Bible Passages I Haven't Heard Preached
No. 3: A New Commentary Intro for I, II, III John
Then they gathered round him and asked him, ‘Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He said to them: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ -Acts 1:6-8
By 80 to 90 AD the Christian faith had grown well beyond Judea and Samaria. When it reached Ephesus, in modern-day Turkiye, it was well on its way toward the ends of the earth.
Itinerant ministers spread the news of Jesus’ death and resurrection; the disciples, Paul, and many others less familiar to us. They shared the message of God’s love and forgiveness as strangers to the villages they entered.
However new challenges emerged with the expansion of the community of Jesus' followers. Some people used this growing movement for their own purposes; they used Christianity to promote their preferred way of life. They used the fruit of Jesus’ death and resurrection to secure their own power.
It was in this context that I, II, and III John were written. A few passages from I John have been preached many times over the last 2,000 years. But the other two letters in this series are rarely mentioned in Christian writing, much less given voice as the source of sermons. These two books are part of our series on “Bible Passages I Have Never Heard Preached.” But to understand their message we need to begin with 1 John. So let’s begin with themes and passages in 1st John that have been preached many times:
Love: I John 4:7-10
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: he sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
Forgiveness: I John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
Nature of God: I John 4:16-18
“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: in this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
These themes are critical to the message of 1 John. But they are not the main theme of this Biblical book. It seems the recipients of the author’s own congregation have experienced church dysfunction. Some teachers and leaders of the faith community tried to lead the whole church astray (2:19, 2:26, 3:7, 4:1). The conflict grew until these “false prophets” left the community of faith. This letter seeks to assure the remaining congregation that they have made the right decision to trust the leaders who remain.
Sadly, many in our day need such encouragement. We need to study all of 1 John, not just a few preferred passages, to experience it. But the structure of 1 John isn’t obvious to us. Rather than thinking of it as a letter, it is helpful to think of it as a work of art, something like a creative piece of music. Begin with this outline: 1
1:1-4. 1st Prelude
1st theme, the reality of the incarnation, is introduced.
1:5-2:2. The 2nd theme introduced.
On sin and forgiveness.
2:3-11. The 3rd theme introduced.
On love and hatred.
2:12-14. Interlude.
Some reasons for writing I John.
2:15-17. 2nd Prelude
Do not love the world.
2:18-27. 1st theme is repeated and developed.
On denying the incarnation.
2:28-3:10. 2nd theme is repeated and developed.
On sin and being children of God.
3:11-24. 3rd theme is repeated and developed.
On love and hatred.
4:1-6. 1st theme repeated again.
On denying the incarnation.
4:7-21. 3rd theme concluded and tied to 1st theme.
5:1-12. 1st theme concluded and tied to 2nd and 3rd themes.
5:13-21. Finale.
I encourage you to do two things before reading next week’s post:
1-Spend time with the book as a whole. a) Listen to it here. b) Read it in one sitting. c) Write it out using the above divisions.
2-Reflect on the three main themes and passages highlighted above. How can you incorporate them more deeply in your own life?
The more time you spend with it, the more you see it. Savor it again and again and receive what it has to offer. Next week we will focus on II John.
See Fee, Gordon D. and Douglas Stuart How to Read the Bible Book by Book, p. 413-416.