1 John is a progressive revelation. The great revelation is that God is love. He doesn't have love. He is love. We are born of God or born of Love. When we recognize that God is love and that He lives in us, we will be like God. We will love others.
The idea of God as a Father in not new to the New Testament. Greek mythology speaks of the gods as fathers, but they were not benevolent and loving. In many ways they were cruel and often mean and vindictive. The Old Testament also reveals God as a Father in several verses, but it was not commonly recognized by the Jews during Jesus' day because of the Law. Some Old Testament verses that reveal God as Father are Exodus 4:22, Isaiah 63:16, Isaiah 64:8, Hosea 11:1, Deut. 1:30-31, Deut. 8:5, Deut. 32:6, Psalms 89:26, Isaiah 9:6. Jesus recognized this from His study of the Old Testament. That is where He recognized God as His Father.
Gnosticism or Neoplatonism was the main philosophical school of thought during the time that the New Testament was written. Gnosticism was born out of the writings of Plato, who lived around 400 B.C. Many of the abstract themes that we see in 1 John are themes that were dealt with in the writings of Plato: light and darkness, love and hate, life and death. Gnosis is a Greek term for knowledge. Gnosticism evolved from the Way of Truth that was outlined by Plato in his dialogues and letters. The Gnostics were concerned with spiritual enlightenment, and ascent into the divine or godlike realm by this secret knowledge. Therefore, Gnosticism espoused two premises that the Bible would consider false teachings. First, the Gnostics believed in a dualism regarding spirit and physical matter. They asserted that physical matter is inherently evil and spirit is good. As a result, they said that anything done in the body, even the grossest sin, has no meaning because real life exists in the spirit realm only. Second, the Gnostics believed they possessed an 'elevated knowledge', a 'higher truth' known only to a few, which was revealed from a higher plain of existence. They believed that salvation was gained through the acquisition of this 'divine knowledge' which freed them from the illusions of darkness here on the earth. The Gnostics did not believe that Jesus came to earth in a physical body because they believed that physical matter was inherently evil.
John refutes these Gnostic ideas and he also reveals that God is love, which was a great revelation to the Greeks and Jews of his day. I believe that John does this in a humorous, tongue-in-cheek manner.
1 John 3:2 "Beloved, now we are children of God (born of God), and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be (until later in 1 John chapter 4), but we know that when He is revealed (as love), we shall be like Him (we will walk in love), for we shall see Him as He is (He is love)." In chapter 4, God is revealed as love. This pattern is used throughout the book. John speaks in one chapter of a subject, often using the abstract themes discussed earlier, and it is revealed a chapter or so later more clearly.
1 John 4:7-8 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God: and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." Notice that he who loves is (1) born of God and (2) knows God. He who does not love does not know God. It doesn't say that he isn't born of God. We can be born of God but not know God, that He is love. Therefore we will not walk in love, even though we are born again.
1 John 4:17 "Love has been perfected (brought to completion) among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgement; because as He is (God is love), so are we in this world (we walk in love toward others).
1 John 4:18 "There is no fear (of God and punishment) in love; but perfect love (love brought to completion in us) casts out fear (of God and punishment), because fear involves torment (punishment). But he who fears (punishment) has not been made perfect in love (he does not understand the full extent of God's love)."
Let us explore this idea that God is love a little further. This is the basis of the gospel of John also.
Genesis 1:1 "IN THE BEGINNING, God created the heavens and the earth." Who is this God Who created everything? Is He sometimes mean and cruel like the gods of Greek mythology? Is He the God of justice and punishment based on the Law of the Old Testament?
John 1:1-18 "IN THE BEGINNING was the Word....." Notice the themes of light and darkness included in the first several verses. Then verse 10 "The world was made through Him, but the world did not know Him (God is love)." Verses 12-13 We become children of God. We are born of God. Verse 17 "For the law (and judgement) was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." Verse 18 No one has seen this unknown God at any time. Jesus has declared Him (or revealed Him) as love.
1 John 1:1 "That which was from THE BEGINNING....." John reveals God as love in His epistle..
Keith Oliver
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