The Beginning of First John

As I mentioned in a previous post, I've recently started teaching an adult class on the Epistles of John. I plan to put my notes on here with the hope that it will benefit someone. I'm not sure yet how I'll format these posts; in outline form, a summary or with each point detailed. I want to provide as much information as I can but I don't want the posts to be so long that it becomes a chore to read them. So be warned, how the information is posted may change. Since some of you have asked me about this I figured I should just get started and see how it develops.

I think it's important to consider particular words when studying these letters from John. As you'll see some of the words are Greek while some are English. I think the first word of importance is doctrine. The word doctrine means teaching. If a person were asked what the doctrine of the church is, the answers they receive may vary. Based on experience I have a feeling that many would answer by saying the doctrine of the New Testament church includes baptism by immersion, congregational vocal singing and the weekly observance of the Lord's Supper.

Each of those elements are important. However we do ourselves and the world a terrible disservice when we limit ourselves to those answers. John gives us some very important doctrine (teaching) in his epistles and never mentions any of those things. John teaches love. Why do we put the elements of worship on a pedestal while putting other doctrines like love on a lesser plain? We have a tendency to act like we're pleasing God if we're going through the motions of acceptable worship and using other elements as filler. I say that the concept of love is not only as important as other teachings but probably more important. After all, if love isn't our motivator for what we do, than why even do what we do?

If you don't agree, here's something to consider. The word work appears in the Epistles of John only two times. In I John 3:8 it's used when John talks of Jesus destroying the works of the devil. Four verses later it's used when describing the works of Cain as evil. That's it. The word faith is used in these three books exactly one time. I John 5:4 says, "Wor whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith."

Now lets look at what John was focused on. The book of First John is five chapters long. The word love or some derivative of it appears 51 times. II John contains only 13 verses yet John uses love four times. Third John has 14 verses and John uses love twice. This is not only the teaching of an Apostle but of the Apostle that seems to have had the closest relationship with Christ. The other three gospels tell us what Jesus did. The gospel of John tells us why Jesus did what he did and in that book John repeatedly uses the word love or some form of it. If these books are as important as any other in the New Testament (and they are) than this doctrine is as important as any other. It's past time for us to start treating it that way.

Here's something to think about when considering what Christian love meant to the Apostle John. This is a quote from Guy N. Woods commentary. "Tradition has it that when his (John's) capacity to work and to teach was gone, when he lacked even the strength to stand alone, he directed that he be borne to the meeting of the saints where, rising unsteadily and supporting himself with his cane, he would say with quavering voice, 'Little children, love one another!'" That's the entire foundation of our salvation; love. It was God's love that allowed Him to offer His Son. It was the Son's love that allowed Him to take on the task given to Him. It should be our recipricating love that motivates us.

Coming up next, I plan to give background on the when, where and why John wrote these books and who he wrote them to.

First John and Justin Martyr

I recently began teaching a Sunday morning class on the Epistles of John. As I have promised to a few people, I plan to put my notes from the class on here. Last week as I was studying and researching some information for the class I came across these words written by Justin Martyr.

Justin Martyr (A.D. 100-167) was born about the time the Apostle John died. In his youth he saw a lot of the persecution that Christians suffered at the hands of the Roman Empire. He became a Christian and wrote a defense of Christianity that was addressed to the Emperor. He wrote the following words that I thought were a great example of not only how the first century church worshipped but how we today could do some things.

"On Sunday a meeting is held of all who live in the cities and villages and a section is read from the memoirs of the Apostles and the writings of the Prophets as long as time permits. When the reading is finished, the president in a discourse gives the admonition and exhortation to imitate these noble things. After this we all arise and offer a common prayer. At the close of the prayer as we have before described, bread and wine and thanks for them according to his ability and the congregation answers Amen. Then the consecrated elements are distributed to each one and partaken of and are carried by the deacons to the houses of the absent. The wealthy and the willing then give contributions according to their freewill; and this collection is deposited to supply the orphans, widows, prisoners, strangers and all who are in want."

Notice that communion wasn't taken just to the shut-ins but to "the houses of the absent." I wonder what the response would be from those were absent if deacons did this today?