PROFESSOR
BEN ONYEUKWU (REV.)
NCE
(ENGLISH); DIP (COMPUTER STUDIES); ND/HD (JOURNALISM); DIP, BA (THEOLOGY) MA,
PHD.
PAPER PRESENTATION ON THE EXEGESIS OF FIRST JOHN
CHAPTER FOUR VERSES ONE TO SIX, AT A MONTHLY MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION OF
CHRISTIAN THEOLOGICAL PROFESSORS, ON MARCH 22, 2020, AT CITY CHEF, OWERRI, IMO
STATE, NIGERIA
THE PREAMBLE:
Men
and Brethren,
It is common knowledge that, “high wind is the preamble to a winter
storm”, and so, the formation of the Association of Christian Theological Professors
is, the unfolding of a sound doctrinal body that would beam the kingdom light
across the spiritual and structural spectrum of the Christian faith, in
Nigeria, and the world over, notwithstanding, the extent of the doctrinal
damage done by false prophets and teachers in the Church of our BLESSED LORD
and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST.
Let me, at this time, salute the
courage and wisdom of Professor Uzoma Emmanuel, the convener of this great
assemblage of these high level apologists, for the task of dismantling the grips
of false doctrines in our present day church and society. I am, also, deeply
humbled and grateful for your choice of me, for today’s paper presentation,
which is on the Exegesis of 1 John 4:1-6. My drive here is not to do a perfect
work, but to do my best, and leave room for improvement by other scholars.
Having said this, I, therefore, deem it proper to begin from:
A HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE FIRST
EPISTLE OF JOHN
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.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is obvious
that the same situation and experience are posing dangerous threats to the
Christian faith of today, thus, the need to face these anti-Christian monsters
with stern seriousness and commitment.
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.
Fellow citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, 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}. By this, therefore, I state without
apologies that, it is not late to quit the ministry, if the cited experience is
not the spiritual status of any member of this association.
SUGGESTIONS
Here, I wish to submit that the Association of
Christian Theological Professors is a DIVINE project designed to tackle the
menace of false teachers and prophets in today’s society, and hope, it will not
fail or disappoint GOD. Also, I do not at this time; wish to refer to members
of this association as erudite, until the set objectives become realistic. For,
we cannot afford to engage in self-glory while the House of GOD wallows in the
shame of evil forces. Having said this, let me, as a measure against the
challenges ahead, suggest that:
{1} we constitute ourselves into a formidable prayer
front, as a way of ascertaining the presence and leadership of the HOLT SPIRIT
for the tasks ahead;
{2} a committee be set up, as a fact-finding team for
the discovery of the areas the doctrines of the church have been mutilated, and
in turn suggest possible line of actions;
{3} a high profile team of researchers be mobilized to
ascertain the immediate and remote causes of the mutilation of Christian
doctrines, as well as show ways future occurrences could be checked;
{4} a forum for the harmonization of differences in
doctrines among members be put in place, to enable the group speak with one
voice, since, this is vital before any form of outreach, coupled with the fact
that we need a constitution that would guide the general mode of operation of
this group. The time to act is now.
In
conclusion, let me, once
again, salute these great men and women of GOD , who, by His special grace have
responded to this kingdom summon of JESUS CHRIST, the KING of kings and LORD of
lords, and the UPHOLDER of all things in heaven and earth. I have no doubt in
my mind that, with HIM on our side, we will succeed. Thank you, and remain
blessed!
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
PROF. BEN ONYEUKWU (REV.)
