Page 128 - New Testament Survey Student Textbook

characteristic of God’s children. God is love—so those who know God will love others, and those who
don’t know God will lack love. The sign of genuine love is obedience to God’s commandments (5:3). In
the fifth major section (5:13–21), John closes the letter by affirming that eternal life will be given to
those who believe in Jesus as the Son of God. They can have confidence that God will protect them and
answer their prayers. 170
Outline
• Prologue: Jesus came in the flesh (1:1–4)
• God is light (1:5–2:17)
• God is righteous (2:18–3:10)
• God is love (3:11–5:12)
• Epilogue: concluding appeal (5:13–21) 171

Themes

First John, the Apostle argues strongly against false teachers who denied
that Jesus was God’s Son in the flesh, yet the letter’s strategy is grounded in
love. John lovingly shows that a distorted view of Jesus has dangerous
consequences: a life of disobedience, injustice, and apathy.
John teaches his audience how to discern falsehood from truth: People who
claim to know God yet are unloving show by their actions that they really
don’t know God (4:7–8). As people know God more, they live in a more selfless way—offering kindness
to other people and showing compassion to those in need. Christians respond to God’s love with
gratitude, offering the same forgiveness and love to others. As believers, we are called to flee from the
darkness that is evil and instead walk in the light of God. We are called to live as people who are truly
saved by Jesus—loving with everything we have. 172

Carson and Moor, in their New Testament Survey, on pages 677-682, discuss the teaching of the
three movements that are commonly postulated as the background of John’s polemics in 1 John, and
give their conclusion. Let’s begin with the discussion then the conclusion.

Gnosticism:
Classical Gnosticism myth taught that there is an ultimate Father from whom a variety of spiritual
beings emanate. One of the beings is Wisdom. Wisdom has a Son who steals enough of the power to
become the creator of the spiritual powers who rule this world and with whose help in the physical
universe include Adam and Eve coming into being. Through the Fall (Gen 3) and the birth of Seth,
who receives a pure Spirit, creates a dichotomy in the human race: some have their spirit-life while
others are nothing but just matter.
Later versions of the myth tell of a gnostic redeemer who explains their origins to the “elect” (not
chosen by God, but chosen by virtue of their possession of the spirit and who therefore have the
capacity to receive this “knowledge,” which liberates them). Therefore, some Scholars argue that the
heretics presupposed by 1 and 2 John have been influenced by Gnosticism and are concerned with
deliverance from the flesh by the acquisition of knowledge.

170 Barry, J. D., et al.
171 Ibid
172 Ibid

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