The Study Of I

The Study Of I & Ii & Iii John Essay, Research Paper The Study of I & II & III John by Vincent Lo I & II & III Book of JOHN – Introduction 1. John is one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ. 2. He had an intimate relationship with Jesus. 3. He was the last apostle who died around 100 years old. 4. He resided in Ephesus before his death. 5. The style of writing of I John is accepted as a letter even though it does not contain salutation or greeting at the end. 6. John appeared to have a very intimate relationship with the receivers. There was no introduction of himself, greetings, or description of the receivers in I John. 7. Initially, there was debate over the canonicity of II and III John. By the 4th century, they were fully accepted into the

NT canon. I JOHN Key words: If, how, light, love, abide, anti-Christ, spirit. Key verses: 1:7;5:20 Motives: 1. We write this to make our or your joy complete. 1:4. 2. I write this to you so that you will not sin. 2:1. 3. I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 2:26. 4. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.5:13. Theme: 1.The test of a true fellowship with God. 2.Jesus Christ, the true God and eternal life. Outlines: I. The gospel is the word of life. 1:1-4. a. Its origin: From the beginning; that is before the creation of the world and man. Vs 1. The word of life or the eternal life was with the Father from the beginning. John 1:1-2. He is equal with the Father

and also the co-author of His creation. Co 1:15-17. John 1: 3. b. Its manifestation: The life has appeared to us. Vs 2. John 1: 14, 17-18. He has make God known to us. John 17:3, Eternal life is knowledge of God which is a personal relationship with Him. Thus, the life appeared to us so that we may have a personal relationship with God. It is indeed God’s love and grace that cause Him to reach out to us. c. Its testimony: The apostles are the eyewitnesses. They have a personal relationship with Jesus. i. They have heard. ii. They have seen with their eyes. iii. They have looked at. iv. They have touched. d. It s proclamation: By the apostles for the purposes of: i. Fellowship with the Father and with his Son. ii. Fellowship with one another. iii. Complete joy within and among

the believers. The apostle’s message is a message of fellowship with God and other believers. Fellowship means intimate relationship and sharing. It also means partnership. Philippians 1:5. In other words, believers are called to be partners with God and with other believers. Fellowship speaks about relationship, while partnership speaks about mutual goal and responsibility. A complete joy can only comes from fellowship with God as well as with other believers of the body of Christ. It must be stressed that fellowship between believers is vitally linked to individual fellowship with God the Father. One cannot claim he has fellowship with God while he does not have fellowship with other believers. The reverse is also not true. II. Walking in the light is the test of true

fellowship with the Father. 1:5-2:2. 1.God is light – In him there is no darkness, because of the physical properties of light. Light and darkness are totally incompatible. Where there is light, there is no darkness. Thus the functions of light are : a.Illuminates and exposes darkness. Nothing can hide in the light. John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood ( overcome ) it. Yes, darkness may indeed overcome light when there is relatively little light present. However, the light of God cannot be overcome by darkness. It is sufficient to expose even the deepest hidden darkness in our lives. b.Enlightens our hearts from darkness. Light gives us direction and understanding. It is a horrible thing to be lost in darkness. c.Gives out warmth and