1, 2, 3 John
Context
1 John is anonymous but 2 and 3 are written by “the elder” and thought to be the disciple John or “John the elder”, a part of the larger group of followers of Jesus’s ministry
“Dear friends” = ἀγαπητός = (agapētos) beloved, esteemed, dear, favorite, worthy of love
“Little children” = τεκνίον = (teknion) child, infant, darling; a friendly way to address disciples
1 John
Chapter 1 - intro
- God is light and in him there is no darkness
- We lie and live a lie
- If we walk in the light, we will be cleansed and live righteously in fellowship with one another
Chapter 2 - Keeping commandments, reassurance, and warnings
- Little children: do not sin
- How do we know that we know God? If we keep his commandments, obey his word, and love your brother (2:3-6, 10)
- We are to walk as Jesus walked - moment by moment, day by day
- Be reassured that you are saved by His greatness and, through him, have conquered sin and death
- Do not love the world or the things of the world, focus on the eternal: God
- Warning: many “antichrists” (an opponent of the Messiah) (v23: one who denies the Father or the Son) are out there, that do not really belong to us, for they have left us (2:18-19). If anyone denies one or the other, ignore them
- Little children: remain in Him
Chapter 3 - God is love
- We are children of God: what we will be is not fully revealed but we will only become more like him (just as a child grows to become like their parents)
- Sin = lawlessness (3:4); those who practice sin are of the devil
- Jesus = sinless; those who practices righteousness are righteous
- Everyone who has been fathered by God does not practice sin … he is not able to sin (3:9)
- This is the gospel: love one another, even if you are hated
- The one who does not love remains in death (3:14)
- Little children: love with action, not words (18)
- Whatever we ask, we shall receive because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing to him (22)
Chapter 4 - Testing the Spirit; God is love pt. 2
- Dear friends do not believe all spirits but test them to see if the profess Jesus as the God’s Messiah (anointed one)
- Little children: you are from God, the one who is greater than any spirit in this world, thus, you have conquered them (3:4-5)
- Dear friends: love one another
- Dear friends: if god loved us, we should love one another
- There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear (18)
- The one who fears punishment has not been perfected in love. We love because he loved us first (18-19)
Chapter 5 - Testimony; assurance of eternal life
- By this we know that we love the children of God: by keeping his commandments … [they] do not weigh us down (4:1-3)
- Jesus came by water and blood - both: Spirit, water, and blood
- Baptism
- Death/resurrection
- Both the spirit by which Jesus was driven and Pentecost
- Whenever we ask according to his will, he hears us and we will have it
- All unrighteousness is sin but some sin does not result in death: pray for those sins
- Little children: guard yourselves from idols
2 John
- From the elder (same author as above) to the lady and her children
- Rejoice for your children live according to the truth - the truth of walking in his command to love one another
- Do not fall for the antichrists, deceivers
- Anyone who does not remain in the teaching of Christ does not have God (v9)
3 John
- From the elder to Gaius
- The elder’s joy comes from his children living in truth
- Demonstrate faithfulness through love, honoring, and supporting those around you
- Do not imitate what is bad but what is good