Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
1 JOHN SUMMARY: THE LIFE OF FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD
1:1-2:17. CONDITIONS OF DIVINE FELLOWSHIP
A. 1:1-4 DIVINE FELLOWSHIP IS JOYFUL
Ho en ap’ arCHES, ho a-keKOa-men,
What was from the beginning, what we have heard,
ho he-oRAka-men tois oph-thalMOIS heMON, ho e-the-aSAme-tha,
what we have seen with our :eyes, what we beheld,
kai hai CHEIres heMON e-pseLAphe-san [5584], peRI tou LOgou tes zoES [2222]
and our :hands handled, concerning the word of the life
(kai he zoE e-pha-neROthe [5319], kai he-oRAka-men,
2 (and the life was manifested, and we have seen,
kai mar-tuROUmen, kai e-pagGELlo-men [518] huMIN ten zoEN, ten aiOni-on 166],
and witness, and declare to you the life, the eternal,
HEtis en pros ton paTEra, kai e-pha-neROthe heMIN);
which was with the Father, and was manifested to us);
ho he-oRAka-men kai a-keKOa-men a-pagGELlo-men kai huMIN,
3 what we have seen and heard declare we to you also,
HIna kai huMEIS koi-noNIan [2842] Eche-te meth’ heMON:
that you also may have fellowship with us:
kai, he koi-noNIa de he he-meTEra meTA tou paTROS,
yes, and :OUR :fellowship is with the Father,
kai meTA tou huiOU auTOU ’IeSOU ChrisTOU:
and with his :Son Jesus Christ:
kai TAUta GRApho-men [1125] heMEIS, HIna he chaRA [5479] heMON he pe-ple-roMEne [4137].
4 and these things WE write, that our joy be made full.
B. 1:5-2:6 DIVINE FELLOWSHIP IS LIGHT
1. 1:5 DIVINE LIGHT DISPELS SPIRITUAL DARKNESS
Kai esTIN HAUte he ag-geLIa [1860] hen a-keKOa-men ap’ auTOU
And this is the message which we have heard from him
kai a-nagGELlo-men huMIN, HOti ho TheOS phos [5457] es-tin,
and announce to you, that :God is light,
kai skoTIa [4653] ouk EStin en auTO ou-deMIa.
and in him is no darkness at all.
2. 1:6-10 DIVINE LIGHT REVEALS SIN
a. 1:6-7 DARKNESS VERSUS LIGHT
E-AN EIpo-men HOti koi-noNIan Echo-men met’ auTOU
If we say that we have fellowship with him
kai en to SKOtei pe-ri-paTOMEN,
and walk in the darkness,
pseuDOme-tha [5574], kai ou poiOUmen ten aLEthei-an:
we lie, and do not the truth:
eAN de en to phoTI pe-ri-paTOmen, hos auTOS es-tin en to phoTI,
7 but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light,
koi-noNIan Echo-men met’ alLElon,
we have fellowship one with another,
kai to HAIma [129] ’IeSOU tou huiOU auTOU ka-thaRIzei [2511] heMAS aPO PAses ha-marTIas.
and the blood of Jesus his :Son cleanses us from all sin.
b. 1:8 DECEPTION: TO SEE NO SIN
E-AN EIpo-men HOti ha-marTIan [266] ouk Echo-men, he-auTOUS plaNOmen [4105],
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
kai he aLEthei-a ouk EStin en heMIN.
and the truth is not in us.
c. 1:9 CONFESSION: THE WAY TO FORGIVENESS AND CLEANSING
eAN ho-mo-loGOmen [3670] tas ha-marTIas heMON,
If we confess our :sins,
pisTOS es-tin kai DIkai-os HIna aPHE [863] heMIN tas ha-marTIas,
he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our :sins,
kai ka-thaRIse [2511] heMAS aPO PAses a-diKIas [93].
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
d. 1:10 CONFUSION: TO DENY SIN
E-AN EIpomen HOti ouch he-marTEka-men, PSEUsten [5583] poiOUmen auTON,
If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar,
kai ho LOgos auTOU ouk EStin en heMIN.
and his :word is not in us.
3. 2:1-6 DIVINE LIGHT REQUIRES OBEDIENCE
a. 2:1a PURPOSE OF THE LETTER: A GUARD AGAINST SIN
TekNIa mou, TAUta GRApho huMIN HIna me haMARtete.
My little children, these things I write you that you may not sin.
b. 2:1b-2 JESUS: OUR ADVOCATE AND PROPITIATION FOR SIN
kai eAN tis haMARte, paRAkle-ton [3875] Echo-men pros ton paTEra,
And if one sin, we have an Advocate with the Father,
’IeSOUN ChrisTON DIkai-on:
Jesus Christ the righteous:
kai auTOS hi-lasMOS [2434] es-tin peRI ton ha-mar-tiON heMON;
2 and HE is the propitiation for our :sins;
ou peRI ton he-meTEron de MOnon, alLA kai peRI HOlou tou KOSmou.
and not for :ours only, but also for the whole world.
Kai en TOUto giNOsko-men [1097] HOti egNOka-men auTON,
And hereby we know that we know him,
eAN tas en-toLAS [1785] auTOU teROmen.
if we keep his :commandments.
d. 2:4-5a THE LIAR VERSUS THE MAN OF LOVE
ho LEgon HOti EGno-ka auTON, kai tas en-toLAS auTOU me teRON,
Who says that I know him, and keeps not his :commandments,
PSEUstes esTIN, kai en TOUto he aLEthei-a ouk EStin;
is a liar, and the truth is not in this man;
hos d’ an teRE [5083] auTOU ton LOgon,
5a but whoso keeps his :word,
a-leTHOS en TOUto he aGApe [26] tou TheOU te-teLEIo-tai [5048].
in him has truly the love of :God been perfected..
e. 2:5b-6 A CHRIST-WALK: PROOF OF ABIDING
En TOUto giNOsko-men HOti en auTO es-men:
Hereby we know that we are in him:
Ho LEgon en auTO MEnein
6 who says he abides in him
oPHEIlei [3784] kaTHOS eKEInos pe-ri-ePAte-sen kai auTOS pe-ri-paTEIN.
ought himself also to walk even as HE walked.
NOTE: 1 John is a favorite letter for many Christians. 1 John 1:9 has been memorized by tens of thousands. Those familiar with the “Navigators” started by Dawson Trotman, and his TMS (Topical Memory System), will have tucked it under their belts along with 107 others.
John the beloved disciple of Jesus seems to have grasped His heart above almost all others. He’s the one who recorded Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer in the 17th chapter of his Gospel. See what Oswald Chambers says of this insight into the heart of our Lord!
“THE EXPLANATION FOR OUR DIFFICULTIES” – Oswald Chambers
(From “My Utmost for His Highest”)
“… that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us …” (John 17:21)
If you are going through a time of isolation, seemingly all alone, read John 17. It will explain exactly why you are where you are – because Jesus has prayed that you “may be one” with the Father as He is. Are you helping God to answer that prayer, or do you have some other goal for your life? Since you became a disciple, you cannot be as independent as you used to be.
God reveals in John 17 that His purpose is not just to answer our prayers, but that through prayer we might come to discern His mind. Yet there is one prayer which God must answer, and that is the prayer of Jesus – “… that they may be one just as We are one…” (17:22). Are we as close to Jesus Christ as that?
God is not concerned about our plans; He doesn’t ask, “Do you want to go through this loss of a loved one, this difficulty, or this defeat?” No, He allows these things for His own purpose. The things we are going through are either making us sweeter, better, and nobler men and women, or they are making us more critical and fault-finding, and more insistent on our own way. The things that happen either make us evil, or they make us more saintly, depending entirely on our relationship with God and its level of intimacy. If we will pray, regarding our own lives, “Your will be done” (Matthew 26:42), then we will be encouraged and comforted by John 17, knowing that our Father is working according to His own wisdom, accomplishing what is best. When we understand God’s purpose, we will not become small-minded and cynical. Jesus prayed nothing less for us than absolute oneness with Himself, just as He was one with the Father. Some of us are far from this oneness; yet God will not leave us alone until we are one with Him – because Jesus prayed, “… that they all may be one….”