The Way - Day 203 (1 John 1)

Pastor Tom's Journal on Today's Reading:
Introduction to 1 John
Although there is much discussion regarding the date of this writing, most scholars believe that this general letter was written by the apostle John somewhere toward the end of the first century. Even though the writing date is not clear, the reader can be certain that this letter was written by the apostle John who, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, also wrote four other books contained in the New Testament (the gospel of John, 2 John, 3 John, Revelation). Early Christian writers such as Irenaeus, Clement, and Tertullian ascribe this writing to John, who was an eyewitness of the life and ministry of Jesus, often identifying himself in his gospel as the one "whom Jesus loved." All of the gospel writers identify him (along with Peter and James) as one of the closest associates of Jesus, which meant he was often was privy to experiences that the other disciples were not.

When the reader considers John's reasons for writing this letter, they can be certain of a few things. First of all, John's intended audience seems to be believers. Phrases such as "my little children" (2:1; 3:18) indicate that John is speaking as an older man to those younger in the faith. Secondly, John's emphasis throughout his letter is on combating false teaching, mainly Gnosticism. Gnosticism was a erroneous philosophy which taught dualism, matter is evil and spirit is good. This belief led them to believe that they could do anything with their body, even the most immoral sins, because the only thing that mattered was the spirit realm. Obviously, this teaching changed their view of Jesus Christ. The Gnostics taught that Jesus never really had a physical body, but it only seemed that way. Of course, this belief calls into question the sufficiency of Jesus' atonement for sin. Another false premise in Gnosticism was a "deeper or heightened sense of knowledge" only possessed by a few. This "knowledge" was received outside of Scripture and provided them with an arrogant view of themselves and an inferior view of those who had not received this "knowledge." However, the major difference between the teachings of Gnosticism and Christianity is how a person attains salvation. For the Gnostic, salvation is received through elevated knowledge, while Scripture teaches that salvation is a gift which can be received by all those who will repent of sin and confess Jesus as their Savior (Romans 10:9-13).

In order to combat this false teaching, which may have been infiltrating the church, John uses his words wisely to communicate the true nature of those who believe. In order to keep things simple, John identifies two areas which determine if a person has a relationship with God: beliefs and actions. What a person believes will always determine their actions. If a person believes in God through "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son [which] cleanses us from all sin" (1:7), his or her actions will reflect God's ways; however, a false belief system will lead a person to make sinful choices and into a lifestyle which opposes God's ways. Using this letter as a standard for those to whom he was writing, John asked them to closely examine the beliefs and actions of the false teachers to see if they were truly from God (3:24-4:6). If not, they should be rejected along with their teachings.

Although John mainly wrote this letter to battle a false system of beliefs, the reader is able to discern those things which make Christianity unique: love for God (and His commands) and love for others. As you journey through John's words, take time to personally examine your own life to see if what you believe is being put into practice in your life.

1 John 1:1-2:2
From the very beginning of John's writing, he seeks to establish the absolute reality of Jesus' humanity as well as His deity. The reader must keep in mind that much of John's letter is spent defending the truth by exposing the false teachings of the Gnostics, who did not believe in the humanity of Jesus. If Jesus was not fully God AND fully man, His death and resurrection meant nothing. When Jesus took on the form of a human (incarnation), it enabled Him to satisfy the wrath of God upon sin by dying in man's place and taking his sin upon Himself (2 Corinthians 5:21). So, as a personal eyewitness to the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, John begins his writing by reminding his readers that what he was about to tell them was truth, not just because he heard it from someone else, but because he witnessed it with his own eyes. In fact, John uses some very strong words such as "heard...seen...looked upon...have handled, concerning the Word of life" (1:1) to emphasize that Jesus, being God, also became a literal man and this "Word of life" not only refers to Jesus Christ, but also the proclamation good news (the gospel). The good news (the gospel) is the fact that Jesus Christ came to earth as a human being (Matthew 1:21), lived a perfect life (2 Corinthians 5:21), died on the cross to pay the penalty for sin (Romans 6:23), and rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:4) to guarantee eternal life (1 Corinthians 15:20-22) to all who will repent of sin and believe in Him (John 3:16-18; Romans 10:9-13). This message of salvation and hope through Jesus Christ was given to the apostles (1:2) who were personal eyewitnesses, but the false teachers (who claimed to be teaching the truth) had never seen or heard Jesus Christ. The apostles were worthy to be trusted because of their interaction with Jesus Christ and what they heard directly from Him was the same message they were declaring to the masses (1:3a) "that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ" (1:3b). In summary, John was presenting the reader with two choices: believe the apostles or believe the false teachers. The message of the apostles accurately represents the truth of God while the doctrines of these teachers lead to belief in a lie. If his readers would believe the message of the apostles, it would bring fellowship and joy (1:3-4).

In case his readers questioned the authority by which the apostles delivered their message, John reminds them that this message is not human but divine, and the divine message is "that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all" (1:5). The comparison between light and darkness is a very common expression throughout Scripture with light representing truth/purity and darkness illustrating error/sin. Light has no connection with darkness and they cannot exist together. Where there is light, there can be no darkness and where there is darkness, there can be no light. Although the false teachers were declaring that they were "enlightened", John claimed that their message and actions revealed otherwise. If a person says that they know God, but does not practice His ways, they are lying (1:6); however, those who follow God's ways (truth) prove that they have "fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us [them] from all sin" (1:7b).

The false teachers of Gnosticism thought that they were truly enlightened and free from sin, but John wrote the following words to expose their erroneous beliefs, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1:8). At a later time John writes, "If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us" (1:10). Much like the Pharisees of Jesus' day, these teachers did not believe they were sinners. Jesus' encounter with the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-22 reveals the necessity for someone to recognize their sinfulness before they can follow Christ. In contrast with the arrogant and proud, those who willingly admit their sinfulness are given the following promise on the condition of confession, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1:9). When a person is fully aware of their sinfulness and confesses, God will grant forgiveness and cleansing.

John then writes to those who believe, "My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate [Helper] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation [appeasement] for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world" (2:1-2). When a believer surrenders to the Holy Spirit, He can provide the power not to sin (Romans 6:12-14); however, when a follower of Christ does sin, he must remember that he has been acquitted of all punishment through the payment of Jesus on the cross. So, the first major difference between the teachings of the apostles and the false teachers is their view of sin. The apostles knew they were sinners, but believed they were forgiven based on Jesus' death on the cross; however, the false teachers denied their sin and saw no need for repentance.

Dear God, thank You for offering forgiveness and cleansing to all who confess and believe in Your Son, Jesus.