PCOM – Pathfinders – March 20, 2011
Survey of the New Testament
11. John & 1, 2, 3 John
Adel Malek
I.
Introduction:
A. Contradictions and the Gospels:
B. The Synoptic Gospels & John: The first 3 gospels are called the Synoptic Gospels (meaning when placed in parallel
columns they reveal striking similarities). The Gospel of John stands apart from them, and almost 90% of it lacks direct verbal
parallel in the 3 Synoptics.1
II.
Date, Place of Writing & Author (John):
A. Date & Place of Writing: The traditional view put the writing of John’s Gospel in Ephesus in the AD 90s.2
B. Author:
1.
External Evidence: It is fair to say that the only ancient tradition about the authorship of the Fourth Gospel for which
any considerable body of evidence can be adduced is that it is the work of John, the disciple of the Lord.3
2.
Internal Evidence: Westcott developed impressive data from the Fourth Gospel to defend the following argument that
the author was: (1) a Jew; (2) a Jew of Palestine; (3) an eyewitness of what he described; (4) an apostle; and (5) was the
Apostle John.4
III.
Purpose and Outlines (John):
A. Purpose: John’s goal is to paint a portrait of Jesus by drawing from what he and others witnessed (see 1 Jn 1:1-4)
and shaping these recollections to convey an appropriate message. John is writing so readers might believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God, and by believing have life in his name (20:31). However, there is a lot more to John’s Gospel.
B. Outlines:
1. The Prologue (1:1-18)
2. The Book of Signs (1:19-12:50)
 The Testimony of John the Baptist (1:19-51)
 Jesus and the Institutions of Judaism (2:1-4:54)
 Jesus and Festivals of Judaism (5:1-10:42)
 Foreshadowing of Death and Resurrection (11:1-12:50)
3. The Book of Glory (13:1-20:31)
 The Passover Meal (13:1-30)
 The Farewell Discourse (13:31-17:26)
 The Passion (18:1-19:42)
 The Resurrection (20:1-29)
 Conclusion (20:30-31)
4. Epilogue (21:1-25)
 The Miracle of 153 fish (21:1-14)
 Jesus and Peter (21:15-23)
 Appendix (21:24-25) 5
IV.
Important Themes (John):
A. Jesus Christ, Son of God: Jesus is unique as God’s special Son, yet he is fully God. So, Jesus is able to reveal God
to us clearly and accurately. Accordingly, we can perfectly trust what he says and gain an open mind to understand God’s
message and fulfill God’s purpose in our lives.
B. Eternal Life: Because Jesus is God, he lives forever. In John Jesus offers eternal life to us. Although we must grow
old and die, by trusting Jesus we can have a new life that lasts forever.
1
Elwell, 1998, 108
Ibid., 110
3 Brown, pp. LXXXVIII to XCII
4 Beasley-Murray quotes these five points, p. lxx, and Hendriksen gives plausible details of the reasons of supporting these points (see pp.
18–19).
5 Elwell, 1998, 110
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C. Belief: John records 8 specific signs, or miracles, that show the nature of Jesus’ power and love. We see his power
over everything created, and we see his love for all people. These signs encourage us to believe in him. Believing is active,
living, and continuous trust in Jesus as God. When we believe in his life, his words, his death, and his resurrection, we are
cleansed from sin and receive power to follow him. But we must respond to him by believing.
D. Holy Spirit: Jesus taught his disciples that the Holy Spirit would come after he ascended from earth. The Holy Spirit
would then indwell, guide, counsel, and comfort those who follow Jesus. Through the Holy Spirit, Christ’s presence and power
are multiplied in all who believe. Through God’s Holy Spirit, we are drawn to Jesus in faith.
E. Resurrection: On the third day after he died, Jesus rose from the dead. This was verified by his disciples and many
eyewitnesses. This really changed the disciples from frightened deserters to dynamic leaders in the new church. This fact is
the foundation of the Christian faith. We can be changed as the disciples were and have confidence that our bodies will one
day be raised to live with Christ forever.6
V.
Important Doctrines (John):
A. The Logos (John 1:1-18): John’s Prologue is the most sustained and profound exposition of the significance of Jesus
found in the NT. The sending of the Word into the world was no afterthought: in the beginning was the Word (v 1). The Word
was associated with God in creation (v 3). He is the light of life for all people (v 4), a light which those who rejected Jesus were
unable to master (vv 5, 10f.). Those who believe in his name are given the ability by God’s grace (v 16) to be “children of
God,” to stand in a right relationship with God (v 12). The prologue ends: Jesus Christ has made known the Father, for he is
God’s Word to people. In short, Christ as the Word is associated both with creation and with redemption.7
B. The “I am” Sayings: Twenty-three times in all we find our Lord’s statement “I am” in the Greek text of the Gospel
(4:26; 6:20, 35, 41, 48, 51; 8:12, 18, 24, 28, 58; 10:7, 9, 11, 14; 11:13:19; 14:16; 15:1, 5; 18:5, 6, 8). In several of these Jesus
joins his “I am” with seven tremendous metaphors which are expressed of his saving relationship toward the world.
a. “I am the bread of life” (6:35, 41, 51)
b. “I am the light of the world” (8:12)
c. “I am the door of the sheep” (10:7, 9)
d. “I am the good shepherd” (10:11, 14)
e. “I am the resurrection and the life” (11:25)
f. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (14:6)
g. “I am the true vine” (15:1, 15)8
C. The High Priestly Prayer (John 17): The longest prayer recorded in the NT is that of Jesus, called the “High Priestly
Prayer” and is found in John 17:1-26. After voicing a triumphant declaration of victory in 16:33, in which Jesus says, “I have
overcome the world,” he proceeds to pray. 1) Praying for himself (vv 1-5): Jesus affirms the glory of the cross (vv 1, 2),
expresses the very essence of eternal life (vv 3, 4), and rejoices in the shared glory of the Father (v 5). 2) Praying for his
disciples (vv 6-19): for their knowledge (vv 6-9), for their perseverance (vv 10-12), for their joy (vv 13), for their sanctification
(vv 13-17), and for their mission (vv 18, 19). 3) Praying for future believers (vv 20-26): for their oneness (vv 20-22), for their
perfect unity (v 23), for their future presence with him (vv 24, 25), and for their mutual love (v 26).9
VI.
Similarities Between 1 John & the Gospel:
Certain similarities are at once apparent even on a casual reading of the two books. The same use in both of such
abstract ideas as ‘light’, ‘life’, and ‘love’, the ‘eternal life’ as the believer’s possession, and Logos. Also, antitheses such as
light and darkness, truth and error, God and the world, love and hate, the children of God and the children of the devil. Some
of the more notable extended parallels in language are found in the following comparisons.10
1 John
1:2-3
1:4
2:11
2:14
3:5
VII.
John
3:11
16:24
12:35
5:38
8:46
1 John
3:8
3:13
3:14
3:16
3:22
John
8:14
15:18
5:24
10:15
8:29
1 John
3:23
4:6
4:16
5:9
5:20
John
13:24
8:47
6:69
5:32
17:3
Important Terms & Responses (1 Jn):
6
Wilson, 321
Stanton, 113
8 Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts, 343
9 Ibid., 349
10Guthrie, 873
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A. Docetism: The sufferings and the human aspects of Christ as imaginary instead of being part of a real incarnation.11
B. Agnosticism: We do not know either in practice or in principle whether there is a God or not. Agnosticism is to be
contrasted with atheism and pantheism, as well as theism and Christianity.12
C. Responses: John answers these false teachings as an eyewitness to Jesus’ life on earth. He saw Jesus, talked with
him, touched him – he knew that Jesus was more than a mere spirit (1:1-4; 4:1-6).13
VIII.
Important Themes (1 Jn): (Scriptures are only examples)
A. Sin: (1:9; 2:9, 11; 3:13-15; 4:20; 5:21) Even Christians sin. God alone can forgive sin, and Christ’s death provides
forgiveness for us. We must resist the attraction of sin, yet we must confess when we do sin.
B. Love: (3:11, 23; 4:7, 8, 11) Christ commands us to love others as he loved us. This love is evidence that we are truly
saved. Love means putting others first and being unselfish. To show love we must give sacrificially of our time and money to
meet the needs of others.
C. Family of God: (3:1-2, 9-10) We become God’s children by believing in Christ. God’s life in us enables us to love our
fellow family members.
D. Truth and Error: (2:18, 26; 4:1-3) Teaching that the physical body does not matter, false teachers encouraged
believers to throw off moral restraints. They also taught that Christ wasn’t really a human and that we must be saved by
having some special mystical knowledge. The more we get to know God, the better we can keep focused on the truth.
E. Assurance: (2:24-25; 3:2-3; 4:13; 5:10-13) God is in control of heaven and earth. Because God’s word is true, we can
have assurance of eternal life and victory over sin. By faith we can be certain of our eternal destiny with Jesus.14
IX.
Important Themes (2 Jn):
A. Truth: (4-13) Following God’s Word, the Bible, is essential to Christian living because God is truth. Christ’s true
followers consistently obey his truth. But we may not twist its message to our own needs or purposes or encourage others
who misuse it.
B. Love: (5-6) Christ’s command for Christians is to love one another. This is the basic ingredient for true Christianity.
Helping, giving, and meeting needs put love into practice.
C. False Leaders: (7-11) We must be cautious of religious leaders who are not true to Christ’s teaching. Be aware of
what is being taught.15
X.
Important Themes (3 Jn):
A. Hospitality: (7-8) John wrote to encourage those who were kind to others. Faithful Christian teachers and
missionaries need our support; this makes us partners in their ministry
B. Pride: (9-10) Diotrephes not only refused to offer hospitality but also set himself up as a church boss. Pride
disqualified him from being a real leader. Be careful not to misuse your position of leadership.
C. Faithfulness: (3-4) Gaius and Demetrius were commended for their faithful work in the church. They were held up as
examples of faithful, selfless service. Be sure to encourage Christian workers so they won’t grow weary.16
XI.
The Johannine Writing:
The prologue to the Gospel explains who the Word was and how he became incarnate. The opening statement of 1 John
begins with a statement somewhat similar to that of the Gospel, about the Word of life or simply ‘the life’ itself, which
‘appeared’ in the world so that it could be heard, seen and touched by human beings (1 John 1:1–4). But then the writer goes
on to talk rather about Jesus and to uphold the claim that ‘Jesus Christ has come in the flesh’ (1 John 4:2, NIV) or that ‘Jesus
is the Son of God’ (1 John 4:15; 5:5). When 2 John 7 comments on deceivers ‘who do not acknowledge Jesus as coming in
the flesh’, the same meaning is probably intended.17 Heretical teachers, i.e., antichrists, have come (2:18f, 26; 3:7), whom the
author label “false prophets” (4:1) and “antichrist” (2:18; cf. 4:3). Christians are called to distinguish the truth from the serious
claims about Jesus.18
XII.
Conclusion:
It is worth noticing that the Johannine writings explore both doctrines: Jesus is God, but came in the flesh, a normal
human being like anyone else. In John’s Gospel as well as in his epistles, we are exhorted to love one another.
11
Elwell, 1984, 326
Ibid, 24
13 Wilson, 556
14 Nelson, 549
15 Ibid., 561
16 Ibid., 563
17 Martin, Ralph P.; Davids, Peter H.: Dictionary of the Later New Testament and Its Developments. (DLNTD), IVP, 2000, c1997
18 Martin, 369
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