EPILOGUE OF 1 JOHN - PART II

The third issue John considers concerns the fundamental truth about the exact nature of the Son of God—the foundation for the believer’s meaningful fellowship with Jesus Christ.

The Person of Jesus Christ

In laying the groundwork for this truth, John informs the believer of the heresy of Gnosticism. In John’s day, the Gnostics infiltrated the early church with the claim that Jesus Christ in His humanity was not true deity. John dispels their false teachings, affirming that the Gnostic teacher “is not from God” (4:3). Without mentioning the Gnostic sect by name, John characterizes them as antichrists (2:18) and false prophets (4:1). He proclaimed that “This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son” (2:22; 4:3).

It is important to distinguish the precise composition of Jesus Christ: He had a body (Matthew 26:26), a soul (John 12:27), and a spirit (Luke 23:46). For this reason, John defends his position that Jesus Christ is true God and true man, indivisible in hypostatic union, by declaring His deity and His humanity. At the outset he asserts His divine nature “was from the beginning” and “was with the Father” (1:1–2). This is the exact manner in which John opened his gospel account: “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1–2). And John affirmed Jesus’ humanity: “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Even our Lord’s disciples believed and proclaimed His deity: Martha, “You are the Christ, the Son of God” (John 11:27); Thomas, “My Lord and My God!” (John 20:28); Peter, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).

The Error of Our Day

There is a movement today within some Christian alliances that have become careless in pursuing accuracy in biblical interpretation. The attitude seems to be that the analysis of Scripture can and should be determined based upon each believer’s own personal understanding of what it means to them. Ryrie cautioned that “Even good Christians can fall into the trap of trying to mold God according to one’s own thinking or wishes or pleasure.”1 This method of understanding Scripture is what the apostle Peter warned against:

But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation.”(2 Peter 1:20)

What this approach generates is multiple meanings of God’s Word—many that are false create division and confusion among believers. Since God is not a God of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33) He has developed a system for believers to attain the divine viewpoint of His Word. The apostle Paul explained this precisely:

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11–13)

Note that in the original Greek the “pastors and teachers” refers to one individual—the pastor–teacher of the local church. Thus, God designed for the local church to have a pastor who would teach biblical truth accurately, so that the congregation would comprehend with all believers the absolute interpretation of God’s Word (Ephesians 3:18f).

Trinity Distinctions 

John understood that in his day the Gnostics taught false doctrines—specifically, the false teachings of the person and works of Jesus Christ. And today, we are confronted with a similar problem: the erroneous interpretation of the persons of the God–head—the Trinity. Thus producing confusion among believers and misleading many into incorrect practices. White explains that “many Christians, without knowing it, hold a false view of the Trinity simply due to their inability to articulate the difference between believing in one Being of God and three persons sharing that one Being.”2 This is a reasonable point, since the doctrine of the Trinity is a very difficult concept for many believers to comprehend. White continues:

As a result, even orthodox Christian believers slip into an ancient heresy known by many names: modalism, Sabellianism, Patripassionism. Today this same error is called Oneness or the “Jesus Only” position. Whatever its name might be, it is a denial of the Trinity based upon a denial of the distinction between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.3   

Those who advocate the “Oneness or the ‘Jesus Only’ position” are the ones who overlook the function of each member of the Trinity. In particular, when it comes to prayer, the correct order of prayer is to address our prayers to the Father, as our Lord instructed: “Our Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9). He reaffirmed this three times (John 14:13; 15:16; 16:23) stipulating that the effectiveness of our prayers is achieved when we ask the Father “in My name.” The correct order of prayer is essential because when we ask the Father in the name of Jesus Christ we are recognizing that the Father is the provider of all our needs (Philippians 4:19) and the Son, Jesus Christ, is our designated “Advocate with the Father” (1 John 2:1), the One Who “always lives to make intercession” on our behalf (Hebrews 7:25).

Emphatic Conclusion

As the 1^st Century drew to a close, John advocated sound doctrinal teaching, consistently dismissing the false teachings of the Gnostics. He staunchly asserted that “every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist” (1 John 4:2–3).

Today, it is essential that the 21^st Century Church follow John’s example and reject the doctrinal errors concerning our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ—“the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20).          

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[1] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, A Survey of Bible Doctrine (Chicago: Moody Press, 1972), p. 24.

[2] James R. White, The Forgotten Trinity (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 1998), p. 153.

[3] Ibid, p. 153.

 

EPILOGUE OF 1 JOHN - PART I

What John Tells Us has been a two and a half year study of John’s first epistle. Attention given to each verse averaged 850 words, and even then the content of 1^st John has only been moderately scrutinized. For readers to acquire a more comprehensive understanding of this commentary, they will do well to study and examine all the cited Scripture references. Also, an additional benefit would be the familiarization of John’s gospel account. In fact, all of John’s writings should be taken as a whole, since his objective was to reveal to the world the unique God–Man Jesus Christ and provide believers with the accurate premise upon which to glorify Christ while living the Christian way of life. 

There are three predominant issues that John presents in this epistle; the first two will be examined in this study, and the third will be the subject of the following post.

Our Abiding Residence

For believers to understand the true significance of their faith in Christ, this first issue is crucial for maintaining fellowship “with the Father and with His Son” (1:3). This is characterized by our abiding residence in Him (2:6, 27, 28; 3:24; 4:13). The believers’ abiding fellowship is based upon walking in the Light (1:7; 2:10) and having been cleansed from all sin (1:7, 9). Therefore, the epitome of the Christian way of life is for believers to maintain their abiding residence in Him so that Jesus Christ remains the focal point of their lives. This is a relationship based upon a personal love for God by “whoever keeps His word” (2:5); a love exhibited when “we  keep His commandments” (5:3; cf. John 14:15; 15:10); and by impersonal love for fellow believers (2:10; 3:23; 4:7, 11, 12, 21; cf. John 13:34; 15:12, 17).

The Issue of Love

Because of John’s emphasis upon love, he has been regarded as the “Apostle of love.” Unfortunately, many have mistakenly proposed that John refers only to a dreamy, tender affectionate or romantic type of love. However, John primarily alludes to a self-sacrificial impersonal type of love towards unbelievers and fellow believers, which is different than our personal love for God the Father (2:15). The distinction between personal and impersonal love has been effectively clarified by Colonel R.B. Thieme, Jr.:

Unlike personal love, which emphasizes the attractiveness of the object of love, impersonal love emphasizes the capacity and integrity of the one who loves. Whereas personal love is an intense and subjective attitude toward a few, impersonal love is a relaxed and objective mental attitude toward everyone—friend or enemy, worthy or unworthy, pleasant or obnoxious. Impersonal love solves problems in personal relationships. The believer with impersonal love is able to accept all people as they are, without demands for reciprocation, without reaction or retaliation, without incurring mental attitude sins. Whether encountering love and admiration or hatred and reproach, this unconditional attitude is stable and enduring (Colossians 3:12–14; 1 Peter 3:8–9).1

And the late Bible teacher Chester McCalley (1935–2000) concisely summarized this type of love:

Love directed towards man is the mental attitude that demands that we do what is best for another in the light of eternity no matter what it costs us.2

Regarding personal love for God the Father, note that this is commanded in both the Old and New Testaments. Our Lord restated this command to the Pharisees:

And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37; cf. Deuteronomy 6:5; Luke 10:27)

For believers to love God they must do so with all their heart, soul and mind—not emotionally, but with rational intelligence. Divine truth must be the content of the believer’s intellect in order to truly love and worship Him. This is what Our Lord maintained when speaking to the Samaritan woman:

“The true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23–24).

We worship in spirit when we present our body, the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), as a pleasing sacrifice for intelligent worship (Romans 12:1).3 Accordingly, our worship is based upon the absolute truth contained in His Word (John 17:17). Thus, John asserts that the demonstration of the believer’s love for God is perfected by obedience to His word:

But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him (1 John 2:5)

To keep His word means to keep His commandments, as Jesus stated: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15, 23; 15:10). Our Lord is not merely referring to the 10 Commandments, but instead, that which is mandated for all believers today; these must be discovered throughout Scripture. This requires believers to avail themselves to intensive daily study of the Bible. His Word transforms the believer by the renovation of their mind (Romans 12:2; cf. Ephesians 4:23f) and being “renewed to a true knowledge” of God (Colossians 3:10). Personal love for God motivates the believer in his worship and total reliance upon Him for the provision of every essential spiritual and physical need (Philippians 4:19).

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[1] Thieme, R.B., Jr. (2022). Thieme’s Bible Doctrine Dictionary, Houston, TX: R.B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries, p. 136.

[2] McCalley, Chester. http://wordoftruthkc.org/sites/default/files/file/Philippians%20Commentary.pdf, p. 4. [Retrieved April 19, 2025]

[3] The accurate meaning of Romans 12:1 from the Greek.

 

© 2026 David M. Rossi 

 

REFRAIN FROM IDOLS: PART 2 - 1 JOHN 5:21

Verse 21: Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

Jesus Christ is to be the exclusive celebrity in our lives—He is the only one the believer is to idolize and worship (Philippians 2:9-11). What is interesting to observe is that the issue of idols and idolatry are not mentioned in the gospel accounts. But as soon as the apostles began to preach in the non-Jewish Greek world it became necessary to confront this matter. 1 The apostle Paul even warned the Colossians (Col. 2:18) that “the worship of the angels” would result in the loss of their prize—“the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14; cf. 1 Cor. 9:24).

Unfortunately, the proliferation of idols has continued for centuries. They include statues and art works that venerate our Lord and various saints, angels and biblical images, so that today we are confronted with multiple forms of religious images—pictures, drawings, photos, sculptures, few of which were accessible to Christians in the first century.

However, Scripture does not advocate the necessity or provide the directive that we should focus on a physical object in order to substantiate God’s reality in our minds to generate a spiritual “mood” for our encounter with the Divine. Some might object and claim that seeing an image helps them to concentrate while in prayer or going about their daily activities. Yet, this is another example of how modern mysticism has infiltrated Christianity today, disregarding Scriptures’ assertion that our true focus is to believe in the unseen Savior:

Whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory. (1 Peter 1:8 NKJV)

The apostle Thomas is an example of one who would not believe in the risen Jesus unless he physically encountered Him (John 20:25). When he actually confronted Jesus, our Lord stated a promise:

Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” (John 20:29)

Our Lord is referring to us, twenty centuries later. For we have never seen Him face-to-face; nor have we put our hand in His wounded side or put our finger in His nail-print hands. For Peter states that in reality we who believe ought to “rejoice with joy inexpressible” even though we do “not see Him.” And for the good reasons that Barnes mentions:

He has done more for us than any other one who ever lived among men. He died for us, to redeem our souls. He rose, and brought life and immortality to light. He ever lives to intercede for us in heaven.2

The writer of Hebrews instructs us who have not seen Him on how we are to authentically live our life today:

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1–2) [Emphasis added]

How are we able to "fix our eyes on Jesus"? Obviously, not our physical eyes but instead the eyes of our soul. Wuest aptly explains:

One must have the nature of God (2 Peter 1:4) to appreciate and love the Lord Jesus. It is this ideal combination of a study of God’s Word and a definite subjection to the Holy Spirit that results in the clear, vivid portrait of the Lord Jesus in the spiritual vision of the saint.3

Concluding Thought

If we are to have true fellowship with the Father we must love Him (Matthew 22:37) and validate our love for Him by intently studying and applying His Word in our daily life. If we are to truly have fellowship with Jesus Christ we must believe that He indeed is true deity, that we be responsive to His commands (John 14:15) and to ensure that He permeates all our thought, word and actions. Thus, we would never need some trinket or a picture to remind us of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

It is fitting that John closes his epistle with a warning to believers about idols. For anything which stands between God and the believer is an idol.4 And as long as the believer regards another person (spouse, child, best friend), an obsession (job, hobby), or object as more important, they will never have the personal relationship with Jesus Christ that God intended for them. Whatever distracts the supremacy of Christ in the believer’s life will continues to impede their ability to advance to the biblical measure of spiritual adulthood (Ephesians 4:13).

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[1] Wilhelm Mundle, In The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, ed. Colin Brown, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1986), 2.285.

[2] Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: James to Jude, ed. Robert Frew (London: Blackie & Son, 1884–1885), XIII.2.118.

[3] Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader, (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1997), 11.28.

[4] J.V. McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary, (Nashville,TN: Thomas Nelson, 1997), 5.821.

 

REFRAIN FROM IDOLS: PART 1 - 1 JOHN 5:21

Verse 21: Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

John now concludes his epistle with a command to his loving children that they should guard themselves from idols. The word guard means to keep1 with the objective to actively refrain from idols. This recollects the second commandment given by God to Moses which is still applicable today:

“You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me.” (Exodus 20:4–5)

But what exactly is an idol? To begin with, the word idol comes from the Greek word to see, meaning that it is something visual or visualized. Visual idols are often considered to be simply man-made objects, such as statues patterned from various materials: stone, wood, metal, rubber or plastic. They were designed to be viewed and/or hand-held for pagan worship and adoration; many were invoked to assist the worshiper with worldly matters: crops, sex, combat, suffering, etc. Scripture frequently identifies many of these idols: the golden calf (Exodus 32); teraphim—household idols (Gen. 31:19; Judges 17:5; 1 Sam. 19:13; Hosea 3:4); the “silver shrines” of the goddess Artemis’ (Diana) temple (Acts 19:24ff); and Athens, the city full of idols (Acts 17:16ff). They are characterized as abominations (Deut. 29:17; 32:16) and demons, not the true God (Deut. 32:17; cf. 1 Cor. 10:20–21). The worship of idols is unquestionably the sin of idolatry.

The extent of the problem of idols in the Jewish nation compelled Isaiah to write that the land had been “filled with idols” (Isaiah 2:8). And Jeremiah admonished them of the foolishness and irrationality of idol worship, proclaiming that idols cannot speak or walk “nor can they do any good” (Jeremiah 10:2-5). And those who disobeyed God’s mandate against idolatry were ridiculed:

“Woe to him who says to a piece of wood, ‘Awake!’ To a mute stone, ‘Arise!’ And that is your teacher? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, And there is no breath at all inside it.” (Habakkuk 2:19)

John is not alone in warning against idols, Paul charged the Corinthians to flee from idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:14), to run and earnestly avoid it.2 Paul also commended the Thessalonians for having “turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God” (1 Thess. 1:9). On this point, John may have been concerned that his readers would be deceived by the Gnostic heresy that denied the deity of Jesus Christ and instead of serving the true God that they would idolize the false concepts of Christ that the Gnostics promoted.

Idols in the World

In our culture today, there are celebrities in sports, entertainment and even in politics that are considered stars or idols that are fervently admired. Not that they are being worshipped in a religious manner, but they have become the center of attention for their fan base and the mainstream media. To what extent they are venerated is relevant only to the individual admirer. For there are many who are so obsessed with a celebrity that they attend all their events, watch all their shows and own their posters, recordings, videos and signature clothing.  

Thus it might be asked: do believers today have idols? Some believers admire Christian entertainers and their music or acting abilities; and there have been some ministers, television evangelists and Christian authors who have enthusiastic followers. We must each carefully consider whether our love for God is superseded by our affections for these individuals and if it distracts us from our serving and genuine worship of Our Lord.

John’s intention here is to caution against more than physical idols of pagan worship; he is warning believers that replacing their affections for the true God with anything is contrary to the teaching of Scripture. For the all-consuming idolization of a person, object or social trend are aspects of the “things in the world” that John has commanded that we are not to love (1 John 2:15). The apostle Paul was of the same thinking, commanding the believer to “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2).

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[1] As it is translated in many English versions - ESV, NKJV, KJV, NIV.

[2] Zodhiates, S. (2000). In The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, G5343.