1 John 1:1-10

1 John 1:1-10 Background

Even though it is not stated plainly, it is a general belief that John the apostle wrote this letter

This letter was probably circulated throughout Asia Minor which would be modern day Turkey

According to tradition, John spent his later years in Ephesus, a major city in that region.

John is likely addressing false teachers in this letter.

It is likely these teachers started within the church but had gone out.

1 John 2:19 (KJV 1900)

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

These teachers were giving false claims about the gospel which included:

Jesus was not God

1 John 4:1–3 “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.”

Jesus death did not atone for sins

1 John 4:10 “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

1 John 5:6–8 “This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.”

They asserted that they had special knowledge of God and they did not sin

1 John 1:8 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

1 John 4:6–7 “We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.”

Outline

Prologue: Jesus came in the flesh 1:1-4

God is light 1:3-2:17

God is righteousness 2:18-3:10

God is love 3:11-5:12

Epilogue: concluding appeal 5:13-21

1 John 1:1–2 “1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

He is writing from an eye witness standpoint

You don’t write about, testify to, live for something that is false

These men were closest to Jesus and they recognized him to be the Son of God

They followed Jesus and believed in Him even to the point of their deaths.

Paul

Beheaded by Nero around AD 66

Peter

Crucified upside down around AD 66

Andrew

He went to the "land of the man-eaters" in what is now the Soviet Union. Christians there claim him as the first to bring the gospel to their land. He also preached in Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey, and Greece, where he is said to have been crucified.

Thomas

He was probably most active in the area east of Syria. Tradition has him preaching as far east as India, where the ancient Marthoma Christians revere him as their founder. They claim that he died there when pierced through with the spears of four soldiers.

Phillip

He possibly had a powerful ministry in Carthage in North Africa and Asia Minor, where he converted the wife of a Roman proconsul. In retaliation, the proconsul had Philip arrested and cruelly put to death.

Matthew

He was the tax collector and writer of a Gospel ministered in Persia and Ethiopia. Some of the oldest reports say he was not martyred, while others say he was stabbed to death in Ethiopia.

Bartholomew

He had widespread missionary travels attributed to him by tradition: to India with Thomas and back to Armenia, Ethiopia, and Southern Arabia. There are various accounts of how he met his death as a martyr for the gospel.

James

He was the son of Alpheus and is one of at least three James referred to in the New Testament. There is some confusion about which is which, but this James is reckoned to have ministered in Syria. The Jewish historian Josephus reported that he was stoned and then clubbed to death.

Simon the Zealot

As the story goes, he ministered in Persia and was killed after refusing to sacrifice to the sun god.

Matthais

He was the apostle chosen to replace Judas. Tradition sends him to Syria with Andrew and to death by burning.

John

The only one of the apostles generally thought to have died a natural death from old age. He was the church leader in the Ephesus area and is said to have taken care of Mary, the mother of Jesus, in his home. During Domitian's persecution in the middle '90s, he was exiled to the island of Patmos. There, he is credited with writing the last book of the New Testament--the Revelation. An early Latin tradition has him escaping unhurt after being cast into boiling oil in Rome.

1 John 1:3–4 “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”

John is urging those hearing this letter to stay in fellowship with one another

There are some that had left the fellowship, he is emphasizing here the importance of not leaving the fellowship

This is what I want Journey to be.

I want us to be a people who declare “that which we have seen and heard’”

Why? “the ye also may have fellowship with us”

What is something you have seen or heard here at church that you have told someone about outside this church?

Willie testifying “Let me tell you how good God’s been, I can’t tell you”

Lets read the first few verses of the gospel of John and see the correlation

John 1:1–5 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”

1 John 1:5–7 “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

Notice here how John uses the word Word to reference Jesus Christ

The implication here is that Jesus is God, He always was.

He is the messiah, “In Him was life”

Notice the parallel here with the first few verses of the Gospel of John and 1st John

John is going to refer to Jesus as Light over and over

We were in darkness until Jesus came and shown his light on us.

Ephesians 5:8–14 “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.”

1 John 1:8–10 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

Psalm 32:5 “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, And mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.”

The temptation here is to cover ones sin and not confess it

The temptation to hide sin comes from fear of how God will respond to our sin if he finds out

He already knows

Jesus has already taken the punishment for our sins on the cross

He is faithful and just to forgive

Proverbs 28:13 “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”