The Wonderful Jesus

1 John Introduction

Author

This epistle was written by the Apostle John, son of Zebedee. His name is never mentioned in the book. However, internal and external evidence suggest he is the author.

Internal evidence

* The epistle of John was written by someone close to Jesus (1:1-2) (touched, saw, etc.).

*The similarities between this letter and the Gospel of John.

- The vocabulary of both books is similar. We see words like “truth”, “light”, “born of God”, and “believe” in both the Gospel of and the Epistle of John.

- Both stress the Deity and humanity of Christ.

- Love is a primary theme in both.

- The openings to both books are similar (1:1-2 and John 1:1-3).

-The purpose of both the epistle of John and the gospel of John is similar (John 20:31: 1 John 5:13).

- John is not mentioned by name in the gospel of John or in this epistle.

- The content of John’s gospel is repeated in 1 John. Here are a few examples:

Jesus is called the Word (John 1:1-2, 14; 1 J. 1:1)

Jesus is “the life” (John 1:4, 14:6; 1 J. 1:1, 5:20)

Jesus is the true God (John 1:2, 20:28; 1 J.5:20)

Jesus commands us to love one another (John 13:34; 1 J. 3:11)

Walking in darkness (John 11:9-10: 1 John 2:11)

You must know the Son to know the Father (John 8:19; 1 J. 2:23)

Believers are hated by the world (John 15:18-19: 1 J. 3:13)

We should lay down our lives for one another (John 15:13; 1 J. 3:16)

There are also external sources that attribute the epistle to the Apostle John.

- The early church father Irenaeus attributed it to John in his writings. He lived in the second century.

- Eusebius, an early church historian expressly said that John wrote it in Ecclesiastical History 3.24. He lived in the fourth history.

Date

It was probably written in the 90’s AD. The fact that it was not written after the deaths of the Apostles is proven because it is cited by Polycarp in some of his writings. He lived from around 69- 155 AD.

Purpose

I will offer three reasons that John wrote this epistle.

1) To give believer’s assurance of salvation (1 John 2:19).

2) To encourage the faithful (1:4, 2:12-14, 20-21, 24-25; 3:1-3, 22; 4:4, 7, 16-18; 5:1-5, 13-14).

3) To warn about a heresy that had crept into the church. We will develop this thought out a little.

The heresy was probably a form of Gnosticism. Gnosticism was a Greek philosophy developed from the teachings of Plato primarily. Basically it taught that matter was evil and spirit was good. Gnostics thought that salvation came through mystical knowledge. This pagan philosophy was brought into the church and blended with the Christian faith. Of course it led to serious problems.

* They believed that Christ could not have been truly human. To them all matter was evil. Therefore they denied the incarnation of Christ. Some believed that Jesus appeared to have a body but did not actually possess one. Others believed that the Christ Spirit came upon the man Jesus at His baptism and left Him before He died on the cross.

* They believed that the actions of our physical body did not affect our spirit. Therefore, one could sin and remain righteous. All matter is evil anyway, so why not sin?

Notice how John attacks what this group believed.

- They didn’t believe Jesus was the Christ (2:22).

- They didn’t believe Jesus came in the flesh (4:2-3).

- They had no concern for the commandments of God (2:4).

- They denied their own sinfulness (1:8).

- They didn’t love people (2:9).

- They saw no need for righteous behavior (2:29, 3:6, 10)

In this book, John the beloved disciple will exalt Christ. He will comfort the believers and he will expose the false teachers. John pulls no punches. He speaks in very obvious terms. We are either in the light or in darkness. We are of God or of the world. We are righteous or unrighteous. We are children of the devil or children of God. We are over comers or we are overcome. The day that he lived in demanded that type of preaching. The day that we live in demands it as well. At times the book will be comforting. At times it will be convicting. But it will always be profitable. Let’s study it with a hungry heart and a meek spirit.

Thoughts to Consider

1. When you live close to Jesus, you have something to say that others need to hear.

2. When you study the Bible in its fullness you begin to see the beautiful manner in which each book compliments the other books.

3. When the philosophies of the world are brought into the church new and dangerous doctrines form.

John opens this letter in much the same way he opened his gospel. Most epistles in the New Testament start off with a greeting which identifies the recipients of the letter and the one sending it. John doesn’t do that. He begins his letter by introducing Jesus in all of His glory. The synoptic gospels start off with Bethlehem. John’s gospel begins in eternity revealing Christ as the eternal God who has come to earth. In these passages John sets forth some wonderful truths about Jesus.

Jesus is eternal. John says He was “from the beginning”. Our minds immediately go to Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1. It goes without saying that God is eternal. Psalm 90:2 says “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever Thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting Thou art God”. Before anything was ever created God existed. There was never a time when He did not exist. Yet there have been those in history that would deny that Jesus is eternal. To say that Jesus is eternal is to say that He is God. That’s the main reason people have a problem with ascribing eternality to Christ. Nevertheless, the Scripture is clear that Christ is eternal and that He is God.

Isaiah described the Messiah child that would be born as “the everlasting Father” (Isaiah 9:6). Micah did the same in Micah 5:2 “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel: whose going forths have been of old from everlasting”. Speaking of Jesus Colossians 1:17 says “And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist”. Jesus was six months older than John the Baptist. Yet when John described Jesus he said “He was before me” (John 1:15). Jesus Himself testified that He existed before He came to earth. For instance in John 17:5 Jesus said to the Father “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was”. John wants us to know that Jesus is eternal. He did not come into existence one starry night in Bethlehem. He is the One that created the stars (Col. 1:16).

In Jesus, God became man. Notice the end of verse 1. John says “our hands have handled of the Word of Life”. The invisible God became tangible in Jesus. John 1:14 says “And the Word became flesh…” Paul explained this in Philippians 2:6-8 “Who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in the fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross”. John shares four privileges that he and many others enjoyed because of the incarnation.

1) They heard God. Jesus was a preacher. He did heal people, dine with people, and celebrate with people. But more than anything he was a preacher. He taught the Word of God. Mark 1:14 says that Jesus came “preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God”. No one preached more than Jesus. He used every occasion to preach. When He fed the 5,000 He followed it with a discourse on the bread that has come down from heaven (John 6). Before He raised Lazarus from the dead He preached about the resurrection and the life (John 11). He preached deep and practical parables. He waxed eloquent in the Sermon on the Mount. In that one sermon He preached on character, purpose, legalism, adultery, divorce, suffering, greed, heaven, hell and a host of other things. When Jesus preached the people were hearing the very words of God. His preaching was so amazing that it angered the self righteous, confused the wise, convicted the most hardened and converted even the Gentiles. We have His words recorded in our New Testament. When we read them we are hearing from God Himself. When John heard Jesus speak He was literally hearing God speak.

2) They saw God with their eyes. In Christ, God veiled His glory so that we could look upon Him. In the incarnation God spent 33 years dwelling among His people. That was the only way possible man could look upon God. If it were not for Christ clothing Himself in humanity no one could have looked upon Him and lived (Exodus 33:20). God, in His grace, veiled Himself so that we could see and learn of Him (John 14:9). There was a moment when that veil was partially lifted in the lives of Peter James and John. In that moment they saw Christ transfigured. He shone with brightness like the sun itself (Matthew 17:1-8). We see Christ through the eyes of faith. John actually saw Him with His own eyes. And in seeing Christ, He was seeing God.

3) They looked upon God. This phrase conveys a different idea than merely seeing with the eyes. “Looked upon” is the same word translated as “beheld” used in John 1:14. That verse says “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory….).” The meaning of the word is “to look upon intently, to gaze”. We might say that it means “to study”. John and the other disciples had the unique privilege of studying Jesus for three years. They watched everything He did. Once when Christ calmed a storm that had the disciples extremely frightened, the disciples responded by saying “What manner of man is this, that evem the winds and the sea obey Him?” After studying Christ up close the disciples were convinced that Christ was not merely a man. Thomas’ study of Jesus caused Him to cry out “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). The disciples had the opportunity to look with scrutiny at Jesus. They concluded that He was indeed the Messiah God Man.

4) They touched God with their hands. Jesus was no spirit. He had a body of flesh. He was touched on a daily basis (Mark 5:30). He touched others (Matthew 8:3). After Jesus rose from the dead He compelled the disciples to touch Him to prove to them that He was not a spirit (Luke 24:36-39). It may be hard for us to comprehend, but when anyone touched Jesus they were actually touching God. Think about it. What would be the big deal in touching Jesus if He wasn’t God? Why would John even mention it? It’s no big deal to touch people. We do that every day. John mentions it here because it was a big deal tou touch Jesus. Jesus was not just a man. He was also God.

Jesus is the Word of Life. John uses the title “Word” for Jesus in his writings. He uses it in John 1:1, 14; 1 J. 1:1, 5:7, & Rev. 19:13. To Jewish people God’s word was His revelation. In calling Jesus the Word, John is saying that Jesus is the personification of God’s revelation. God has revealed Himself in Jesus. Verse 3 says that “the life was manifested” to us. He has been revealed to us as the ultimate and only source of life. Both the Father and Son possess life within themselves and can grant life to others. John 5:26 says “For as the Father has life in Himself; so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself”. Jesus is God’s revelation of Himself. He is the possessor of eternal life and has the power to grant that life to lowly sinners.

In verse 2 John says he has seen Christ and now he wants to show Christ to others. That’s great news because it teaches us that Christ wasn’t just for those that live in the first century. He is for us as well. In John 17:20 Jesus said these words “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word”. The Word of Life was revealed to John and now John reveals Him to us. What a privilege to have the opportunity to possess the eternal life of Jesus Christ.

Jesus brings believers together into one family. In verse 3 John says that he is declaring Christ to us “that ye may also have fellowship with us”. Notice who he says his fellowship is with. It is with the Father and the Son. “Fellowship” means “participation in, a society”. John was a part of the family of God. He was united to the Father and the Son. He was indeed a son of God (John 1:12). Believers have the great privilege of being united to Christ. We are in Christ and He is in us. We are a part of the body of Christ (Rom. 12:5). Jesus brings together Jew and Gentile (Galatians 3:28). John is saying “I want you all to be a part of the same family as I am”. John had a desire that others come to the faith. He was a soul winner. What he heard he repeated. Because what he heard was so important.

Jesus brings true joy. John says that he wrote these things so that “your joy may be full”. In other words you have complete and real joy when you have Jesus. Joy is more than what we think of when we think of happiness. Joy is a result of the Sprit of God in our lives (Galatians 5:22). Joy is not dependent on circumstances. Joy is the elation that comes when we know that we have the eternal life of God on the inside of us. Troubles may come, trials may come, but we know that the suffering in this world can’t be compared to the glory we will experience in the next world. Jesus is the source of true joy because He is the source of eternal life. Jesus said in John 15:11 “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full”. In John 16:22 Jesus said that no man could take our joy from us. Our great and mighty God has come that we might enjoy life. He gives us purpose. He removes the debt of our sin. He gives us hope. He has given us a home in heaven. Jesus gives us true joy. It is a complete joy and it can only be found in Him.

So in these first four verses John describes our wonderful Jesus to us. Jesus is eternal God who became man. He alone possesses eternal life and grants it to us. He unites us to the family of God and gives us a joy that cannot be taken away. What a Savior!