Good Word Lessons

Observations for discussion and questions: The overall unity of this passage may be seen in the density of recurrences of the clause we know that. The subunit of 5:14-17 defined by the recurrences of the...

Continue reading →

Observations for discussion and questions: The following passage as a whole is delimited by three recurrences of belief in relation to Jesus: who believes that Jesus is the Son of God (5:5), who believes in...

Continue reading →

Observations for discussion and questions: Here again we see John ministering to a community that are suffering from the impact of the schism he mentions later in this chapter. He gives them tests both as...

Continue reading →

Observations for discussion and questions: The topic of this lesson focuses on two major passages, 1 John 3:11-24 and 1 John 4:7-5:4. 1 John 3:11-24 is carefully structured by the overall recurrences of we should...

Continue reading →

Observations for discussion and questions: The overall unity of 1 John 2:28-3:10 is supported by the recurrences of manifested, everyone, who does/does not do right, children of God, born of him/God. The subsections are demarcated...

Continue reading →

Observations for discussion and questions: The principle occasion for the writing of 1 John was most likely a serious schism of the Johannine community over teaching about Christ. There are two well defined passages that...

Continue reading →

Observations for discussion and questions: 1 John 2:12-14 is puzzling. The fact that the author says almost the same thing in each stanza with a shift of verb tense in “writing” and “wrote” may be...

Continue reading →

Observations: 1 John 1:5-2:2 is carefully crafted in terms of structure where between an introductory proposition and a concluding application and exposition we have three false claims reflected in if-clauses, “if we say that we…,”...

Continue reading →

Observations: If, as noted in the previous lesson, the primary purpose of 1 John was to give instructions and encouragement in the wake of a painful schism over views that questioned the incarnation of Jesus...

Continue reading →

1 John Observations: The Author: Although traditionally the author was taken to be the Apostle John, none of the letters identify the author by name. In 2 and 3 John he is referred to as...

Continue reading →