JOHN123

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THE BOOKS OF JOHN
ONE, TWO AND THREE

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FIRST JOHN ~ THE EPISTLE OF KNOWLEDGE AND
ASSURANCE.........

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It would appear that John, in this general Epistle, is considering the body of Christ more as a family than the church. He is
the last of the apostles, and sees all believers as children of God---"my children." He uses the word "Father" 13 times and "little children" 11 times. He sought to emphasize God's love
for all believers in the midst of the world hate, God's light to
overshadow heathen darkness, the joy of God's salvation in spite of persecution and suffering, and the life of God as eternal in view of the insecurity of physical life.

He writes expressly to show Christians what their faith in Christ
really means.........for a test to find out if they really have eternal life. This Epistle is an interpretation of his gospel account....a sequel. The gospel declares and illustrates the way into eternal life, which comes when one believes in Christ as the Son of God. It was written that one may believe, and believing, have life (John 23:31). This Epistle was written for the test of such an experience. He wrote to combat error. Paul and Peter had been dead for thirty years, and John lived to see corruption, both in doctrine and practice, enter the church. Prevailing philosophers and systems of thought Gnosticism, in particular, held sway, and was seeking to incorporate Christianity as a part of Greek philosophy and Oriental mysticism...to make it a more natural religion.

Gnostics taught that in human nature there is a principle of dualism....that of spirt and body ...two separate entities....
each hostile to the other. Sin dwelt in the flesh only, making it totally evil. The body could do as it pleased....living in the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. Spirit was totally good. He could not have created bodies, which were evil, but spirits only
which were good. Christ, to them, was a man in appearance only...a phantom....which contained His spirit. The deity of Christ was accepted, but His humanity was denied. The word "Gnostic" means "to know," and their philosophy claimed all knowledge.
To combat this false teaching, John wrote to his "little children"....
1. That they cherish the truth that Jesus did come in the flesh
(4: 1,2). A "phantom" body could not possess blood for
sin's atonement....it could not die and be resurrected.
2. That they could not practice sin and at the same time walk
in God's truth and light.
3. That they may know that they have a superior knowledge
of God and His truths. John uses the word "know" (with
related words) at least forty times in this Epistle.

The apostle seeks to promote brotherly love, and uses the argument that God's love for us, coupled with evidence of our regeneration based upon our obedience to Christ's commands, will achieve it. He seeks to oppose and stop the growth of licentious principles and practices and heretical doctrines.

The licentious principles and practices he condemned are these:
(a)that believers had no sin in them (l:8); (b) that they could love the world, the flesh, and the devil, and still be Christians (2:15), and (c) idolatry (5:21). John insisted on a conscious realization of the new life in Christ. The heresies he sets himself against and refutes are such as regard the doctrines of the Trinity and the Person and office of Christ. There were (a) some who denied a distinction of persons in the Trinity 5:7); (b) others who denied that Jesus was the Messiah (2:2); (c) some who said that Christ had not come in the flesh (4:2, 3); (d) others who professed to believe in Jesus Christ but denied His proper deity and asserted He was a mere man (2:22, 23); and (e) still others who denied His real humanity and affirmed that he was a mere phantom (1:1,2). First John has 5 chapters, 105 verses, and 2, 523 words.

CHAPTER 1:1-4 ~ The Incarnation
God became Flesh, in Human Form. 21 times in this Epistle Jesus is called The Son of God. 12 times God is spoken of as The Father. Thus the Diety of Jesus, the Father and Son relation of God and Jesus, is a special emphasis of the Epistle.
John was Jesus' most intimate earthly Friend. For three years John accompanied Jesus in His journeys over Palestine, ministering to Him day and night, as Jesus wrought His Mighty Miracles. At the Last Supper, John leaned on Jesus' bosom, as Jesus talked of His approaching Crucifixion.
To John, Jesus was no Phantom, or dream, or mere Vision; but a Real Person, the Embodiment of Life, External Life (2).
And John wrote this Epistle that others might share his feeling of Fellowship, Companionship and Joy, in Christ and in the Father, and with one another (3, 4).

1: 5 - 10 ~ God Is Light
That is the way John's Gospel starts: the Word of God...the Light of Men (John 1: 1, 4). Jesus had said, I am the Light of the world (John 8:12).
Light stands for God's Realm of Truth, Righteousness, Purity, Joy, Ineffable Glory. Darkness stands for this World of Error, Evil, Ignorance, Wickedness and Abode of the Lost.
In a more real and literal sense, Light may be an attribute of God beyond the understanding of fleshly eyes. God Clothes Himself with Light (Psalm 104:2). God dwells in Light unapproachable (I Timothy 6:16). Father of Lights is one of God's names (James 1:17). Jesus' Garments, at His Transfiguration, became glistening White (Mark 9: 3). The Angel at Jesus' Resurrection was White as Snow (Matthew 28:3). The two who accompained Jesus in His Ascension were in White (Acts 1:10). In the vision in Revelation 1:14-16, Jesus' Head and Hair were White as Snow.

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CHAPTER 2 ~ Walking in the Light and the Antichrist ~
Walking with God does not mean that we are Without Sin. We have Sinned in the past, and we still have Sin in our nature. It is by virtue, Not of our Sinlessness, but of Christ's Death for our Sin, that we have our Companionship with God. The moment we are conscious of any Sinful Act, if that moment, in genuine penitence and humility, we confess it, our Companionship with God may remain unbroken. The saintliest of men invariably have been deeply conscious of their own Sinfulness.

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The word "Antichrist" is mentioned in 2:18, 22; 4:13; and in II John 7. It occurs nowhere else in the Bible. It is commonly identified with the Man of Sin (II Thessalonians 2), and the Beast of Revelation 13. But the Bible itself does not make the identification. The language implies that John's readers had been taught to expect, an Anti-Christ in connection with the closing days of the Christian Era (18). However John applies the word, not to One Person, but to the whole group of Anti-Christ Teachers (2:18, 4:3). The new testament idea seems to be that the Spirit of Antichrist would arise in Christendom, manifesting itself in many ways, both Within the Church and Without, finally culminating in One Person, or an Institution, or Both.

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CHAPTER 3 ~ Righteousness and Love
Here are some very strong statements about Sin. Whoever Sins Knows Not Christ (6). He that does Sin is of the Devil (8). Whoever is Begotten of God Cannot Sin (9). Yet, John had just said, if that we have Not Sinned we make God a Liar (1:10)
There is a difference between Sins of Weakness and Wilfull Habitual Sin. It is largely a matter of the Inner Nature. An Eagle may dip its wings in the mud, and yet be an Eagle. A Righteous man may have Sins of Weakness, and yet Be a Righteous Man. John may have had in mind certain heretic teachers, like Jezebel (Revelation 2:20), who, while claiming superior Fellowship with God, were at the same time wallowing in the Filth of Immorality.
The dominant note of this Epistle is Love....We should Love One Another (3:11). He that Loveth Not his Brother is Not of God (3:10). We know that we have passed out of Death into Life because we Love the Brethren (3:14). He that Loves Not abides in Death (3:14). Whoever Hates his Brother is a Murderer (3:15). Let us Love One Another (4:7). Everyone that Loves is begotten of God, and Knows God (4:7). Love is of God (4:7). We ought to Love One Another 4:11). God is Love (4:16). He that Abides in Love Abides in God (4: 17). If we Love One Another, God Abides in us (4: 12). Perfect Love Cast Out Fear (4: 18). We Love because He first Loved Us (4: 19). If a man say, I Love God, and Hates his Brother, He is a Liar (4: 20). He that Loves Not his Brother whom he has seen, How can he Love God Whom he has Not Seen? (4: 20).

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CHAPTER 4 ~ False Prophets ~ Love
Apparently, Churches were beset by False Teachers, claiming Inspiration of the Holy Spirit for their Doctrines. Generally, Says John, their trustworthiness could be tested by their Loyalty to the Deity of Jesus. (2)
John returns to his favorite theme, Love, the keynote of the Epistle. He is very insistent that being Saved by the Grace of Christ Does Not Release us from the necessity of Obeying Christ's Commandments. And Christ's Chief Commandment is Love. We Know Christ if We Keep His Commandments (2: 3). He that says I know Him, and Keeps Not His Commandments, Is a Liar (2:4). This Commandment we have from God, that
he who loves God Loves his Brother also. (4:21)....This is the Love of God, that we Keep His Commandments.

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CHAPTER 5 ~Assurance of Eternal Life
"Know" is one of the key words of this Epistle. We Know that we Know God (2:3). We Know that we are in Him, We know that when He shall Appear we shall be Like Him, We know that we have Passed from Death to Life, because we Love the Brethren. We know that we are the Truth, We Know that God Abideth in us. We know that we Abide in God. These things have I written that you may Know that you have Eternal Life.
(5: 13). We Know that God hears us (5: 15), We Know that we are of God ( 5:19).
Many Christians are discouraged because they do not feel SURE that they are Saved. Sometimes we hear it said that if we do not Know we are Saved, that is a sign that we are Not Saved. We think this is an extreme assertion. It is a mistake to identify Assurance with Salvation. A new-born baby scarcely Knows it has been born, but it has. Assurance comes with Growth. We believe it is possible for a Christian's Faith to get stronger and stronger till, to himself, at least, it reaches the Full Assurance of Knowledge.
Eternal Life (13), begins when a person becomes a Christian, and Never Ends. It is a Life of Divine Quality and Endless Duration. Assurance of it is the object of this Epistle.
The Sin unto Death (16), refers to the unpardonable Sin spoken of by Jesus (Matthew 12: 31-32)...Hebrews (6:4-6) the deliberate and Final Rejection of Christ. It is if a person in the bottom
of a well, to whom a rope is let down, slashes the rope above his reach, thus cutting off his only hope of escape. For those who Reject Christ, there will Never be Another Sacrifice for Sin.

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SECOND JOHN ~ CAUTION AGAINST FALSE TEACHERS

This Epistle and III John were Personal Little Notes to friends whom John expected soon to visit. He wrote other letters (I John 2:14); (III John 9), possibly many of them. Personal Letters, such as these on account of their brevity and private nature, would be less generally read in Christian Assemblies than Church Letters, and consequently be less widely known. These Two Little Epistles, under the Guidance of God's Spirit, were rescued from oblivion, and preserved for the Church, possibly , by being attached to a copy of I John in the particular Church or Churches where they had been received.

The ELDER (vs. 1)~ The other Apostles had all passed on, years before, John alone was left, the Primate of all Christendom, the last surviving Companion of Jesus. How appropriate the title.

The ELECT LADY (vs. 1) ~ She may have been, literally, a Person, a well-known and prominent Woman, somewhere near
Ephesus, in whose Home a Church met. Or, she may have been a Church symbolically called by a Woman's Name. Here Elect Sister (13), another prominent Christian Woman Leader, In the Congregation in which John was resident, or the Congregation itself.

The TRUTH (vs. 1-4 ) ~ The word "Truth" is used 5 times in the first 4 verses. Love in Truth (1). Know the Truth (1). Truth Dwells in us (2). Grace, Mercy, and Peace, in Truth (3). Walking in Truth (4) . Truth is the True Doctrine of Christ (9), that Following Him means Walking in His Commandments (6), and His Chief Commandment is that We Love One Another (5).

FALSE TEACHERS (vs. 7-11) ~ These already had been referred to in I John 2: 18-29: going from Church to Church, Teaching, in the Name of Christ, Doctrines that were utterly subversive of the Christian Faith. This Letter seems to have been written to caution the Elect Lady to be on her guard, and refuse Hospitality to such Teachers. The warning is prefaced with an exhortation to Love (5, 6), as if to indicate that the Practice of Christian Love does not mean that we should not give encouragement to Enemies of the Truth.

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THIRD JOHN ~ REJECTION OF JOHN'S HELPERS ~

GAIUS (vs. 1) ~ There was a Gaius in Corinth, a convert of Paul's ( I Corinthians 1:14; Romans 16:23), in whose home, in Paul's day, a Church met. A tradition says that he later became John's scribe. But verse 4 calls Gaius, one of John's Children, that is, Converts. But, whoever he was, he was a Greatly Beloved Christian Leader. John Loved him and four times called him Beloved (1, 2, 5, 11).

PROSPER IN ALL THINGS (vs. 2 ) ~ Here is a prayer, from one who was very close to Christ, that a Christian might have Temporal as well as Spiritual Blessings: an indication that it is not wrong, in the sight of Christ, for one to possess This World's Goods and Benefits. John himself, in early life, had been a man of means. But this same John warns against Loving Things of This World ( I John 2: 15 -17).

TRUTH (vs. 1) ~ A Favorite Word with John. Used over 20 times in John's Gospel, 9 times in I John, 5 times in II John, and 5 times in III John. Love in Truth (1). Walk in Truth (2, 3). Help the Truth (8). Witness of the Truth (12).

JOHN'S HELPERS (vs. 5 - 8 ) ~ Paul, some forty years earlier, had established Churches in and around Ephesus, with no Seminaries to supply Pastors. He had to develop his Pastors out of his Converts. Later, John, assuming the pastoral care of these Churches, it seems gathered round himself, and trained great numbers of teachers and preachers to aid him, and sent them out among the Churches.

DIOTREPHES (vs. 9) ~ One of the domineering False Teachers, who would have nothing to do with John. It seems that he and Gaius were pastors of different congregations in the same city. Apparently, some of John's evangelists, on one of their recent tours, had been refused admission to the congregation over which Diotrephes presided, but Gaius had taken them in. On returning to Ephesus, they told the story of it in John's home church. John was now sending another delegation to the same
city, with this little Epistle addressed to Gaius. Demetrius (12),
it is thought, may have been the bearer of the Epistle.

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Compiled by Shirley Barr
November 26, 2005
References Used: King James Bible
and Halley's Bible Handbook
All Copyrights Observed

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THE BOOK OF LOVE

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His name was John, "Who Jesus Loved"
His loyalty was seen by God above.
An apostle of the Lord in his day,
He taught and showed all the right way.

He started out by recording first hand
The teachings and miracles of the chosen MAN.
The real MESSIAH he loved so dear
He would spend his time staying near.

The Book of John was written down,
While Jesus still walked through each town.
The truth was made known to all who listened
And the Word of Jesus, he helped to Christen.

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He strived and outlived all his Brothers
Who with Christ they stayed together.
In later years, it was up to him,
To carry on the church, until the end.

He never swayed from his beliefs,
To all mankind he endeavored to teach.
The Laws of God that were still in place
But were tendered by His Amazing Grace.

The Son of man He continued to PRAISE
And His teachings of Love were often Raised.
Telling the churches to tow the line,
Because Christ's return could be anytime.

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It's all recorded in the letters John wrote
To reassure the church, not to miss the boat.
The Ship Of Zion would sail one day
And first class passage was already paid.

It was entirely up to each of them
To confess and ask forgiveness for their sins.
The ASSURANCE was clear in his words
A most important message then was heard.

Give your life, and do your best
He never promised there wouldn't be a test.
Read God's word that has been laid out
And leave this old world with a SHOUT!

Written by Shirley Barr
November 27, 2005
All Rights Reserved

MUSIC: 'NOTHING WOULD BE WITHOUT YOU'
COMPOSED AND SEQUENCED BY
RHESA SIREGAR and ELTON SMITH