The Word of Life

The Word of Life

Sermon 1 in a series of 12 Messages on 1, 2 & 3 John.

As presented by Rev. Jonathan Mills. Pastor, Kanata Baptist Church

20086-09-07

Subject:

Scriptures¹:

1 John 1:1-4

The Incarnation of the Word of Life

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 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. 4 We write this to make our joy complete.

John 1:1-18

The Word Became Flesh

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only [Son], who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, "This is he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' ") 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only [Son], who is himself God and ^[b] is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

Introduction

It's the first Sunday of September.

In many ways, this is the first day of the new year.

As kids settle back into school, and families put up calendars on the fridge - carefully writing our commitments in the empty spaces for the coming months. There always seems to be much more that we might want to do, than days in which to do it.

//

Today we begin a new series of sermons taken from John's letters: 1, 2 & 3 John. We'll be using the Navigator's LifeChange Series study guide.

I am very excited about this particular study because it wraps up together several themes which are central to our Christian calling the contemporary society.

The necessity of living a life of love;

The tests of truth and error;

Instructions on how the Children of God ought to live;

And, as we shall see this morning, how to identify and resist false teachers ancient and modern.

I would encourage you to join a small group so that you can dig more deeply into the scriptures, and assimilate the letters of John into your own life. If you're not currently in a group and you are interested in joining one, you can speak to Sue ... or ask someone at the welcome table.

A) Understanding 1 John

So, let's get to the matter at hand: looking at the New Testament letter of 1^st John, and especially today, the first 4 verses.

Whenever we read one of the New Testament letters, we are presented with a bit of a challenge.

We have the letter -- and we can read what it says: but we do not know for certain the precise details of what prompted John to write it in the first place.

This is true of all the New Testament letters.

An Unexpected Telephone Call

[Telephone rings]

[to the congregation] Excuse me a moment.

[answer the telephone] “Hello.

“Well, actually, this is a really bad time, could you ...

“Okay. Let me write this down:

“Bread, Milk, cheese, something chocolate.

“Anything else?

“Okay. see you later.

“I love you too.

“Bye.”

Analyzing the Telephone Call

Who can tell me what that phone call was about?

Right. I need to pick up some things on the way home.

And, who was it calling?

Yes, it was most likely my wife, Jan.

Do you know for certain that it was my wife?

It could have been my Mother, couldn't it?

It could have been one of my children.

It's not likely that it was anyone outside of my immediate family because of the “I love you” on the end.

Well, this is all part of the scholar's task of investigating a Biblical text to uncover the answers to similar kinds of questions.

//

Analyzing New Testament Letters

When we study the New Testament letters, it is often like this: doing detective work, trying to figuring out both sides of a conversation, while only being able to hear one half of what has been said.

As this is the first Sunday in the series, let's do a little detective work of our own to try to find out what prompted the John to write his first letter.

B) A Congregation Divided

Hard times have fallen on the church in Ephesus.²

Dissension has gripped the church and torn it apart.

The Rise of the False Teachers

Clearly theology is at the heart of the crisis as John identifies his opponents as "false teachers." They were clearly teachers in the church who have now left to start their own work where they are teaching a new pseudo-gospel.

It is a particularly distressing situation for John, because it is clear that these teachers continue to be in contact with members of the original church, and they are actively seeking to draw them away.

John is writing to clarify some important things with regard to true Christian belief, or orthodoxy, and to illuminate where the false teachers have gone wrong.

Clues About the False Teachers

We do not know for certain who these false teachers were, or precisely what they were teaching, but there are several clues in John's letter which gives us a place to start to understand what they were teaching;

They denied:

that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God (2:22; 5:1, 5)

that the Christ had come in the flesh (4:2; 2 John 7)

authority of Jesus' commands (2:4)

their own sinfulness (1:8, 10)

salvation through the work of Christ (2:2)

the absolute demand that believers love one another (2:9)

righteous conduct as a requirement of fellowship with God (1:6; 2:29; 3:6, 10)

the responsibility to live as Jesus lived (2:4, 6, 3:7)

the nature of the company of believers as a community of fellowship with the Father, with his Son, and with one another (1:3, 2:11)

the authority of the writer of the Epistles as the proclaimer of the message that had been from the beginning (1:5, 3 John 10)

//

It is harder to reconstruct what they did believe, but here are some best guesses based on contemporary scholarship:

Apparently, they believed:

that God is light (1:5)

that the truth of the gospel released them from the power of sin (1:8)

in the Christ as a philosophical concept, though denying his existence in the flesh (4:2)

in the mission to the world (2 John 10)

in the anointing of the Spirit (2:27)

in the devil as an anti-God (3:8-10; 4:2-3)³

// Wrap all of these things together, and you get ... well, you get a first century pseudo-Christian splinter group.

Given the cosmopolitan nature of the city of Ephesus, it is likely that these people were converts to Christianity -- but they wanted to also include what they considered “new thought” that was being taught by other philosophers and/or contemporary religious teachers.

Introducing the Gnostics

Traditionally, it has been understood that these false teachers were very early examples of a broad pseudo-Christian movement which was known as ...

gnosticism.

Some of their teaching is summarized in the bulletin this morning -- in the overview to 1 John found there.

C) Gnostic Dualism and the Problem of Christ's Body

Let's focus on one important, central teaching of the Gnostics: the dualism of body and spirit.

The Body is Bad; The Spirit is Good

They taught that the flesh is bad -- and that the spirit is good.

They taught that they were at odds with each other – this was the battleground in every human life.

At first glance, this point of view appears to be entirely consistent with Christian theology.

Take, for example, Galatians 5:16-25

I won't read the whole passage, but look at verses 16-17

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.

If we read it in the King James Version, this passage seems to declare precisely what the Gnostics were suggesting:

16This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

It is not hard to see how easily Christian scripture could be perceived to support a gnostic world view.

Contrasts Between Gnostics and Christians

There are, however, several important differences. Here are two of them:

The first was that the gnostics believed that one overcomes the flesh through special secret knowledge – rather than through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And Secondly, though Christians agree that we have a fallen nature and we struggle with our sinful nature -- we also believe that God's redemption includes the whole person; spirit, soul, mind AND body. Jesus did not just redeem our souls – he redeemed all of us, including our bodies ...

the Bible says; “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit...” (1 Cor. 6:19); and “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is true worship.” (Rom 12:1)

Christian teaching gives a high view of the value and importance of the body

The Problem of Jesus' Body (for Gnostics)

So, the gnostics had a problem.

They believed that all flesh is evil. So, while they were quick to accept the teaching of Jesus as containing special knowledge to help them live by the Spirit, they could not reconcile the fact that

Jesus had a body -- that he was a real man, who walked the earth in human form.

The fact that Jesus had a "flesh and blood" body contradicted their world view.

Change our World View, or Change Scripture?

So, here is the point of decision -- and it is an all too common situation.

People read the scriptures, and as they do, they may come up against something that doesn't fit their own presuppositions and pre-existent world view -- so rather than adjust their world view, they adjust the scriptures.

History is full of examples of this.

A modern example is the Jehovah's Witnesses.

The leaders of the Witnesses decided a number of years ago that the Trinity was a doctrine they disagreed with, but they had trouble convincing people because of several key verses in the Bible.

So, they put out their own translation of the Bible –

The New World Translation.

Trouble is, it's not really a translation at all. If you compare it to a King James Version bible, you'll soon discover that it is exactly the same ... except that those troublesome passages which point to the Trinity have been modified to suit their theology.

For the Gnostics, the problem was the body of Jesus.
They liked his teaching – so they figured it just HAD to have come from a pure spirit being.

Rather than change their theology, they started to teach that Jesus did not have a body.⁴

D) John's Response to the False Teachers

So, in response to this, this is what John wrote:

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.

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.

//

Let's look at verse 1.

That ... which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched...

John is writing to those in the church to let them know that he is an eyewitness to the events that happened 50 to 60 years earlier.

He was there. He heard it with his own ears. He saw it with own eyes. He touched it with his own hands.

This isn't a mythical legend passed down through generations ... or a whimsical story manufactured by someone in the distant past ... this is the testimony of an eye-witness.

And not just any eyewitness: In John's gospel, he is the disciple who is reclining next to Jesus at the last supper – the disciple “whom Jesus loved.”⁵

We cannot go back in time to walk with Jesus ... but we have the testimony of John, and the other Gospel writers – and through the Bible we can be transported back to that time and place where Jesus took on flesh and walked among us.

Walking with Jesus

Years ago, when I was in high school, I attended a youth group at Bromley Baptist here in the city. One night, the group leader wanted to walk us through a scriptural visioning exercise—so he got us all to sit in a relaxed position and then led us in breathing exercises to help us all let go of our stress and completely relax.

Then, he walked us through a scene from scripture.

We put ourselves into the story. We watched Jesus perform miracles, and took the time to talk to him afterward ...

It was an interesting exercise. For some people, it was very enlightening. For others, not so much. I confess it wasn't a terribly profound experience for me.

Later that evening, after friends dropped me off near my house, I was walking along, thinking about what it would have been like to walk along the shore of Galilee with Jesus. Just imagine ...

// As I walked, I gradually became aware of a presence.

It was such a strong sense of someone beside me that I was almost startled. In my heart, I knew that it was Jesus ... right there beside me.

Instinctively, I quickly turned to look.

And there, on my right shoulder, right at the place where I expected to see the face of Jesus, was the full moon – shining in a star-filled night sky.

It was a truly mystical experience – one which gave me such a sense of peace about the presence of Christ in my life.

Jesus did walk with the disciples in Galilee. And, he walks with us today through the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God.

Fellowship with the Father, and with his Son

So here's what is so fantastic about John's letter. He can look back and say; “It's true. I saw him. I walked with him. I heard him. I touched him ...”

But instead of dwelling in the past—glorifying it as the “good 'old days” -- he invites the reader to experience the wonder of fellowship with God in this life ... right here ... right now.

2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 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.

Conclusion

John could have dwelt on the face to face interactions he had with Jesus – and they certainly were amazing stories to share.

And he makes sure that no one discounts them, or discredits them because that would just be wrong.

But he doesn't get stuck there!

John leads us very quickly to the outcome of the ministry of Jesus – what we can experience here and now. And that is fellowship with the Father, and the Son ... and with us—God's people.

John invites us to join this fellowship—to yield our spirits, minds and bodies to the risen Christ—so that we can enter into life-giving fellowship that flows from him, to his people ...

... and experience the kind of true community that is only possible when men and women gather in the unity that comes through the Spirit of God. A community where we learn how to live in such a way so as to honour God, and love our neighbour—and in doing so, where we will experience true Joy!

The Gnostics may seem completely irrelevant to our modern day living – but as we shall see in coming weeks, we shall see just how pervasive their views are – and how the old Gnostic teachings are making a comeback, even in the past 3 or 4 years!!

What we are very thankful for, is that the situation prompted John to respond by describing what a true Christian community looks like; to speak plainly about truth and error; and to share with all the most important lesson of Christian obedience—to live a life of love!, because this is the way of Christ, our Lord.

I am looking forward to this series over the coming weeks because it is a great adventure of discovery that we will unfold from John's first letter!

Additional Scripture References:

Hebrews 2:5ff (esp. vs. 14)

Hebrews 4:14-16

Notes and Additional Material:

 the Letter of 1 John

Authorship of 1 John:
 
It seems a strange question to ask, but “who wrote the 1st letter of John?”
There is a long answer, and a short answer.
The short answer is: we don't know for certain.
That might seem a little surprising to some, but it is true. As we shall see--in the changing world in which we live, we must be scrupulous in our scholarship in order to maintain our integrity.

Let's do some detective work to see if we can discover more about the authorship of John's letters.


The common way of writing a letter in the 1^st Century was to begin with a personal greeting indicating who the letter was coming from.
Look at Romans: "Paul, and apostle ..."
Look at James: "James, apostle ..."
Now look at 1 John: "that which was hidden ... "

Letters in antiquity normally began with the salutation; "Individual to Second individual." Since this letter does not have any specific self-disclosure, modern scholars have asked the question; "How can we know for certain that it was written by John?"

Let me walk you through a bit of scholarly investigation to see what we can learn about the author of these letters.
The author of 2 & 3 John describes himself as "the Elder" but beyond this, we have no internal evidence for who wrote these letters.
The author seems to indicate that the readers will know who he is -- and he seems to speak with authority in these matters -- reflecting a position of reverence and respect in the church.

There is, however, an important connection that can be made between these three letters, and the 4th Gospel -- the Gospel of John. Stylistically, and literarily, there is little doubt that the same author wrote all three letters and the Gospel.

The gospel itself gives us a clue -- since the author is identified as "the disciple whom Jesus loved" -- and who reclined on his breast at the Last Supper -- we can begin to develop a short list of candidates.
The inner circle of Disciples was Peter, James and John.

Peter, according to tradition left Jerusalem, and traveled to Rome and was martyred there.
In the book of Acts, we learn that James was martyred ... (Acts 12:2)

This leaves John as the last of the intimate inner circle of Jesus' disciples.

Tradition tells us that John ended up in the city of Ephesus after 70 AD and lived to a ripe old age.
Since John's gospel and the letters of John were believed to be written between 80 and 90 AD, all the pieces fit together for John's authorship.
Notice that this also fits with the evidence from John's Gospel as well. (the puzzling reference to the statement that Jesus did not say that this disciple would live forever .... If it was an aged John, probably in his 80's or 90's, who was the last remaining Apostle, it is quite reasonable to think that the people may have started to think that John would live until the return of Christ. However, John corrects this notion and says that Jesus did not say this ...). See John 21:20-24

One final important piece of evidence: Polycarp was the Bishop of Smyrna in the early 2nd Century. In letters he wrote to Christians -- dated between 135 and 145 AD, he quotes portions of 1 John. Though he does not mention the author's name, he clearly indicates that these verses have the authority of scripture.  This points to an early date, and it is significant that Polycarp lived in the same region where John was believed to have written these letters.
The evidence is compelling that John the Apostle is the author of the Gospel of John, as well as the 3 letters attributed to him.

The Relevance of the Gnostics to Our Time

Now, there are undoubtedly some of you here this morning thinking to yourselves: That's all very interesting Pastor (some who would argue that point), but what has this got to do with us?

Docetism ... Gnosticism ... Platonic dualism ... these are ancient religious views which have long since vanished from our world. Can't we just bury them and move on?

The truth is that an understanding of John's context is never more relevant that today -- right now!

Gnosticism is making a comeback -- and we are going to hear more and more about it. I think it is essential that the Christian church brace itself for the fresh assault that has already started to wash over the bow of Christianity.

This was done most effectively by Dan Brown in his best-seller The Da Vinci Code.

According to Brown -- there were two competing views about Jesus Christ -- each one was equally valid. One was the view that is preserved in the Bible, the other was the view recorded in the gnostic gospels (several were written in the 2^nd and 3^rd centuries).

Brown claims that the church won that early battle and declared the opposing view a heresy. The church then proceeded to brutally weed out those who they labeled as heretics ... in order to cover up the truth about Jesus.

It makes great fiction.

What is deeply troubling is that even some scholars, such as Dr. Elain Pagels of Princeton and Dr. Bart Ehrman are claiming the our view of Jesus is only partial if we exclude the writings of the gnostics.  Essentially, there are voices arguing that the Biblical record of Jesus should also include these gnostic writings, despite good evidence that they were developed much later and are based on theological assumptions which fundamentally mis-represent the person and ministry of Jesus Christ.⁶

This may sound very dry and academic and largely irrelevant to our daily living -- but the trends are quite alarming.

Liberal scholars, and the liberal media, will continue their attempts to rewrite history. Next spring, when the news magazines do their annual coverage of the Easter event -- you will undoubtedly seen more and more questions based on the gnostic gospels which undermine the biblical texts and present a whole different picture of Jesus.

The new message that is emerging in our day is this: these gnostic gospels are every bit as valid as the canon of scripture ... and we ought to listen to what it tells us about Jesus Christ.

The risk to us isn't that gnosticism will re-emerge as a serious religious system. No one is likely to pursue it as a resurgent faith in our day.

What is happening, instead, is that there is a movement to undermine and discredit the foundations of the biblical literature, and to suggest that all ancient texts ought to be treated as equally valid and equally important.

Endnotes