The Culture of Hope Founded on Faith
1 John, Part 4 –The Purpose of the First Epistle of John
This epistle is written in a loosely classical essay format in which the writer tells his audience what he is going to write about, writes about it with at least three subsections of slightly different emphases, and then reviews with his audience what he has written about. The overall theme is assurance of salvation.
Years ago, as a young believer, I struggled with assurance of my salvation as doubts repeatedly assailed me for a variety of reasons. I asked Jesus into my heart numerous times until a beloved mentor told me that I only had to do so once. My salvation was established on belief in the fact of God’s Word no matter how I felt at any given moment. The very concern for my salvation and conviction of sin in my life demonstrated the presence of that Holy Spirit placed within me by God as 1 John 4:13 says. However, my understanding of my status as a forgiven child of God is something I had to grow into as God nurtured my increasing faith in Him.
In his first epistle, John announces his purpose at the beginning of his letter and then reiterates his purpose with different aspects of assurance throughout.
- Fellowship with other believers results from fellowship with God – 1 John 1:3. “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that you also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.”
- Fullness of joy is a function of assurance of salvation – 1 John 1:4. “And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”
- Forgiven sins and knowing the Father – 1 John 2:12 and 13c. “I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake … [and] because ye have known the Father.”
- Those who have known the Father from the beginning – 1 John 2:13a and 14a. “I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him … from the beginning.”
- Overcomers abide in God’s Word – 1 John 2:13b and 14b. “I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one … because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you.”
- Truth is the basis of our assurance –1 John 2:21 21. “I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.”
- That you may know! 1 John 5:13 “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
As we study the book of 1 John we need to remember two things: first, that the book is written to Christians and second, that the truth of scriptural gospel is Jesus plus nothing (Gal. 2: 16, “… a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ – even we have believed in Jesus Christ – that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified”). The commandments we are called to obey in 1 John 2:3-4 are not the Old Testament commandments given to Moses. They are the commandments of the New Testament covenant given by Jesus in Matthew 22:37-40 and which both encompass and supersede all other commandments: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
After his introduction to the 1 John epistle, John compares the basis of assurance of salvation as opposed to the reasons to suspect that someone is a non-believer. Rather than look at the comparisons as they are written, I divided the listed characteristics of the unbeliever from the characteristics of the believer in order to take a closer look. Next week we’ll explore that list.
Update/Prayer Request: Just as you think things are settling, they don’t. But God continues to teach us about faith through our current circumstances. Dan was in the ER last Friday night due to an extremely high fever, even with antibiotics. After X-rays and scans of heart, lungs, and abdomen, the doctor could find nothing. He did send bloodwork out for cultures which we haven’t heard from yet. Dan’s ENT had already changed the ineffective prescription for his sinus infection to a different antibiotic which was set to start on Saturday, the fourteenth. This one appears to be working but Dan is experiencing most of the possible side effects listed, especially excruciating joint pain, headaches, sleeplessness, and an allergic reaction in the form of a rash. He will start a new antibiotic tomorrow once the other is out of his system. Please pray for continued healing of his infection and reduction to his pain and discomfort (the infection started as a side-effect to immunotherapy and so he is dealing with side-effects to the side effects from immunotherapy). Please pray also for healing for my hand. Scar tissue continues to block use of my tendons and ligatures in that hand. Above all, please pray that we will continue to glorify God in our lives through this season of our lives.
