Preaching 1 John
CATHEDRAL NEWSLETTER 13 July 2023
Russian Orthodox icon of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, 18th century (Church of the Transfiguration, Kizhi Monastery), courtesy Wikipedia
Friends in Christ, this Sunday we begin preaching through the First Letter of John.
Somewhat surprisingly, this short but wonderful book of the Bible is not really an ordinary letter. It contains no personal information about its author, and says nothing specific about an individual or church or other group to whom it was written. Nor are there any other personal or situational details at the end.
In many ways, it is more like a sermon that's been turned into an article for circulation. In fact, some scholars think 2 John was the covering letter that may have been sent with it (from 'the Elder' to the 'Chosen Lady' and 'her children', i.e. a church and its members).
Church tradition from very early on (e.g. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, who died 156 A.D.) suggested these letters were written by John. And this John is usually identified as the Apostle, a son of Zebedee, one of the original Twelve eyewitnesses of Jesus' life, death and resurrection, appointed to foundational Christian leadership by Jesus.
The style and themes are similar to the Gospel also ascribed to John, and the opening of this letter makes similar eyewitness testimony claims.
Several times the author does explain why he has written:
to make joy complete (1:4),
so that you will not sin (2:1),
because of what has already happened to them (i.e. forgiveness, knowledge of God, Christian perseverance, 2:12-14),
because you know the truth (2:21),
so that you may know that you have eternal life (5:13).
In many ways, the last reference illuminate a big theme of the letter: that of assurance.
How can you have confidence before God as a Christian? The 16th century Puritian Presbyterian pastor from London, Stephen Charnock, said:
"Assurance is the fruit that grows out of the root of faith."
Believers need assurance. They need assurance that Jesus is who He claimed He was... That their sins are forgiven... That obedience to his commands really matters.
This was especially the case as the first generation of Christian leaders Jesus died out. Other aroses, perhaps under the influence of Greek philosophy, who downplayed the importance of physical life and sometimes denied that the Son of God had really come in the flesh. In light of such denials, some had left the church (2:18-19). That must have been disturbing.
John writes his letter to comfort and assure believers that they do possess salvation and have eternal life. To do this, he goes on the offensive against "antichrists" who don't believe Jesus is the Messiah and also against any who teach there's no connection between belief and behaviour.
It's also important to undertstand that John doesn't write in a straight line. His letter is circular. He introduces a theme, moves on to other topics and then returns to the previous theme.
In particular, he weaves together three basic themes of the Christian life: obedience (to commands), love (especially of others), and truth (doctrine). Sometimes they are seen as three tests of true Christianity, or perhaps better, as the 'assurance fruit' that growd from the 'faith root'.
Because God is light (1:5), he wants his readers to walk in the light. Because God is love (4:8, 16), he wants his readers to walk in love.
So our actions should be grounded in our belief about Jesus. If we are willing to go in that direction, 1 John suggests our hearts can be truly comforted that we are walking in the truth.
Warmly in Christ,
Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney
P.S. For material in this orientation to 1 John, I am indebted to p160 of Patrick Schreiner's The Visual Word: Illustrated Outlines of the New Testament Books (Moody Publishers, 2021). Visual learners especially would probably find Schreiner's work to be a helpful overview of each NT book.