Jensens survey of the old testament adam 599
Bạn đang xem bản rút gọn của tài liệu. Xem và tải ngay bản đầy đủ của tài liệu tại đây (117.74 KB, 4 trang )
unequivocally John declares this truth about
Christ.
John’s rst letter also may have been
addressed in part to two other false views:
(1) that of the Ebionites, who denied the
deity of Christ; and (2) that of the
Cerinthians, who denied the eternal union of
the divine and human natures of Christ.
Four times in the epistle, John speci cally
tells why he is writing this epistle. Read
these verses and record John’s purposes: 1:4;
2:1, 26; 5:13.
E. FORM AND STYLE
1 . Form. The rst epistle of John has a
unique combination of form and style
qualities. It is classi ed as an epistle, even
though it does not have the usual opening
salutation, personal conclusion, references to
proper names (except that of Jesus), or
speci c references to details of the lives of
either the readers or the writer. Its many
personal references to writing (e.g., “My little
children, I am writing these things to you
that you may not sin,” 2:1a) are enough
justi cation for considering the book as an
epistle. On the basis of its contents one may
say that the book is a personal letter of an
aged Christian leader to congregations of
mature Christians with whom the writer was
acquainted.
More will be said about the form, or
structure, of the epistle in the Survey section
of this chapter.
2 . Style. In Hebraistic style, John writes
short, simple, straightforward, picturesque
sentences. The extended opening sentence
(1:1-3) is the one exception to the short
pattern. Parallelisms and contrasts abound in
the book. Concerning the latter, one writer
comments, “His colours are black and white;
there is no grey.”6 John speaks with a tone
of authority and nality based on experience
(“we have seen,” 1:1). And yet there is a
paternal tenderness about the epistle that
makes the reader want to pause and
meditate over the great truths being
declared. Concerning this combination of
tenderness and authority, Merrill Tenney
writes, “The mellowness of the teaching …
is not to be confused with vagueness of
belief or with theological indecision.”76
F. W. Farrar has written this very accurate
appraisal of the epistle’s style: “It is a style
absolutely unique, supremely original, and
full of charm and sweetness. Under the
semblance of extreme simplicity, it hides
unfathomable depths. It is to a great extent
intelligible to the youngest child, to the
humblest Christian; yet to enter into its full
meaning exceeds the power of the deepest
theologian.”8
IV. SURVEY OF 1 JOHN
A. A FIRST READING
1. Prepare mind and heart to search
diligently for all the grand truths that God
would have you learn in this study. Humbly
ask God to reveal Himself to you in a fresh,
vivid way as you examine the Bible text.
Maintain an attitude of dependency on the
Holy Spirit’s enlightenment throughout your
survey study of this epistle.
2. Mark new paragraph divisions in your
Bible beginning at these verses:
1:1, 5, 8
2:1, 3, 7, 12, 15, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28
