First John-Introduction-First John: Themes First John Shares with John 13-17, Part 1
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday February 28, 2017
First John: Themes First John Shares with John 13-17, Part 1
Lesson # 13
A comparison of First John and John 13-17 which contains our Lord’s Upper Room Discourse makes clear that both share many common themes such as maximum joy, the Father’s relationship with the believer in His Son, knowing God by obedience to His commands and mutual love.
There is also the theme of love, and specifically the Father’s love, the Son’s love and the believer’s love.
The theme of hate also appears in First John and John 13-17.
Lastly, they share the themes of fellowship, believers as children of God and the world as a reference to the cosmic system of Satan which is opposed to God or the world as a designation for the unbelievers.
The fact that they share these same themes indicates the apostle John’s concern that believers experience fellowship with God as well as indicating that the gospel of John and First John are written by the same person, namely the apostle John who was present during our Lord’s Upper Room Discourse.
The theme of joy appears in 1 John 1:4 and echoes the Lord’s use of joy in relation to believers experiencing fellowship with God in John 15:11 (twice), 16:20-22, 24 and 17:13.
Those believers who are obedient to the Lord’s command to love one another as He has loved all men will experience the joy of the Lord.
The propaganda of Satan’s cosmic system has promoted the lie that wealth, good environment, marriage, having children, approbation from men will produce true happiness and joy.
Satan’s propaganda machine promotes the lie that good circumstances and people and “looking out for number one,” are the basis for true happiness and joy, but the Word of God states that true happiness and joy is based upon doing the Father’s will by loving and serving one another.
In His Vine and the Branches Metaphor that is recorded in John 15, the Lord Jesus Christ taught His disciples that obeying His command to love one another as He had loved them is the pathway to experiencing fellowship with Him, being productive for God and sharing His joy.
The theme of the Father in relation to believers appears in 1 John 1:3 and 2:13, 24, 3:1, which echoes John 13:1-17:26.
It is true that as Creator, God is Father of all but in terms of relationship and fellowship, He is the Father of only believers who have been born into the royal family of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Heb. 12:7, 9).
One cannot claim to have or know experientially the Father without the Son (1 Jn. 2:22-23; 2 Jn. 9; cf. Jn. 8).
God is the Father of all believers who are sons of God through regeneration (Jn. 1:12-13; Rm. 8:15; Gal. 3:26-28; 4:6; Eph. 2:18).
Regeneration takes place at the moment of justification when a person expresses faith alone in Christ alone (Jn. 3:16-17, 36; Acts 16:31; Gal. 3:26-28).
Those who are sons of God through regeneration are considered by God to be His children as a result of honoring His Son by accepting the Son as Savior.
Unlike the Greek philosophers of the ancient world and of modern twenty-first century society, the New Testament considers only those who have accepted Christ as Savior as children of God.
Unbelievers are considered children of the devil and are designated “sons of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2; 5:6; Col. 3:6; cf. Jn. 8:44).
The Father’s house is mentioned in John 14:2 and the Father sending the Holy Spirit to the believer appears in John 14:14, 26 and 15:26.
There is the Father’s love for the believer in John 14:21, 23 and 16:27) and the Father coming and staying with them in John 14:23.
In John 15:2, the Father is mentioned by Jesus as pruning their branches so that they bear more fruit and He mentions the Father granting their requests in John 15:16 and 16:23, as well as the Father protecting them from the evil one in John 17:15, and also the Father enabling them to be united in John 17:21-22.
The theme of knowing God by means of faith, love and obedience appears in John 13-17 and is also found in First John as well.
In 1 John 2:3 and 5:3, the apostle John refers to knowing God by obedience to His Word which echoes our Lord’s teaching in John 14:15, 15:10 and 17:6.
Obeying God’s commands also means believers can be confident that He will answer their prayers (1 John 3:22).
Obedience to the Lord’s commands also means that the believer abides in Jesus and that Jesus abides in him (v. 24).
These concepts in First John that are related to keeping His commands, knowing God, experiencing answers to prayer, and abiding in Him are central themes in the Upper Room Discourse.
Then, there is the theme of mutual abiding.
In the upper room, Jesus spoke of “the Father abiding” in Him (John 14:10).
He also referred to the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in the believer (v. 17).
Believers are encouraged to abide in Jesus (15:4-5, 7) and in His love (vv. 9-10a).
Furthermore, Jesus said His words are to abide in believers (v. 7).
By abiding in Him they can experience His joy (v. 11; 17:13).
Also because of this mutual relationship with Jesus they can ask the Father for anything in Jesus’ name (14:13–14; 15:16; 16:24, 26), and the Father will grant those requests.
This abiding presence of Jesus in the lives of believers also results in His being glorified in them (17:10).
In John 15:9-10, the Lord speaks of believers abiding in His love, which is patterned after His abiding in the Father’s love (v. 10).
This concludes with the Father’s love abiding in believers (17:26).
First John also describes the believer’s mutual relationship with the Father (1 John 2:5–6; 3:24; 4:12–13, 15–16; 5:20).
The apostle John used μένω, “abide” twenty-four times in eighteen verses of the five chapters of 1 John.
It is used of believers abiding in God (2:6; 3:24a; 4:13, 15, 16 [second use]) and believers abiding in the light (2:10) as well as the Word of God abiding in believers (2:4).
First John speaks of believers doing the will of God and thus abiding forever (2:17).
In First John 2:19, John mentions the false teachers not remaining in the fellowship of believers.
This epistle also speaks of the teaching of the apostles and eyewitnesses abiding in believers (2:24 [first and second uses]) as well as believers abiding in the Father and the Son (2:24 [third use]) and in addition, the Holy Spirit abiding in believers (2:27 [first use]; 3:9).
First John speaks of believers abiding in Jesus (2:27 [second use], 28; 3:6) as well as the believer not abiding in love and thus abiding in death (3:14).
God’s love not abiding in the believer who refuses to meet the needs of other believers appears in First John 3:17.
There is also the doctrines of the Father abiding in believers (3:24 [second use]; 4:12, 15, 16 [third use]) and believers abiding in love (4:16).
In the Upper Room Discourse, we see Jesus teaching of the Spirit abiding in believers in John 14:17 which is echoed in First John 2:27.
The Holy Spirit is the resident teacher or mentor whom the Father has sent through the Son to indwell every New Testament believer as God’s special anointing to teach.
He makes the truths of the Word understood and real to the heart or mind of believers (John. 14:16-20, 26; 15:26; 16:7-16; 1 Co. 2:10-16; 2 Co. 13:14; Ga. 5:5, 16-25; Eph. 3:16-19; 5:18; 1 Jo. 2:20-27).
This anointing, which is the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit as our true teacher and mentor, protects us from the lies of the cosmic system, which are promoted by Satan’s false teachers.
