September 21, 2013 1st John Chapter 1

1st John Chapter 1

Originally posted Monday November 17, 2008

General Comment: The three letters ascribed to John were written at the beginning of the 2nd century shortly after the turn of the century (100-110 CE). All three were likely written anonymously by the same person. We know him only by his title, "the Elder." While he is not associated with the writing of the Gospel of the same name, most scholars consider him as part of the larger "Johannine" school of writers/evangelists active in western Asia Minor. From this "school" came the earlier Gospel and Revelation and these letters. As we read the letters we will see similarities of terminology with the Gospel as well as the Dead Sea Scrolls of Qumran. As an Elder the author is a person of authority over a number of churches. From our reading it will be obvious that these churches are firmly rooted in the traditions expressed in John's Gospel. We will read of his concerns regarding the introduction of false teachings about Christ and his attempt to clarify the true doctrine to be followed by those who are truly Christians. As we read in 2nd Peter, this was a time of Christological experimentation and a number of views of the nature of Christ were taking shape, some achieving a level of religious currency. These letters played an important role in the later process of identifying those groups and their writings that would be excluded from normative - orthodox, Christianity.

1st John, Chapter 1:1-4 Prologue

As we read the prologue we will see the similarities with the use of certain words held in common with the Gospel according to John. What is written (proclaimed) is from the beginning of Jesus' ministry. It is based on the eyewitness sources, those who heard, saw and touched "the word of life" (the human being, Jesus). The use of the pronoun "we" has the sense of seeing through the eyes of those who were "in the beginning" with Jesus. What is being declared is the "word of life" which is eternal life, given by God and revealed by Jesus "in the beginning" (Jn. 1:4). The purpose of the written (as well as spoken) declaration is to establish the authority of the writer as one who bears witness to the truth of Christ. By doing so he can also establish that those churches remaining in "fellowship with" him will be in fellowship "with the Father and with [the Father's] Son, Jesus Christ. The writer hopes that his words of fellowship will "complete [his] joy" through the correction of ideas held by others. The word "fellowship" (Koinonia) used here is better translated as "partnership" meaning the expectation that the community which has strayed from right belief will rejoin the fold.

1st John, Chapter 1:5-10 God is Light

The writer departs from the Johannine use of "light" as a reference to Christ as the Word who is the "light of all  people that shines in the darkness" (Jn. 1:4b-5). Here what they have heard from Christ is that God is light in whom there is no darkness - no lack of complete and perfect holiness. Darkness is the place where evil lurks and sin is committed. Therefore, one cannot profess fellowship with God while walking in the darkness of sin. Anyone who professes fellowship with God and sins is a liar. For the writer, fellowship with God is measured by the bond of fellowship which exists among the church communities. Accordingly any community that has broken that bond by rejecting the authority of what has been declared is walking in darkness and no longer has fellowship with God.

As something of a side benefit, for those who are in fellowship with God (and one another), their sins are forgiven through the blood of Christ. This may be the Elder's way of reaching out to heal the rift with those who have rejected his doctrinal authority. The sin of the separatists can be healed by their rejoining the fold and ascribing to the teachings of the Elder whose teachings are what have been heard from and seen in Jesus. But what if the separatists (or any Christian) say they have not committed any sin by breaking the bond of fellowship and going their own way? They (we) are deceiving themselves. He adds that "the truth is not in [them]." By "truth" the writer means the way people who walk in the light of God act. Those that have broken fellowship have not acted in "truth" and so are not walking in the light of God. 

The chapter closes with a reprise of the outcome of two opposite positions: Those who confess their sin (of separation) will be forgiven by Christ and restored to righteousness. Those who do not will in effect blaspheme against Christ by making him a liar thus clearly demonstrating that the "word of [eternal] life" is not in them. Christ will be made a liar because the separatists will have rejected the declarations of the elder and broken the bond of fellowship and in Christ there can only be unity. We will recall Paul's admonition to the Corinthians with whom there were divisions (party spirit) among believers according to who had baptized them. As Paul writes, Christ cannot be divided. There can only be one Gospel and one faith rooted in the one Lord. This is what Christ brought to the world and anything else is not of God.

Breaking fellowship within church communities is still a problem for Christianity. The proliferation of denominations and sects derived from denominations - or the latest sectarian spiritual movement, is evidence that fellowship is not always one of Christianity's highest achievements. We might generally agree that when differences arise an amicable separation might be less painful than a doctrinal war. When we invest so much energy in being the right party we have little motivation to seek common ground and healing with those who have taken another course. We experienced this in the 20th century with the rise of the charismatic movement in Protestant and Roman Catholic churches. Some churches were able to embrace the differences through co-existence while others disowned those that stressed certain spiritual gifts. Within one major denomination such communities were discommended as were those who chose to allow women to serve as ordained clergy. As for the United Methodist Church we - in principle, accept that pluralism exists in all congregations. One person's catalog of doctrinal beliefs may be different from another's. We do not require, as some churches do, an oath of allegiance to a certain set of dogmatic statements. We do not insist on perfect homogeneity. We embrace one another and seek the common ground of being disciples of Jesus Christ. We strive to fulfill the mandate of loving God and neighbor in the framework of living a moral/ethical life in fellowship with one another. If people of the church cannot in good conscience take each other's hand and be about the work of God in a hurting world then we will have failed to be the extension of Christ, the light of the world, serving the world.