How do we understand the message?

When was the last time you read through 1 John - that short letter tucked away at the end of the New Testament close to the Book of Revelation?  Did it help you? Did you find it easy to follow and to get the message?

I need to confess that for some time I struggled with this and I am not the only one. So, this is the first of three instalments - my attempt to help you benefit from this little gem. You may have tackled it but given up and moved on to other parts of scripture. If that is the case, this is definitely for you.

So why is it difficult? There are at least five reasons but once these are recognised, doors open leading to real treasure.

Firstly, it is very repetitive. It seems to go round in circles with the same words, (truth, sin, fellowship, love) occurring again and again. It does not have a clearly recognisable structure - a beginning, middle and end. In that sense Paul's letter to the Romans, an intellectual masterpiece, is easier to get a handle on. But John seems to go round and round and then ends with the words, "...keep yourselves from idols." Where did that come from? He has not mentioned idols - did I miss something?

Well yes; it is indeed repetitive, and that is deliberate. It has been written in a series of meditative cycles. John is giving us food for thought, a series of connected ideas to be pondered and reflected on. This is spiritual nourishment to be savoured. These are not ideas to be understood and connected like steps in an instruction manual. Nor is it a story with a sequence of events: a beginning, middle and end. This is more like a walk of several laps around a lake, taking in the view from different positions. Something not appreciated the first time around is noticed the next time. Returning on different days, or different times of day, or different seasons builds up a sense of familiarity and value. Repetition is the means to connect with these ideas and helps to build up a picture. 

Secondly, the letter seems to be responding to a situation that is not clear, at least at the start. It becomes clearer, reading on, that a splinter group with some very different ideas about God has broken away from the church. The split was very unpleasant and there was a lot of bad feeling.

This may not be your situation but that does not mean what follows is irrelevant to you. The remedy that John prescribes is to paint a picture of how the church should be and to which we should aspire. That is a community founded on the truth of what God is really like, with God's love working in them and through them. The evidence of their genuine fellowship with God is their obedience to Him and commitment to living in his light and truth. So, the prescription is good for all conditions!

Thirdly, this letter has often been interpreted in a way that provokes unhealthy introspection (self-examination). "I still sin so perhaps my fellowship with God is not genuine?" 

But John was not writing this so that his readers could measure or test the genuineness of their own Christian faith. He was first and foremost thinking about this splinter group who were conspicuously living in disobedience. What counts is not so much occasional lapses for which there is forgiveness but the basic life commitment. On this issue John tries to strike a balance, offering encouragement but without compromise.

Fourthly, sometimes John uses language which can have multiple meanings. So his meaning is not always clear.

With John, multiple meanings are often deliberate, and certainly this is true in his Gospel. When he says of the message that it was 'heard from the beginning' - was this when they first heard the gospel message, the beginning of the church from Pentecost, or a reference to creation in Genesis? In a sense they are all true because there are connections. There is of course a primary reference and that resonates with others. This is something that becomes clear as we 'walk around the lake' a few more times. Replica Rolex

Finally, there are some words in the Bible that were used very differently in Biblical times.

This is true and why commentaries are so helpful and important. In the case of the word love as it is used today in everyday English, it often carries strong emotional overtones. For example, falling in love. Certainly, human love is a response to someone or something. But in the case of God's love for us, this is not a response to our 'loveliness or good performance'. God is love. It is His essence. He loves us because He is love!

The evidence of God's love in us is not so much warm feelings of affection but a determined intention to obey God's commands.  How else could a Christian love his enemy and do good to those that persecute him or her? God's love can work through us when we have a headache, feel disappointed, frustrated, or rejected. We love because God first loved us! That is not a denial of warm feelings of affection but a recognition that they are not the foundation nor most important thing.

With these things understood, I believe you will be in a better position to give 1 John another try. Be prepared to read and read again.

In the next instalment, I will set out the situation of the original readers. Understanding this will help you to understand better why John says what he does and then to apply it to your own situation.

Chris Moffett