It has been some time since I posted on 1 John.  This has been because we switched from summaries of the class to videos, and the first video is finally ready.

Study

John began his summary starting with how we should love one another, a key error of those who left. Now he moves to their other key error, their rejection of Jesus.

To love God is to Love Jesus (5:1)

Chapter 5

1 – Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah[1] has been born from God, and everyone who loves the parent also loves the child.

– John now expands on the other key error of those who left: their denial of Jesus.

– He starts by linking this to the last section on love.

• Here with some comments on obeying.

– The parent here is the Father, and the Child is Jesus.

• To love one is to love the other.

To love God is to keep his commandments (5:2-3)

2 – This is how we know that we love God’s children: we love God and keep his commandments.

This is how we know

– Not completely clear what “this” refers to

• • could look back to previous verse (KJV, NAS)
  • could look forward to later part of this verse (NIV)
  • The later seems to be the best

– Again (see 2:1-11) John equates Loving = Obey for God which = loving God’s children

3a – For this demonstrates our love for God: We keep his commandments,

– In 2:3 John equated knowing God with obeying God.

– Here knowing it replace with loving.

To be born of God is to overcome the world (5:4-5)

3b-4 – and his commandments are not difficult because everyone who is born from God has overcome the world. Our faith is the victory that overcomes the world.

his commandments are not difficult

– John goes on to assure us that this is not a difficult request.

has overcome the world

– It is not difficult because we have overcome the world

– The biggest battle is the battle for salvation

Our faith is the victory that overcomes the world.

– Our faith is key

– If we really believe in God, and in Jesus, and that he died for our sins can we really sin?

1. 1. To sin is to deny God, his love, his power.

 

5 – Who overcomes the world? Is it not the person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

– John emphasizes this point by repeating this as a question.

– This is a particularly strong rhetorical device as it forces the reader to provide the answer themselves.

– The key of our faith is belief in Jesus.

1. 1. Jesus as Son of God, has the power of God which overcomes the power in the World.

– The Testimony about Jesus (5:6-)

a. This Man Jesus (5:6)

6 – This man, Jesus the Messiah,[2] is the one who came by water and blood—not with water only, but with water and with blood. The Spirit is the one who verifies this, because the Spirit is the truth.

This man, Jesus the Messiah

– John expands on this, once again alluding to those who left.

– Again equates Jesus with the Messiah.

is the one who came by water and blood

– Several understandings of water and blood have been suggested

1. 1. Baptism and death
   2. Baptism and Lord Supper
   3. Water and Blood that flowed from his pierced side (John 19:34)

– Best seem to be first Baptism and Death

not with water only, but with water and with blood

– This probably emphasizes a difference with those who left

– Gnosticism did not believe that the Messiah went to the Cross.

a. That the Messiah left Jesus, or that Simon was mistake for Jesus

b. This is what Cerinthus, and opponent of John believed.

– This is important because it goes to the core of John’s argument

a. God’s love is shown in that he sent his Son to die for our sins

b. Gnostic teach undercuts that because Messiah did not die

c. It also goes to the core of atonement which required God’s Son to die as a payment for sin. No death no payment.

The Spirit is the one who verifies this, because the Spirit is the truth.

– This is not just John saying this.

– The Holy Spirit, also testifies of this

verifies this

1. 1. This is present tense, not past, The spirit testifies to us,
   2. in our prayers and through God’s word.

– This is the foundation of our faith.

– Some argue that this refers to the spirit coming on Jesus at his baptism.

1. 1. It does fit theologically
   2. Main problem is present tense.
      1. Present tense does not exclude this,

b. The three witnesses (5:7-8)

7 – For there are three witnesses[1]— 8the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and these three are one.

– Textual issue

1. Evidence very clear
   1. Does not appear in Latin until 4^th century and then is written in margins
   2. Does not appear in Greek until 16^th century.
   3. They are not quoted by any early church father, even when the trinity was being discussed.
   4. May have been written as a gloss (comment) in Latin mss which was later mistaken for a correction and included in the text such that it became common.
   5. When Erasmus created the first two versions of his attempt to create a scholarly version Greek text is was not in any mss he had so he did not include. But a mss was then created that did have it, and Erasmus included it. Erasmus’ work eventually became the basis for the KJV.
2. While this removes a clear reference to the Trinity, it is important to know that the Trinity does not depend on this verse.
3. This textual issue affects how we understand this passage, but has no effect on the overall teaching of the Bible.

– John now combines the three the Spirit the water and the blood into a single testimony.

– i.e., they are in agreement and cannot be separated as the critics try to do.

– Again some scholar claim water and blood refer to sacraments.

1. a. But this does not really match body and blood.

c. God’s Testimony (5:9-12)

9 – If we accept human testimony, God’s testimony is greater, because it is the testimony of God and because he has testified about his Son.

– John started this letter with a strong statement of his eyewitness testimony.

– As he comes to the close he emphasizes God’s testimony, which is even greater

a. Both greater trustworthiness and significance

– It is greater trustworthiness: because God, by his very nature cannot lie.

– It is greater significance: because it is about his Son

God’s testimony

– What is this testimony – Three possibilities

a. (1) The three just mentioned: Spirit, water and blood

• i. Flows from previous
• ii. Problem with change in tense 6-8 are present here is perfect
• iii. John 5:31-40 lists several testimonies of Jesus (John the Baptist, his works, Scripture and God) which seem distinct.
• iv. None of these are major objections.

b. (2) That God’s testimony is the inner witness of the spirit.

c. (3) That God’s testimony is unspecified by John.

d. I believe the first would be the best.

 

Questions and Discussion

If you have question or comments about the class, feel free to send me an email at elgin@hushbeck.com and be sure to put “Epistles of John” in the header.

See here for references and more background on the class.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible: International Standard Version^®. Copyright © 1996-2008 by The ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission. www.isv.org

Note: Some places I have modify the text from the ISV version. Passages that I have modified have been noted with and * by the verse number and the ISV text is included in a footnote.

Footnotes:

[1] 5:1 Or Christ
[2] 5:6 Or Christ
[3] 5:7 Other mss. read witnesses in heaven—the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. ⁸And there are three witnesses on earth—

 

Study

John now begins a summary starting with a summary of the key points in this section but then moving into a summary of the letter. Such summaries are very helpful in making sure that our understanding of the key points in this letter, line up with John’s intent.

g. Summary: Love leads to perfection (4:11-5:12)

i. The significance of God’s Love (4:11-12)

11 – Dear friends, if this is the way God loved us, we must also love one another.

– John now begins his summary where he started this section – love one another. He starts by taking God’s example of love and applies it to us. This is more than just an example, it is an obligation. Note that this is not a command to love God, but to love others.

 

12 – No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

– It is likely that some of those who left, were claiming visions of God. Here John is pointing out that this is not possible, and that if we really want to experience God we do so, not through mystical visions, but by serving others.

his love is perfected in us.

– Lit: the love of him (ἡ ἀγάπη αὐτοῦ ) It is not completely clear what John means here. This could refer to: Our love of God; God’s Love for us; or the type of love God has. The context here would seem to support either 1 or 3.

– True Christianity is not to be found in retreating from the world in prayer, but working in the world through love and service.

 

ii. How we know we abide in him (4:13-15)

13 – This is how we know that we abide in him and he in us: he has given us his Spirit.

– This here refers to in the living out of our faith in the service of others. There is a dual point being made here. First, that we can know our personal relationship to God. Second, we can test the relationship of others. Do they live the love of Christ?

– The spirit also reveals himself in our service to others.

14 – We have seen for ourselves and can testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

– John return to the opening of the letter: as statement of his personal witness.

– Here the focus is on Jesus as the savior of the world. God’s love was not limited to Christians. Our love is, likewise for the world. Gnostic had secret teachings for the few, We have service to all.

– Given the context, it is likely that the “We” refers to the Church as a whole, rather than just the apostles, as in the opening.

– Can we say this today? Have you seen the work of Christ in your life? It is the Holy Spirit that testifies to us.

 

15 – God abides in the one who acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, and he abides in God.

– John again return to the concept of abiding, and thus these three verses are in the form of a chiasmus, the focus of which is on our testimony.

Abide – v13

Testify – v14

Abide – v15

that Jesus is the Son of God

– An emphasis on the human side of Jesus.

 

The results of abiding in God (4:16-18)

16 – We have come to know and rely on[1] the love that God has for us. God is love, and the person who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

And rely on (πεπιστεύκαμεν)

– Believe – trust – perfect tense indicates lasting conviction

the love that God has for us

– Lit the love which has the God in us. (τὴν ἀγάπην ἣν ἔχει ὁ θεὸς ἐν ἡμῖν) This would seem to indicate that the love here includes the love of the Cross and the gift of the Holy Spirit

God is love

– John is giving us a logical argument here. Since God is Love (also v 8) therefore to abide in love is to abide in God. Abiding in love is a result of abiding in God. Scholars debate whether or not this is Love of God, or love for one another. John makes no real distinction, to do one is to do the other. It is a demonstration and source of comfort for relationship with Christ

 

17 – This is how love has been perfected among us: we will have confidence on the day of judgment because, during our time in this world, we are just like him.

– The perfection of God’s love leads to confidence. Do you have confidence about Judgment day?

during our time in this world, we are just like him

– Some claim a contradiction with 3:2. While a superficial reading can lead to a contradiction, as usual context is very important. The context here is Judgment Day. What is critical to judgment? Sin. Give this, how are we like him? We are sinless because of his love, and that is why we can have confidence.

 

18 – There is no fear where love exists[2]. Rather, perfect love banishes fear, for fear involves punishment, and the person who lives in fear has not been perfected in love.

– Because of this, there is no fear. After all, what do we have to fear of Judgment day? Nothing! We have been washed clean but the blood of the lamb. We abide in the perfect love of God. We are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

– How does this line up with verse like Phil 2:12

And so, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only when I was with you but even more now that I am absent, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling

That we do not fear judgment day does not mean we lose our respect for God position.

has not been perfected in love

– This is not necessarily referring to those who are lost. It means that God’s love needs to be perfected in them.

 

To love God is to Love one another (4:19-21)

19 – We love[3] because God[4] first loved us.

– Our love for God is not grounded in a threat of punishment. It is a response to the love that God has already shown us. It is grounded in gratitude, not fear.

 

20 – Whoever says, “I love God,” but hates his brother is a liar. The one who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love the God whom he has not seen.

– John returns again to the claims of those who left, but here he is making a larger point. We cannot see God, but we can see our brother. So while we might not really be able to tell if someone loves God, we can tell if someone loves his brother.

– This works both ways. Sometimes is it easier to love God, because we do not see him. Sometimes it is easier to love people because we do see them. True love covers both.

 

21 – And this is the commandment that we have from him: the person who loves God must also love his brother.

– This is more than just a guideline, this is a commandment. In John 13:34 Jesus said,

I’m giving you a new commandment…to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.

– John started his summary with how we should Love, which was one the key errors of those who left. Why do you think John has stressed this point so often?

 

If you have question or comments about the class, feel free to send me an email at elgin@hushbeck.com and be sure to put “Epistles of John” in the header.

See here for references and more background on the class.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible: International Standard Version^®. Copyright © 1996-2008 by The ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission. www.isv.org

Note: Some places I have modify the text from the ISV version. Passages that I have modified have been noted with and * by the verse number and the ISV text is included in a footnote.

Footnotes:

[1] 4:16 Lit. believe in
[2] 4:18 Lit. in love
[3] 4:19 Other mss. read love him; still other mss. read love God
[4] 4:19 Lit. he

e. We overcome the World (4:4-6)

i. You have overcome them (4:4)

4 – Little children, you belong to God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

– John assures them of their victory. They have resisted the temptation though the power of the Holy Spirit. There is possibly a hint of persecution here. Also note the contrast between “in you” and “in the world.” While we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, non-believers are not indwelt by Satan.

ii. Belonging to World vs. Belonging to God (4:5-6)

5 – These people belong to the world. That is why they speak from the world’s perspective,[1] and the world listens to them.

– Then, as now, there was the way the world looks at things, and the way God looks at things. Those who left were of the world and they speak that way. Today we see this in the use of, and battle over, labels such as Pro-Life – Pro-choice. We must remember we are not in a popularity contest. God’s message will is not to be judged by numbers. The world judges by how big and how popular something is. But for God, what matters is truth and love.

6 – We belong to God. The person who knows God listens to us. Whoever does not belong to God does not listen to us. This is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit.

– Note the change to plural. John is speaking of all Christians. Those who know God will accept the teachings of God, while those who do not know God will not. We are not in a battle of logic and reason. That someone does not accept the Gospel is not a failure on our part. That the experts disagree is not relevant.

f. Love comes from God (4:7-10)

i. Love one another (4:7a)

7 – Dear friends, let us continually love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born from God and knows God.

– Having just talked about the importance of truth, John now turns to the other test: Love. Here John adds a reason: because love comes from God. He is continuing his argument that those who know God accept the truth of his message, and they reflect his actions: i.e., they love.

Everyone who loves has been born from God and knows God

– This can be a difficult verse and context is important to avoid misunderstanding. Here the context is of loving others. John is not talking about the love of a parent for a child, or love of a spouse. The context is loving people.

– To really love, require that we love in truth. We are to love as God Loves. To know God is to obey God; to Obey is to Love; to Love is to know God – John closes the circle. This is a goal that few and probably none actually achieve. It is something we strive for.

ii. Loving one another = knowing God (4:7b-8)

8 – The person who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

– Again having stated the positive, John now emphasizes this with the negative.

because God is love

– This is one of John definitional statements, such as God is Light (1:7), God is Spirit (Jn 4:24) This statement is quite popular in the modern Church but note that it does not say God is only Love. John’s argument here is that God is Love, how can we claim to be followers of God if we do not love?

iii. God’s Love demonstrated (4:9-10)

9 – This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent his unique Son into the world so that we might live through him.

– If we are to love as God loves, then how does God love? John gives us the greatest example in a fashion very reminiscent of John 3:16. This example has both of the major components of godly love: A true compassion that works itself out in action.

10 – This is love: not that we have loved[2] God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

– John expands on his definition of love

Not that we have loved God but that he loved us

– As we seek to understand real love, we cannot look to how we love God or how we love others. True love is to be found in how God loved us.

sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sin

– Rom 5:8 – But God demonstrates his love for us by the fact that the Messiah died for us while we were still sinners.

– God’s love was demonstrated while we were in rebellion against him. What does that say about our love? What does it say about how we treat others?

If you have question or comments about the class, feel free to send me an email at elgin@hushbeck.com and be sure to put “Epistles of John” in the header.

See here for references and more background on the class.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible: International Standard Version^®. Copyright © 1996-2008 by The ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission. www.isv.org

Note: Some places I have modify the text from the ISV version. Passages that I have modified have been noted with and * by the verse number and the ISV text is included in a footnote.

Footnotes:

[1] 4:5 Lit. from the world
[2] 4:10 Other mss. read we loved

Week 35: Sept 30, 2012

Study

i. How to test (4:2-3)

2 – This is how you can recognize God’s Spirit: Every spirit who acknowledges that Jesus the Messiah[1] has become human—and remains so—is from God.

– Having said that we should test, John now gives us a means for testing.

Jesus the Messiah has become human—and remains so

– The Greek is somewhat ambiguous here. This could be translated as Has become (NIV) or is come (KJV) The ISV translation encompasses both views. Those who left seem to have drawn a distinction between physical and spiritual and as such they would have denied this. So what John has done is go straight to the core issue: the nature and person of Jesus.

– This is also the dividing line when we look at those who attend other churches. What do they say about Jesus? We may disagree on a lot of side issues, but the key question is what do they say about Jesus.

3 – But every spirit who does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist. You have heard that he is coming, and now he is already in the world.

– This is so important that John expresses it both in a positive and a negative fashion as a way of emphasizing it.

not acknowledge Jesus

– There is a textual issue here as some manuscripts have Jesus is come in the flesh or similar variations. These are almost certainly later addition by scribes who were attempting to make this verse match verse the wording in verse 2.

– Note that the focus here on Jesus (as opposed to saying that we should acknowledge the Messiah) and thus it serves as a perfect summary. First, it focuses the issue on the key point denied by those who left. Second by just mentioning Jesus, and it serves as a generalization, i.e., the nature and person of Jesus.

spirit of the antichrist

– Again this is a term that has taken on a lot of meaning since the first century. John usage here is not focused on the end times, but on those who claim to be followers of Christ, when in reality they are against or opposed to Christ; i.e., antichrists. ( See comments on 2:18)

If you have question or comments about the class, feel free to send me an email at elgin@hushbeck.com and be sure to put “Epistles of John” in the header.

See here for references and more background on the class.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible: International Standard Version^®. Copyright © 1996-2008 by The ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission. www.isv.org

Note: Some places I have modify the text from the ISV version. Passages that I have modified have been noted with and * by the verse number and the ISV text is included in a footnote.

Footnotes:

[1] 4:2 Or Christ

---

Week 34: Sept 23, 2012

Study

i. The Commandment (3:23-3:24)

23 – And this is his commandment: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus the Messiah,[1] and to love one another as he commanded us.

– John spells out what is expected of us: Believe in the name (On name see notes on 2:12). The concept of Name refers to the power and the authority. This stems from who Jesus is. Note that John includes Jesus. This is another indication that those who left were a form of proto-Gnostics who would have rejected that the physical Jesus was anything more than just a container for the Messiah. The other part of the command is to Love one another. These are the two tests of a true Christian. On a side note, just think of all the things the church has at times added to this list. John’s list is much better.

24 – The person who keeps his commandments abides in God,[2] and God abides in him.[3] This is how we can be sure that he remains in us: he has given us his Spirit.

– John once again returns to equating obedience with abiding in God, We in him, and He in us. Marshall points out that obedience here is not so much a condition but an expression of abiding in God.

This how we can be sure

– While obedience equates to abiding, John give us a further test: The Holy Spirit. John does not specify how will manifest itself, probably because it is different for different believers. But his does raise the question, how do we know that what we think is the spirit is the Holy Spirit? This is a question to which, John will now turn.

d. Test what People Say (4:1-3)

i. Test (4:1)

1 – Dear friends, stop believing[4] every spirit. Instead, test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

– Having just told them that the Spirit confirms that we abide in God, John adds a caution: Not every spirit is from God, it is important not to be deceived. Mormons, for example, base their faith on “their Testimony” which they believe to be a message directly from the Holy Spirit. My faith is based on a message I believe came from the Holy Spirit. We both cannot be correct. So how can we tell?

test the spirits

– Faith is not simply a belief and nowhere are we told to just blindly accept. Christianity is not just an abstract theological system to be believed. It is a faith based grounded in historical events that can and should be tested. For example:

1 John 10 – The claim of who Jesus is in 10:30 is challenged. Note how Jesus basis his claim on evidence in 10:30-37

If I am not doing my Father’s works, do not believe me. But if I am doing them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works,

2 John 14:11 – Jesus told his disciples to believe him, or at least believe the works (i.e., the evidence) that he has been doing.

3 Acts 17:11 – the Bereans tested everything Paul said

4 1 Thess 5:21 – Test everything

– many false prophets have gone out into the world

– Not only are there false spirits, but people are deceived by these spirits have gone out into the world. How we are to deal with these false prophets was a key message of 2^nd John. Given the context here, it is most likely, those who left also claimed to be led by the Spirit.

If you have question or comments about the class, feel free to send me an email at elgin@hushbeck.com and be sure to put “Epistles of John” in the header.

See here for references and more background on the class.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible: International Standard Version^®. Copyright © 1996-2008 by The ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission. www.isv.org

Note: Some places I have modify the text from the ISV version. Passages that I have modified have been noted with and * by the verse number and the ISV text is included in a footnote.

Footnotes:

[1] 3:23 Or Christ
[2] 3:24 Lit. in him
[3] 3:24 Lit. and he in him
[4] 4:1 Or do not believe

Week 33: Sept 16 2012

Having contrasted sin with abiding in Christ, John now gives two positive examples to show what abiding in Christ and love really mean.

Study

i. Two Benefits (3:19-3:20)

*19-20 – This is how we will know that we are from[1] the truth and how we will be able to keep our hearts[2] at rest[3] in his presence, ₂₀whenever[4] our hearts condemn us because[5] God is greater than our hearts and knows everything.

– Having stated the principle, John now gives us two reasons that we should do this. The first reason is the service of other is a sign of our devotion to the truth – That we are from (i.e., that we are grounded in) the true teaching of Christ. The second is that this should set our hearts as ease. If we are too busy “giving our lives” to others, there is no need to worry about our relationship with Christ.

– If our hearts condemn us

– This is a difficult verse because it is not clear exactly what John means. One possibility is that if our hearts condemns us we can take comfort in our service to others. The another is that whenever our heart condemns us, we can take comfort knowing we are from God. The word condemn (καταγινώσκῃ) here refers to knowing something against someone. But John is quick to point out that God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. He knows more than our heart does, he is the judge, not our heart. He sees everything we do. Yes he sees our failures, but he sees all the times we are faithful that we followed the leading of the Holy Spirit but did not even realize it.

c. Love answers prayer (3:21-24)

i. The Confidence (3:21-3:22)

21 – Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in the presence of God.

– John transitions by taking the point from the previous verse, i.e., that we put our heart at rest and moves his argument forward. If our heart is at rest, we can be confident before God. Do you feel confident? If not, why not?

22 – Whatever we request we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.

– This is another difficult statement. One that in many ways, seems too good to be true. But as Marshall put it, “though we are encouraged to have faith that will move mountains, a prayer that an awkward mound in my garden will smooth itself out is unlikely to be answered by some kind of miraculous bulldozing operation.” (p 200) But as always context is important, and here it is in the context of keeping His commandments, and doing His will. This is not a grant of power to ourselves, but an expression of God’s willingness to work through us. He will give us whatever we need to do His will.

If you have question or comments about the class, feel free to send me an email at elgin@hushbeck.com and be sure to put “Epistles of John” in the header.

See here for references and more background on the class.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible: International Standard Version^®. Copyright © 1996-2008 by The ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission. www.isv.org

Note: Some places I have modify the text from the ISV version. Passages that I have modified have been noted with and * by the verse number and the ISV text is included in a footnote.

Footnotes:

[1] 3:19 ISV belong to
[2] 3:19 ISV: keep ourselves 3:19 Lit. keep our hearts
[3] 3:19 ISV: Strong
[4] 3:20 ISV: if
[5] 3:20 ISV: lacks because

Week 31: May 20, 2012 / Sept 9 2012

Having contrasted sin with abiding in Christ, John now gives two positive examples to show what abiding in Christ and love really mean.

Study

16 – This is how we have come to know love: the Messiah[1] gave his life for us. We, too, ought to give our lives for our brothers.

– John started this section by saying we are to love one another. Now he gives us some examples of what he means by Love. The greatest example is that Christ died for us, he gave (laid down) his life for us. Notice that John says, For us… This is key for he did not just die to show love in some general abstract sense, he died for us.

– We, too, ought to give our lives

As the Gospel of John taught, Jesus is our example in all things, even this. Does this mean that we should go find someone to die for? No. This should not be seen as our sole duty; this is the limit of our duty. We should be willing to give of ourselves up to and including our very lives. This is not just what we can “afford” nor is it to give of our excess. After all could Jesus “afford” to give his life?

17 – Whoever has earthly possessions and notices a brother in need and yet withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God be present in him?

– Since most of us will not be called upon to give our lives, John further expands on this with a more day to day example.

– Whoever has earthly possessions

When understood within the historical context in which Jesus spoke, that is the economic conditions of the time, when translated to today, this would include virtually every American.

– withholds his compassion from him (κλείω ὁ σπλάγχνον αὐτός ἀπό αὐτός)

– The picture here is of locking up (κλείω) our natural feelings, in short of hardening our heart. It is important to note here that John does not say withhold our goods. Tithing or giving to the benevolent fund is not what John is talking about here. The focus here is more on how we feel, rather than what we do. What we may do in any given situation is complicated. How we should feel about it is not.

– This is because if we have the right attitude, it is far more likely that the correct actions will follow and he will be dealing with actions shortly.

– how can the love of God be present in him?

If God has compassion for those in need, and we are filled by the love of God, how can we not also have compassion for those in need?

a. Expansion: True Love Acts (3:18-20)

i. True Love Acts (3:18)

*18 – Little children, we must not express[2] love merely by our words and manner of speech; we must love[3] also in action[4] and in truth.

– Little children

Again we have a common marker of a transition. Here John will add actions to the feelings discussed in the previous verse.

– we must love in action and in truth

While our feelings are important, without action they are of little value. Why does John add Truth? Truly loving someone in need often takes a great deal of discernment. It involves a good understanding of the circumstances, and the actions we take must do more that alleviate our conscience, they must actually improve the situation. Giving money to a starving alcoholic on skid row, is likely to do nothing other than pay for more alcohol, and further their problem. We might walk away thinking that we have done a nice thing, but in truth all we have done is worsen the problem.

Questions and Discussion

The discussion this week centered on what constitutes a “good” action. As mentioned above, this is not always easy to determine. In addition truly helping can often take a lot more commitment than just giving some money. On the other hand there are far more worthy causes then we have the ability to support. We can’t do it all, and God does not expect us to. It will take a lot of prayer and consideration to determine which ones God may be calling you to support. Finally, we are to be good stewards of our money. We should check out those groups that we support, but this should be in proportion to the how much you are giving. The recommendation of a friend may be enough for small one-time gift, but a more serious ongoing financial support, should not be done haphazardly.

If you have question or comments about the class, feel free to send me an email at elgin@hushbeck.com and be sure to put “Epistles of John” in the header.

See here for references and more background on the class.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible: International Standard Version^®. Copyright © 1996-2008 by The ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission. www.isv.org

Note: Some places I have modify the text from the ISV version. Passages that I have modified have been noted with and * by the verse number and the ISV text is included in a footnote.

Footnotes:

[1] 3:16 Lit. he
[2] 3:18 ISV: we must stop expressing
[3] 3:18 The Gk. lacks love
[4] 3:18 Or work