AN EXEGESIS OF FIRST JOHN CHAPTER FOUR VERSES ONE TO SIX (abridged)

PROFESSOR BEN ONYEUKWU (REV.)

NCE (English); DIP (Computer Studies); ND/HD (Journalism); DIP, BA (Theology) MA, PhD.

AN EXEGESIS OF FIRST JOHN CHAPTER FOUR VERSES ONE TO SIX (abridged)

INTRODUCTION:

          The first epistle of John was written by one of the foremost disciples of JESUS CHRIST, named John. He was probably one of the inner-circle disciples who, alongside with Peter and James had a special relationship with JESUS, and wrote his letter between AD 85 and 90, from Ephesus, before his exile to Island of Patimos, as cited in Revelation 1:9.

          The period under review shows that Jerusalem had been destroyed in AD 70, and Christians were scattered throughout the empire, and by the time John wrote his letter, Christianity had been in existence for more than a generation, in which it faced and survived severe persecutions. The main problem that confronted the Church at this time was declining commitment, as many believers were conforming to the standards of the world, and consequently could not keep the principles of the real faith of CHRIST. The period, also, records that false teachers were on the increase, luring Christians out of the true faith, and so, John wrote his letter to put the believers back to the path of truth, and to show the difference between truth and falsehood, as well as encourage them to grow in genuine love for GOD and for one another..

DEFINITION OF TERMS

          The term “exegesis” appears to be the prominent word that calls for definition in the topic under review, which, like many other terms has defiled the principle of lone definition. In this connection, David Horton shows that, exegesis is the process of drawing out of a text its intended meaning. From the Greek word “exegeomai”, the word is used to describe the disclosure or description of a document, statement or incident. In contrast, “eisegesis” is the term, which means, “to read into” or “to bring strange meaning” into a text or document. The foregoing, therefore, indicates that, there are both true and false interpretations of GOD’S WORD.

          In the words of Ronald Cooke, “the interpretation of the Scripture depends on several different factors, which include; words, grammar, context, scope of the passage and type of literature”, among others. He stresses further that, “it is impossible to come close to the proper interpretation of any text or passage without taking these factors into consideration”. In line with this, Horton further observes that, exegesis employs three approaches to a text:

          {1} understanding the grammar of the text;

{2} understanding individual word(s) in a sentence, and;

{3} understanding the message as a whole in the context of a paragraph, chapter, individual book, and the entire text of scripture.

PROBLEM OF FALSE INTERPRETATION AND APPLICATION

 OF GOD’S WORD

          In interpreting a text of scripture, two basic steps are paramount.  The interpreter who wishes to interpret GOD’S WORD correctly must ask:

{1} what did the passage mean for the person who first spoke or wrote the words, and for the people who first heard

 or read them?

{2} what should the passage mean to a reader today?

The first task is to enter into the circumstances of the person who first wrote or heard or read the passage and then try to understand the meaning in the light of the whole Bible. The second is to try to make the meaning of the passage clear in the circumstances of the present century. For instance, the Scripture on “oil of gladness” was first presented to a Jewish audience in Psalm 45:7, and was rehearsed in Hebrews 1:9, and points to JESUS CHRIST our LORD and BLESSED SAVIOUR. These Scriptures can also be applied to the present day believer, in whose life CHRIST dwells, and has nothing to do with the concoction of “bottled oil” which is an adulteration of “oil of gladness”, manufactured and sold today in some religious quarters. And so, where the cited hermeneutical rule and example are genuinely applied, false interpretation and application of GOD’S WORD can hardly thrive. But, note also, that application of GOD’S WORD is a multi-faceted thing, whereas, interpretation is but one. This means that, if interpretation of Scripture is properly done, it is the same thing, anywhere, anytime, as application will always vary, depending on the peculiarity of the need, circumstances and environment of a target audience. Thus, the hermeneutical rule to this effect remains, one interpretation, many applications.

EXEGESIS OF THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN CHAPTER

FOUR VERSES ONE TO SIX {1JOHN 4:1-6}

So far, I hope we have been able to discover together, some of the points that make for proper exegesis of GOD’S WORD, and possibly, have also acquired a fair understanding of how to improve on the arts of biblical interpretation and application, However, our journey may not be truly satisfactory if a verse to verse analysis of the passage we seek to explore is not done. With this in mind, I, therefore, suggest we take a look at;

{1} Exegesis of first John Four verse One:

          The first verse of the passage of the chapter four of John’s letter carries an inquiry into the type of spirits that operate in church and society, thus, the expression,…”do not believe every spirit, but rather test them, to see whether they are of GOD”…{vs 1A}.

          Now, notice that the test is a “spirit-test”, and not a “human-test”, and it takes only the SPIRIT of GOD to detect the spirit of error. Therefore, the cross-examination here is by means of the HOLY SPIRIT and not by human psychology or any other method of human fact-finding, and implies that no one can detect the spirit of error, who is not filled with the HOLY SPIRIT. And so, teachers of GOD’S WORD should, as a matter of necessity, ensure that those they teach are filled with the SPIRIT, {Eph. 5:18}.

          In furtherance, the second part of the verse, also, insinuates the need for the awareness and consciousness of the fact of the presence of false prophets in society, as it equally  says….”because many false prophets have gone into the world”{vs1B}.

          It is important to note here that, without being aware and conscious of the fact that the false prophets are around the corner, our sense of watchman-ship will definitely diminish, and where we become aware of their presence, but fail to check their ungodly activities, it becomes indicative that, we, too, have become submerged into their falsehood. And, under such a depraved condition, we make ourselves a disappointment to GOD and His church. Having said this, let it be known that;

          {1} false prophets are known for false teaching,[1Peter 2:1}, and this, we must confront by strong voices of sound doctrines and refutation, {Acts 13;6-12};

          {2} false prophets are equally wonder workers, {Matt. 24:24; Acts 13:6}. This, also, we must disprove, by dedicating our lives to GOD, for His infallible signs of the Kingdom,{Mark16:17-18}.

Once again, remember that the main idea in John’s expression, “do not believe every spirit”…is on the person moved by a spirit, whether by the HOLY SPIRIT or by the evil one. A true prophet speaks from GOD, being carried along by the HOLY SPIRIT,{2Peter 1:21}. But, false prophets, such as the Gnostics of John’s time, speak under the influence of spirits alienated from GOD. So, we have a duty to find out, who is who, in church and society.

{2} Exegesis of first John Four verses Two and Three:

The crux of the matter in the verses under review is to find out if a given prophet truly believes that JESUS CHRIST is fully GOD and fully MAN, and hinges on the expression,….”every spirit that confesses that JESUS CHRIST has come in the flesh is of GOD, and every spirit that does not confess….,is not of GOD,{vs2-3}.

Notice, particularly that, it is the confession of a spirit, and not that of the human vessel used, stressing on the power or forces behind the teacher or prophet who speaks, and that such a confession must proclaim, the coming or otherwise of JESUS CHRIST in the flesh,{vs2-3}.

Therefore, if the true prophet or teacher agrees to the reality of the incarnation of JESUS CHRIST, his confession must historically catalogue a hearty story {not head knowledge} of;

---His human descent, traceable to the house of David;

---His Immaculate Conception and virgin birth;

---The herald of His birth by angels;

---The Good news of the shepherds, confirming His birth;

---The visit of the Magi;

---The narrative of His Childhood story;

---His encounter with some learned folks of His time, at twelve;

---His eighteen years of silence;

---His temptation;

---His ministry;

---His crucifixion;

---His resurrection and ascension, which no false prophet can truly acknowledge or attest to.

Also, the confession of the true prophet, in relation to the coming of CHRIST in the flesh must equally be experiential, indicating the presence of the SPIRIT of the risen CHRIST in his person. For, “if anyone does not possess the SPIRIT of CHRIST, he is none of His”,{Rom.8:9}. In this order, the Apostle Paul confesses, and, I quote, “I have been crucified with CHRIST, it is no longer I that live, but CHRIST who lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the SON of GOD, who loves me and gave HIS LIFE for me” unquote, {Gal. 2:20NKJV}. And, without mincing words, the absence of the cited experience in the life of one who claims one is a prophet of GOD, becomes an evidence that the spirit of anti-Christ is in place,{1John 4:1}.

In all, the bone of contention in the verses two and three of John’s epistle is that, “as Christianity spread across the Mediterranean, it came in contact with other religions. Greeks and Romans tried to absorb the faith into their own philosophies, just as some Jews had initially done. Intellectual centers of the Mediterranean raised questions on the deity of JESUS, stressing that if He was really GOD, He couldn’t have died. This, a popular new cult of that time called Gnosticism, a name derived from Greek word for knowledge gained ground in an attempt to explain these things. This cult, as usual, thrived among the intellectual elite.

Gnostics balked at the Christian concept of GOD becoming human, since they believed a physical body was intrinsically evil, and denied that a pure GOD could take on a body. Some dealt with the problem by claiming that JESUS was never a real human being, but a phantom, a temporary appearance of GOD who looked human. Others proposed that GOD had descended on JESUS at his baptism, but left him before His death.

Dear reader, I hope, it is now becoming very obvious, as to what informed the writing of John’s letter which we x-ray today. I have no doubt in my mind that the Apostle John debated in person with the Gnostics of his time, and had their doctrine in mind when he wrote his epistle. The very first sentence expressly states that the author had seen, heard, and touched JESUS---implying he could not have been a phantom or pure spirit. Throughout the letter, especially in 4:2-3, the author lambastes those who deny that JESUS came in the flesh. And, no doubt, the same is our calling and duty, in this generation.

{3} Exegesis of First John four verses Four to Six

Let it be noted at this point that, the scriptural expressions, “You are of GOD”… {vs 4}, “They are of the world”…{vs 5}, and “We are of GOD”…{vs 6} will form the main stay of the exegesis of the verses of the scripture in focus. In them, the Apostle John demonstrates insight into the spiritual status of members of his congregation, as he shows his knowledge of those who were saved, and those who were yet of the world. To explain further, those who are of the world are those who are not saved from sin and powers of darkness, but constitute part of the community of the evil system and corruption of the demonic kingdom, which they manifest on earth. So, the inability of a Church Leader in today’s Christianity to know who is who in the Body of CHRIST is dangerous, as it creates room for the ever-increasing level of corruption in Christendom, since the unsuspecting converts are readily deceived by those who are stirred and influenced by the spirit of anti-Christ.

To this end, the present day Christian Leader must ensure that his messages are geared towards regeneration and sound Christian living, as a way of checkmating false doctrines and the over-bearing influences of false teachers and prophets. And, if the Church must regain its lost glory, GOD’S messengers of this day must be wary of empty motivational messages which readily appeal to the pride and ego of the people, as such messages only stir them into the path of ungodly earthly values, instead of creating in them a sense of righteousness and holiness.

Finally, the Apostle John’s knowledge of being part of the Christian project, which informed his expression...”we are of GOD”,{vs 6}, is indeed, heart-warming, and shows that the teacher of GOD’S WORD must be part of the experience he seeks to share, as no one is qualified to be a messenger of GOD, without the born again experience, which is what it means to be born of GOD,{1John 2:21;3:9-10}.

          Professor Ben Onyeukwu {Rev.]

          Professor of Biblical Studies and Letters

          At Crown University {School of Biblical Studies}

          Owerri, Nigeria.

For This Work, Other Articles and Bible Lessons Written By the Writer, Please Visit;

Benonyeukwu2.blogspot.com and

Churchoftheholyghost.blogspot.com