The Life and Teachings of St. John - Apostle, Evangelist, and Disciple
The 1st Epistle of St. John reveals the life and teachings of St. John, the Apostle who authored this letter as well as the Gospel of St. John. Known for his strong zeal and faith, St. John was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus and a follower of John the Baptist. This epistle sheds light on his character, upbringing, and rich history of discipleship.
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The First Epistle of St. John
The 1stEpistle of St. John Author: + The apostle John is the author, who also wrote the Gospel of St. John, the two other epistles of the apostle John and the book of Revelation. + The name John in its original Hebrew means: God is gracious . + He is St. John the son of Zebedee and he is also called the Evangelist , the Theologian , the Celibate , and the Beloved . + The Lord called him with his brother, James the Elder: Boanerges , that is Sons of Thunder , for their strong zeal and great faith: To whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is Sons of Thunder (Mark 3:17)
The 1stEpistle of St. John + His mother was Salome, who was a pious woman fearing God. She followed the Lord Jesus to the cross and she was among the women who went early to the tomb to anoint His holy body: There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome (Mark 15:40) Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him (Mark 16:1) + He was one of the twelve disciples of our Lord Jesus: Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He
The 1stEpistle of St. John might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (Mark 3:14-17) + He was one of the first disciples who knew the Lord Jesus, and he was first a disciple to St. John the Baptist: Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said: Behold the Lamb of God! The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them: What do you seek? They said to Him: Rabbi (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), where are You staying? He said to them: Come and see. They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day. One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter s brother (John 1:35-40)
The 1stEpistle of St. John - St. John the Beloved was the other disciple who heard the Baptist speak and followed the Lord. He chose to conceal himself out of humbleness. + It could be retrieved that St. John was possibly rich, where his father used to own fishing boat(s), where he had servants working for him: When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him (Mark 1:19-20) + St. John was known to the high priest, possibly because him being rich or might be as being a devout young man: And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now that
The 1stEpistle of St. John disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. But Peter stood at the door outside. Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in (John 18:15-16) + St. John was mostly the youngest in between the twelve, where he was 25 years old when the Lord called him. He was a close friend to St. Peter, who was of an older age, and they were partners in their job as fishermen: For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon (Luke 5:9-10)
The 1stEpistle of St. John + He, together with St. Peter and St. James, were the three disciples, that the Lord Jesus made them closer to Him, where they attended special events, like raising the daughter of Jairus from the dead, the Lord s transfiguration and our Lord called those three to pray with him the night of his crucifixion, in the garden of Gethsemane: When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl (Luke 8:51) Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them (Mark 9:2) Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said
The 1stEpistle of St. John to His disciples: Sit here while I pray. And He took Peter, James, and John with Him (Mark 14:32-33) + St. John used to call himself in his Gospel (The disciple whom Jesus loved), and this is because he loved the Lord Jesus so much, that he felt the great love that the Lord had towards him, whereas the love that God has towards all mankind is infinite. Out of humbleness, he could not say about himself that he loved the Lord Jesus much, but rather he referred the love to be from the Lord towards himself. Also out of his humbleness, he never mentioned his name neither in his Gospel nor in his epistles. He was so close to our Lord, might be even the closest to Himself, and he was emotionally attached to Him, that he would even lean on the Lord Jesus bosom: Now there was leaning on Jesus bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved (John 13:23)
The 1stEpistle of St. John - That is why he is called St. John the Beloved, in addition to him having great love towards God and people and his writings and sermons focusing on love. + St. Peter his friend, motioned to him to ask the Lord of whom He spoke about His betrayal, as he has was meek and was of strong relationship with the Lord: Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke. Then, leaning back on Jesus breast, he said to Him: Lord, who is it? (John 13:24-25) + He was the only one of the disciples who stayed close to our Lord during His sufferings unto His crucifixion and death on the Cross. Therefore our Lord, entrusted him to care for St. Mary:
The 1stEpistle of St. John When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother: Woman, behold your son! Then He said to the disciple: Behold your mother! And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home (John 19:26-27) + He was one of the first witnesses to the Lord s Resurrection, who rushed to the tomb, on hearing from Mary Magdalene that the Lord had been taken out of it: Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them: They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him. Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first... Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed (John 20:2-4,8)
The 1stEpistle of St. John + He was the first of the disciples to recognize the Lord Jesus when He appeared to them on the sea of Tiberias: Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter: It is the Lord! (John 21:7) + St. John served with St. Peter for a while in Jerusalem, where they were arrested together and went through trials, as seen in the book of Acts: Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour... Now as the lame man who was healed held onto Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon s, greatly amazed (Acts 3:1,11) Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple,
The 1stEpistle of St. John and the Sadducees came upon them, being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand (Acts 4:1-4) So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them: Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge (Acts 4:18-19) + St. John mainly stayed in Jerusalem, to care for St. Mary, according to the Lord s commandment, then after her departure (around A.D. 48), he started going out of the Judea, preaching the word.
The 1stEpistle of St. John + St. Paul mentions him, together with St. James the Less and St. Peter as the pillars of the church: And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised (Galatians 2:9) + He preached in Asia Minor, especially in Ephesus. He was tortured and suffered a lot and was exiled to the island of Patmos, where he received his Revelation. He returned to Ephesus and departed around 100 A.D. + St. John was the only one of the twelve disciples who was not martyred, though he was exposed to martyrdom more than once. God kept him for an important mission; he had to defend the divinity of Christ and
The 1stEpistle of St. John protect the church from the heresies which arose towards the end of the first century. + He had closely accompanied the Lord Jesus during His service on earth, witnessing to His miracles, sufferings, crucifixion, resurrection, his appearances to the disciples throughout the forty days, his ascension into the Heavens and the descent of the Holy Spirit on Day of the Pentecost, thus he says about himself that he had seen and testified and that his testimony is true: But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe (John 19:34-35)
The 1stEpistle of St. John This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true (John 21:24) Recipients: + The epistle was addressed to the Universal Church. Time and Place of Writing: + The epistle was written towards the end of the first century (95-100 A.D.), after the destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jewish nation, thus he did not mention any Jewish persecution to the Church. St. John wrote it after he had written his Gospel. + The epistle was written from Ephesus, as he was known to live there in...
The 1stEpistle of St. John the later years of his life. Characteristics of the Epistle: 1. The epistle uses simple language, though revealing deep truths. 2. St. John uses repetition and re-emphasizing of his messages. 3. Along the epistle, the themes are repeated and overlap, not following a specific order, making the epistle difficult to outline. 4. Sharp contrasts are often made: He who says: I know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him (1 John 2:4-5)
The 1stEpistle of St. John 5. There are some key words that are urgently repeated throughout the epistle: a) Love, 36 times: By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments (1 John 5:2) b) Know, 32 times: I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth (1 John 2:21) - This is to confirm we have the true knowledge of God through His
The 1stEpistle of St. John revelations and through faith in Him. This is mainly to oppose those who were called Gnostics, who claimed to have a superior knowledge (Gnosis is knowledge in Greek). Those taught that mind and knowledge are the means to salvation, ignoring faith. - They believed in the dualistic view of man, where matter was evil and spirit was good. Therefore they claimed that God did not create or have anything to do with the material universe. Also, that Christ could not have come in the flesh. - The Gnostics application to everyday living took two different directions. Since all matter was considered evil, some taught one should abstain altogether from anything that would satisfy the flesh. Others claimed it did not matter what one did in the flesh, as it was evil anyway, so then to have the body sin as it wished, and to worship God is by the Spirit only, and to have full knowledge, it was proper to explore everything.
The 1stEpistle of St. John c) World : They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them (1 John 4:5) d) Abide : Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father (1 John 2:24) e) Life : He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life (1 John 5:12)
The 1stEpistle of St. John f) Truth : And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him (1 John 3:19) g) Light : Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining (1 John 2:8) 6. There is an obvious similarity in style, vocabulary and themes in both this epistle and the Gospel of St. John, which certainly offer an internal evidence for that St. John the Evangelist is the author of the epistle:
The 1stEpistle of St. John a) The opening of each of the epistle and the Gospel contains the phrase the beginning, which is a characteristic expression in St. John s writings: That which was from the beginning (1 John 1:1) In the beginning was the Word (John 1:1) b) There are some Greek expressions that are unique to both books, e.g. take away the sins : And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin (1 John 3:5)
The 1stEpistle of St. John Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29) c) There are many common themes between the two; such as the fact that God, out of His love, has sent His Son to the world to grant us life: In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him (1 John 4:9) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16) 7. While the Gospel of St. John emphasizes on the deity of Christ, the 1st epistle of St. John puts emphasis on incarnation and humanity of Christ:
The 1stEpistle of St. John Which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life the life was manifested (1 John 1:1-2) But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31) 8. Whereas the Gospel of St. john was designed to produce faith in the Son of God so that we might have life, the 1stepistle of St. John describes how we could live that sort of life the He offers: We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren (1 John 3:14)
The 1stEpistle of St. John He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him (John 3:36) Purpose of the Writing: 1. To Counter those who Deny that the Lord Jesus had come in the flesh: And every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world (1 John 4:3) 2. To Describe the Life that Faith Demands, Exhorting the Believers Not to Sin: My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin (1 John 2:1)
The 1stEpistle of St. John 3. To Show the Imperative of Love as a Translation of Faith: And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment (1 John 3:23) 4. To Warn them Against False Teachers: These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you (1 John 2:26) 5. To Attain Full Joy: And these things we write to you that your joy may be full (1 John 1:4)
The 1stEpistle of St. John 6. To Assure Christians that they Have Eternal Life in the Son of God: These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God (1 John 5:13) Contents: I. Incarnation of God the Word and its Effect in Our Lives: (Chs. 1-2) 1. The Manifestation of the Word of Life: And we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us (1 John 1:2)
The 1stEpistle of St. John That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3) 2. God is Light, Therefore Walk in the Light: This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth (1 John 1:5-6) But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7)
The 1stEpistle of St. John If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9) And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world (1 John 2:1-2) II. Keep His Commandments: (Ch. 2) 1. Knowing God and Abiding in Him: Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments (1 John 2:3)
The 1stEpistle of St. John He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked (1 John 2:6) He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him (1 John 2:9-10) 2. Do Not Love the World: 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. For all that is in the world the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world (1 John 2:15-16)
The 1stEpistle of St. John And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever (1 John 2:17) 3. Beware of the Antichrists: But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things (1 John 2:20) Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also (1 John 2:22-23) And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming (1 John 2:28)
The 1stEpistle of St. John III. Children of God: (Chs. 2-3) 1. Our Sonship to God: If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him (1 John 2:29) Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! (1 John 3:1) Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is (1 John 3:2)
The 1stEpistle of St. John 2. A Child of God Should Purify Himself: And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure (1 John 3:3) Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him (1 John 3:6) Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning (1 John 3:7-8) Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in
The 1stEpistle of St. John him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God (1 John 3:9) 3. As Children of God, We Should Love the Brethren: In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother (1 John 3:10) For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another (1 John 3:11) He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him (1 John 3:14-15)
The 1stEpistle of St. John By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren (1 John 3:16) But whoever has this world s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? (1 John 3:17) My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:18) And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight (1 John 3:22)
The 1stEpistle of St. John IV. Test the Spirits: (Ch. 4) Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1) By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God (1 John 4:2) You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4) V. Knowing God Through Love: (Ch. 4)
The 1stEpistle of St. John 1. God is the Source of All Love: Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:7-8) In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:10) Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (1 John 4:11) 2. Abiding in God Through Love:
The 1stEpistle of St. John If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us (1 John 4:12) By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit (1 John 4:13) And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us (1 John 4:14-16) God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him (1 John 4:16)
The 1stEpistle of St. John Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17) There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18) We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19) 3. Loving the Brethren as a Reflection to Loving God: If someone says: I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? (1 John 4:20)
The 1stEpistle of St. John And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also (1 John 4:21) VI. Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God: (Ch. 5) 1. Faith and Love: Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him (1 John 5:1) For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3)
The 1stEpistle of St. John 2. Victory Through Faith: For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world our faith (1 John 5:4) Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:5) 3. The Certainty of God s Witness: This is He who came by water and blood Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth (1 John 5:6)
The 1stEpistle of St. John For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one (1 John 5:7) And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one (1 John 5:8) He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son (1 John 5:10-11) 4. Confidence and Compassion in Prayer:
The 1stEpistle of St. John Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him (1 John 5:14-15) If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death (1 John 5:16) 5. Faith and Spiritual Insight: We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him (1 John 5:18)
The 1stEpistle of St. John We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one (1 John 5:19) And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life (1 John 5:20) Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen (1 John 5:21)
