Five books of the Bible were written by the Apostle John—his Gospel, three epistles, and the Revelation. These were the last books to be written, at around 90 A.D. This means that John wrote at a time when the Jewish nation had been destroyed by the Romans. In A.D. 70, the city of Jerusalem and the temple were leveled and most of the people killed—and almost 100,000 were deported as captives. Without the place and the people, Judaism ceased to exist in the land of Israel. In fact, John is the only New Testament writer to write from this perspective. John’s brother James was the first apostle to die (through martyrdom – Acts 12:2) and John was the last apostle to die.
John’s Purpose in Writing the Epistle
In the body of the epistle, John states three reasons for writing to the saints in that day:
• Firstly, that their joy would be full through fellowship with the Father and the Son (chap. 1:3-4).
• Secondly, that they would not fail in the path through sin (chap. 2:1).
• Thirdly, that they would have the conscious knowledge and assurance of the possession of life eternal (chap. 5:13).
The Gnostics
Besides wanting the saints to be happy, holy, and healthy (spiritually), the Spirit of God had another reason for leading John to write the epistle. In that day, many anti-Christian teachers had risen up who professed to be children of God, but they denied the truth of the Father and the Son (chap. 2:18-26; 4:1-6). To help the saints to know those who were real believers and those who were not, John was led to present the characteristic features of life eternal by which all false pretention to the possession of that life could be detected. This would provide the saints with a ready standard by which they could test all profession.
This divergent movement of anti-Christian teaching arose among the assemblies late in the first century and plagued the Church for approximately 200 years with its erroneous doctrines. It was the beginning of what would become known as Gnosticism. Gnostic means “to know.” (Conversely, agnostic means “not to know.”) These false teachers claimed that what the apostles delivered to the Church was introductory and elementary, but what they had was superior knowledge. However, what they were really propounding was blasphemy! Some of them (the Cerinthians) denied the deity of Christ. The Apostle John met this error with his Gospel, showing that the Lord has all the attributes of deity. Others (the Doketics) denied the incarnation of Christ, and thus, taught that He was not a real Man. John meets this error in his epistles. Under the pretense of moving forward in the truth, these false teachers had moved away from the truth! Hence, John’s ministry has great practical value in defending against those who profess to know God but deny certain aspects of the truth of the Person of Christ.
The Themes in Peter, Paul & John’s Ministry
The theme of John’s ministry is quite different from that of Paul and Peter. John focuses on the family of God, dwelling on our relationship to God as His “children” (John 1:12-13; 1 John 3:1 – J. N. Darby Trans.). Hence, the characteristics of life eternal in the family are expanded upon extensively. The Apostle Paul, on the other hand, while mentioning that we are children of God (Rom. 8:16), dwells on our position before God as “sons,” delineating our privileges as such (Rom. 8:14-15; Gal. 4:1-7; Eph. 1:4-6; Heb. 2:10). Paul also develops the truth of the Church as “the body of Christ” (1 Cor. 12:12-13, 27; Eph. 3:6; 4:16; 5:25-32, etc.) and “the house of God” (Eph. 2:19-22; 1 Tim. 3:15, Heb. 3:6, etc.). The Apostle Peter’s line is different again; he views things from the perspective of the kingdom of God. Having been given “the keys of the kingdom of the heavens” (Matt. 16:19), he had been selected to open the door of blessing to both the Jews (Acts 2) and the Gentiles (Acts 10). Accordingly, he has an emphasis on the kingdom in his ministry. He speaks frequently of the Appearing of Christ, which is the event that marks the inauguration of the kingdom and Christ’s public reign in this world (1 Peter 1:5, 7, 13; 4:13; 5:1, 4; 2 Peter 1:11, 16; 3:4, 10).
The Abstract Style of John’s Writings
The Apostle John writes in a unique way. The key to understanding his statements is to see that he views things abstractly. J. N. Darby said: “If one cannot view such statements abstractly, he will never understand them at all” (Notes and Jottings, p. 36). F. B. Hole defined the word “abstract” as follows: “When we speak abstractly, we purposely eliminate in our minds and utterances all qualifying considerations, in order that we may more clearly set forth the essential nature of the thing of which we speak” (Epistles, vol. 3, p. 161). Hence, we might say, “Cork floats.” In stating that, we are speaking of what cork does characteristically. We are not taking into consideration that it could be submerged under water if we tied something to it to hold it there. Under normal conditions, cork floats. Similarly, John speaks of things in their essence—that is, as to what they are characterized by without referring to any specific person, thing, or situation. He examines the features of life eternal by what normally characterizes it, not by what someone with that life does, that is uncharacteristic of that life. Due to a poor state, these features may be obscured in us at times, but John does not take that into consideration as he views the features of that life.
J. N. Darby said, “All John’s statements are absolute. He never modifies them by bringing in the difficulties or hindrances that we may have in the body. ‘He that is born of God,’ he says in chapter 3, ‘does not commit sin.’ He is speaking there according to the very essence of the nature. The divine nature cannot sin. It is not a question of progress or degree, but he cannot sin because he is born of God ... .John always states it in its own proper absoluteness, according to the truth itself ... .We may fail in keeping it, but the Apostle does not give these kinds of modifications, but the truth itself” (Collected Writings, vol. 28, p. 214). Thus, John speaks of believers optimally or ideally—that is, what they are when they walk in the power of the Spirit and in the enjoyment of life eternal. He does not see them as being anything less than that. He writes with no middle ground in the discussion. It is either light or darkness, life or the absence of life, love or hatred, etc. This must be kept in mind when reading the epistle.
The Danger of Interpreting John’s Ministry With Paul’s Terminology
Another problem that has led many to misunderstand John’s ministry is attempting to interpret his terms and expressions using Pauls’ meanings. That is, John will use a word that Paul uses but in a different way; if this is not taken into consideration, we will misunderstand the passage. Hence comes the often-repeated adage: “Don’t import Paul’s terminology into John’s ministry.” For example, Paul uses the word “walk” to denote Christian practice (Gal. 5:16; Eph. 4:1; 5:2, 8, 15, etc.); he takes into consideration the possibility that Christians may walk poorly, whereas John never does. John sees all believers as walking in the light—whether they are going on well in a good state or not. They may turn their backs on the light and not live according to it, and if they do, the light will shine on their backs, because believers are always in the light. Thus, John is not speaking of how we walk but of where we walk.
Another example is the way in which the two apostles use the term “children.” In Galatians 4:1-7, Paul uses it to denote one who is on Old Testament ground; he is born of God but doesn’t have the indwelling Holy Spirit. Whereas John uses the word to describe a believer on Christian ground with the indwelling Holy Spirit (1 John 2:20, 28; 3:24; 4:13).
Another example is the way in which Paul and John use the word “in” in relation to the believer and the Lord. Paul’s characteristic phrase, “in Christ,” is not to be equated with John’s, “in Him.” Paul is referring to the Christian’s position of acceptance in the very place that Christ Himself is in before God (Eph. 2:6), whereas John speaks of our connection to Christ in life and communion (John 14:20; 15:4).
Only Eight Exhortations
Another thing that makes this epistle unique is that it has only eight exhortations (chaps. 2:15, 24, 28; 3:7, 18; 4:1, 7; 5:21). Apart from these exhortations, the bulk of the remarks in the epistle have to do with holding up various features of life eternal as proofs and counter-proofs by which all pretention can be tested. This is not to say that the epistle isn’t practical. Quite the contrary, when the points John makes regarding the characteristics of life eternal are applied to all who profess to know Christ, his ministry becomes immensely practical; we can thereby discern immediately who are real believers and who are not. Living in a day when there is a danger of being corrupted by false teachers and many who profess to be children of God but are not, John’s epistle is a great help in assisting us in identifying those who are such.
“Know” and “Known”
Another thing that marks this epistle is John’s frequent use of the words “know” and “known.” They occur about 40 times. He emphasizes these words to counter the false teachers’ claims of having superior knowledge to the apostles. Using these words as he does, he accentuates what we know through the revelations of truth given to us through the apostles and what we have been assured of through communion with the Father and the Son.
There are two main words in the Greek text that are translated “know” in the KJV—“ginosko” and “oida.” John uses both in his epistles, and it is instructive as to when and how he does, as we will see in chapter 5. (We are indebted to the J. N. Darby Translation footnotes which indicate which word is used in a particular passage. See his lengthy note on the use of these words in 1 Corinthians 8:1.) “Ginosko” refers to objective knowledge derived from facts about something or someone; “oida” is an inward conscious knowledge of something or someone acquired through intimate, personal acquaintance and communion. The two words are used by the Lord in John 8:55 and serve to illustrate the difference between them. In regard to knowing the Father, He said to the unbelieving Pharisees: “Ye have not known (ginosko) Him; but I know (oida) Him.” Thus, the Pharisees had no understanding of God the Father, but the Lord lived in personal and intimate communion with Him, and therefore, had a deep and full knowledge of the Father.
Life Eternal
As mentioned, the great theme running throughout John’s ministry is “life eternal.” His Gospel complements his epistles in this, containing all the seeds developed in the epistles. In the Gospel, the features of life eternal are set forth in the Lord’s teaching and are perfectly illustrated in His life; in the epistle, those same features are seen in the children of God. John alludes to this in chapter 2:8, where he speaks of the new commandment of loving one another being that which is “true in Him and in you.” It is like looking at a family photo album; there are resemblances that run throughout a family—from the parents to the children. So, it is in God’s family; we see the features of life eternal that characterize the Father and the Son coming out in the children of God. They may be obscured in us at times, but they are, nevertheless, there. Just as it pleases a good earthly father to see his children walking in his ways, and to hear people say that they take after him, so it pleases God our Father to see the things that He is characterized by coming out in the actions of His children.
Having stated that John’s theme is life eternal, it might be asked, “What exactly is life eternal?” Simply put, it is the possession of divine life in fellowship with the Father and the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Lord said, “This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent” (John 17:3). In order for us to have this life, Christ had to come down from heaven to reveal the Father and the eternal relationship He has with His Son (John 1:18; 10:10; 1 John 4:9). Moreover, this life could not be possessed without the believer resting in faith on the finished work of Christ (John 3:14-15) and having the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (John 4:14). This shows that life eternal is a distinctly Christian blessing which we possess "in Christ Jesus," the risen, ascended, and glorified Man at God’s right hand (Rom. 6:23; 2 Tim. 1:1). F. G. Patterson said, "Eternal life is the Christian term for what we possess in Christ; by it we are brought into fellowship with the Father and the Son, and thus have a nature suited to heaven" (Scripture Notes and Queries, p. 112). He also said, "We have eternal life in Christ—Christ lives in us; and this eternal life brings us into fellowship with the Father and the Son, which could not be until the Father was revealed in Him and the Holy Ghost given, by which we enjoy it" (Words of Truth, vol. 3, p. 178). H. Nunnerley said, "Eternal life is a life of communion, a participation in divine relationships, an experimental knowledge of the Father and His sent One" (Scripture Truth, vol. 1, p. 197). A. C. Brown said, “Eternal life refers to the life of God enjoyed in communion with the Father and the Son by the indwelling Holy Spirit” (Eternal Life, p. 4). (“Everlasting life” appears occasionally in the KJV, but it should be rendered “life eternal.”)
Much confusion has arisen over the years as to the meaning of eternal life. Many missionaries, evangelists, and Sunday School teachers define it as being “life that lasts forever.” However, if that were a correct definition of eternal life, then we would have to say that the devil and all lost sinners have eternal life, because they will also exist forever! This, of course, is not true. H. Nunnerley said, "Much misapprehension has arisen as to eternal life by confining its meaning to the endless duration of existence and the eternal security of those who possess this life" (Scripture Truth, vol. 1, p. 195). A. C. Brown confirmed this, stating that eternal life “does not mean merely that we have life that lasts forever” (Eternal Life, p. 4). H. M. Hooke remarked, “Very few of us take the pains to sit down and think what eternal life is. I remember once asking an old saint if she would kindly tell me what eternal life was. ‘Oh, yes!’ she said, ‘perpetuity of existence.’ ‘Then,’ I said, ‘You have nothing more than the devil has—for he has perpetuity of existence!’ I believe that what she said is a common idea. Even the lost have perpetuity of existence: for they will spend eternity in the lake of fire, but they don’t have eternal life” (The Christian Friend, vol. 12, p. 230).
The term is not called “eternal” life because of its never-ending duration, but because it is a life that belongs to eternity. It refers to the special quality of divine life which the Father and the Son have enjoyed together eternally. Through the coming of Christ to reveal the Father, and the death of Christ to settle the question of our sins, and the resurrection and ascension of Christ whereupon the Spirit has been sent, it is now possible for us to partake of that life in a relationship with the Father and the Son. We are thus able to enjoy what divine Persons enjoy (1 John 1:3-4). This is a blessing that was not known or possessed by Old Testament saints, for they had no knowledge of God as Father, nor had the foundation for redemption been laid in the death of Christ, nor had the Holy Spirit been sent to dwell in believers.
Many Christians have a hard time understanding how anyone could say that the Old Testament saints didn’t have life eternal. To them, it sounds as if we are saying that those saints were not saved, and therefore, they are not in heaven now! Their problem is that they have a mistaken idea of what life eternal is and it has led them to wrong conclusions. The truth is that the Old Testament saints were born again and thus had divine life, and therefore, are in heaven now—but they couldn’t have had the quality and character of life involved in life eternal for the reasons given above. J. N. Darby was asked: "Ques. Had not the Old Testament saints eternal life? Ans. As to the Old Testament saints, eternal life formed no part of the Old Testament revelation, even supposing that the Old Testament saints had it" (Notes and Jottings, p. 351). H. M. Hooke said, “I have been much struck in looking through the Old Testament Scriptures to find not one single instance of its being mentioned of an Old Testament saint that he had eternal life; it was not known” (The Christian Friend, vol. 12, p. 230). Nor is it that they had life eternal but didn’t know it (as some have mistakenly taught), because the very essence and meaning of life eternal is to have conscious fellowship with the Father and the Son (John 17:3). How could a person have conscious fellowship with the Father and the Son (the essence of life eternal) and not be conscious of it?!
Life eternal is a “heavenly” life (John 3:12-13) that first came into view when Christ came from heaven and dwelt among men (John 1:14). Prior to the coming of Christ into the world, life eternal (being “with the Father” in heaven – 1 John 1:2) was unknown by men. It has now been given to Christians (John 3:15-16, 36, etc.) whereby we are able to enjoy fellowship with the Father and the Son, and to have the fullness of joy resulting from it (1 John 1:3-4). F. G. Patterson said, "It could not be then said that they [Old Testament saints] had eternal life. It was only brought to light through the gospel (2 Tim. 1:10; Titus 1:2, etc.)." (Scripture Notes and Queries, p. 66)
To teach that the Old Testament saints had eternal life blurs the distinction between the two Testaments and the blessings and privileges that distinguish the Church from Israel. It is an error rooted in Reformed (Covenant) Theology, which sees Israel and the Church as one people having the same blessings. Much trouble and confusion has resulted from men misunderstanding the subject of life eternal, and consequently, they have taught error concerning it. For example: F.W. Grant tried to give it to the Old Testament saints, while F. E. Raven tried to take it away from the New Testament saints! (Mr. Raven would probably deny that, but if what he taught is examined carefully, it will be found to be essentially that. See “Life Eternal with F. E. R.’s Heterodoxy as to it” – by W. Kelly.)
Life eternal is also universally confused with being “born again” (John 3:3-8), but these terms are not synonymous. Both have to do with possessing divine life, but life eternal, as we have stated, has to do with having divine life in its fullest sense, in fellowship with the Father and the Son. It is not that there are two kinds of divine life; the life imparted in new birth and life eternal are the same life in essence. It is the very life of Christ—in fact, He is called “That Eternal Life” in this epistle (1 John 1:2). The difference is that when a person is born again, he has divine life in embryo, so to speak, whereas when a person receives life eternal through faith in Christ, he has divine life in its highest form—knowing the Father and the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit. Similarly, the life in an apple seed is the same as that in a full-grown apple tree; the difference being that in the tree that life is fully developed.
Two Aspects of the More Abundant Life
There are two aspects of this more abundant life: Firstly, it refers to divine life in the believer as a present possession, whereby he enjoys conscious fellowship with the Father and the Son (John 3:15-16, 36, etc. – “hath”). This is the aspect in view in John’s ministry. Secondly, it is viewed as the sphere of life to which the believer is traveling toward at the end of his path when he gets to heaven. Thus, it is a future thing. This is the way Paul speaks of it (Rom. 2:7; 5:21; 6:22, 23; Gal. 6:8; 1 Tim. 1:16; 6:12, 19; Titus 1:2; 3:7). Jude speaks of it in that way too (Jude 21). In this latter sense, eternal life is an environment of spiritual life where all is light and love and righteousness, and where fellowship with the Father and the Son is enjoyed. Hence, the first aspect has to do with life in us, and the second is the life that we will be in.
We use the word “life” in these two ways in our common-day language. We might speak of a plant, an animal, or a human as having life in them. But we also speak of life as an element, or sphere in which a person may dwell—e.g. “country life,” “city life,” “assembly life,” etc. Thus, we can enjoy life eternal now by the Spirit, but then we will dwell in that sphere of life in its fullest sense when we are glorified. These two aspects of life have been illustrated in the example of a deep-sea diver. He works underwater but breathes air through his life-line which keeps him alive. This is like the believer having the present possession of life eternal. Living in this world, we live and move and have our being in an element to which we are not naturally suited, for we belong to the new creation and are heavenly persons. Thus, we are not of this world, but are sustained by our lifeline of communion with the Father and the Son while we are in the world. When the diver’s work is completed, and he is brought up out of the water into the element that is natural to him, he takes off his diving helmet and suit and breathes in the air without that apparatus. Similarly, when our work is done here on earth and we are called home to heaven in our glorified state, we will then be in the element of eternal life to which we will be perfectly suited.
The present possession of this life can be referred to as “life eternal” and the future aspect as “eternal life.” We are indebted to the J. N. Darby Translation which distinguishes these things in this way. (Mr. Darby’s neglects to note life eternal as such in 1 John 3:15; 5:11, 13, 20, but Mr. Kelly’s translation does.) When speaking of Christ personally, it is rendered “Eternal Life” (1 John 1:2).
Eternal Life in the Synoptic Gospels
In the synoptic Gospels (Mathew, Mark, and Luke), the term “Eternal life” refers to having divine life on earth in the millennial kingdom of Christ (Matt. 19:16, 29; 25:46; Mark 10:17, 30; Luke 10:25; 18:18, 30, etc.). This was promised in the Old Testament (Psa. 133:3; Dan. 12:2) and will be realized by the remnant of Israel (Rev. 7:1-8) and the believing Gentile nations (Rev. 7:9-10) in a coming day. This aspect of divine life is not in view in John’s epistle; nor is it in his Gospel.
Approaching the End
John views things in the Christian testimony as they will be in its very last moments before the Lord comes (the Rapture). His viewpoint is the latest of all the New Testament writers as the following diagram shows.
/
This simple schematic shows that as we approach the end, things will get steadily worse in the Christian testimony (2 Tim 3:13) and eventually it will close in God’s judgment (Rom. 11:17-22; Jude 14-16). Thus, the end of the Christian testimony is not restoration, but judgment.
A Brief Outline of the Epistle
Chapter 1:1-4—The Introduction.
Chapters 1:5–5:5—A threefold examination of the essential features of God’s nature in His children:
• Light – chapters 1:5–2:11.
PARENTHESIS – chapter 2:12-28.
• Life – chapters 2:29–4:6.
• Love – chapters 4:7–5:5.
Chapter 5:6-21—The Epilogue