers. Indeed, in verse 25 John claims exactly that – eternal life. Also remember that eternal life is not only everlasting life, a quantity. Eternal life is also a quality of life, life as a citizen in the Kingdom of God. Compare the beatitudes in Matthew 5 and the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22.

1 John

Chapter 1:5-2:2

The format of the Lifeway quarterly I am following does not do 1 John justice. All 13 lessons should be devoted to this book. Here I try to cover all of chapter 2 in this and the next lesson. If you are going to teach the unit, I recommend you do likewise.

There is Sin, and there are sins. Sin with a capital S is what's in the blood, our blood that is. Sin is a direction of life. But sin with a little s refers to an act, a deed, a particular sin. Thus a Christian has been saved from his nature of Sin and has turned to a different direction. Yet he still struggles to learn how to avoid those individual sins that sneak up on us. (Or we love so much we seek 'em out – you know what I mean.)

John tells us not to kid ourselves. We do sin. Philip Yancey tells of a woman from his childhood who claimed she had not sinned in 12 years. The statement itself screams PRIDE, the first of what the church later came to call the 7 deadly sins. If you think about it, all – or almost all – our sins can be traced to pride, especially if you define pride as deciding you know better than God.

DETOUR – Hebrew logic. From our history and our language, we inherit a particular form of logical thinking. I studied two kinds of logic in college: Aristotelian and Mathematical. First century Jews used neither – at least not very much. They had a greater tolerance for paradox than we do. Paradox is tension created by apparent contradiction, and John is about to lay one on us.

First he seems to say if we are followers of Christ we are not sinners.

Immediately, he turns around and says if we claim not to sin we lie or are self-deceived.

Huh?

I can imagine showing John the first paragraph above and asking him if that's what he means. But I really think he might reluctantly nod his head as if to say yes, but then come out with, “Yeah, I guess, but I prefer to say we don't sin and we do sin and let you find truth in the tension.” Figure that one out, but you find other instances in the Bible.

Verse 9 is the verse I have used more than any other verse in pastoral counseling: If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to go on cleansing us from every unrighteousness. Contrary to popular opinion, pastoral counseling seldom involves telling people they are sinners. By the time they come to us, they know they have messed up big time. An incredible number cannot forgive themselves and don't believe that God can forgive them for messing up big time. This includes some of the strongest Christians I know, who would always reassure anyone else that they were forgiven.

I have a bit of homespun theology I give these people that might not stand academic scrutiny, but it works. I might tell a woman that sometimes I tell a little white lie if a woman asks if I like her new hairdo. That may or may not be a sin, since telling her it's atrocious is hurtful and a worse sin. But I go on to say I don't think my white lies put Jesus on the cross. I think He died for those big whopping sins, like the one you think he can't forgive you for. Remember doing that sin. Because it was right there the God forgives you.

When you buy that and let God heal that guilt you discover truth that has become truth for you.

Now let's back up a bit. John makes a whopping theological statement: God is light and in him is no darkness at all. What does that mean? God is light? Light universally stands for truth, clarity, and purity. Daily the media talk about shining light on the nefarious dealings of government and business. Light is clean. Modern physics has even found that photons are basic units that build matter and energy. (Or their first cousins, neutrinos.) Darkness represents evil, badness, lack of knowledge, and the inability to find one's way.

If then we claim to be Christians and know this God of light, but are instead walking in darkness, there is a huge disconnect. John says we know better and are lying. He goes further and says if we walk in the light, we have fellowship with each other and God is able to keep cleansing us of sin. Notice that walking in darkness is not a one-time sin, but a direction of life away from God, hiding from God. Walking in the light is following Christ, not perfectly, but forgiven.

John begins chapter 2 by stating his purpose in writing was so they would not sin, but that purpose also included forgiveness when they DO sin. If the police arrest us, we have the famous one phone call to a lawyer. When we sin, we don't need to call a lawyer, because we already have an advocate before the Lord. He is not only the advocate, He is the reason for our forgiveness.

2:2 The King James and Holman translations give the word “propitiation.” Fortunately, other recent translations use terms like “atonement” or “atoning sacrifice.” I say it's fortunate because the word “propitiation” created some lousy theology. I've actually heard the idea that Jesus sacrificed Himself to propitiate the wrath of an angry God. But John 3:16 speaks of God giving His Son out of love, NOT wrath. And Jesus and Paul both spoke of the love of one laying down his life for another.

This may be a personal reaction, but the word propitiate calls to my mind a group of savages at the foot of a volcano sacrificing a virgin to keep the mountain from erupting. That may not be your reaction, and some otherwise fine theologians don't have my problem.

Nevertheless, Jesus's sacrificial death covers our sins forever. That society was used to sacrificing animals to pay for sin. The rationale here is that Christ was our substitute. He vicariously died for us. In so doing He becomes the atonement for our sin. I've heard many explanations how this was possible, but all fall short. There is deep, eternal mystery here. The finite mind cannot grasp the infinite!

In The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis imagines what redemption would be like in a Fantasy-land. Christ is a Lion named Aslan. Because of the sin of a major character, he submits to being killed on a stone altar. One of the characters comments, “There's a deeper magic, you know.” And it was that magic that brought Aslan back and freed not just the visiting children, but the permanent winter began to experience spring. And to my mind, that's as good an explanation as you'll get! (No kids, I don't mean the cross was magic. That's only for Fantasy-land.)

Note the inclusion of the whole world! Not only for OUR sings. I once saw a conference advertised with “For the Whole World” as its theme, and this as its key verse.

COMMANDING LOVE!

John has a lot to say about how we can know we belong to God. That test always compares talk versus action. 2:3-6. Do we “walk the walk” as well as “talk the talk”? We can claim to be His follower, but our lives do not demonstrate it. Hypocrisy is out. For John and throughout the New Testament, obedience arises from faith. That's what James means when he says faith without works is dead. The pattern for our lives must imitate Jesus. He is our example, our mentor, our leader.

:7-11 The chief sin for John is lack of love, which equals hatred. Christ and hatred are incompatible. Jesus first gave the commandment in John 13:34. “Love one another as I have loved you!” Not just love each other, but demonstrate the self-giving love as found in Jesus's life.

John sees the darkness passing away. I believe his primary emphasis was individual. Wherever faith in Christ appeared, the darkness left in the light of the dawning transformation. The Kingdom of God is at hand. The true light shines from the believers.

The key to the Christian life is love. To “hate” or refuse to love your brother or sister is still stumbling in darkness. They've lost direction.

:12-14 – He then gives encouraging words as reasons for writing. He cycles twice through three age categories and “children,” which means the church in general. Incidentally, this raises the question of whether he possibly had a particular church in mind, but there's no other evidence of this. I would sum this up by noting he considers the church as a family, from the youngest to the oldest.

:15 – 17 – Don't love the world – don't become attached to it. Paul says at the beginning of Romans 12, “Don't be conformed to this world.” JB Phillips' translation says “Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold.” I really like that, because the world tries to make us conform. Current Political Correctness is becoming a school of ethics demanding all surrender. The big current example keeps knocking down any walls of sexual boundaries. So far only child abuse and outright rape are the only things they consider sin. Everything else you may want to do is ok, as long as the participants agree. Of course, underlying this is a deep resentment of morality that would stifle one's slightest whim. Both Paul and John command us to resist this. Indeed, you love either the world or God. You cannot love both. Note that “world” here refers to humans in rebellion against God, not planet Earth.

Compare verse 16 with Genesis 3:6:

the lust of the flesh – the fruit of the tree was good for food

the lust of the eyes, - pleasing to the eye

the pride of life – desirable for gaining wisdom

Almost certainly John had that comparison in mind. And not the results. “their eyes were opened.” And what was this new wisdom? They discovered they were naked! Like duh!

Likewise, the path of sin today still leads to major crashes. We've all been there. But the good news is that the sacrifice of the cross, brings redemption. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and go on cleansing us from every bit of unrighteousness!”

This world is temporal as is its political correctness. But the Kingdom of God is eternal. Our most important citizenship is in His Kingdom. So let's live as citizens of that Eternal Kingdom!

1 John

Chapter 1

Man this guy is exited! He comes on like gangbusters! Traditionally John the Apostle wrote this letter in his 90's, and he still seems as excited as when he first followed Jesus! Can that kind of excitement last? I've read a half a dozen books by the Methodist evangelist and missionary E Stanley Jones, two of which were written in his 90's, about the time he was doing a preaching trip through Japan! Yes, your experience with Christ can continue to grow and excite you! Age is irrelevant. Continuing experience is not!

How long has it been since Christ has excited you?

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete. 1 John 1:1-4 NIV

This is the language of experience. “Been there. Done that. Got the T-shirt!” He writes as one who has first hand experience, not just from the reports of other followers or what he has read. He heard. He saw. He even touched. Can you think of John and Jesus rubbing shoulders as they struggled with Peter and the others to bring in 159 fish?

He repeats again: The life appeared and we saw it! Remember Thomas, who got the bad rap as doubting Thomas. Well, wouldn't you raise your eyebrows if I said I ran into Joe in Walmart today after I buried him over the weekend. But Thomas got the chance to handle the risen Christ! And so had John! Evidence. Personal testimony of the resurrection.

Back up a bit...

That which was from the beginning...He's obviously linking to the Gospel of John and its opening verses. “In the beginning was the Word.” John in turn was linking to the opening of Genesis: In the beginning, God...! The disciple's experience of Jesus and the risen Christ links to the Creator of the Universe, the One Who Is, Was, and Is to Come!

In Christ you too are so linked. The God we worship is the God of Abraham, Moses, David, John, Peter, and Paul!

Onward

Depending on the translation, he says three times that his group (we) are proclaiming or announcing this message to you. One Greek word is “witness” from which comes our word “martyr.” A martyr is a witness. If he is killed, attacked, or hurt, that pain itself testifies to his commitment to his Lord.

The second word here is the verb connected to the word “gospel” He is gospelizing us. He is sharing the good news. He is so full of excitement from his personal experience that he is bursting to share it. We are witnessing and evangelizing you, telling you the good news of Christ. Holman translates them testify and declare,” which shows they gave those words some thought.

And sharing is one of the hearts of the Christian faith. Twice he uses the word fellowship. In the NT fellowship is a basic doctrine that doesn't get enough attention. But it's foundational. As I'm posting this in blog form, I have no way of knowing who may decide to read it. But if anyone who reads this is involved in a 'church fight,” think long and hard whether the issue is worth disrupting the fellowship of the church. Very, very few things are. Especially since most disputes I've seen or heard about involve personalities and jealousies, not fundamental doctrines. And fellowship IS a fundamental doctrine!

Note that experience leads to excitement, and excitement leads to proclamation and sharing! If your experience with the Lord is fresh, and your following Him excites you, sharing that enthusiasm with others is the most natural thing in the world. If you have trouble witnessing, don't pray for strength to witness. Ask God to give you a fresh renewal encounter with Him as Moses and Elijah did. He will send you out renewed and give you much to share.

Why is this important to us?

Because John was writing to us and everyone who picked up his letter. And God's Spirit who inspired that scroll is able to speak to you through John's words. So listen up! God did not lead the church to save this letter through the centuries so we could study the thoughts of a first century Jew. Rather 1 John can speak, even shout, to you and me today.

Now for something not completely different...

(Technical Stuff)

Greek or Hebrew? Gnostics? Or maybe not...

Many Greeks in the olden days believed spirit is good and matter, including flesh, is bad. Jesus saves our souls, but not our bodies. So we have to fight our bodies to make them better. One group decided to punish the body to make it behave. Some whipped themselves (flagellation if you like big words), fasted and prayed a lot, and one guy even lived for years on top of a pillar. (I always wondered if he had a pillow on his pillar, but I guess not.)

That was not a popular way to live, so a much larger group of Gnostics arose from this reasoning: if my soul and body are separate and my soul is saved, it doesn't matter what my body does. So let's live it up! I notice a lot of people seem to be of that persuasion today!

Both groups thought it was impossible for spirit to become flesh, therefore Jesus only appeared to be a man and only seemed to die on the cross. Their legends had plenty of gods coming to earth, so that was no problem. They did not dispute the divinity of Christ. What they had lots of trouble accepting was that He was really a man and really died like all people do. To them the virgin birth was a problem because that meant he shared Mary's likeness and really was human.

Most – or all – of the NT books were written, at least partially, to counter this line of thought. Jesus was both Divine and human. He really died and really came back to life. And Jesus saves our entire selves, not just part. So even though we are saved, we still battle with sin and must grow in both spirit and control of the flesh. 1 John deals with that issue.

Those Hebrews …

Every NT author except possibly Luke was a Jew. They wrote in Greek, but were likely thinking in Hebrew. Their Bible was what we call the Old Testament. Remember they had no New Testament yet. John may have had one or more of the other gospels as he wrote and possibly he had read one or more of Paul's letters. Remember John wrote most of his stuff between 80-100 AD, and many students put them all in the 90's.

Jesus himself was a Jew and called 12 Jewish men to follow him. When He left, the faith was carried on by Jews. The book of Acts shows the Twelve still worshiped in the Temple. So the question arose – has anything changed? The answer came in parts. Peter had a dream that enabled him to tell a Roman Centurion about Jesus, and the man believed. Philip witnessed to an Ethiopian and baptized him on the spot, before he left Israel for Egypt. Neither of these says anything about their being circumcised or warned to observe the Jewish diet.

Then Paul, a super-Jew, began to preach to Gentiles and add them to his churches without any requirements beyond faith in Christ. At that point, some Jews began criticizing him for not requiring Gentiles to become Jews in order also to be Christians. They kept coming after Paul, and he kept standing up to them and arguing against them.

The New Testament was forged between the hard-line Jewish Christians on one side and Gentile Gnostics on the other. The NT writers went right down the line saying Jesus was truly a man and truly the divine Son of God. Faith in Christ made you a Christian without anything else, but being a Christian meant to grow in the likeness of Christ. We will keep an eye out for both of these opponents as we continue in 1 John.

Specifically and word by word, well some of them anyway...

Verse 1: What was from the beginning... Well, what WAS from the beginning?

Two possibilities: As in John 1, Jesus was the Word that was in the beginning. But in 2:7 John speaks of commandments they had “from the beginning.” That makes sense here too. He's teaching the same message the Twelve preached from the start. But it's all about Jesus, whichever way you go!

Sense words: Words from the senses, seeing, hearing, even feeling! Words that emphasize personal experience.

The word of life – the word or message or person who brings life. The gospel or the Subject of the gospel. Life is a key word in John. We'll see it again.

Verse 2: The life appeared – Compare to John's gospel 1. “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”

God's abundant life appeared, and from our personal encounters we are sharing those experiences with you.

Eternal life – more than everlasting, a quality of life. Life in the Kingdom.

With the Father – echoing John 1. maybe add points to the view in verse 1 that he's referring to Jesus as the Word from the beginning?

Appeared – a revelation from God. The Father showed Him to us.

Fellowship – in Greek, koinonia. The latter word has been adopted into English usage because popular usage among Christians has made fellowship equal to party or church socials. In the NT the word means deep companionship as develops among people who have been through a lot of things together. It means we have each other's backs. Koinonia is like a salad. Combine loving Christ with loving each other and add time.

With the Father... A divine fellowship. We want to introduce you to the One we know and initiate you into our group.

4 - our joy...full – I like it when the church claps after someone is baptized. It's a powerful way of celebrating that they are now one of us. They are part of what has been called our forever family. “The Lord added to the church those who were being saved.” That's what it's all about!

Now go back and scan the four verses.

Now go back and re-read them more slowly.

Now about that sin! Onward!

Look at the next block of material.

Hey sinners! Don't sin! But if you do...

(to be continued...)