Teacher, Teacher #1
The First Blog--Warrior, woodsmith, preacher, teacher. A roundhead that they forgot to round up. Answers only to the Lord.
posted by Major B @ 4:49 PM
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Warrior, woodsmith, teacher, preacher
The lesson notes of a teacher, preacher, warrior, and woodworker, a Puritan born out of time, a roundhead they neglected to round up.
Friday, January 28, 2005
About Me
- Name: Major B
- Location: Somewhere in, Kentucky, United States
As in the song by Lynard Skynard--I am a simple man, a redneck country boy whose father taught him that working class people were not immune to knowledge. After working up through the ranks from airman to Major, I retired to do other things. I teach 7th graders (history, math, and life), I preach when called upon, and my wife and I counsel those temporarily off the path. I passionately hate Communism, which is how I found Dr. Fleming and his book.
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Lessons on 1 John
The purpose of these notes is to help and aid busy pastors, teachers, and Bible students as they study the Word of God. I will not deal with technical aspects, nor with questions such as authorship, provenance, etc., since there are ample scholarly resources available for the student to examine those aspects of Biblical study. What I will seek to do, by God’s Grace, is to delve deeply into the text, and bring out, in context, the full message and meaning of the Apostle John’s general letter.
By way of introduction, therefore, I will only state:
1. The human author of this epistle was the apostle John
2. It was written to
a. Comfort and encourage Christians
b. Provide Christians with tests for determining genuine faith from false faith
c. Provide Christians with ammunition with which to fight against the early false cults and heresies that were already arising in the first century church.
Lesson 1
The Eternal, Witnessed, Manifested, Proclaimed Word
1 John 1:1-4
Introductory Thoughts
• 1 John is a book about passing tests. The tests in 1 John include the following tests
2:3 obedience
2:15 allegiance
3:9-10holiness
4:1-3doctrine
4:7-11love
• 1 John is a book about settled knowledge 5:13-20 gives us a list of things we know, and the construction of the Greek in that passage shows that John is speaking of an absolute and settled knowledge, as we shall see when we get there.
• 1 John, written by the aged apostle to confront and challenge believers and protect against anti-Christian cults. The warnings are found throughout the book, some subtle, some very direct.
• The preface = 1:1-4
The central thought of the preface is found in the main verb we declare, 1:3 present tense, which has the sense of continuity—we are declaring and continue to declare.
What is the apostle declaring?
1. The Apostle is declaring that Jesus Christ is The Eternal Word – 1:1a, 1:2b—“…"That which was from the beginning,… concerning the Word of life;…2… that eternal life which was with the Father…”
a. Language
(1) The verb is in the imperfect tense—refers to continuous existence in a time before the time indicated
(2) But the time indicated is “from the beginning,”
(3) This, of course, means that the subject of this sentence is an eternal person or thing, with continuous existence before the beginning.
b. The Beginning: “That which was from the beginning…”
“…in the beginning, was the Word…” John 1:1
Micah 5:2 "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."
John 8:58 "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am."
Rev 22:13 "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."
(1) Christ has always been
(2) He had no beginning, there was never a time or any space before time when Christ was not.
(3) He was not made, created, or generated—He always was and always shall be.
c. There are two very significant words here: “beginning” and “was.” In the beginning WAS the Word…He already was! “Was” is in the imperfect tense in the original, in this tense, the verb indicates continual existence in the past, NOT AN ORIGIN, BUT A CONTINUAL PAST!
(1) What was before the beginning? Eternal glory, and nothing else! John 17:5, 24
(2) Contrast “was” in a different tense—
(a) John came into being (egeneto)—John 1:6
(b) The Word became flesh (egeneto)—Jesus always was, but He took on our flesh
(c) John 8:58—Abraham came into being (genesqai) but I AM—(eimi, present tense), shows continuous existence
d. Jesus Christ is an Eternal Being—no beginning, no end. He is Eternal—“…in the beginning, the Word already was….” Micah 5:2, Rev 22:13
e. In the beginning, the Word already was—He did not come to be in the beginning, He did not begin at the beginning, He was already.
f. Exo 3:14-15 "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. 15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations."
g. Thus it makes more sense when we read later that Jesus calls Himself the I AM, for He is self-existent, He had no beginning, He has no end.
h. He is a Separate Person From the Father, Yet One With Him. John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God..” 2 The same was in the beginning with God.
(1) There are in our day heretics who try to make Christ and the Father to be the same person with a different mask—but Christ and His Father are separate persons.
(2) He was “face to face with” God
(3) He was “with God,” that was His natural state.
i. Jesus Christ Is God—John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
(1) He is not “a” God, He is The God— John 20:28 "And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God."
(2) He is not “god in the sense that all men are divine”—He is God.
(3) He is not “a man in whom God came to dwell”—He is God.
(4) He is not “the son of God only”—He is God
(5) He is not a man who became God—He IS God
(6) Christ is the eternal God, very God of very God, one with the Father and Spirit, yet distinct in His personality.
(7) If you examine the pages of scripture, you will find:
(a) He is called God.
(b) He is called God by men—( John 20:28)
(c) He is called God by the Father—Heb 1:8 "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom."
(d) He accepts worship from men and angels
(e) He does the works of God
(i) Creation—John 1:3
(ii) Preservation of the universe—Col 1:17
(iii) The forgiveness of sins –Mat 9:2
(iv) The giving of eternal life –John 5:24
(v) He demonstrated His power over nature, over disease, demon powers, even over death—Matt. chapter 8
(vi) He possesses divine attributes.
(i) Self existence –John 8:58
(ii) Eternity (see above)
(iii) Omniscience –John 1:45-47
(iv) Omnipresence –Mat 18:18-20
(v) Immutability –Heb 13:8
(vi) Omnipotence –Mat 28:18
(vii) He claims to be Jehovah God—John 8:58 "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am."
2. The Eternal Word Comes Into History—“… which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled…2 the life was manifested, …”
a. The Words
(1) Heard—Perfect tense—this is settled in John’s mind. He heard Christ over a period of time, and the effect continues to the present.
(2) Seen with our own eyes—perfect tense—same effect as (1)
(3) Looked upon—different word from “seen”—the exact form as Jn 1:14, in aorist tense—the important thing here is that it happened.
(a) When John heard Him, that was one thing…
(b) When John saw Him with his own eyes, that was one thing…
(c) But when John really beheld Him in His glory—that was another thing altogether
(d) When did John behold Him thus?
(i) On the Mount of transfiguration (Mat 17)
(ii) On Calvary’s mountain
(iii) On the Mount of Olives
(iv) John did not just SEE Him, John BEHELD Him
(4) Handled with our own hands—Lk 24:39—also aorist—John did not just handle Him during His ministry, but John handled Him after His resurrection. The resurrection’s reality is no problem for John, He handled Him—John, with his own hands, handled Him.
b. The theological meaning—
(1) This is settled as far as John is concerned
(2) This is not talking about anything mystical. The absolute reality of the witnessed events and the witnessed Word is being stressed.
(3) The main point—God has entered history—the Son came.
(a) He lived for us
(b) He died for us
(c) He rose for us
(d) He ascended for us
(e) He intercedes for us
(f) He will return for us
3. The Eternal Word Declared—“…and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us; 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you…”
a. Declared what and Who He is
b. Declared what was witnessed
c. Declared the real message about the real God Man who was really seen, really heard, really handled
d. This is the apostolic Gospel, and so should we be declaring the Gospel—1 Cor 15:1-11
4. The Eternal Fellowship—“… that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ…”
a. Definition of Fellowship—Koinonia—Not just getting together to share fun and a meal, though that is certainly part of it--
Rom 15:26 For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution (Koinonia) for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem.
1 Cor 1:9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship (Koinonia) of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
2 Cor 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion (Koinonia) has light with darkness?
Gal 2:9 and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship (Koinonia) , that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.
Eph 3:9 ........the fellowship (Koinonia) of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;
Phil 3:10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship (Koinonia) of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
b. Fellowship with us—
(1) The deeper koinonia, the fullness of koinonia, is when believers in Christ work together to fulfill the mission of a New Testament church by proclaiming Biblical Truth without compromise and loving people without reservation
(2) Koinonia occurs when believers follow Christ individually, and when the local church follows Christ corporately
(3) Koinonia occurs when the Glory of God is the supreme goal of the church individually and corporately
c. That—“...hina..” in order that—purpose clause
d. Verb “have” present tense, subjunctive—“…may keep on having fellowship…” (AT Robertson)
e. Fellowship—1 Pet 4:13—with meta, emphasizing mutual relationship (Acts 2:42) (AT Robertson)
f. Fellowship with the Father and the Son—John 17!
(1) Here we see the essence of salvation!
(2) The common view of salvation
(a) Salvation from the penalty of sin
(b) Salvation from Hell
(c) Salvation to Heaven
(3) The more mature view of salvation—all the above, plus
(a) Salvation from the power of sin
(b) Salvation to serve God
(c) Salvation to serve people
(4) The full view of salvation—all the above are just the side benefits! Salvation is about present, continuous, and everlasting fellowship with the Triune God!
(a) John 17:3—“should keep on knowing…” (AT Robertson)
(i) In the Greek, ginoskosin—experiential knowledge
(ii) The essence of eternal life is continual knowledge and fellowship with the One True God.
(b) John 10:27
g. The Trinitarian emphasis—see 2:22-23 and 4:1-3! If you do not believe who Jesus is, you will not be enjoying the fellowship.
5. The Eternal Joy Comes into Our Lives —“… 4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full."
a. The message which leads to joy—
(1) These things—everything in the letter
(2) These things—everything John has witnessed and declared
b. The objects of the Joy—your joy (or our joy)—which one makes no difference!
c. The Fullness of Joy
(1) The verb stresses the state of completion—Robertson
(2) “Remain full..”
(3) John 16:24
John has introduced to us the concepts which lie behind his letter. Now it will be time to really state the problem, which he begins to do in the next lesson.
The One
By Charles T. Buntin
Major, USAF, Retired
Teacher of Life (and occasionally, Social Studies and Math).
In classrooms new, more likely old
And green or tan and hot or cold
Our students come to fill them.
Their main concern is often not
The why, where, when, or who or what
But clothes, shoes, hair, and music
Their home life may be good or bad
Or mediocre, or just plain sad
Regardless, here they bring it
Some can read and some cannot
Others barely give a thought
To anything we tell them
Their aspirations, hopes and fears
Are often 'way beyond their years
But mainly they just want out
We teach them what the state declares
They need to know to be prepared
To be obedient workers
And here and there a special one
A genius daughter, a brilliant son
Will come to make our day bright
But sitting out among the crowd
Is one too quiet, one too loud
For you to even notice
This one is smart, though no one knows
Their lamp is dim, it barely glows
What's there you can't guess it
Within that heart and soul you'll find
An extraordinary mind
Just waiting to be started
Or maybe deep within that soul
Unwakened, is a heart of gold
Who’ll rise to free a people
A hero, a doctor, a man of law,
A woman of faith whose words will thaw
A legion of cold-hearted
His face is blank, her eyes are glazed
But everyone will be amazed
By what this one will get done
But who will break the wall and start
The mind, the soul, the head, the heart
And loose what is inside them
Who'll see past the unknown teen
Who seems so dull or just plain mean
And find the hidden jewel
It's why I teach it’s why I rise
To find the fire behind the eyes
The heart of gold that's hidden
To be the teacher of the boy or girl
Who comes from nowhere to shake the world
Or like Dutch Reagan, to save it.
And any and all could be the one
The unknown daughter, forgotten son,
And I might make the difference.
God is Light –
1 John 1:5
Introductory Thoughts
• John’s epistle is a book of tests, a condemnation of heresy, and a call to holy living
• 1:5-2:2 covers the whole subject of the Christian and holiness. There is a great problem with balance in this doctrinal area
• Extreme views
Ignoring the whole question is one view! “Holiness, what is that?”, say some. Many in the churches believe that a consistent Christian lifestyle is optional. They believe in conduct-neutral Christianity examples—the lost who don’t even bother to attend, and the obviously lost (by their lifestyles) who attend church for other reasons.
The other extreme view is Perfectionism (this is a very rare view in our day)
1. Overview of the entire passage 1:5-2:2
a. The True Doctrine—God is Light 1:5
b. The First False Doctrine—Antinomianism 1:6-7. Antinomianism is against all law, is against any ethical requirement for the Christian. teaches that the evidence of a person’s life is irrelevant.
c. Second False Doctrine—Perfectionism (two varieties of error here)
(1) First Form of Perfectionism—claiming to have no tendency to sin 1:8
(2) Second statement—claiming to be sinless in practice 1:10
d. The Balance—2:1-2, John is writing this so that God’s people will live holy 2:1a, but If we sin, we have an advocate 2:1b
2. Now, 1:5—“This is the message we have heard…”
a. “have heard…”—the verb is in the perfect tense, speaking of a completed action. John is saying that the transmission of the truth is a done deal, a completed action, don’t look for any new message, the Gospel has been revealed.
b. This is the Gospel story that John is repeating, and to him, that story is a completed fact, not with additions to come later. There is no sense here of the modern theologian’s arrogant idea that we should interpret the Gospel anew for each generation. We don’t interpret and re-cast the Gospel, we declare it. The presentation may vary from culture to culture, from generation to generation, even from congregation to congregation, but the core content and meaning of the Gospel does not and cannot change.
c. But the particular form John uses here sounds strange to us.
(1) We are used to hearing the Gospel expressed in terms of what God can do for us
(2) Sometimes those who believe in works salvation speak of the gospel in terms of what we do for God
(3) We are used to hearing about the Gospel in terms of the decision we must make to confess and believe in Christ as our Savior and Lord
(4) But John states the Gospel at its very root and core—He addresses the Gospel here from the perspective of the Character of God. “God is Light...”
d. God went to a great deal of trouble to save us—Why?
(1) Why is it that the Son of God had to come and live and die and be buried, and rise, and ascend to intercede for us?
(2) Why is it that the blood of Christ was necessary to pay the price of our redemption?
(3) Why is it that God’s people are told to shun the unfruitful works of darkness and to live for Christ?
(4) Why is it that Jesus says that truly saved people are those who follow Him?
(5) It is because God’s character is LIGHT!
e. A perspective we must remember—we always think of whatever happens or is as it relates to man, but God looks at everything first of all as it relates to HIM.
(1) John’s presentation of the Gospel here points our attention to the fact that we must understand all Truth as it relates to God.
(2) The Gospel begins with the fact that God is Light, and we are not Light. God has Light to give, and we have no Light on our own.
f. The content of the message—Greek construction is two equal parts joined by “kai”God is light and There is no darkness in Him at all (a double negative in the Greek)
3. The Character of God—light vs darkness
a. Other “God is…” statements in the Bible—
(1) God is Spirit—Jn 4:24 (no definite article in the Greek, He is not “a” Spirit, He IS Spirit.
(2) God is consuming fire—Heb 12:29, also no definite article
(3) God is love—1 Jn 4:8, again , no article in the original
(4) And here, God is Light
(quote from John Stott) “… It is His nature to reveal Himself, as it is the property of light to shine; and the revelation is of perfect purity and unutterable majesty. We are to think of God as a personal being, infinite in all His perfections, transcendent, ‘the high and lofty One…He who lives forever, whose Name is Holy…’ Is 57:15…”
Stott also says that since the heretics claim to know Him, yet are indifferent to moral behavior, they are showing that they don’t know Him. “God is Light” speaks of the absolute moral purity of God, and “no darkness at all…,” the Greek double negative, is emphatic that God’s moral purity is absolute.
Comparison of light and darkness in Scripture
b. God is Light intellectually
(1) Truth—
Psa 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path."
2 Cor 4:3-6 "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake. 6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
2 Pet 1:19 "And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;"
(2) Truth is light, Error is darkness
c. God is Light morally
(1) Isa 5:20 "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"
(2) John 1:4-5 "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."…. John 1:9 "That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world." John 3:18-21 ""He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 "But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.""
(3) Eph 5:5-16 "For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them. 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 14 Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light." 15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil."
d. God is Light spiritually
(1) Our warfare is not primarily physical, mental, or even moral. Our primary battle is Spiritual, against spiritual forces of darkness—
Eph 6:10-12 "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."
1 Th 5:4-8 "But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation."
(2) The primary warrior is the Lord Himself—Eph 6:10
e. The Character of God negatively considered—there is no darkness in Him at all—again, the Greek double negative, which is emphatic. There is not the slightest hint of darkness in God at all. He does not have a “dark side.”
(1) No darkness intellectually.
(2) No darkness morally
(3) No darkness spiritually
4. Application—
a. God is light, intellectually, morally, spiritually
b. This is why God did not just glaze over sin, He dealt with sin. Sin is not capriciously forgiven appropriate and complete payment has been made for sin!
c. Therefore there is an ethical and moral element to the Christian Faith. God does not judiciously save us and justify us, and then leave us to treat how we live as an optional thing.
d. And this is the message that John is sending us!
e. The passage goes on from here to deal with the details of how this works out, but the message today is that God is Light, and there is no darkness at all in Him.
f. The darkness of our day
(1) The gay movement
(2) Abortion on demand
(3) Denial of the Bible
(4) The degradation of Hollywood.
(5) The destruction of families
(6) The drug trade
(7) The imitation of Christianity that exists in so many circles
g. With whom do you fellowship?
(1) Do the works and ways of darkness dominate your life?
(2) Do you find yourself more comfortable with the people of darkness?
(3) Is your mind, heart, even politics in line with the works of darkness?
h. What does God want from His people?
(1) We are to glorify Him in all we do and are—1 Cor 6:19-20, 10:31, Eph 3:21
(2) We are to be the light of the world we are a reflection of His Light, intellectually, morally, spiritually
Mat 5:14-16 ""You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 "Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."
(3) We are to let our light shine
(4) We are to be conformed to the image of His Son—Rom 8:29
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