Audio is streamed from the publisher.
Show notes
Welcome to “Reading First John” – Episode 1: Setting the Stage In this opening episode, Adult Ministries Pastor Peter Englert teams up with his longtime friend and professor Dr. Ron Hall to dive into the often‑overlooked New Testament letter, 1 John. Peter, who previously guided listeners through 1 Peter, introduces the series’ mission: to unpack the book’s rich theology and practical application for anyone reading it alone, in a small group, or simply craving deeper insight. Ron explains why 1 John deserves more attention—its “neglected” status, its powerful themes of love, light, and truth, and its relevance to today’s culture of “sin‑denying” and “false doctrine.” Together they outline the historical backdrop (late 80s‑90s AD, likely penned from Ephesus by the Apostle John), the letter’s structure (light, righteousness, love, and a closing exhortation), and the key verse 1 John 5:13 that anchors the whole work. Listeners get a quick guide to helpful study tools (the NIV Application Study Bible, Craig Keener’s commentaries), a preview of the recurring motifs—God as light, the reality of Christ’s incarnation, and the call to love in action—and a promise that each episode will blend solid biblical scholarship with everyday, heart‑changing application. 1 JOHN STUDY NOTES Introduction and Chapter 1 by Dr. Ronald S. Hall Key theme of 1 John True Christian belief and practice vs. false teachings Key Verse of 1 John 1 John 5:13 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. Dating of 1 John Date – late 80’s to early 90’s Key Words of 1 John “Love” – 24 of the 180 times found in the New Testament “We know” occur 40 times (oida 15 times; ginosko 25 times) “Light” occurs 13 times “Little Children” – 7 of 8 times found in New Testament “Life” 6 times Backdrop of 1 John 1. Getting to know the author: John was the Son of Zebedee. He was a fisherman with his father, and his brother’s name was James. John apparently possessed a fiery personality. In Mark 3:17 we learn that he and James were known as the sons of thunder. Remember, it was James and John who wanted to call down fire from heaven to destroy people who were resistant to Christ. Three and one-half years with the Master transformed his life. John took a back seat to Peter, yet the two functioned together in Acts. John was divinely used by God to author 5 books of the Bible: Gospel of John, 1, 2, 3 John, and Revelation. In the Gospel of John he avoids naming himself. John was called “The Beloved” and was known as “the disciple whom Jesus loved”. It is noteworthy that John was the only one of the twelve disciples at the foot of the cross and Jesus entrusted him with the care of his mother. John is writing 1 John as a Father of the Faith. Interestingly, he refers numerous times to the recipients of the letter as “My dear children” or “My beloved” or “Dear children” or “Dear friends” – 2:7; 3:2, 21; 4:1, 7. He writes personally, affectionately, yet forcefully and with such clarity that we cannot avoid the pointed conviction and spiritual challenge to grow. 2. Place John writes from It is most commonly believed that John wrote the letter from Ephesus, while pastoring there. To – Christians around Region of Ephesus It has been held that John followed Paul and Timothy as pastor in Ephesus. He is writing to a church or group of churches that he knew very well. He may have remained there for many years, except when banished to the Isle of Patmos for preaching the Gospel. At that time, he wrote Revelation. Appreciating the Backdrop of 1 John In 1 John, John is writing to reinforce the doctrine of Christ as central to Christianity and to counteract what was threatening the church. He is reaffirming his apostolic teaching about Jesus Christ and the Christian life. False beliefs and practices were harming churches, and they had to be confronted. Among the professing members were those who adopted certain beliefs about the person and work of Christ that could not be allowed. These new beliefs involved a denial that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, come in the flesh (1 John 4:2–3), and that his death was necessary for the forgiveness of sins (1 John 5:6–7). Also, there was a watering down of sin and even a denial of sin (1 John 1:5-10).3 A sharp disagreement arose which resulted in the secession of those who embraced these new views (1 John 2:19). Biblical scholars have called these people who left secessionists. They were not content to keep their new beliefs to themselves. They organized a group who circulated among the churches and propagated their beliefs with a view to winning people over to their understanding of things (1 John 2:26; 4:1–3; 2 John 7). This created confusion in the community to such a degree that the believers questioned whether they really knew God and had an accurate understanding of truth and eternal life in Christ Jesus. John's Response John is determined to provide them with the necessary tools to face the issues and provides means to diagnose if one is really in the faith by what they say about Jesus Christ, along with walking and living in the truth (1 John 1:5–2:2; 2:3–11; 3:7–10, 14–15; 4:4–6, 7–8, 13–15; 5:13, 18–20). Believers are equipped to focus on the vital truths of the Christian life and since heresies were invading the church something had to be done. John even goes so far as to tell them that Antichrist was coming, and even at the time of writing many antichrists had come and were impacting the church. Adding to the mix and evident in 1 John are the widespread deviant teachings in the region known as Gnosticism and Docetism, which were at odds with authentic Christianity. These groups denied sin, the deity of Christ, reality, the body and spirit. The Recipients of the Letter The recipients were not likely new converts in light of the depth of teaching and their knowledge of Christ. They had a good understanding of the truth and the teachings of Christ: 3:23; obeying His commandments: 2:7; Confessing His name: 2:23; and they were aware of the attacks of the enemy: 2:13, 14, and 16. They were likely Gentiles rather than Jews. This is evidenced by the lack of extensive quotes from the Old Testament. Organization of 1 John Prologue – 1:1-4 God is Light – 1:5-2:27 God is Righteousness – 2:28-4:6 God is Love – 4:7-5:12 Epilogue – 5:13-21