- Being in Fellowship with God
- Getting the Spirit Wrong
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When I started running for fitness three years ago, I asked a friend to run with me because, without a partner, I knew I would never keep with the program. A couple of months later two other runners did some laps of the oval. Later that day, I met one of those runners at my kid’s school. From then on I began running with his group during the week.
One Saturday I ventured to a different local park to run. I noticed a lot of people going past who had racing bibs on their chests. I had discovered the Western District Joggers running club and have been running with them ever since. I am now so much into the club that I am considering wearing club clothing at the next marathon race I enter.
It truly is unexpected yet consistent that people seek out and gather around common interests into clubs. When such clubs are organised for companionship more than competition, then we might call such a fellowship.
I draw this to your attention because fellowship with God, as the basis for fellowship with other believers, is the major theme of First John, a letter written by the apostle John, who referred to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (Jn 13:23; 19:26; 20:2). That letter is one of a series of three letters included in the New Testament, along with a Gospel that bears John’s name and the book known as Revelations. Tonight I am going to share with you an overview of his first letter and next week, I will deal with the significant issues that he raised in that letter.
A Quick History Lesson
To get a sense of what this letter is all about, it would do us well to understand where this letter and its author fit historically.
Jesus died and came back to life in the early 30s a.d. Forty days after his resurrection he returned to heaven, leaving the apostles with the Great Commission: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Mt 28:19–20) Ten days afterward the Holy Spirit descended on 120 of Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem during the festival of Pentecost (Ac 2:1–4ff).
At first, the followers of Jesus represented only a growing sect within Judaism (Ac 4:4). Debates over whether or not Jesus was the Messiah intensified into open persecution of the Christians by the religious leaders (Ac 4:18–21; 5:17–18; 7:54–60), most notably and zealously by Saul following the execution by stoning of Stephen (Ac 8:1–3).
In 36 a.d., Saul the persecutor was converted to the Christian faith and became known as Paul (Ac 9:17–18; 13:9). Along with Paul, other apostles were discovering that people who were not Jewish were converting to the faith and being filled with the Holy Spirit (Ac 11:15–18). This dramatic growth of the Church culminated in a major Council in Jerusalem in 50 a.d. because Christian leaders were divided over whether these “Gentile” Christians needed to become Jews first (Ac 15:1). The Council’s decision was that Gentile Christians did not need to observe Jewish religious rituals (Ac 15:28–29), but Paul was opposed for his advocacy on behalf of the decision for the rest of his life. In fact, just 8 years later, Paul was arrested in Jerusalem and sent to Rome (Ac 22:22–25; 25:10–12).
Paul went to Rome but was eventually released and continued to evangelise and plant churches. Unfortunately he was arrested and sent to Rome a second time, during which he was treated much more like a criminal and was executed there in 68.
Of the many churches Paul established, it appears that he stayed longest with the Ephesian Christians, having visited them on many occasions, stayed with them for approximately 3 years, left his protegé Timothy with them as their pastor, bid them a tearful farewell and wrote a letter specifically to them, The Letter to the Ephesians, which we can find in the New Testament. Paul wrote glowingly of the faith and lifestyle of the Ephesian Christians in his letter to them, yet instructed Timothy: “As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer” (1 Ti 1:3). So what was going on and what happened later such that the apostle John wrote of the Ephesian Christians: “I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” (Re 2:4–5)
To Whom Did John Write?
The apostle John was known as an evangelist and a pastor, who both founded and supported Christian communities, not unlike the apostle Paul. His recollections of the life and teachings of Jesus were sought out. He was a “pillar of the Jerusalem church” (Ac 8:14; Gal 2:9), yet probably left Jerusalem some time before the destruction of the Temple in 70 ad.
What Connection with the Apostle Paul?
Church tradition tells us that he then likely ministered in and around Ephesus. The seven churches identified in his book Revelations support this tradition. Since Paul was likely martyred in the 60′s, having left Ephesus sometime earlier, perhaps John went there to continue Paul’s work?
Whether true or not, John wrote this letter to believers who were grounded in their faith, as compared to the new believers of Paul’s letters (cf. 1 Jn 2:7, 18–27; 3:11). Plus, John wrote with affection, using terms like “friends” and “my dear children” (cf. 1 Jn 2:1, 7; 3:2; 4:4; 5:21). Thus this letter was intended generally for his communities. 1 John can be dated fairly reliably as written between 70-90 ad.
What Happened to John’s Churches?
As we will see, John and his communities faced some difficult opposition. As Paul faced the attacks of those who felt Gentile Christians must become and behave like Jews, John struggled with the false teaching of wayward members from his communities who eventually split the congregation in two.
Unfortunately, history seems to indicate that John’s communities did not survive the struggle. Where Paul’s home church in Antioch became a kind of mega-church, John’s faded into obscurity.
While we might not see John as a successful church leader by contemporary standards, the depth and spirit of his gospel and letters certainly show John to have been a faithful leader, passionate for the truth of the gospel and with a pastor’s heart for his people.
Why Did John Write This Letter?
Since there is ongoing debate regarding the date and structure of John’s writings, and even over the order they were written, it is a little hard to piece together precise details on many of these introductory questions. With the apostle Paul, we have many letters and the benefit of Luke’s book The Acts of the Apostles to ‘flesh out’ Paul’s story. Unfortunately, we are not so blessed when it comes to John.
As both a pastor and an evangelist, John’s writing style was simple but expressive, touching on complicated issues and doctrines with a beauty that draws us in as readers. He wrote as if he was appealing to the reader’s heart rather than the head. In this first of his letters, we can discern five purposes, in order of their presentation:
- to promote fellowship (1 Jn 1:3)
We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:3)
John, along with the other apostles, had seen and heard Jesus directly, and recalled Jesus’ words,
Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. (John 14:9b)
My prayer is not for [these apostles] alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. (John 17:20–21)
John then wrote his letter to his communities knowing their increasing and maturing knowledge of Jesus would draw them into fellowship with God and then with each other. Fellowship with God being an experience of life far beyond and more beautiful than mere knowledge of God alone, since another purpose was …
- to produce happiness (1 Jn 1:4)
We write this to make our joy complete. (1 John 1:4)
Being with John in spiritual experience, the faith and fellowship of these communities would result in joy and happiness, not simply for John and the apostles —which is an easy reading at first glance— but for all those united by faith in Jesus. It bears noting that some early copies and versions of the Bible read “your” rather than “our”. Since John’s message, as previously noted, was to produce “fellowship with us [the apostle] … with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ” (1 Jn 1:3), it’s fair to say that John was not being selfish.
- to protect holiness (1 Jn 2:1)
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father —Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. (1 John 2:1)
With affection, John encouraged his communities with his letter “so that you will not sin”. Even though he knew that they will sin at some point (1 Jn 1:8, 10), he wanted to encourage them to strive for holy living and to reassure them that Jesus’ sacrifice continues to be effective, in that he represents us to God.
- to prevent heresy (1 Jn 2:26)
I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. (1 John 2:26)
Despite our contemporary desire to idealise those early Christian communities, 1 John makes it clear that John struggled with opponents who distorted the Gospel. They may have started out faithfully adhering to the apostles’ report of and reflection on Jesus’ life and teachings, but they strayed dangerously far away.
- to provide hope (1 Jn 5:13)
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. (1 John 5:13)
John minced no words in describing the condition and falsehoods of his opponents but his intention was to reassure his followers to remain faithful to his message, to reassure them that their eternal life was certain.
With a background of dispute and division, John described three tests for fellowship with God and with each other:
- Have I confessed all known sins to God? (1 Jn 1:9)
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
Once one has recognised God’s existence and authority as Creator, one will naturally respond. Those aware of their sinfulness can be assured that their confession does in fact and effect result in their reconciliation with God.
- Am I walking in obedience to the light of God’s Word? (1 Jn 2:4-5)
Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: (1 John 2:4–5)
Love for God naturally leads to obedience; obedience naturally leads to love for God. Without either, how can one expect to be in fellowship with God?
- Am I demonstrating a love for brothers and sisters in faith and community? (1 Jn 2:9-10)
Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. (1 John 2:9–10)
If we love God we will naturally love as God loves and those God loves.
Conclusion
John promoted the experience of God as the sure reward for those holding to the faith of the apostles (cf. 1:3), to that Gospel in which they first believed (2:7, 24; 3:11, 23; 4:21; 2 Jn 5, 6). He believed that Jesus was life and eternal life was only to be found in him. For John, the incarnate Word (read: “Jesus”) is everything.
Jesus is not some abstract idea to be preached or through which we are enlightened. He is to be shared and experienced in community (1 Jn 1:3-4). Indeed, John grounded his message in his experience of the Word/Jesus.
The Christian message about Jesus is a particular message based on a particular event in human history (1 Jn 1:1-2). To argue otherwise is to diminish and demean the witness of John and the apostles and, indeed, of the whole Christian community since.
Knowing the message and person of Jesus is to know and receive life. Those who fellowship with Jesus must possess his quality of life. Faith in Jesus Christ infuses us with God’s life —eternal life. Therefore, one who walks in fellowship with God will walk in light, love, and life.
If John is correct on this, then we had better pay close attention!
[delivered on Sunday, 4 December 2011, at St John’s Sutherland, 7:00pm]
