Redemptive History and 1–3 John
The Global Message of 1–3 John for Today
Introduction to 1–3 John
Timeline
Author, Date, and Recipients
John the son of Zebedee probably wrote his three NT letters no later than the 90s A.D. He wrote from Ephesus (in present-day western Turkey), perhaps to churches like those mentioned in Revelation 2:8. John also wrote the Fourth Gospel and the book of Revelation 1:1.
Theme of 1 John
1 John 1:1 calls readers back to the three basics of Christian life: true doctrine, obedient living, and faithful devotion. Because “God is light” (1 John 1:5), Christ’s followers overcome wicked people who oppose them. God’s Son lives in and among them. He is greater than the spirit of “the antichrist” now in the world (1 John 4:3). Those who believe in the Son of God have assurance of eternal life (1 John 5:13).
Theme of 2 John
The focus of 2 John 1:1 is living in God’s love according to the truth of Jesus Christ. This love extends not only to God but to others as well. It is also wise; it does not “go on ahead” of biblical revelation (v. 2 John 1:9). It does not aid enemies of the gospel (vv. 2 John 1:10). Instead, Christ’s followers “walk according to his commandments” (v. 2 John 1:6). Through faith they “win a full reward” (v. 2 John 1:8).
Theme of 3 John
The theme of 3 John 1:1 is faithfulness despite opposition. The man who received the letter, Gaius, faces a troublemaker named Diotrephes. By “walking in the truth” (vv. 2 John 1:3, 2 John 1:4), Christians can live out the message that John teaches in all his letters.
Outline for 1 John
- God Is Light and Christ Is the Way (1 John 1:1)
- The Unchanging Commandment in a Changing World (1 John 2:7)
- Overcoming the Antichrist by Confessing the Son (1 John 2:18)
- Overcoming Evil by Listening to the Apostle (1 John 3:11)
- The Assurance of God through the Love of God (1 John 4:7)
- Faith in the Son as the Way to Life (1 John 5:1)
- Final Call to Faith and Understanding (1 John 5:13)
Outline for 2 John
- Greeting: The Elder’s Love (vv. 2 John 1:1)
- The Elder’s Joy and Request (vv. 2 John 1:4)
- The Elder’s Concern (vv. 2 John 1:7)
- The Elder’s Warning (vv. 2 John 1:9)
- Closing: The Elder’s Farewell (vv. 2 John 1:12)
Outline for 3 John
- Greeting: The Elder’s Joy at Gaius’s Faithfulness (vv. 3 John 1:1)
- Praise for Gaius’s Support for Traveling Christian Workers (vv. 3 John 1:5)
- Concern about Diotrephes (vv. 3 John 1:9)
- Advice and Commendation of Demetrius (vv. 3 John 1:11)
- Closing: A Promise to Visit (vv. 3 John 1:13)
The Setting of 1 John
c. A.D. 85
John likely wrote 1 John 1:1 from Ephesus, where apparently he had relocated near the time of the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans in A.D. 70. The letter was probably intended to be read by the church in Ephesus and perhaps also by other churches in the surrounding cities. Ephesus was a wealthy and highly influential port city in the Roman province of Asia, and was renowned for its temple of Artemis (Diana).
Theological Themes of 1 John
| God is light (1 John 1:5; 1 John 2:8) | God is love (1 John 4:8, 1 John 4:16, 1 John 4:19) |
| Christians were spiritually dead: then, they “passed out of death into life” (1 John 3:14) | God loved his people and sent Jesus to die for them (1 John 3:16; 1 John 4:10, 1 John 4:14, 1 John 4:19; 1 John 5:11) |
| Christians have been born of God (1 John 2:29; 1 John 3:9; 1 John 4:7; 1 John 5:1, 1 John 5:4, 1 John 5:18) | God gave Christians life (1 John 3:14; 1 John 4:9; 1 John 5:11, 1 John 5:16) |
| God gave Christians the Spirit (1 John 2:20, 1 John 2:27; 1 John 3:24; 1 John 4:13) along with understanding (1 John 5:20) | Christians are of/from God/the truth (1 John 3:10, 1 John 3:19; 1 John 4:4, 1 John 4:6; 1 John 5:19) |
| God abides in Christians, and his Word abides in them (1 John 2:14, 1 John 2:24, 1 John 2:27; 1 John 3:9, 1 John 3:24; 1 John 4:12, 1 John 4:13, 1 John 4:15, 1 John 4:16) | Christians abide in God, and thus abide in the light (1 John 2:5, 1 John 2:6, 1 John 2:27, 1 John 2:28; 1 John 3:6, 1 John 3:24; 1 John 4:13, 1 John 4:16) |
| Christians know God (1 John 2:13, 1 John 2:14; 1 John 4:6, 1 John 4:7), they know the Father (1 John 2:13; 1 John 5:20), they know Jesus (1 John 1:3; 1 John 2:3), and they know the Spirit (1 John 4:2, 1 John 4:6) | Christians love God (1 John 2:5; 1 John 4:21; 1 John 5:2, 1 John 5:3) |
Because they have been born again, have received the Spirit, abide in God as God abides in them, and know and love God, Christians bear observable fruit. They:
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The Global Message of 1–3 John
The letters of John address the global church head-on with strong words that confront half-hearted Christian living and confused thinking about Christ. These letters tell us that everyone is walking in either light or darkness, love or hatred, truth or falsehood. John says that either we confess Jesus as the Son of God who has come in the flesh, or we lend our support to the antichrist, who denies this. There is no middle ground. Above all, these epistles issue a resounding call to believers to walk in love, as they have been loved.
Redemptive History and 1–3 John
The opening words of 1 John 1:1 place this letter in the flow of redemptive history: “That which was from the beginning” (1 John 1:1). As in the first verse of his Gospel account (John 1:1), John is likely drawing here on Genesis 1:1, which tells us that, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” John’s point in opening his first epistle this way is to teach that Jesus Christ has existed eternally. He did not come into being at the incarnation.
At the same time, something decisively new did happen at the incarnation—“the life was made manifest, and we have seen it” (1 John 1:2). The second person of the Trinity came into the history of this world as a man. John therefore emphasizes in his first verse not only that Jesus was preexistent but also that he entered into world history as a real human being. God did not reveal his salvation to us through visions or dreams or subjective feelings, but through a real man in real history—that “which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands” (1 John 1:1). Indeed, confessing the humanity of Jesus is seen as one of the key marks of authentic faith throughout John’s letters (1 John 4:1; 2 John 1:7).
Universal Themes in 1–3 John
John’s letters bring together powerfully the three aspects of authentic Christian living, whatever its cultural expression: true doctrine (mind), selfless love (heart), and obedient action (will).
Mind. John says clearly that certain key truths must be confessed by those who claim to be true believers. If these truths are denied, it is proof that such a person does not know and love God. John therefore speaks not only broadly of the truth and of the importance of acknowledging the truth (1 John 2:21; 2 John 1:1, 2 John 1:9; 3 John 1:3) but also of specific truths that must be embraced. True Christians believe, for example, that they are sinners (1 John 1:8, 1 John 1:10), that Jesus is the Christ (1 John 2:22; 1 John 5:1), and that Jesus came in the flesh (1 John 4:1; 2 John 1:7).
Heart. Authentic Christianity is not only a matter of what we believe but also of how we love. John speaks extensively in his letters of the central significance of love. True Christians love God (1 John 4:20; 1 John 5:2, 1 John 5:10) and love other believers (1 John 2:10; 1 John 3:11, 1 John 3:14, 1 John 3:18; 1 John 4:7). Indeed, the two must go together, for “whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:21). And both kinds of human love—the vertical and the horizontal, as we may describe them—are rooted in an even greater love: God’s love for us (1 John 3:16; 1 John 4:7, 1 John 4:19).
Will. Finally, vibrant Christian living is not only a matter of what we believe and what we love but also of what we do. Indeed, authentic love must express itself outwardly. “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). John is insistent that to confess orthodox doctrine with the lips while neglecting to obey God’s commands is proof that one has not been born of God (1 John 2:3; 1 John 3:22; 1 John 5:2; 2 John 1:6).
The Global Message of 1–3 John for Today
John’s three letters hold deep significance for global Christianity. Two themes in John’s letters are particularly relevant—Christ, the central person of Christianity; and love, the central action of Christianity.
Christ among the world religions. In some parts of the world, especially in the West, pluralism reigns. Sincerity seems to count more than truth. In such contexts, our belief that Jesus Christ is the one true way of salvation must not be compromised. John makes clear that unyielding loyalty to the singular supremacy of Christ as the Son of God is nonnegotiable for the Christian church (1 John 2:22; 1 John 4:1; 1 John 5:1, 1 John 5:10, 1 John 5:13).
In other parts of the world, people do not have trouble believing that only one religion is the true religion, but they adhere to some worldview other than Christianity. Here, too, the biblical Christ must be lifted up and shown to be the Son of God who came into the world in flesh and blood to provide atonement for sins. In him is life itself (1 John 5:11). Jesus is not one great prophet among many, as Islam teaches. He is not merely a uniquely enlightened spiritual teacher, as Buddhism says. Jesus is not a wise sage or a personal form of the gods Brahman or Vishnu, as different forms of Hinduism might teach. Only in Christ is restoration and life found. “Whoever has the Son has life” (1 John 5:12).
Love above all else. The primacy of love is upheld throughout the New Testament. Yet nowhere is love described so clearly as central to Christian living as in John’s letters. Twenty percent of the New Testament references to “love” are found in 1 John 1:1. According to John, love is not simply a trait of Christian living; it is definitive of Christian living. “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8).
Such love is expressed in practical deeds of kindness and generosity toward fellow believers. John emphasizes that because of what Christ has done for us, we are compelled gladly to lay down our lives for others (1 John 3:16). We are to love not “in word or talk but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18).
Massive needs present themselves around the world. For example, due to poor stewardship of resources, political corruption, and other factors, water and food are often not available for those who need it most, such as young children. Christ’s disciples are called to address such needs, especially as they arise among fellow Christians. The same can be said for many other global concerns—systemic injustice, debilitating disease, job loss, poverty, various assaults on the dignity of human life, modern slavery, and so on. As the global church lifts its eyes to consider the needs confronting fellow believers around the world, neglect of such need, says John, is proof that God’s love does not abide in us (1 John 3:17).