Taking Advice from the Beloved Disciple – 1st John Overview – Lite (7 min)

Some things remain the same despite the generation, culture, language, and era.  Imagine finding an ancient, affirming, instructional warning letter written by someone who loves the recipients, and the letter sounds like it applies to you and some of your friends.  What do you do with it?  Do you discuss it with others?  Do you seriously consider the warnings?  Do you accept its guarantees?  Do you disregard it because originally it was sent to someone else or because you think it is old advice?  Can you learn from others by considering their experiences, or do you have to experience everything firsthand for yourself? 

Some things are best experienced, while others wisely avoided.  How do you decide which is which?  Do you consider who the recipient is to determine the value of the advice?  

John indicated in his letters why he wrote.  Of primary importance to believers in every century is this statement he made: 

• “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13 NASB95) 

1st John was written to believers in general, while 2nd and 3rd John were written directly to specific recipients.  

• Because the content is founded on Christ’s teaching and does not change based on current events, we can say that John’s first letter was written to (1) everyone who currently believes Jesus Christ (promised Messiah) is the Son of God, and (2) anyone with the heart to accept the Saviour as the Lord.  

The details of his letter explain how you can KNOW that you have ETERNAL LIFE with the Creator Saviour.  

Eternal life in the presence of the source of life and love is a gift graced by God; it can not be earned. Eternal life does not end; it is not taken away Why? Because of God’s nature.  He sets the terms, and He does not lie or break His promises.

Jesus said:

• “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.  For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:37-40 NASB95) 

1st John also distinguishes between knowing historical facts as true versus having a changed life because of the truth.

So, do you merely agree with facts, or has your life been changed by Him? What does it mean to behold the Son? As we move through 1^st John, we’ll explore what Jesus said and the evidence of a changed life.

God’s Word contains His thoughts. The things we understand about God are revealed through (1) His creation, (2) the message Jesus Christ gave us, and (3) the Words the Holy Spirit inspired specifically appointed humans to write (which He has preserved within the complete canon of Scripture).

When reading the Bible, words and phrases begin to stand out because of the Holy Spirit’s use of repetition within the context of a passage and throughout the full counsel of Scip.  Through close observation of Scripture’s content, we notice themes.  Under each theme, there are important promises, instructions and warnings.  When we pay close attention and meditate on the content, we digest the meaning of a passage, learn more about God, and understand His principles to apply to our lives. As it is written:

• “With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments. I have treasured Your word in my heart, So that I may not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:10-11 NASB20)

Some of the repeated keywords in the epistles (letters) of John are:   

• In 1^st John:  Abide, Born of God, Fellowship, Know, Light, Love, Sin, Truth, and Write/Writing (listed alphabetically). 
• In 2^nd  John:  Abide, Commandment, Deceiver, Love, Teaching, Truth 
• In 3^rd John:  Evil, Good, Testimony, Truth 

Perhaps you will find others. If you do, why not note what you learned from the other words’ mention(s) in a list? For our purposes, let’s look at 1st John.

What is the Big Idea in 1^st John (Chapters 1 -5)?

Grab your Bible and highlight the keywords (listed above); the count may be somewhat different than listed below (depending on the Bible version).   You will observe in the five chapters of 1^st John that while the words ‘sin’ and ‘abide’ have significant mention, the words ‘KNOW‘ and ‘LOVE’ are of paramount importance.   

Chapter	Sin	Know	Love	Abide
1	5	0	0	0
2	4	14	5	9
3	10	11	9	7
4	1	7	27	6
5	6	8	5	0
Totals	26	40	46	22

From the context surrounding these keywords, we can say the primary emphasis of 1st John is on (1) what a believer can know, and (2) love as it pertains to the Lord and the believer.

You will also find secondary themes (depending on how you consider them, you may find they are outcomes).

The Apostle John also wrote the Gospel of John detailing important parts of the life of Jesus Christ (His miracles, teachings, and relationships). In this gospel, John said: 

• “Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:30-31 NASB95) 

John recorded the following words of Christ: 

• “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” (John 3:16-21 NASB95) 

The central point of Christ’s teaching and John’s writings was that one must believe that Jesus Christ is the risen Son of God who died for humanity’s sins to have eternal life.  Within this main idea, we learn throughout Scripture the following principles.

• Knowledge of facts does not change behaviour.   Entering into fellowship with God through faith in Christ by His imparted Holy Spirit will save you and change how you live. 
• If you have eternal life, you will practice the truth and live in the light of God’s Word, Christ’s teachings.  
• How you live your life demonstrates that you have saving faith.  

What Can You Do? 

• Why not take a few minutes to read 1^st John 1 verses 1-5 and Gospel John 1 verses 1- 5?
• Remember to pray first; ask God to speak to you through His Word. Chew on these verses for one week.   

What I Will Do 

• Within the next post of this ‘lite’ series called “Taking advice from the Beloved Disciple – 1^st John“, we will review the first five verses of 1^st John, list out the essentials of faith in Christ, why the Apostles have credibility for what they said, and what the other passages in Bible have to say about the message.  
• We’ll compare this to the first five verses of the Gospel of John and discuss Christ’s deity.   

What are the Series Objectives?

• Understand the evidence of eternal salvation with its instructions and warnings. 
• Celebrate the assurance we have in Christ; deepen our fellowship with the Father and His family.
• Identify and take any corrective actions.

Thank you for taking the time to read and invest in your eternity!