One of the first challenges of the early church was detecting false teachers and wrong doctrines creeping into the churches. This struggle brought about some very important events, including the writing of John’s first epistle. First John is a series of tests for eternal life. It is a wonder we don’t use this epistle as the early church would have. If a person claims to have eternal life, it should be visible, evident, and therefore testable.
What caused John to write it?
Understanding the background of a book guards against misinterpretation and misapplication. Preaching on the background of 1 John will help the Christian to realize its value, power, and purpose.
• The recipients had lost their joy because they were no longer sure if they were in the truth. Who truly had eternal life? John writes to comfort them and reveal those who had gone off into error. Notice the strong “we” vs. “they” pattern throughout the letter.
• The claims of the opposition party (1:6, 8, 10; 2:4, 6, 9)
• The departure of the opposition and its “anti-Christ” position (2:18-19)
• The attempt of the opposition to deceive the readers (2:26; 3:7)
• The opposition’s theory that the readers needed their special Gnostic teachings to enter into eternal life or know God (2:26-27)
• The opposition’s teachings about Christ (2:22-23; 4:2-3; 5:10)
• The lifestyle of the opposition (2:4, 9; 3:4, 8, 10)
• The popularity of the opposition (4:5)
• The opposition’s treatment of the readers (2:9, 11; 3:15, 17; 4:8, 20)
The structure of the letter
The structure of 1 John does not clarify its meaning and, therefore, it should not be used to interpret meaning. All commentators point out the difficulty of outlining the book. Most outlines tend to be a little forced and stray from the text. This is because 1 John is similar in structure to parts of Proverbs.
A) Concept structure
John uses three tests to examine a person’s claims to have eternal life: proper behavior, proper love, and proper doctrine. These three tests cycle throughout his writing. This may be the only clear pattern in the epistle. David Gooding suggests three main movements and notes that the world is presented in a different way in each movement (see Preaching Ministry of David Gooding: New Testament in “Other Helpful Resources on 1 John” below):
Movement 1 (The world wants our love)
A) The test of proper behavior or righteousness – 1:6-2:6
B) The test of proper love for other believers – 2:7-11
C) The test of proper doctrine about the Christ – 2:22-24
Movement 2 (The world withstands us)
A) The test of proper behavior or righteousness – 3:3-10
B) The test of proper love for other believers – 3:11-18
A) The test of proper behavior or righteousness – 3:22-24
C) The test of proper doctrine about the Christ – 4:1-3
Movement 3 (The world must be overcome)
B) The test of proper love for other believers – 4:7-12
C) The test of proper doctrine about the Christ – 4:13-15
B) The test of proper love for other believers – 4:16-5:3
C) The test of proper doctrine about the Christ – 5:6-13
B) Grammatical structure
Below is a structural outline based solely on grammar and where the thoughts clearly change from paragraph to paragraph. The preacher will be helped more by developing his own titles after studying each section than by adopting someone else’s.
1:1-4 1:5–2:2 2:3-11 2:12-17 2:18-29 3:1-10
3:11-19 3:20-24 4:1-6 4:7–5:5 5:6-13 5:18-21
Three warnings in 1 John
• The warning against false christs – 2:18-26
• The warning against false spirits – 4:1-6
• The warning against false gods – 5:20-21
What John hoped to accomplish
Knowing an author’s goal can help in understanding his writings. When writing his Gospel, John clearly stated its purpose (Jn. 20:31). Such is also the case in the epistle of 1 John (see 5:13).
• John writes so the readers would enjoy fellowship with the Lord and with the apostles (1:3)
• John writes to bring about his own joy as a shepherd and apostle (1:4)
• John writes to stop the spread of sin that was resulting from the opposition’s new teachings (2:1)
• John writes to give assurance of salvation (2:12-14; 5:13)
• John writes to establish his readers in the truth (2:21, 26)
Individual tests found throughout 1 John
• How can we know that we know Him and are in Him? (2:3, 5)
• How can we know that we have passed from death into life? (3:14)
• How can we know that we are “of the truth”? (3:19)
• How can we know that He abides in us? (3:24)
• How can we know if the Spirit of God is motivating a person or speaker? (4:2)
• How can we differentiate between the spirit of truth and spirit of error? (4:6)
• How can we know that we really abide in God and God in us? (4:13-16)
• How can we know that we love the children of God? (5:2)
• How can we know who has overcome the world and who has not? (5:4)
• How can we know that we have the petitions we ask of Him? (5:15)
The challenge of the absolute statements of 1 John
As John exposes the opposition, he makes several strong statements concerning sin and the believer (e.g., 3:6-10 and 5:18). Many Christians have struggled with these verses, and some use these verses to teach false doctrines such as the doctrine of sinless perfection. The preacher needs to understand these statements and clarify them for the listeners.
Key contrasts in 1 John
• Saying vs. doing – 1:6-2:11
• Where we walk vs. how we walk – 1:6, 7, 11 vs. 2:6
• The spirit of truth vs. the spirit of error – 4:1-6
• Jesus Christ vs. antichrists – 2:18-27
• The family vs. the world or children of God vs. children of the devil
Important words and phrases in the letter
Defining these words and phrases, and observing their use in 1 John, is vital to understanding the epistle.
1. Key words and phrases: fellowship, eternal life (not just living forever), abide, overcome (note the positional and practical aspects of this word), children (1 John is all about family traits and spiritual lineage), perfect love
2. Common words: manifested, love, hate, righteous, commandments, sin, little children, brethren
OTHER RESOURCES
Preaching Ministry of David Gooding: New Testament (MP3 CD) by David Gooding. Available through Gospel Folio Press. If one were to consult only one source, this is it. His eight messages are excellent.
In These Last Days; 2 Peter, 1, 2, 3 John & Jude in the Greek New Testament by Kenneth Wuest. This will bring out the sense of the original Greek to the English reader. See especially for section on the Absolute Statements.
New Testament Introduction, Rev. Ed. by Donald Guthrie. This is an authoritative source for questions of dating, authorship, and background. Highly academic yet helpful and accurate.