1-3 John

1-3 John: Worship by Loving God and One Another to Live Eternally

John Paul Heil
Copyright Date: 2015
Published by: James Clark and Co Ltd
Pages: 230
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt16wdm70
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  • Book Info
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    1-3 John
    Book Description:

    ‘1-3 John’ treats the three letters of John as a unified epistolary package. Taking a thorough and scholarly approach, John Paul Heil proposes two important contributions to the study of 1-3 John. First, he presents new comprehensive chiastic structures for each of the three letters of John based on concrete linguistic evidence in the text. These chiastic structures serve as the guide to a better understanding of for whom John’s epistles were meant, and why they were written. Secondly, it treats these letters from the point of view of their worship context and themes. Not only were 1-3 John intended to be performed orally as part of liturgical worship, but together these three letters plead with their audience to engage in a distinctive kind of ethical worship. The three letters of John are most concerned with giving their audience the experience of living eternally by the worship that consists of loving God and one another.

    eISBN: 978-0-227-90497-8
    Subjects: Religion

Table of Contents

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  1. Front Matter (pp. i-iv)
  2. Table of Contents (pp. v-vi)
  3. Abbreviations (pp. vii-viii)
  4. 1 Introduction (pp. 1-30)

    Following the plausible views of a few others, I will treat the three letters of John as a unified epistolary package.¹ Accordingly, I will consider 3 John as a letter recommending Demetrius as well as Gaius to the audience of 1–3 John, a sister church to the church of the implied author, “the elder” (3 John 1:1; 2 John 1:1, 13). As an introductory cover letter for 1 John, 2 John places 1 John in an epistolary context. Originally written to be orally performed as a hortatory sermon for the church led by the elder at Ephesus, 1 John,...

  5. 2 3 John: The Elder to Gaius (pp. 31-44)

    A ¹The elder to Gaius thebeloved, whom Ilovein truth. ²Beloved, concerning all things I pray that you are prospering and are in good health, just as your soul is prospering.3aFor I rejoiced greatly atbrotherscoming andtestifyingto yourtruth,

    B3bjust as you in truth arewalking.

    C4aGreater joy than these things I do not have,

    B'4bthat I hear that my children in the truth arewalking.

    A' ⁵Beloved, a faithful thing you are doing in whatever you accomplish for thebrothersand this even for strangers, ⁶who havetestifiedto your...

  6. 3 2 John: The Elder to an Elect Lady (pp. 45-56)

    A ¹The elder to anelectlady and herchildren, whom I love in truth, and not I only but also all who know the truth, ²because of the truth that remains in us and with us will be forever. ³Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Son of the Father in truth and love. ⁴Irejoicedgreatly because I have found some of yourchildrenwalking in truth, just as wereceiveda commandment from the Father. ⁵But now I ask you, lady, not as onewritinga new...

  7. 4 1 John 1:1–10: He Will Cleanse Us from All Unrighteousness (pp. 57-70)

    A1:1What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we observed and our hands touched concerning thewordof the life—²indeed the life was manifested and we have seen and testify and declare to you the life eternal which was with the Father and manifested to us—³what we have seen and heard, we declare also to you, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And the fellowship that is ours is with the Father and withhis Son JesusChrist. ⁴And these things indeed we are writing,...

  8. 5 1 John 2:1–14: If We Keep His Commandments the Love of God Has Been Perfected (pp. 71-88)

    A2:1Mylittle children, these things I am writing to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one. ²And he himself is the expiation for oursins, not for ours only but also for the whole world. ³And in this weknowthat we haveknownhim, if we keep his commandments. ⁴The one saying, “I haveknownhim,” but not keeping his commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in this one. ⁵But whoever keeps his word, truly in this one the...

  9. 6 1 John 2:15–17: Do Not Love the Things in the World (pp. 89-92)

    A15Do not lovethe worldor the things inthe world. If anyone lovesthe world, the love ofthe Father is notin him,16abecause all that is inthe world—the desireof the flesh andthe desireof the eyes

    B16band the arrogance concerning the livelihood,

    A'16cis notfromthe Fatherbut is fromthe world.17Yetthe worldis passing away andthe desireconcerning it, but the one doing the will of God remains forever.91

    The audience hear the A element (2:15–16a) of this chiastic unit as a chiastic pattern in...

  10. 7 1 John 2:18–27: The One Confessing the Son Also Has the Father (pp. 93-104)

    A18Young children, it is the last hour, and just as youheardthat the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. Thus we know that it is the last hour.19From us they have gone out but they were not from us. For if they were from us, they would haveremainedwith us, but rather so that they may be manifested that they all are not from us.20But you have ananointingfrom the holy one and all of you know.21I have written to younot because you do not know thetruth, but...

  11. 8 1 John 2:28—3:6: You Know Whoever Does Righteousness Has Been Begotten from Him (pp. 105-113)

    A28And now, little children,remain in him, so that when he ismanifestedwe may have confidence and not be shamed away from him at his coming.29If youknowthat he is righteous, youknowthat alsoeveryone who doesrighteousness from him has been begotten.3:1See what sort of love the Father has given us, that we may be called children of God, and indeed we are. For this reason the world does notknowus, because it did notknowhim. ²Beloved, now we are children of God, but it has not yet beenmanifestedwhat...

  12. 9 1 John 3:7–12: We Should Love One Another (pp. 114-122)

    A ⁷Little children, let no one deceive you. The onedoing righteousnessisrighteous, just as that one isrighteous. ⁸The one doing sin is from the devil, forfrom the beginningthe devil has been sinning. For this the Son of God was manifested, so that he might destroythe worksof the devil. ⁹Everyone who has been begottenfrom Goddoes not do sin, because his seed remains in him, and thus he is not able to sin, becausefrom Godhe has been begotten.

    B10aIn this is manifestthe childrenof God

    B'10bandthe children...

  13. 10 1 John 3:13–17: We Ought To Lay Down Our Lives for the Brothers (pp. 123-129)

    A13And do not be amazed, brothers, if theworldhates you.14We know that we have moved from death to life, because we love the brothers. The one not loving remains in death.15Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that every murderer does nothavelife eternalin him remaining.

    B16aIn this we have known love, that that oneforuslaid downhislife;

    B'16bso we ourselves oughtforthe brothers tolay downourlives.

    A'17But whoeverhasthe livelihood of theworldand observes his brotherhavinga...

  14. 11 1 John 3:18–24: Believe in the Name of His Son Jesus Christ and Love One Another (pp. 130-138)

    A18Little children, let us notlovewith word or with the tongue but in work and truth.19aAndin this we will knowthat we are from the truth,

    B19bandbefore himwe will assureour heart,20athat ifour heart condemns, that God is greater thanour heart

    C20band knows all things.

    B'21Beloved, ifour heartdoes notcondemn, we have confidence withGod22and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things pleasingbefore him.

    A'23And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the...

  15. 12 1 John 4:1–6: In This You Know the Spirit of God (pp. 139-148)

    A4:1Beloved, do not believe everyspiritbut test whether thespiritsarefromGod, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ²Inthisyou know theSpiritof God. Everyspiritthat confesses Jesus Christ as having come in flesh isfrom God,3abut everyspiritthat does not confess Jesus is notfrom God.3bAndthisis that of the antichrist, which you haveheardthat he is coming,

    B3cbut now is alreadyin the world.

    C4aYou are from God, little children, and you have conquered them,

    B'4bbecause the one in you...

  16. 13 1 John 4:7–12: God Has Sent His Son so that We Might Live through Him (pp. 149-156)

    A ⁷Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves from God has been begotten and knows God. ⁸The one not loving does not know God, because God is love.

    B9aIn thisthe love of God was manifested in us, becausehis Son, the unique one, God hassentinto the world

    C9bso that we might live through him.

    B'10In thisis love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us andsent his Sonas expiation for our sins.

    A'11Beloved, if God so loved us, then...

  17. 14 1 John 4:13—5:2: Just as That One Is so We Are in This World (pp. 157-171)

    A13In this we knowthat in him we remain and he in us, because he has given us from his Spirit.14And we ourselves have observed and testify that the Father sent the Son as savior of the world.15Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son ofGod, Godin him remains and he inGod.16And we ourselves have known andbelievedthe love whichGodhas in us.Godis love, and the one remaining in love inGodremains andGodin him remains.

    B17In this has love beenperfectedwith us, so that we...

  18. 15 1 John 5:3–12: This Is the Love of God that We Keep His Commandments (pp. 172-185)

    A ³Forthisis the love ofGod, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome, ⁴because everyone begotten fromGodconquers the world. Andthisis the conquering power that conquers the world—ourfaith. ⁵Who is the one conquering the world except the onebelievingthat Jesus is theSon of God?6aThis is the one who came throughwaterandblood, Jesus Christ, not in thewateronly but in thewaterand in theblood.

    B6bAndthe Spirit isthe one who testifies,

    B'6cbecausethe Spirit isthe truth.

    A' ⁷For...

  19. 16 1 John 5:13–21: All Unrighteousness Is Sin (pp. 186-199)

    A13These things I have written to you so that you mayknow thatyou havelife eternal, you who believe in the name ofthe Son of God.14And this is the confidence which we have with him that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.15And if weknow thathe hears us in regard to whatever we ask, weknow thatwe have the requests which we askedfromhim.

    B16abcIf anyone sees his brother sinning asinnotresulting in death, he should ask and he will give him life, to...

  20. 17 Summary and Conclusion (pp. 200-206)

    In this book I treated the three letters of John as a unified epistolary package. I considered 3 John as a letter recommending Demetrius as well as Gaius to the audience of 1–3 John, a sister church to the church of the implied author, “the elder” (3 John 1:1; 2 John 1:1, 13). As an introductory cover letter for 1 John, 2 John places 1 John in an epistolary context. Originally written to be orally performed as a hortatory sermon for the church led by the elder at Ephesus, 1 John, together with 2 and 3 John, was possibly...

  21. Bibliography (pp. 207-210)
  22. Back Matter (pp. 211-211)

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