pt BR Video Lecture #6 Johannine Epistles Overview

welcome to video lecture number six the Janine Epistles overview in which we will look at first second and third John this is an introduction to these Epistles uh that are three very short but theologically Rich letters in the New Testament traditionally attributed to the Apostle John these writings reflect deep theological concerns and pastoral exhortations that are consistent with the themes found in the Gospel of John they address issues isues related to Christian identity the nature of Christ love and truth and the challenges of false teachings within the church let's start by looking at the general

background of all of the letters and then we're going to look at each of the letters individually the Johan Epistles were likely written in the late 1 Century probably around 85 to 95 ad during a period of growing doctrinal disputes and schisms within the Christian Community the letters seem to have been composed in the region of Ephesus in Asia Minor it's a significant Center of early Christian teaching where John the Apostle John is traditionally believed to have ministered and died the Epistles addressed specific concerns first John is a general letter written to a broad Christian

audience to reinforce essential Christian truths and combat false teachings particularly those related to christology and ethical Behavior second John is addressed to a specific Christian Community warning them against false teachers and urging them to remain faithful to the truth third John is a personal letter to an individual named gaas concerning hospitality and Leadership issues within the church a significant context of these Epistles is the emergence of early gnosticism which denied the full Humanity of Jesus which sometimes refer to that as dotism or claimed a dualistic view of spiritual and material reality John's letters counter such

teachings with a firm assertion of Christ's Incarnation and the necessity of love and obedience in the Christian Life what's the relationship between John the Gospel of John and first second and third John or the Epistles of John the Johan n Epistles share new numerous similarities with the Gospel of John in terms of style vocabulary and theology these connections suggests that the same author or at least the same Community influenced by John's teachings wrote both sets of books they have a similar style vocabulary and theology the Epistles and go and the gospel both use Simple Greek

but convey profound theological meaning through repetition parallelism and contrasts for example we see a use of light versus Darkness or love versus hate or Truth Versus Falsehood they have a similarity in vocabulary common words including light truth love abide eternal life and word show up in all of the writings and they have a similarity in their theology uh love is a central theme in both the gospels and the Epistles first John John 4:8 states that God is love and the Gospel of John in John 13:34-35 records Jesus's command to love one another all of the

writings also include a lot of writing about truth emphasizing as essential to Christian Life and Doctrine and then all of the books also have a high level of christology both the gospel and the Epistles affirm Jesus as the son of God fully human and fully Divine for examples of this you can look in John 1:14 or 1 John 42 and3 what's the relationship then between these two uh three books between them and each other although they share common themes the three Epistles serve different purposes and audiences as I mentioned a moment ago first John is

a general sermon or letter for all Christians second John is a personal letter to a specific Community or a specific church and third John was a personal letter to an individual named gaas what are the major concerns addressed with the johanning Epistles uh they provide essential teachings from the early church addressing theological and practical concerns three primary issues emerg throughout these letters number one is the deals with the nature of Christ and the wrestling against early Gnostic likee teachings one of the uh Central concerns in first John is a defense of the true nature of

Christ against early forms of Gnostic like teachings that denied either his full Divinity or his full Humanity some false teachers often associated with the term antichrists and we see this in 1 John 28-22 claimed that Jesus did not truly become come in the flesh possibly influenced by dotism which argue that Christ only appeared as a human but in material substance he was not human John counters this by affirming that Jesus is both fully Divine and fully human stating every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God in 1 John

4:2 this christological emphasis safeguards the heart of the Gospel ensuring that Believers hold to the truth of the Incarnation another important theme that we see in the Epistles are the importance of Love obedience and Truth in Christian Life John's letters emphasize the inseparability of Love obedience and Truth in the life of the believer love is a defining Mark of genuine Faith whoever does not love does not know God because God is love it says in 1 John 4:8 this love is not merely emotional but it is demonstrated through action and obedience to God's commands we

see this in 1 John 53 furthermore truth is essential in Discerning true Faith from false teaching John urges Believers to walk in the truth and remain faithful to the apostolic message highlighting the genuine fellowship with God is evidenced by both right belief and righteous living how One Believes and acts are both very important to convey your faith in Christ a third important theme that shows up in the Epistles is church leadership and the degree of hospitality that they show the letters of John address issues of leadership and Hospitality within the Christian Community in third John

John commends gaes for the hospitality he has shown to traveling missionaries showing that support for gospel workers is a sign of faithfulness conversely he rebukes Deus a church leader who refuses to welcome traveling teachers and exerts authoritarian control this highlights the importance of humility and servanthood in leadership rather than seeking power similarly John wants to warn against extending Hospitality to false teachers illustrating the balance between love and discernment in Christian Fellowship through those concerns the joing apostles guide Believers and defending the faith living out Christian love and fostering a healthy Community centered on Truth Now

who wrote the gosp the Books of John the letters of John when were they written let's look at that let's look at the authorship and date of these letters the three Janine Epistles are among the most theologically rich and enigmatic writings in the New Testament their authorship has been widely debated with traditional attributions pointing to John the Apostle himself while some Modern scholarship propos a more complex authorship related to a Janine Community this lecture will examine the authorship of Johan Epistles as a whole and then analyze the authorship of each letter as we talk about

the general authorship considerations of all of the letters let's start with the internal evidence now there's an anonymous nature of First John unlike typical Epistles first John does not include a greeting or an author's name distinguishing it from Pauline and petrin letters and from the other two letters from John the author asserts eyewitness Authority uh in 1 John 1 1-4 using sensory language such as hearing seeing and touching to authenticate his testimony implying direct experience with Christ but never actually stating his name the prologue Echoes John's gospel that we see in John 1 1-4 reinforcing

a connection in authorship or theological uh perspective the Thematic parallels between both texts include references to the pre-existence of Christ the manifestation of life and the transmission of apostolic testimony the writing style of First John features long flowing sentences with parallelism a Hallmark of all Johan literature suggesting common authorship or influence the lack of personal greetings or clear recipient audience suggests that first John functioned as a general circular letter rather than a personal correspondence what that means is that it is likely that when it was written it was intended to be used by many churches

in a region there's a self-identification as the Elder in both second and third John and let's explore that just a bit the author is second and third John refers to himself as the Elder hos prespas indicating a position of authority but not explicitly claiming apostleship the term Elder May reflect either an official ecclesiastical role or an informal recognition of authority within the Christian Community the style themes and vocabulary align closely with first John and with John's gospel suggesting a common author or tradition key themes such as love truth and abiding in Christ appear consistently throughout

the entire Johan Corpus the brevity of second and third John along with their personal nature suggests they were written to an audience in specific situations within the early Christian Community possibly reinforcing joaning theological and ethical teachings now let's look at some external evidence starting with early church testimony Church fathers such as irenaeus Clement of Alexandria and eus attribute the jawning letters to John the Apostle irenaeus in particular strongly defends the apostolic auth authorship of John's writings linking them directly to the Beloved disciple papus distinguishes between John the Apostle and John the Elder leading some to

suggest a different author for the Epistles and this has led to some debate over over whether the jaw hening Epistles were authored by a distinct figure known as John the Elder rather than by John the Apostle himself so the question there is did John just simply go by John the Elder instead of John the Apostle or is there a different person going by the name John the Elder from John the Apostle the muratorian fragment that dates in the late 2nd Century lists two Johan letters supporting early recognition of multiple Epistles associated with John's name dius

of Alexandria in the mid third Century questioned the authorship of Revelation but affirmed the stylistic and thematic consistency of the johning Epistles with the Gospel of John reinforcing the idea of common authorship of all four books the jawning community hypothesis would be uh another way we can look at who the author or authors might be some Scholars proposed that the letters emerged from a community shaped by the teachings of the Beloved disciple perhaps the Gospel of John itself was the original writing and then a community formed around it and they would be the ones who

wrote the letters this Theory suggests that John's followers preserved and developed his theological themes contributing to the composition of the Epistles the we that is found the word we is used in first John might represent an authoritative body of tradition bearers rather than a single Apostolic author this Collective voice could indicate that the letter was composed by a group of leaders maintaining johanan Traditions the conflicts described in first John such as separation from the community by those who deny Christ's Incarnation align with the historical development of a Johan christology in which theological debates play a

significant role so what are the final thoughts on Johan authorship the authorship of the Johan Epistles remains debated but strong linguistic thematic and Theological connections exist between them and John's gospels while traditional views hold that John the Apostle wrote all three letters modern scholarship suggests that an elder or member of the Johan community may have authored or at least edited them preserving the Apostolic tradition regardless of the precise author the johanning Epistles provide crucial theological insights into the nature of Christ love truth and Christian Fellowship this course and this professor holds to the traditional view

of authorship by John the Apostle even if it might have been edited by a Johan name Community let's look at each book individually now starting with first John let's talk about authorship and date in specific and then look at some of the other important aspects of First John there's strong internal evidence linked in to the Gospel of John it's Anonymous but authoritative the letter lacks a formal greeting as I mentioned a moment ago emphasizing its role as a theological exhortation the absence of a personal signature contrasts with other New Testament Epistles which typically include an

introductory salutation the use of we in first John suggests that the author may be speaking on behalf of a larger Community or a group of authoritative figures possibly links to the original eyewitnesses of Jesus's Ministry the strong pastoral and polemic tone implies the writer is addressing an internal conflict possibly related to early agnostic influences or schismatic movements within the joaning community there are theological and stylistic parallels with John's gospel several themes in first John align with John's gospel reinforcing a shared theological perspective key atic parallels include light versus Darkness as I mentioned a moment ago

it's a central Motif in both writings emphasizing moral and Theological distinctions for example look at 1 John 1 15-7 and compare it to John 8:12 or John 1235 and 36 another contrast I mentioned a moment ago that shows up in first John is love versus truth the command to love one another and to walk in truth is prevalent throughout both books look at 1 John 29-11 and compare that to John 13:34-35 and there's other passages in both books another important theme would be abiding in Christ the jawning concept of remaining in Christ is a major

Focus 1 John 2:24 and 413 correspond well with John 15 1-5 the dualistic nature uh Truth Versus Falsehood children of God versus Children of the devil and a highr ology suggest a common author or theological tradition the repetition of phrases and the cyclical structure mirror the writing found in John's gospel further supporting a close connection and authorship traditionally it's been attributed to John the Apostle early church tradition suggests testimony from irenaeus and uus strongly Associates first John with John the Apostle the Beloved disciple of Jesus the similarity in theology vocabulary and style between the books

strengthens this attribution uh I mentioned some alternate theories some argue Scholars argue that the author was a respected Elder within the community rather than the Apostle himself and the self-identification as the Elder in 2 John and third John suggests that it might have been a leader that may have been responsible for these uh letters that was not the Apostle himself and there's always the possibility that it was redacted by a later disciple redacted means edited or he took the letters of John and added a few thoughts or corrected some things that maybe weren't written exactly

the way the community liked it another possibility then is that a redactor possibly a disciple of John also perhaps by the name of John who lived in within the jaw hunting school compiled and formalized first John based on the apostles teachings this Theory accounts for stylistic differences between first John and the Gospel of John while maintaining its continuity again I still affirm the Apostle John as the writer of First John the first Epistle of John was probably written around ad. 95 to uh maybe as early as 85 but probably around ad 95 near the end

of the Apostles life the time frame prises the letter in a period when the church was facing growing theological challenges particularly from emerging false teachings its original audience was probably a broad Christian audience specifically living within a network of churches in Asia monor which is modern-day turkey John based in Ephesus during this time had influence over multiple congregations throughout the region the recipients of this letter were believers who were facing the spread of false teachings particularly early forms of gnosticism and dcism gnosticism emphasized secret knowledge and often Deni the goodness of the physical world they

rejected the material World in favor of the spiritual world and they believe that for you to be part of the community you have to have secret knowledge that no one else knew about dotism denied the full Humanity of Christ claiming that Jesus only appeared to be human again it's wrestling with the material world and as a result they thought he was just like a ghost if you will these distortions of early Christian doctrine posed a serious threat to the faith and unity of the church and this drives the purpose of the letter John wrote first

John primarily to affirm the foundational truths of the Christian faith and to counter false teachings that were leading Believers astray his key objectives were number one to affirm the reality of Jesus's Incarnation we see this mentioned specifically in 1 John 1 1-4 where John emphasizes that Jesus was truly seen heard and touched a direct reputation of distic claims that he was only appear to be human a second important purpose is to encourage Believers to live in righteousness Love and Truth a major theme of First John is the connection between truth uh faith and righteous living

we'll see this for example in 1 John 229 or 37 love is a defining characteristic of genuine Faith Walking In Truth means holding firmly to the apostolic message and avoiding all forms of deception a third important Purp purpose is to warn against false teachers who deny Christ's full Humanity John calls these teachers antichrists because they distort the nature of Christ he urges Believers to test the spirits to discern truth from error now these purposes walk us right into the major themes of First John the first I'm going to talk about is the Assurance of Salvation

now that happens at the end of the letter in 1 John 5:13 but it's an important key theme John writes to provide confidence and Assurance to his Believers grounding their hope in eternal life in Christ the Assurance is not based on subjective feelings of how they feel toward God but based on objective realities one of these is Faith In Jesus salvation is secure secured through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ who is the savior of the world it is not dependent on your works is dependent on your faith in Christ the evidence of true faith

is obedience love and belief in Jesus uh I have scripture references for all of these in the notes that you will also have available to you at the class John provides clear markers of true Faith obedience to God's commands love for others and belief in Jesus as the Son of God these signs give Believers assurance that they are in Christ and possess eternal life the obedient to God's commands is a that genuine faith is evidenced by a life lived in alignment with God's commands obedience is a sign that Believers know and love God love for

one another is a sign that True Believers love others reflecting the love of Christ this serves as a visible Mark of a transformed life on the inside and that Assurance grows in the context of this community of love it comes as a result of a transformed life True Believers demonst at a changed heart and life marked by love righteousness and a desire for Holiness to pursue the person that God has designs you to be the necessity of Love Is An evidence of true Faith according to 1 John 47-21 it's another major thing John highlights love

as the definitive characteristic of a Christian love is not an option or a secondary aspect of the Christian life but it's essential as a command of Christ love originates from God God is the source of all love and those who love show that they are born of God this love is a reflection of God's own character God's love displayed in Christ the ultimate demonstration of God's love is the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ his death on the cross reveals the death of God's love for Humanity love is a command that loving one another is not

a suggestion but it's a true deep command of Christ it's a primary way in which Believers demonstrate their relationship with God hatred is incompatible with the life of a True Believer perfect love casts out all fear when Believers experience the fullness of God's love it transforms them providing assurance and confidence in their relationship with God and it's a mark of a Christian John teaches that the love for God is inseparable for from the love for others genuine love is not merely sentimental but is active and sacrificial reflecting God's love for us hatred and indifference toward

others contradict a genuine relationship with God perfect love casts out all fear and Believers can have confidence before God when they love as he loves the fullness of Love brings freedom and Assurance John also writes about the reality of sin and the need for confession specifically in John 1: 1 uh verses 8-10 John addresses the pervasive reality of sin and its impact on fellowship with god let's talk about the reality of sin all people sin denying one's sinfulness is self-deception and undermines the need for Grace Christians are not sinless but they must live in continual

repentance and confession denying sin is a barrier to fellowship with God but confession leads to Cleansing and restoration Christians are called to acknowledge sin honestly it leads us to confession and forgiveness confession is necessary for forgiveness when Believers confess their sins they are cleansed to the blood of Jesus Christ and this restores fellowship with God and with others it allows for one to walk in the light as he contrasted the darkness versus the light he light symbolizes truth holiness and fellowship with God while Darkness represents sin falsehood and separation from God to walk in the

light is to live in accordance with God's truth avoiding the darkness of sin living in the fellowship with God allows for Walking In The Light which means walking in community with God and his people it involves honesty about Sin and a continual Reliance on Christ for forgiveness and transformation to walk in the light means living in truth righteousness and openness this requires acknowledging sin repenting and depending on Christ's righteousness for salvation Jesus is our Advocate and atoning sacrifice as a fifth major theme for the book of First John we see this in John Chapter 2

Jesus serves as the advocate for believers before the father his atoning sacrifice is the foundation for forgiveness providing ongoing access to God's grace first John also writes on the theme of the warning against false teachers who deny Christ's Incarnation one of John's primary concerns is the presence of false teachers who deny essential truths about Jesus John confronts these early heresies that sought to undermine the full Humanity or Divinity of Christ these heresies were not merely the theological misunderstandings but threats to the very gospel itself to deny Jesus as the Son of God is to reject

God the Father authentic faith is always centered on the truth about Jesus Christ as fully God and fully man Believers must hold firm to the truth of the gospel and resist any teaching that distorts the nature of Christ this requires discernment and vigilance in the face of error another important theme is that which deals with the nature of Christ he deals with the fact that Jesus is both fully Divine and human he stresses the reality of Christ's Incarnation asserting that Jesus is the Eternal Word the Greek word there is logos who became flesh and dwelt

Among Us this underscores the importance of the physicality of Jesus's life and work and it counters those early heresies I mentioned to you of Doc of dotism and then another one is called karthan ISM which is a belief that separated the Divinity of Christ from the humanity of Christ suggesting that Christ descended Upon Jesus at his baptism but left before his crucifixion uh sort of like this weird state that Jesus was sometimes Divine sometimes not John refutes this by affirming the unity of Christ's Divine and human natures and this leads us to the Theology of

First John starting with christology Jesus as the Incarnate Word the full Divinity and Humanity of Jesus are Central to John's message he is not just a spiritual being but the Eternal Son of God who took on human flesh for the sake of salvation for the purpose of atonement Christ's atoning work on the cross is the foundation for all salvation offering forgiveness and cleansing from sin he also writes about the holy spirit's role in assurance and discernment or what we might refer to as patology or study of the spirit the Holy Spirit assures Believers of their

relationship with God and empowers them to discern truth from error the spirit testifies to the truth of Jesus and affirms the believer's identity in Christ another important theological theme in first John is that of Ethics love and obedience are Central to the Christian Life True Christian ethic is grounded in the character of God and in the example of Jesus obedience to God's commands and loves for others are the marks of a genuine Faith this leads us to Holiness and righteousness living in accordance with God's command is not merely a moral requirement but a reflection of

one's relationship with God Holiness is the natural outcome of abiding in Christ let's wrap up first John the letter of First John provides a rich theological foundation for Christian Living it calls Believers to live in the light of God's truth truth love one another as evidence of true Faith confess sin and experience forgiveness and stand firm in the truth of Christ's full Divinity and Humanity by abiding in Christ and walking in obedience Believers experience the fullness of life in God and have Assurance of eternal life first John challenges us to examine our lives and to

embrace the call to love confess and remain faithful to the truth of the go go let's move to second John a book that deals with a call to truth and love the Epistle of second John is one of the shortest books in the New Testament but it carries with it a powerful message concerning truth love and the protection of the Christian Community from false teachings the letter probably written around 85 or 95 like first John stands as a personal and a pastoral word for a local congregation from the apostle in this lecture we explore the

context purpose key themes and Theological insights of second John which offers a timely reminder of the essential balance between love and truth in the Christian Life as we did with the other books let's look at authorship date and audience though a lot of this will be repetitive from the previous conversations I do think it likely to be written by the same author as first John and third John it's the same Elder certainly I think that wrote second and third John and if the Apostle lived to an old age he may have adopted the title Elder

to reflect his status as a senior leader in the Christian Community second John is typically dated around 85 to 95 during a period of growing opposition and internal division within the early church this time frame aligns with the latter years of the Apostle John's life likely in Ephesus and it coincides with the rise of early Gnostic heresies that began to challenge the Orthodox understanding of Christ nature the letter is written by the Apostle John who refers to himself simply as the El Elder in my opinion this title suggests that he is an authoritative figure within

the early Christian Community who holds both Apostolic and pastoral influence the original audience is listed as the elect lady and her children the letter is addressed to this lady whoever it is uh I think the term elect lady is likely a metaphorical reference to a local church this metaphor Echoes other biblical references where the church is portrayed as the bride of Christ and her children are likely members of that church or congregation I think it's possibly a specific House Church the nature of the letter also suggests that it could have been directed to a specific

House Church as early Christian communities often met in private homes the fact that John writes to a singular congregation speaks to the Pastoral Care he had for the church ensuring that they remain faithful to the truth of the Gospel the purpose of the letter is multifold first we see it as an encouraging faithfulness to the truth of Christ John writes to encourage this community to remain grounded in the truth of the Gospel in the face of growing false teachings the Apostle calls for a firm commitment to the Christian message and particularly the true nature of

Jesus Christ another purpose is that it serves as a warning against false teachers one one of the key reasons for writing is to warn the church about false teachers who deny the full Humanity of Jesus Christ the letter strongly cautions against supporting these individuals emphasizing that their teachings are incompatible with the true Christian faith and a third important purpose is the emphasis of the balance of Love and Truth a key concern of the letter is maintaining this balance between the two in Christian Living John stresses that love must always be grounded in the truth of

Christ's commands and that truth must be expressed through love for one another these purposes lead us right into the key themes of second John the letter can be explored through several key themes that are foundational to Christian faith and practice namely number one truth and love which are both Necessities within the Christian faith and practice one of the central themes of second John is the Inseparable nature of Truth and Love John emphasizes that walking in truth is essential for Christian Living but truth must also be accompanied by love this dual commitment to both Truth and

Love is foundational to Christian obedience in verse four John expresses his joy that some of the church members are walking in the truth which is a direct reference to living according to God's commands however love without truth would lead to error just as truth without love would lead to harshness both virtues are necessary for the faithful Christian Life hospitality and false teachers is another important theme he warns against supporting false teachers a significant warning in second John involves Hospitality in the context of the early church Hospitality was a key means by which teachers and missionaries

traveled from place to place spreading the gospel however John instructs the church not to extend Hospitality to those who teach a false gospel espe especially those who deny the true Humanity of Jesus the reason for this severe warning is that to welcome such teachers into one's home would imply an endorsement of the heretical teachings thereby becoming complicit in their deception an important theme uh theological theme would be walking in obedience the love that is expressed through keeping God's commands John emphasizes that love is not merely an emotional feeling but it's a choice that is expressed

through obedience to God's commands he writes and this is love that we walk according to his commands in John 2 John chap uh verse 6 love in the biblical sense is an active response to God's Will and obedience to his commands is a natural outflow of genuine love this shows that the Christian faith is not merely about Doctrine but it's about living in a way that reflects God's truth and love in the world second John represents important theological themes that help Define the life and identity of the church in its christology Jesus is seen as

the full revelation of God John's letter is deeply concerned with the person and work of Jesus Christ one of the primary heresies that the letter addresses is the denial of Jesus's full Humanity which was a common Challenge from Gnostic teachers John upholds the Orthodox belief that Jesus Christ is the full full revelation of God both fully Divine and fully human any denial of Christ's true nature undermines the foundation of the Christian faith in terms of ecclesiology the church is seen as the community Bound by truth and love so we talk about how individuals must combine

truth and love the church as a whole must be a community Bound by it it's portrayed in second John as a community defined by its commitment to these two principles truth and love this dual commitment shapes the way that Believers relate to one another and to the world outside of it the church is not just a collection of individuals but a unified body whose life together is marked by upholding God's truth and the practice of love in all things and this leads to the ethics of the church that love and truth are guiding principles for

the Christian Behavior John's ethical instruction focuses on living according to the TRU truth of God's Commandments while embodying love in every interaction Christian ethics is not just about following a legalistic set of rules but it's about allowing God's love to guide one's life in a way that honors God and builds up others in their faith so in wrapping up second John the letter of second John though brief offers profound insight into the Christian Life it calls us to remain faithful to the truth of Christ warn warns us against false teachings that deny his true nature

and reminds us of the Inseparable relationship between love and truth as we walk in obedience to God's commands we demonstrate both love for him and love for one another may we like the elect lady and her children remain faithful in both Truth and Love guarding our hearts and our communities from the dangers of falsehood and living out the gospel with integrity now let's look at third John and it deals similarly with hospitality but also Authority and faithfulness in terms of authorship and date I think it's the same author as first and second John uh there's

a personal nature to this letter it's addressed from the Elder to gaes commending hospitality and warning against difus uh the most direct and personal of the three letters it provides insight into church leadership conflicts and the Dynamics of early Christian communities unlike first and second John which focuses on doctrinal themes third John is highly practical dealing with issues of authority hospitality and opposition within the church uh I think it is the same author as second John and therefore I think it's the same author as first John which I think is the same author as the

Gospel of John if it is distinct from the Apostle he's still closely associated with the Apostle the intimate nature of the letter suggests that the author had personal Rel relationship with both the commendable gaas and the problematic difus indicating his leadership role within the early Christian Movement and his personal Hands-On approach to leaders and individuals within the church I think thir John is believed to be written about the same time as the other letters sometime between 85 and 90 likely toward the end of the Apostles life the letter is written to a single person so

its audience is very different than the others as we saw first John is probably to a broad audience second John is probably written to a specific church this letter is written to a specific person and his name is gaes a beloved Church leader who is commended for his hospitality and faithfulness he seems to be a man of significant spiritual Integrity the letter reveals a snapshot of personal issues and Dynamics within the early church however it also addresses tensions within a local church particularly a conflict that's caused by a divisive leader a person named de trus

the letter contrasts the positive example of gaas with the negative example of deus a leader who disrupts the unity of the church the author is concerned with the Integrity of the church's leadership and how they interact with each other and how they treat Outsiders particularly traveling missionaries it's a personal letter unlike the other New Testament letters that are addressed to entire churches or groups of people uh it's written to one person and offers a glimpse into this intimate relationship in the life of leaders of the early church key themes in third John include Christian Hospitality

uh it's an important issue John Praises gaas for his faithfulness and Hospitality in 3r John veres 5-8 gaas has provided for traveling missionaries and teachers demonstrating the importance of showing love and support to those who are spreading the gospel in the early church Hospital was a sign of the spiritual maturity and a central part of the church life gas's example shows how Believers should provide for those laboring in the gospel and show kindness to fellow Believers and it has application for us today hospitality is a vital expression of Christian Community it's not just offering food

or shelter but it's about welcoming fellow Believers into our lives and supporting the work of the Gospel in their lives the book also deals with authority and leadership in a church contrasting between two individuals gaas and Deus the letter contrasts these two leaders gaas is commended for humility faithfulness and obedience while Deus is criticized for rejecting Apostolic Authority and refusing to welcome others he's doing precisely wrong what gaes is doing precisely right deus's sin is seen as someone who disrupts the unity of the church attempting to dominate it with his own agenda he refuses to

receive John's Messengers and even excommunicated those who do and this affects leadership in the church the behavior of deus is a warning to all church leaders true leaders are those who are humble serve others and follow the authority of the Apostles leadership is not about control or personal power but about Faithfully serving God and others this has a profound application for us today the leadership of The Church Must be marked by submission to God's word humility and a heart of service church leaders are meant not meant to seek their own Glory but to elevate Christ

and encourage the body of Believers it also teaches us to imitate good versus evil Demetrius is a positive example he is mentioned as a person well spoken by everyone and a model of faithfulness in thirr John verse 12 he stands in contrast to Deus as a person whose life and actions are aligned with the teachings uh of the Apostle we are called to imitate those who exhibit Godly character and align their lives with the truth of the Gospel leadership in the church should model faithfulness humility and a desire to serve others we should seek to

imitate those who live out the faith in ways that are visible and consistent the purpose of the letter then is to commend gaes John's primary purpose is to commend him for his faithfulness and Hospitality he exemplifies the traits that John Des desires to see in the church and in church leaders but it also to rebuke Deus he calls John calls him out for rejecting Apostolic Authority acting out of Pride and dividing the church this serves as a cautionary tale for dangers of selfish ambition in church leadership but it also serves as a book to encourage

support for missionaries John encourages the church to support traveling missionaries who are proclaiming the gospel he stresses that supporting those who preach the gospel is essential to the health of the church now though it's a short book it has some theological truths that are important for us to understand uh first and foremost dealing with ecclesiology the nature of church leadership in Hospitality third John offers a Theology of leadership in the church it emphasizes that church leaders are called to serve with humility and to welcome others including those involved in the mission of the Gospel it

demonstrates that leaders should reflect Christlike character and humility it also deals with ethics supporting the work of the Gospel through generosity the letter teaches the importance of generosity and of hospitality uh for those who are preaching the gospel and it serves as a model for the church to support those who are advancing the kingdom of God the letter also deals with discipleship uh showing that faithfulness is a mark of a true Christian the overall theme of the letter is that faithfulness is a mark of a true disciple of Jesus Christ faithfulness is not just about

being doctrinally correct but it is expressed in love and action toward fellow Believers and missionaries discipleship means living in a way that reflects the gospel including showing Hospitality supporting the work of the kingdom and living humbly in the body of Christ in wrapping up third John we see that it provides a unique glimpse into the Practical issues of early church life it highlights the importance of Godly leadership the need for Hospitality in the church and the call to faithfulness in following Christ key takeaways for us today is that we are called to support fellow Believers

and missionaries to show hospitality and generosity that leaders should be marked by humility and submission to Apostolic teaching not selfish ambition and that true Christian discipleship is characterized by faithfulness to God's word to others in the community and in serving the mission around the world in conclusion gas's example should serve as a model for each of us while deus's actions serve as a warning against pride and divisiveness in leadership the call of third John is clear live with a faithfulness that is visible in our actions and words and Hospitality toward others thank you for listening

to this lecture on the three johanning Epistles one to the church at large one to an individual church and one to an individual person that wrestle with issues such as the nature of Christ hospitality and how we treat others in Ministry may God bless you all