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General Outlines of the First Epistle of John

 

The Beginning 

1.    The Word of life from the beginning (1:1);

2.    The old commandment which you have had from the beginning (2:7);

3.    He who is from the beginning (2:13-14);

4.    That you heard from the beginning (2:24);

5.    The devil has sinned from the beginning (3:8);

6.    The message that you heard from the beginning (3:11);

 

The Being of the Lord Jesus

1.    The Word of life from the beginning (1:1);

2.    That eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us (1:2);

3.    His Son, the Son, the Son of God, the only begotten Son (1:3, 7; 2:22-24; 3:8, 23; 4:9, 10, 15; 5:5, 9-13, 20);

4.    Christ (1:3; 2:1, 22; 3:23; 4:2; 5:1, 6, 20);

5.    Advocate (2:1);

6.    propitiation (2:2);

 

Little Children

1.    Little children, do not sin (1:1-2:6);

2.    Little children, do not love the world (2:7-17);

3.    Little children, it is the last hour (2:18-27);

4.    Little children, abide in the Lord (2:28-3:6);

5.    Little children, let no one deceive you (3:7-24);

6.    Little children, you are of God and have overcome them (4:1-5:17);

7.    Little children, keep yourselves from idols (5:18-21);

 

From Eternal Life to Eternal Life

1.    The preachment and declaration of the eternal life:

a.    Was manifested: was manifested to us (1:2);

b.    We have heard; we have seen; we have touched (1:1-3, 5);

c.    Bear witness: declare to you (1:2, 5);

d.    We might live through Him; know that we have eternal life (4:9; 5:11-13);

2.    The effect of obtaining the eternal life:

a.    Through which we are enabled to have fellowship with God and be filled with joy (1:3-4);

b.    There is the teaching of the anointing in the eternal life (2:25-27);

c.    Through which we can practice righteousness and do not sin and cannot sin (2:29; 3:9; 5:16, 18);

d.    Through which we can love brothers and obtain love to love God and him who is begotten of Him (3:14; 4:7; 5:1);

e.    Through which we are able to keep ourselves so that the wicked one cannot touch us (5:18-19);

f.     Through which we get understanding to know the true One and abide in Him (5:20);

3.    This is the true God and eternal life (5:20);

 

The Relations of the Lord Jesus with Believers

1.    The eternal life which was manifested to us (1:2);

2.    Our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (1:3);

3.    The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin (1:7);

4.    We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (2:1);

5.    He Himself is the propitiation for our sins (2:2; 4:10);

6.    Let us keep His commandments and His word (2:3, 5);

7.    Let us abide in Him and walk just as He walked (2:6);

8.    Our sins are forgiven for the Lord’ name's sake (2:12);

9.    He who acknowledges the Son has the Father also (2:23);

10. when the Lord is revealed, we shall be like Him (3:2);

11. The Lord was manifested to take away our sins (3:5);

12. The Lord laid down His life for us (3:16);

13. God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him (4:9);

14. The Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world (4:14);

15. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God (5:1);

16. He who overcomes the world is the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God (5:5);

17. He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself (5:10);

18. He who has the Son has life (5:12);

19. The Son of God has come and has given us an understanding (5:20);

20. We are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ (5:20);

 

God is …

1.    God is light (1:5).

2.    God is righteous (2:29).

3.    God is love (3:7, 16).

 

This is …

1.    This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you (1:5);

2.    This is the antichrist (2:22);

3.    This is the message that you heard from the beginning (3:11);

4.    This is the spirit of the Antichrist (4:3);

5.    This is love (4:10);

6.    This is what we have seen and testify (4:14);

7.    This is the commandment we have from Him (4:21);

8.    This is the love of God (5:3);

9.    This is the confidence that we have in Him (5:14);

10. This is the true God and eternal life (5:20);

 

Seven Pair of Contrast between Truth and Falsehood

1.    The contrast between light and darkness (1:5-2:11);

2.    The contrast between God the Father and the world (2:12-17);

3.    The contrast between the Christ and the antichrist (2:18-28);

4.    The contrast between practicing righteousness and committing sins (2:29-3:24);

5.    The contrast between the Spirit and the spirit of error (4:1-6);

6.    The contrast between true love and vain love (4:7-21);

7.    The contrast between he who is born of God and he who is born of man (5:1-21);

 

Truth

1.    The truth can be practiced (1:6);

2.    The truth is in the one who is true only (1:8; 2:4);

3.    The truth can be known (2:21);

4.    No lie is of the truth (2:21);

5.    They who truly love one another are of the truth (3:19);

6.    The spirit of the truth abides in him who hears those who are of God (4:6);

 

Four Lies

1.    He who says he has fellowship with God walks in darkness (1:6);

2.    He who says he knows the Lord does not keep the word of Him (2:4);

3.    He who denies Jesus is the Christ (2:22);

4.    He who says he loves God does not love his brothers (4:20);

 

Seven Trials

1.    The trial of being in light and in darkness (the trial of self-righteousness):

a.    Confess one’s sins or say one has no sin (1:6-9);

b.    Love brothers or hate brothers (2:8-11);

2.    The trial of knowing and not knowing God the Father (the trial of love):

a.    Love God or love the world (2:15);

b.    Keep the will of God and do worldly things (2:16-17);

3.    The trial of being of the Christ and of the antichrist (the trial of faith):

a.    Be with the apostle or go out (2:18-19);

b.    Confess or deny Jesus is the Christ (2:21-23);

c.    Obey or disobey the teaching of the anointing (2:27);

4.    The trial of practicing righteousness and committing sins (the trial of virtue):

a.    Clean oneself or commit lawlessness (3:3-4);

b.    Love one another or be merciless to brothers (3:11-18);

c.    Our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God (3:20-21);

5.    The trial of the spirit of the truth and the spirit of error (the trial of discernment):

a.    Every spirit that confesses or denies that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (4:2-3);

b.    Hear the apostles or false prophets (4:5-6);

6.    The trial of true love and vain love (the trial of heart):

a.    Abide or not abide in God (4:13-16);

b.    Fear or not fear the coming judgment of God (4:17-18);

7.    The trial of he who is born of God and he who is born of man (the trial of life):

a.    Love or not love the children of God (5:1-2);

b.    Overcome or be unable to overcome the world (5:4-5);

c.    Believe or disbelieve the testimony of God’s Son (5:6-11);

d.    Commit or not commit the sin leading to death (5:16-18);

 

Seven Trials of False Performances

1.    False fellowship (1:6) ---- he who says he has fellowship with God walks in darkness, being unfaithful to men;

2.    False holiness (1:8) ---- he who says he has no sin deceives himself, being unfaithful to oneself;

3.    False righteousness (1:10) ---- he who says he has never sinned makes God a liar, being unfaithful to God;

4.    False faithfulness (2:4) ---- he who says he knows the Lord does not keep His commandment, being unfaithful to the Lord;

5.    False works (2:6) ---- he who says he abides in the Lord does not walk as He walked, being unfaithful to the Lord’s word;

6.    False spirituality (2:9) ---- he who says he is in light hates his brothers, being unfaithful to the true light of God;

7.    False love to God (4:20) ---- he who says he loves God hates his brothers, being unfaithful to God’s love;

 

Know Sin

1.    Everyone has sin;

a.    Everyone has sin ---- If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves (1:8);

b.    Everyone has sins ---- If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar (1:10);

2.    The origin of sin ---- He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning (3:8);

3.    The definition of sin;

a.    Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness (3:4);

b.    All unrighteousness is sin (5:17);

4.    The redemption of sin;

a.    If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (2:1);

b.    He Himself is the propitiation for our sins (2:2; 4:10);

c.    He was manifested to take away our sins (3:5);

d.    The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin (1:7);

e.    Our sins are forgiven you for His name's sake (2:12);

5.    What shall believers do after sins?

a.    If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1:9);

b.    If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death (5:16);

6.    How can believers not commit sin?

a.    Know the Lord’s word ---- these things I write to you, so that you may not sin (2:1);

b.    Abide in the Lord ---- Whoever abides in Him does not sin (3:6);

c.    Live by the seed of God in believers ---- whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him (3:9; 5:18);

 

The Confidence of Believers

1.    If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another (1:7);

2.    If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1:9);

3.    By this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments (2:3);

4.    Whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him (2:5);

5.    He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him (2:10);

6.    We know the truth and that no lie is of the truth (2:21);

7.    If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son (2:24);

8.    The anointing teaches us concerning all things (2:27);

9.    Abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence (2:28);

10. We should be called children of God (3:1);

11. We know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is (3:2);

12. Whoever abides in Him does not sin (3:6);

13. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him (3:9);

14. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren (3:14);

15. Let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth (3:18-19);

16. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight (3:22);

17. Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him (3:24);

18. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God (4:2);

19. Everyone who loves is born of God (4:7);

20. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us (4:12);

21. We have known and believed the love that God has for us (4:16);

22. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God (5:1);

23. Whatever is born of God overcomes the world (5:4);

24. He who believes in the name of the Son of God knows that he has eternal life (5:13);

25. If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us (5:14);

26. We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself (5:18);

 

True

1.    True new commandment (2:5);

2.    True light (2:5);

3.    True anointing (2:27);

4.    True children of God (3:1);

5.    He who is true (3:2);

6.    The spirit of truth (4:6; 5:7);

7.    True God (5:20);

 

Brotherly Love (Love One Another)

1.    The definition of love;

a.    The love of God (2:5);

b.    By this we know love, because the Lord laid down His life for us (3:16);

2.    The origin of love;

a.    Love is from God (4:7);

b.    We love Him because He first loved us (4:19);

3.    How to love brothers?

a.    Keep the commandments of the Lord (2:7-8; 3:11);

b.    The fellowship of love ---- love one another (4:7, 12);

c.    By the divine life ---- everyone who loves is born of God (4:7);

d.    Abide in love (4:16);

e.    Love God ---- everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him (5:1-2);

4.    The chief points of brotherly love;

a.    We also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren (3:16);

b.    Let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth (3:18);

5.    The profits of love;

a.    He who loves his brother abides in the light (2:10);

b.    We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren (3:14);

c.    Love has been perfected among us that we may have boldness in the day of judgment and there is no fear in love (4:17-18);

 

Definitions

1.    He who love his brother abides in the light (2:10);

2.    He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son (2:22);

3.    Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness (3:4);

4.    Sin is lawlessness (3:4);

5.    Whoever hates his brother is a murderer (3:15);

6.    He who abides in love abides in God (4:16);

7.    This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments (5:3);

8.    This is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith (5:4);

 

Believers and the World

1.    The world is enmity with God ---- if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him (2:15);

2.    Things of the world ---- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (2:16);

3.    How to overcome the world?

a.    Do not love the world or the things in the world (2:15);

b.    Be strong and let the word of God abide in us and overcome the wicked one (2:13-14; see 5:19);

c.    By the life of God ---- whatever is born of God overcomes the world (5:4a);

d.    Faith ---- and this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith (5:4b)

 

Three Trials of the Normal Christians’ Faith

1.    The trial of truth ---- confess Jesus is the Christ (2:18-23; 4:1-6);

2.    The trial of virtues ---- cleanse oneself (3:1-10);

3.    The trial of love ---- brotherly love (3:11-18);

 

He Who is Born of God

1.    Everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him (2:29);

2.    Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him (3:9);

3.    Everyone who loves is born of God (4:7);

4.    Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God (5:1);

5.    Whatever is born of God overcomes the world (5:4);

6.    Whoever is born of God does not sin, but he who has been born of God keeps himself (5:18);

 

── Caleb HuangChristian Digest Bible Commentary Series

   Translated by Mary Zhou