Living in the Light

An Exposition of the Letters of John

McCarson

• Publisher: Resource Publications
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781621897309
• Topic: Theologie & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

The letters of John are some of the most simple yet profound texts in the New Testament. The Apostle John wrote three epistles at the close of the first century to counteract the heresy of Gnosticism and to focus on what it meant to know God by walking in His light. He contrasted the Christian life in stark opposites--light and darkness, love and hatred, truth and lies, life and death. In Living in the Light, Derrick McCarson reveals the heart of John's message: salvation is not found in hidden, secret knowledge, but in the fellowship of Christ. Moreover, the evidence of salvation is seen by loving others, abiding in the truth and obedience to God's commands. Living in the Light is a verse-by-verse commentary on the epistles of John. This volume is ideal for believers who are looking to go deeper in their discipleship with Christ. With an emphasis on practical application and precise exposition, this book will enhance the reader's personal Bible study.

1

The Message of 1 John

A few years ago I was shopping for a new acoustic guitar. Personally, I believe that if you are going to buy an acoustic guitar then you could not do any better than a Martin. Few instruments have the mellow sound of a Martin. I searched all around town for the perfect Martin; and I found one at a discounted price.

When I finally got the guitar home, I opened up the case and the smell of the new guitar was amazing. Before I pulled it out to play, I noticed that in between the strings was a certificate. It had written in gold embossed letters “Martin” and below it said, “Congratulations! You are the proud owner of an official Martin instrument.” The card gave some facts about the instrument: its dimensions, what kind of wood it was made of, when and where it was assembled, the model number, and an assurance of quality.

This certificate struck me because it signified that the instrument I had purchased was authentic. In other words, I had not bought some cheap knock-off of a Martin guitar, but what I had in my hands was the real thing. This precision instrument was made in America and came straight from the factory in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.

It would have been a tragedy to spend hundreds of dollars on a guitar that looks like a Martin, feels like a Martin, smells like a Martin, but when you strum the stings it doesn’t sound like a Martin. Authenticity is important. In this world things that are of the highest value are often counterfeited, copied, and poorly imitated.

The same is also true in the arena of spirituality. That’s why the study of 1 John is so essential for believers. John was adamant about believers knowing that the faith they practiced was “the real McCoy.”

Before we begin our journey, it is essential that the reader have a basic overview of the entire epistle so that you will get the big-picture before we systematically go through each verse. First John is a short book of only five chapters, or 105 verses, or 2,523 words. The average reader can make it through the book in a ten minute sitting. If you could read it in the original Greek language you would notice that 1 John has the simplest vocabulary of any book in the New Testament. Inevitably, this is the book that first-year seminary students learning Koine Greek cut their teeth on. But don’t be fooled. This brief letter, although written hundreds of years ago in unpretentious language, contains some of the most profound truths about the Christian life. Christian scholar D. Edmond Hiebert had this to say about 1 John:

The forceful simplicity of its sentences, the note of finality behind its utterances, the marvelous blending of gentle love and deep-cutting sternness of its contents, and the majesty of its ungarnished thoughts have made 1 John a favorite with Christians everywhere. The plainness of its language makes it intelligible to the simplest saint, while the profundity of its truths challenges the most accomplished scholar. Its grand theological revelations and its unwavering ethical demands have left their enduring impact upon the thought and life of the Christian Church. First John is indeed a singular, irreplaceable gem among the books of the New Testament.1

Authorship: Who Wrote 1 John?

If you are looking for the name of the author in the text you will not find it. In fact, 1 John, like Hebrews, is anonymous. In spite of this we can be sure that this epistle came from the hand of the beloved apostle John. There are two ways we know this—internal and external evidence.

Let’s first look at the internal evidence which links it to the Gospel of John. The similarity in writing style and vocabulary convincingly shows that the Gospel of John and this epistle came from the same pen. For example, let’s compare the prologues from the Gospel of John and the first epistle of John to see their similarity.

As you can see both introductions are very similar in wording. The theology is also identical; both emphasize the deity and humanity of Christ in His incarnation and both concentrate on the personal experience the writer had with Jesus. The author clearly identifies himself as an eyewitness to the life and ministry of Jesus, noting that “what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also” (1 John 1:3).

As far as external evidence goes, the early church fathers attributed the authorship of this epistle to John. The first writer to quote directly from 1 John and name the apostle John as its author was Irenaeus, who lived in the closing decades of the second century. His testimony is especially significant since he was a disciple of Polycarp, who in turn was a disciple of John himself.2 Moreover, the fourth century church historian, Eusebius, wrote, “But of the writings of John, not only his Gospel, but also the former of his epistles (1–3 John & Revelation), has been accepted without dispute both now and in ancient times.”3

Tradition holds that by the time John took up his quill to pen this epistle he was an old man. John was probably in his eighties or nineties as he wrote at the end of the first century. In fact, one ancient story relates that John was so feeble that the deacons of the Ephesian church where John ministered had to help him up to the pulpit in order for him to preach. Some scholars even believe that the epistle is actually a sermon that John delivered and was copied down by a scribe. Imagine as you read this ancient correspondence that Grandpa John is speaking to the infant church of his day, telling them what it means to be a Christ-follower. John Phillips comments:

John was a very old man, feeling the weight of his years and aware that his days on Earth were about done. A godly life lay behind him and a very long memory thrilled him. His native land was far away in the land of Israel, although he now lived in Ephesus, a pagan Asiatic city on the edge of the European world. Probably he had come there to escape the Roman war, which had engulfed his homeland and brought about the downfall of Jerusalem, the destruction of the temple and a virtual end to national Jewish life. If she was still alive, at that time, which is not altogether impossible, we can suppose he brought Mary, the Lord’s mother, with him . . . He had lived through a turbulent century . . . Nero launched the Roman Empire on a three-hundred year persecution of the church . . . Then came Domition . . . he launched the second official Roman persecution of the church—spies and informers lurked everywhere and there stood “an executioner at every door.” Such was the world in which John lived and survived. Such was the world in which the church, assailed by impl...