1 John

1. 1 John �that you may know that you have eternal life.

2. 1 John: assurance of salvation Author: John son of Zebedee, the disciple whom Jesus loved, one of the pillars of the Jerusalem Church, and the only apostle to die a natural death. Date: Mid 80�s due to lack of reference to the Neronian persecution that claimed the lives of his fellow apostles, Peter and Paul.

3. 1 John: assurance of salvation Recipients: John probably wrote from Ephesus to other churches in Asia Minor which John had �adopted� upon the death of their spiritual father, Paul. He repeatedly refers to them as his �dear little children.� Occasion: Offers assurance to some specific believers, encouraging loyalty to their faith and practice�in response to some false teachers who had left their community. The false teaching appears to have been an early form of Gnosticism.

4. 1 John: assurance of salvation Structure: John has three primary concerns: incarnation, the relationship between sin and being God�s children, and love for one another. It may help you to think in terms of a musical composition. A prelude anticipates the first theme, then the next two main themes are struck, or at least hinted at, followed by an interlude and then another prelude�this time to the major theme of the false prophets and their denial of the Incarnation. With all the major themes now in place, John works them over two more times each, adding and clarifying as he builds with powerful crescendo to the finale. Fee and Stuart, How to Read the Bible Book by Book.

5. Structure of 1 John 1:1�4 Prelude: The First Theme Struck 1:5�2:2 Second Theme: On Sin and Forgiveness 2:3�11 Third Theme: On Love and Hatred 2:12�14 Interlude: Some Reasons for Writing 2:15�17 Prelude to the Warning: Do Not Love the World 2:18�27 The Warning: On Denying the Son (First Theme Again) 2:28�3:10 Second Theme Repeated: On Sin and Being the Children of God 3:11�24 Third Theme Repeated: On Love and Hatred 4:1�6 First Theme Repeated: On Denying the Incarnation 4:7�21 Third Theme Wrapped Up, and Tied to the First 5:1�12 First Theme Wrapped Up, Now Tied to the Third and Second 5:13�21 The Finale: The Second Theme Tied to the First

6. 1 John: assurance of salvation Message: Passing the tests of eternal life will assure of salvation in the face of opposition. Jonathan Moore, New Testament Survey.

7. 1 John: assurance of salvation Contribution to the Biblical Story: After working through 1 John in this way, you can now also better appreciate the special emphases in John�s telling of the story of Christ in his Gospel; it should also make the reading of 2 John make good sense. The whole biblical story stands or falls on God�s love being manifested by his entry into our world of flesh and blood and dying for us in order to redeem us. Fee and Stuart, How to Read the Bible Book by Book.

8. 2 John �because many deceivers have gone out into the world.

9. 2 John: a warning against false teachers Author: The apostle John. Date: The mid-80�s. All three epistles may have been written and dispatched at the same time. Recipients: Churches in Asia Minor. Occasion: John is concerned that the false prophets (from 1 John) will spread their error in other communities.

10. 2 John: a warning against false teachers Message: Warning: Do not house false teachers. Jonathan Moore, New Testament Survey.

11. 2 John: a warning against false teachers Contribution to the Biblical story: As a miniature 1 John, this short letter reinforces the role of the Incarnation and of love in the biblical story. Fee and Stuart, How to Read the Bible Book by Book.

12. 3 John �walking in the truth.

13. 3 John: hospitality to true teachers Author: The apostle John. Date: The mid-80�s. Recipients: Gaius, a convert of John and member of one of the churches in Asia Minor. Occasion: An earlier letter to the church had been scorned by Diotrephes, who also refused hospitality to the elder�s friends. Consequently, John writes to Gaius, urging him to welcome Demetrius and other true teachers.

14. 3 John: hospitality to true teachers Message: Show hospitality to the bearers of the truth. Jonathan Moore, New Testament Survey.

15. 3 John: hospitality to true teachers Contribution to the Biblical story: Although the smallest document in the New Testament, 3 John enhances the biblical story because of the role it plays in giving us insight into Christian community and hospitality. Fee and Stuart, How to Read the Bible Book by Book.