That's the Fact, Jack!

We’re dealing first with a statement of fact

Then a statement of purpose which will set up the rest of the epistle

We’ll use a common pattern when beginning a new book study

Writer, recipient and reason

We’ll add reaction as our statement of application

Writer

John the Apostle, St. John the Divine; brother of James; son of Zebedee

No internal statement but...

Understood as his writing in the earliest church history

Those who knew him knew it to be his writing

Has many similarities in content and style to his Gospel, even Revelation

It’s actually difficult to discuss his first epistle without looking at his Gospel—at least this part—first

John 1:1–4 (ESV)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.

All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

It, and his other two letters were written in the late part of the 1st century

We understand that Revelation was written in the 90s; this and even his Gospel may have been that late as well

Dating this late may be of significance in understanding the reason for the writing

Most scholars believe that John was among the younger of the Apostles, and lived later into the century

He was among the last-living eye-witnesses to Jesus life, death and resurrection

Recipients

Not exactly sure

Most likely churches known to him in western Asia

Possibly the same 7 churches of the Revelation

We do know that in his later years he lived in Ephesus, exiled from there to Patmos, where he wrote the Revelation

Wants to bring them into, or keep them in, fellowship with himself, or with those who were the leaders in the Church at large

He uses “we” and “us” often

Might be the editorial we

More likely, the collective of eyewitnesses who, knew, touched and and interacted with Jesus in His time on earth

Those who had seen His glory

John 1:14 ESV

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Reason

To assure them of the facts of the Gospel…of the person and work of Jesus

He was real

Important to those who initially proclaimed the Gospel

Important for the readers to be assured of this reality

Purposeful Proclamation

v.3, so that the readers…includes even us today…could have fellowship

…with John and his peers

…with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ

So, he was making plain the facts of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

…even a subtle statement regarding the divinity of Christ

A believer may have true fellowship only with other believers

A Statement of Desire

That their (John and his peers) joy would be complete

Sounds just like 3 J. 4

3 John 4 ESV

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Some things we will see:

There were heresies floating around

Not fully explained but what they were are hinted at in the rest of the writing

A few good suspects

Overarching thought of anti-Christs (note small a)

Gnosticism

Dealt with special knowledge received only by few

Not highly developed at this time…but gaining some ground

We will pick up on other themes as we go through the book

Cerinthus

c. 88 AD

Considered by some to be an early Gnostic

World created by a power other than God

Jesus was the natural son of Mary and Joseph

The Christ came into Him at His baptism

Docetism

Jesus’s body was not real

His suffering therefore was not real

There will also be warnings about

False Faith

These will come later in the book

Reaction

First—do some homework: read the entire epistle It’s only a few pages

Read the first chapter of the Gospel of John…get hooked and read the whole thing

We find the reason Paul wrote his Gospel…and it’s the same thing he is doing in the epistle

Promoting a pure Gospel and preventing error

...John 20:31 (ESV)

but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

As Paul will say of the Gospel , Rom 1 16

Romans 1:16 (ESV)

... for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes...

John 10:10 ESV

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

This in the context of the Good Shepherd passage

That’s a warning Jesus was giving about false teachers

Paul used the illustration of wolves in his farewell to the Ephesian elders

Acts 20:29 ESV

I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;

John wanted his readers to have fellowship with [them] and

…fellowship with the Father

....with His Son Jesus Christ

Then John’s joy—and the joy of his peers—would be complete

We need to know the truth about Jesus

Our Part

We must know the true Jesus…anything else has no power to save us

The facts of who He is and why He came (all that was in our Advent series)

Only then may we be part of that fellowship of which John speaks

We need to have the same concern about others

We need to share this Jesus we have experienced with the world around us

Do you have a desire to see those around you walking with Christ

Do you care if they’re experiencing life abundantly?

Can we refute heresy?

Can we accurately explain the Gospel