1 JOHN .................................................................................................................... 2
{1:1-4}
[A] Fellowship with the Father and Son ..................... 2
{1:5 – 2:6}
[B] Forgiveness of sins ....................................................... 2
{2:7-17}
[C] Love One Another ......................................................... 3
{2:18-29}
[D] The Antichrist and the Anointing ........................... 3
{3:1-18}
[X (E)] God’s Nature ........................................................... 4
{3:19 – 4:6} [D’] The Spirit of God and the Antichrist ................... 5
{4:7 – 5:5}
[C’] God’s Love for Us ....................................................... 6
{5:6-12}
[B’] The Testimony ............................................................... 7
{5:13-20}
[A’] Eternal Life .................................................................... 8
1 JOHN
2
THE FIRST LETTER OF
JOHN
{1:1-4} [A] Fellowship with the Father and Son
which was from the beginning, which we have heard,
1 That
which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon
and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life
was revealed, and we saw it, and testify to it, and declare to you the
eternal life which was with the Father and was revealed to us—3
that which we have seen and heard we declare to ayou, so that you
also may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the
Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these
things bto you so that our joy may be complete.
{1:5 – 2:6} [B] Forgiveness of sins
5
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you,
that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have
fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not
practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light,
we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus cChrist
his Son cleanses us from all sin.
8
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth
is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and
will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10
If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his
word is not in us.
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that
you may not sin; but if any one does sin, we have a
d
Paraclete with the Father—Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is
the eatoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also
for the sins of the whole world.
2
3
And by this we can be sure that we know him, if we keep his
commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep
his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but
a
1:3 you ¦ you also CT
to you ¦ --- CT
c 1:7 Christ 92.5% ¦ --- CT 4.5%
d 2:1 Paraclete [G3875 parakleton (acc., sing., masc.): advocate]. Only five occurrences in
the NT (i.e. John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16.7; and 1 John 2:1)
e 2:2 atoning sacrifice [G2434, hilasmos; propitiatory sacrifice (i.e. the object of
expiation)]
b 1:4
3
1 JOHN
whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.
By this we may be sure that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides
in him ought to walk just as he walked.
{2:7-17} [C] Love One Another
7 a
Brothers, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old
commandment which you had from the beginning. The old
commandment is the word which you have heard bfrom the
beginning. 8 Yet I am writing you a new commandment, which is
true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the
true light is already shining.
9
Whoever says he is in the light but hates his brother is in the
darkness still. 10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light,
and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But whoever hates
his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does
not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded
his eyes.
12
I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are
forgiven for his name’s sake. 13 I am writing to you,
fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men, because you have
overcome the evil one. I cam writing to you, little children,
because you know the Father. 14 I have written to you,
fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning.
I have written to you, young men, because you are strong,
and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome
the evil one.
15
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone
loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all
that is in the world—the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes
and the dpride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17
And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who
does the will of God abides forever.
{2:18-29} [D] The Antichrist and the Anointing
18
Children, it is the last hour, and just as you have heard that the
antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by
which we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us,
a
2:7 Brothers 82.8% ¦ Beloved CT 15%
2:7 from the beginning 87% ¦ --- CT 8.2%
c 2:13 am writing 80.3% ¦ have written ANT CT 18.5%
d 2:16 pride [G212, alazoneia; boasting, pride, braggadocio]
b
1 JOHN
4
but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have
continued with us; but they went out, that it might be plain that they
all are not of us.
20
But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you know
all things. 21 I write to you, not because you do not know the
truth, but because you know it, and know that no lie is of the
truth. 22 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is bthe
Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the
Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the cFather.
a
24
Therefore let what you heard from the beginning abide in
you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you,
then you will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And
this is what he has promised us, eternal life.
26
I have written these things to you about those who would
deceive you; 27 but the anointing you received from him abides
in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But his
anointing teaches you about all things, and is true, and is no
lie, just as it has taught you, abide in him.
28
And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears
we may have confidence and not hide from him in shame at his
coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that
everyone who does right is born of him.
{3:1-18} [X (E)] God’s Nature
what love the Father has given us, that we should be
3 See
called children of God! The reason the world does not know us
d
is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now,
and what we will be has not yet been revealed. But we know that
when he appears, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.
3
And everyone who has this hope [confidently placed] in him
purifies himself, even as he is pure. 4 Whoever commits sin also
commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that he
appeared to take away eour sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one
who abides in him fsins; no one who sins has either seen him or
a
2:20 know all things 96.4% ¦ all know ECM NA SBL WH 2.4%
2:22 the Christ—Or the Anointed One
c 2:23 Father. 77.5% ¦ Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. CT SCR
21%
d 3:1 God! 83.5% ¦ God! And that is what we are. CT 13.4%
e 3:5 our ¦ --- CT
f 3:6 sins (i.e. deliberately, knowingly, and habitually practices sin)
b
5
1 JOHN
known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who does
right is righteous, even as he is righteous.
8
Whoever practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned
from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was
to destroy the works of the devil.
9
No one born of God
commits sin;
for His aseed abides in him,
and he cannot sin
because he is born of God.
10
By this the children of God are revealed, and the children of
the devil. Whoever does not do right is not of God, nor he who
does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message you have
heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
12
Not like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother.
And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil, and
his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, bmy brothers, if the
world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to
life because we love the brethren. He who does not love chis brother
abides in death. 15 Any one who hates his brother is a murderer, and
you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 By this
we know love, that he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay
down our lives for the brethren. 17 But if anyone has the world’s
goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him,
how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love
in word or speech but in deed and in truth.
{3:19 – 4:6} [D’] The Spirit of God and the Antichrist
19
By this we know that we are of the truth, and reassure our
hearts before him. 20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater
than our heart, and knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our hearts do
not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and we receive
from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and
do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment that we should
believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another,
just as he commanded. 24 He who keeps his commandments abides
in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that he abides in us,
a
3:9 seed—Or [incorruptible] seed. Compare 1 Peter 1:23
3:13 my ¦ --- CT
c 3:14 his brother 79.9% ¦ --- CT 3.7%
b
1 JOHN
6
by the spirit which he has given us.
do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to
4 Beloved,
see if they are from God; for many false prophets have
gone out into the world. 2 This is how you know the spirit is
from God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has
come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit which does not
confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of antichrist, of
which you heard that it was coming, and now is in the world
already.
4
Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them; for he
who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of
the world, therefore what they say is of the world, and the world
listens to them. 6 We are [children] of God. Whoever knows God
listens to us, and he who is not of God does not listen to us. By this
we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
{4:7 – 5:5} [C’] God’s Love for Us
7
Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and everyone
who loves is born of God and knows God.
8
He who does not love does not know God; for God is love.
9
This is how God showed his love to us: When he sent his
only begotten Son into the world, so that we might live
through him.
10
In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and
sent his Son to be the aatoning sacrifice for our sins.
11
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
12
No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God
abides in us
and his love is perfected in us.
13
We know that we abide in him and he in us because
he has given us of his own spirit. 14 And we have seen
and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the
Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is
the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16
And we have come to know and believe the love God
has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love
abides in God, and God in him.
a
4:10 atoning sacrifice [G2434, hilasmon; propitiatory sacrifice (i.e. the object of
expiation)]
7
1 JOHN
17
This is how love is perfected ain us, so that we may have
confidence in the Day of Judgment, because as he is so are
we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love
casts out fear, for fear has to do with punishment. And he
who fears is not perfected in love.
We love bhim because he first loved us. 20 If any one says, “I
love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar. For he who does
not love his brother whom he has cseen, how can he love God
whom he has not seen?
19
21
And this commandment we have from him: that he who loves God
should also love his brother.
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born
of God, and deveryone who loves the Father also loves the one
born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God,
when we love God and keep his commandments. 3 For this is the
love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his
commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been
born of God overcomes the world. This is the eovercoming that
overcomes the world—four faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the
world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
5
{5:6-12} [B’] The Testimony
6
This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not
come by water only but by water and blood. It is the spirit which
g
testifies to this, because the spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three
h
that testify: 8 the spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three are
in agreement. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony
of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God which he has
testified concerning his Son. 10 He who believes in the Son of God
has the testimony in himself. He who does not believe God has
made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that
a
4:17 in [or among] us
4:19 him ¦ --- CT
c 4:20 seen, how can he … seen? 95.5% ¦ seen cannot … seen. ECM† NA SBL TH WH
4.3%
d 5:1 Lit whoever loves the begetter loves the begotten of him
e 5:4 overcoming [G3529, nikē]—nikē is a play on nika [G3528,”overcomes”] which is
used multiple times in this passage.
f 5:4 our 56.4% ¦ your BYZ HF 43%
g 5:6 testifies [G3140, martyroun, inflected from martyreō; to testify or bear witness]. This
becomes the recurring theme in verses 6 through 12.
h 5:7–8 that testify: 87.3% ¦ who testify in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy
Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three that testify on earth: ANT TR 0.6%.
See “Notes on 1 John” for further details.
b
1 JOHN
8
God has testified concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony:
that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He
who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does
not have life.
{5:13-20} [A’] Eternal Life
13
I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the
Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal alife, and
so that you may believe bin the name of the Son of God. 14 And this
is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything
according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears
us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests
made of him.
16
If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not lead
to death, he should pray for him, and God will give him life. I
refer to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There
is sin that leads to death; I do not say that he should pray for
that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead
to death.
18
We know that anyone who has been born of God does not
continue in sin, but he who is born of God guards chimself, and the
evil one does not touch him.
19
We know that we are of God, and that the whole world is in
the power of the evil one.
20
And we know that the Son of God has come and has
given us understanding so that we may know him who is
true. And we are din him who is true [by being] in his Son
Jesus Christ.
This is the true God and eternal life.
21
a
Little children, keep yourselves from idols. eAmen.
5:13 life, and so that you may believe 73% ¦ life. CT 4.7%
5:13 in the name of the Son of God 69.9% {TR 1%} ¦ --- CT 0.8%
c 5:18 himself ¦ him NA27 SBL WH
d 5:20 in him who is true in his Son. Alternate reading: in the True One (i.e. God the
Father) by being in union with His Son. In other words, John’s letter starts with being in
fellowship with the Father and Son, and ends the same way.
e 5:21 Amen. 84.3% ¦ --- CT 15.5%
b
9
Notes on 1 John
Notes on 1 John
5:7-8 “For there are three that testify: 8 the spirit, the water, and
the blood; and these three are in agreement.” In the KJV this
passage contains additional wording that is commonly referred to as
the “Johannine Comma” (henceforth, “the Comma”). The KJV reads
as follows (with the Comma enclosed in square brackets and
italicized):

1 John 5:7-8 (KJV): For there are three that bear record [in
heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these
three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness in
earth], the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these
three agree in one.
The evidence against this KJV additional “Comma” wording is the
rarity of Greek manuscripts that contain it. Of the 501 Greek
manuscripts which contain 1 John 5:7-8 (the disputed portion) only
10 contain the Comma. Sometimes an eleventh Greek manuscript (GA
635) is cited as having the Comma (written in the margin), but it does not.
The earliest manuscripts, earlier than the 10 th century, which consist
of 12 manuscripts (i.e. 01, B, A, 048, 0296, L, P, K, Ψ, 049, 056,
and 0142), do not contain the Comma.
Of the ten Greek manuscripts that do contain the Comma, five of them
include the Comma in the margin as a later addition, as follows:
Manuscripts with the Comma in the margin as a later addition
Manuscript
a
GA 221
Name
c. 10th
Notes
Margin: c. 1854
GA 177
11th
BSB Cod. graec.
211
GA 88
c. 12th
Codex Regis
b
a
Century
Margin: 1785
Margin: 16th century
GA 221 is the oldest manuscript (10th century) with the youngest margin Comma (c.
1854). It’s in Oxford, and Klaus Wachtel (Der byzantinische Text, 319–320) observed
that Henry Coxe’s catalogue of manuscripts printed in 1854 explicitly states that this
manuscript lacks the Comma. Thus, the Comma must have been added after 1854.
b GA 177 is of 11th century origin but the Comma in the margin is authored by Ignatius
Hardt (1749–1811), Catholic priest of the city of Munich, in the year 1785, June the
20th. The form of this Comma is unique among the manuscripts and is closest to the
Complutensian Polyglot (of Spanish origin). It does not have v.8 at all.
Notes on 1 John
GA 429
a
GA 636
10
c. 14th
Codex
Guelferbytanus
15th
Margin: 16th century.
Copied from Erasmus’ 3rd
edition and explicitly cites
Erasmus
Margin: 15th - 16th century
The other five Greek manuscripts that contain the Comma in the body of
the text itself are as follows.
Manuscripts that contain the Comma in the body of the text
Manuscript
b
GA 629
c
Name
1362–1363
In the Vatican
Library as Ottob. gr.
298.
GA 61
c. 1521
GA 918
1573–1578
d
a
Date
Codex
Montfortianus (aka
Codex Britannicus)
Codex Escurialensis
Σ.I.5
Notes
Earliest known
manuscript which
contains the embedded
Comma
Presented to Erasmus as
textual proof of the
Comma
Likely copied from
Erasmus’ 3rd edition
GA 636 is a 15th century manuscript. The Comma lacks the definite articles so it could
be an independent translation of the Latin. We know that the manuscript came to the
Biblioteca Nazionale in Naples (where it is Ms. II. A. 9) from an Augustinian Monastery
associated with what is today the Church of San Giovanni a Carbonara in Naples. That
seems to give the manuscript itself a 15th-century Roman Catholic provenance, though
it is unclear when the marginal addition was written.
b GA 629 is a Latin-Greek diglot (i.e. a bilingual text). The contention among those who
reject the Comma is that it was originally in Latin and translated to the Greek, which this
document exactly looks like. The Greek text has no definite articles for the three
heavenly witnesses and, since Latin has no definite articles like Greek, the lack of
articles in the Greek suggests that it was a translation from Latin. Also, the Greek text of
this manuscript has at least eight (8) differences with the Textus Receptus version. In
short, this manuscript appears to be a Roman Catholic manuscript that has an unusual
form of the Comma as a result of translation from Latin to Greek.
c GA 61 is the manuscript presented to Erasmus which he used on his third edition of the
Greek New Testament (1522). This manuscript is of Franciscan provenance (i.e. place of
origin). The manuscript was copied by a Franciscan in the window of 1495–1521 (date
based on the watermarks of the paper and that Erasmus seems to have known about it by
1521). We know it is a Franciscan production because the copyist wrote “Jesus, Mary,
Francis” in it, which is apparently a thing that Franciscans often did. This manuscript
also reflects a translation from Latin into Greek by the lack of definite articles. Only four
differences between this manuscript and the Textus Receptus can be seen, but four
differences is still a lot for a passage of this size. Also interestingly, this manuscript
appears to be a copy of 326 in the Catholic Epistles which does not contain the Comma
but does contain the Latin-derived readings of the Vulgate.
d GA 918 is a manuscript with a Spanish Catholic provenance from the 1570s. This
manuscript has the exact same Comma form as Erasmus’ 3rd edition, so Erasmus is the
11
a
2473
b
2318
1634
18th
Notes on 1 John
Likely copied from the
TR
Likely copied from the
TR
Conclusions. As can be seen, the evidence in support of the Comma is
practically non-existent. Of the 10 manuscripts that include the Comma,
half of them (i.e. 5 manuscripts) have it in the margin and all of these
marginal note insertions are of later date. Of the ones that do include the
Comma within the body of the text, only the first two (i.e. GA 629 and GA
61) are of any importance, given that the other three are of a late date and
are likely copies of some version of the Textus Receptus.
We are then left to consider GA 629 and GA 61 and, as noted in the
footnotes, these two manuscripts are of Roman Catholic provenance and
give strong evidence of being translations of the Latin into Greek. Rather
than demonstrating authenticity, these two manuscripts are Greek
translations of Latin copies of some prior Latin manuscript (or manuscripts)
containing an interpolated Comma of unknown origin.
Reference: “The Greek Manuscripts of the Comma Johanneum (1 John
5:7–8)” by Elijah Hixson, January 7, 2020.
likely source of this Comma. We know that the scribe is one Nicolás de la Torre.
Nikolaos was born in Crete, but he worked for Philip II of Spain at the Library of El
Escorial beginning in 1573. Nikolaos’ dated manuscripts have a range of 1562–1586,
but given the ties to El Escorial (where the manuscript remains to this day), and given
what we know about Nikolaos employment there and travels elsewhere, the likely date
of the manuscript is between 1573 and 1578.
a 2473 is dated 1634 and considered to be a copy of one of the later editions of the Textus
Receptus based on its textual affinity (Der byzantinische Text, 320). Moreover, by this
time the KJV was already in circulation by a couple of decades.
b 2318 is dated in the 1700s. It is a commentary manuscript as coming from Oecumenius.
It has a clear non-Protestant provenance.