Sunday, August 23, 2009

You’ve Got Mail

I am a confessed email junkie. It’s fast, it’s to the point, it’s portable, and it’s highly efficient. Between my computer at home, at work, and my iPhone, I can keep in touch with more people than I ever could by phone.

Whether you are addicted to email like me, or still gravitate to snail mail, the question is always the same: Who is it from and what do they want? There is always a purpose behind a letter or an email, or even a text message, for that matter.

So you are sitting at home and you decide to grab the Bible and read it for a bit. You thumb through until you find the book of I John and you camp out on the first page. I John is actually a letter, not a book. Because it’s a letter we must ask the same question: Who wrote it and what did the writer want? You might say, well that first question is a stupid one because I John is written across the top of the letter. Yes, but the author did not put it there and the author’s name never appears in the letter. The Gospel of Luke has the same problem; the author’s name is nowhere to be found.

The short answer to the question of who wrote I John and how do we know, is tradition. It is true that in studying the writing style of I John one can see incredible similarities with the Gospel of John. The word usage and sentence structures are very much alike and would tend to make one think that they, indeed, had the same author. However, it is the tradition of the early church that cements this answer for most of us.

This letter by John was probably written around the year 95-96 and circulated throughout Asia Minor, which is now modern day Turkey. The first reference in history that the letter was written by John comes in the year 140 by Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons. Irenaeus was a friend of Polycarp and Polycarp was a direct disciple of John himself. In his writings called Against Heresies, Irenaeus says he is quoting John the disciple of the Lord. Those quotes can be found in John’s Gospel and his first letter, soon to be known as I John.

Later on, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and Origen all attribute that letter to John. From the outset, I John was considered anointed and sacred. When in history the church began to form the New Testament, the book of I John was never in question as to being inspired and sacred. It was Jerome who wrote that I John’s authority was accepted “by all competent men of the church.” Out of the thousands of letters and gospels that were being circulated, the church never questioned the authenticity or the authority of John’s first letter to the churches there in Asia Minor.

Now we come to that second question: Why did John feel the need to write this letter? The church had been in existence approximately 65 years and had spread all over the known world. It had grown though missionary activity and through the powerful testimony of the martyrs. Doctrine was taught and protected through oral tradition (one remembers Apostle Paul using that language), the oversight of bishops, and by the circulation of authoritative letters. These letters would be read in church as part of the service.

Since the birth of the church at Pentecost, every generation has had to fight against heresies that threatened to weaken the faith. All of the epistles in the New Testament deal with some type of heresy or doctrinal error. John’s letter also deals with setting things straight for the protection of the church. We do not know exactly who the heretics were in this case, but we do know they were spreading doctrinal and moral errors. In his letter John calls these people “antichrists, deceivers and children of the devil”. Strong language from the Apostle of Love.

Two thousand years later you are reading I John while sitting in your favorite chair, drinking your favorite beverage, and wondering “How does this ancient letter apply to me?” The amazing thing, as with all Scripture, is that it does! I John is a powerful letter written by someone who basically lived with Jesus for 3 years. John was right there with Jesus and understood the words, the spirit, and the intent of all that Jesus taught. John was as close to the Son of God as anyone on earth has ever been, so let us listen carefully to his words over the next few months.

The inbox on my computer says I have some new emails. I now have a choice to make. I have to open it to find out what the message is for me. God is sending something more fantastic than any email; He is sending you a letter with the title of I John. Open it. Read your mail. It’s two thousand years old and millions of brothers and sisters in the family of God have read it before you. However, God has also sent this letter just for you here in 2009 to bless you, teach you, and encourage you.

Blessings to you,

Dan Owens

Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries