I-III John

I'm working on a class on I-III John with Mike Sanders at church. I did the I John translation on Sunday night and Monday of last week. Thank you Zhubert.com (i.e. RE:Greek), it took me a third the time it usually does to translate these.

There are few major points to I John: 1. love each other, 2. Jesus was here physically, and 3. he was the Son of God. The first is stressed as a command and the second is reinforced with a lot of sensory (empirical) language, like the words in the first verse. The author uses third most often in passages that reference God as a witness.

I John

¹ That thing which was from the Beginning:[1] that thing which we heard;[2] that thing which our eyes saw; that thing which we gazed at and which the touch of our hands confirmed about the Word of Life.[3] ² The Light appeared and we see it and we testify and report to you concerning the Eternal Life, which was with the Father and was revealed to us. ³ That thing which we saw, and which we heard, we are reporting to you too, so that you may also share our community[4] and the community which we have with the Father and with his Son, Jesus the Messiah[5].

⁴ We write these things so that our joy may be complete. ⁵ This is the message, which we heard from him and report to you: "God is Light and there is not even a hint of darkness in him." ⁶ When we say, "we share community with him," but we keep on walking in the darkness, we are liars and we do not do the truth. ⁷ However, when we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have community with one another and the blood of Jesus, his Son purifies us from each sin. ⁸ When we say, "we are sinless," we are leading ourselves astray and the truth is not among us. ⁹ If we keep on admitting to our sins, he is faithful and just, so he lets our sins go and purifies us from all our wrong actions.[6] ¹⁰ When we say, "we have not sinned," we are putting him in the place of a liar and his Word is not among us.

^2:1 My children, I am writing to you so that you will not sin and, when someone does sin, we have an advocate[7] with the Father: Jesus the Just[8] the Messiah. ² He is also a sacrifice for our sins, not only for ours, but for the entire world ³ and this is how we know that we know him: if we keep his command. ⁴ The person who says, "I know him," but does not keep his commands is a liar and the Truth is not in this person. ⁵ but whoever might keep his word --truly the love of God has matured in this one. This is how we know that we are in him: ⁶ The person who claims to remain in him ought to walk just as that one did. ⁷ My loved ones, I am not writing you a new command, but an ancient command, which you had from the first. This Ancient command is the Word which you heard. ⁸

Then again, I am writing you a new command, which is true to him, and among you, "the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining."[9] ⁹ The person who claims to be in the light, but hates his brother is in the darkness even now. ¹⁰ The person who loves his brother remains in the light and there is not a cause in him to make a person fall.

¹¹ The person who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness and he does not know what he is doing because the darkness has rendered his eyes sightless.

¹² I am writing to you, children: "your sins have been forgiven because of his name."[10]

¹³ I am writing to you, fathers: "you know that thing that was from the beginning."

I am writing to you, young people: "you have overcome The Evil one."

¹⁴ I wrote[11] to you, children: "you have known the Father."[12]

I wrote to you, fathers: "you have known that thing that was from the beginning."

I wrote to you, young people, "you must be strong the Word of God must remain among you and you have overcome The Evil one."

¹⁵ You must not love the World, nor the things of the World. When someone loves the World, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ because each thing in the World (the desire of the body, the desire of the eyes and the "good life"[13]) is not from the Father, but is from the World. ¹⁷ The World is passing on, along with its desires, but the person who does the will of God remains forever. ¹⁸ Children, it is the Last Hour and, just as you have heard, "the Antichrist has come;" even now many "Antichrists" have come, this is how we know that it is the Last Hour: ¹⁹ "They left from among us, but they were not part of us, for if they were part of us, they would have stayed with us, but, they did this so that they might be revealed (that they are all not part of us)."[14] ²⁰ On the other hand, you have an anointing[15] from the Holy One (along with everything you know). ²¹ I did not write to you "you do not know the truth," but I wrote "you know it," and "Every lie is not from the Truth."

²² Who is the Liar if it is not the one who denies him: "Jesus is not is the Christ," This person is the Antichrist (the one who denies the Father and the Son). ²³ Each one who denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son also has the Father. ²⁴ That which you heard from the beginning must remain among you; if that which you heard from the beginning remains among you, you will remain in the Son and in the Father. ²⁵ This, then, is the promise which he proclaimed to you: eternal life. ²⁶ I wrote these things to you about those deceiving you; ²⁷ as for you, the gift which you received from him is still among you and you do not need someone to teach you, since that same gift teaches you concerning all things[16], and it is true and not false, so, just as he taught you, remain in him. ²⁸ Now, children, remain in him so that, when he is revealed, we will be bold and not be ashamed by him when he comes. ²⁹ If you recognized that he is just, you know that everyone who acts justly is born of him. ³:¹ Wow, what startling love the Father has given to us, that we are named "Children of God," and we are, this is why the world does not know us: because it did not know him.

² My loved ones, now we are Children of God --and what we are going to be has not yet been revealed-- we know that, when he is revealed, we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is. ³ Everyone, then, who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure. ⁴ Everyone who keeps on sinning also breaks the law (sin is also lawlessness). ⁵ On the other hand, you know that he was revealed so that sins might go away and he is sinless. ⁶ Everyone who remains in him does not sin: everyone who keeps on sinning has not seen him, nor have they recognized him. ⁷ Little children, you must not be deceived: the one who acts justly is just, just as he is just. ⁸ The person who keeps on sinning is from the Devil since the Devil is a sinner from the beginning until the Son of God is revealed, so that he might unmake what the Devil has made. ⁹ Each person who is born of God does not keep on sinning[17] because God's seed is still in him and he is not able to keep on sinning because he is born of God. ¹⁰ This is how the Children of God are revealed (and the Children of the Devil): everyone who does not keep acting justly is not from God along with everyone who does not keep loving his brother

¹¹ since this is the message which you heard from the beginning: we must love each other. ¹² Don't be like Cain: he was from the Devil and slaughtered his brother and why did he slaughter him? Because the things which he did were evil but the things which his brother did were just. ¹³ And do not be surprised, brothers, if the World hates you, ¹⁴ We know that we have been translated out of death into life because we love our brothers: the person who does not love remains in death. ¹⁵ Each person who hates his brother is a murderer and you know that each murderer does not keep eternal life in him. ¹⁶ This is how we know love: he gave his life for us, and we must give our lives for our brothers. ¹⁷ Whoever has the "good life" according to the World and sees his brother in need and closes his heart off from him, how can the love og God still be in him? ¹⁸ Little children, do not just love with what you say, or in language but with what you do and truly. ¹⁹ This is how we know that we are from the truth even when our hearts convict us: ²⁰ "when our heart condemns us, God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.” ²¹ My loved ones, if our heart does not condemn us, we are confident when it comes to God

²² and when we request something we receive it from him because we keep is command and we keep doing the things that please him. ²³ This, then, is his command, that we remain faithful to the name of his Son, Jesus the Messiah, and that we love one another, just as he commanded us. ²⁴ The person who keeps his command is still in him, and he is still in that person, and this is how we know that he is still among us, by the spirit which he gave us.

^4:1 My loved ones, you must not believe every spirit, but examine the things a spirit does: If it is from God, since many false prophets have gone out into the World. ² This is how you know the spirit of God: every spirit which confesses Jesus Christ came physically is from God. ³ On the other hand, every spirit which does not confess Jesus is from God is not, and this is the "Antichrist" which you have heard, "he is coming and is now in the World already." ⁴ Little children, you are from God and you have conquered them: "greater is the one among you than the one in the world." ⁵ These are from the World. It is because of this that they speak from the World's perspective, and the World listens to them. ⁶ We are from God. The person who knows God listens to us, whoever is not from God does not listen to us: that is how we know the true spirit and the deceiving spirit. ⁷ My loved ones, we love each other because love is from God and each person who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸ The person who does not keep on loving does not know God because God is love. ⁹ The love of God is revealed in this way among us: God sent his one-of-a-kind Son into the world so that we might live through him. ¹⁰ Love has its origin in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son, a sacrifice for our sins.

¹¹ My loved ones, if God loved us in this way, we also must love eachother ¹² No one has ever gazed on God-- when we love each other, God remains in us, and his love is brought to maturity in us. ¹³ This is how we know that we are still in him and he in us: by the spirit he gave to us. ¹⁴ We have also seen and testify, "the Father sent his Son: the Savior of the World." ¹⁵ Whoever might testify, "Jesus is the Son of God," God is still in that person, and that person in God. ¹⁶ We also know and believe the love which God has for us: God is love and the person who remains in love remains in God and God remains in him. ¹⁷ This is how the love of God is matured with us so that we have confidence on the day of judgment: "We are just as he was in the this World." ¹⁸ Fear is not part of love but mature love throws fear out, since fear comes from punishment, but the person who is afraid has not grown to maturity in love. ¹⁹ We love because he loved us first. ²⁰ If someone says, "I love God," but he hates his brother, he is a liar, for the person who does not love his brother, who he has seen, is not able to love God, who he has not seen. ²¹ This, then, is the command we have from him, let the person who loves God also love his brother.

^5:1 Each person who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has been born of God and everyone who keeps loving the Progenitor also loves the person to whom he is father. ² This is how we know that we love the Children of God: when we love God and keep his commands. ³ Therefore, this is the love of God, that we keep his commands and his commands are not difficult to carry. ⁴ Because everyone who has been born of God conquers the World. This is the conquest that has conquered the World: our faith. ⁵ Who is the conquerer of the World other than the person who believes that Jesus is the son of God? ⁶ He is the person who came through water and through blood: Jesus the Messiah (not in water alone, but in water and in blood) and the spirit is the the one who testifies because the spirit is true. ⁷ Therefore, there are three who testify: ⁸ the spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are one. ⁹ If we accept the testimony of people, the testimony of God is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he testified concerning his Son. ¹⁰ The person who believes in the son of God has the testimony in himself. The one who does not believe God puts him in the place of a liar because he refuses to believe the testimony which God delivered concerning his Son.

¹¹ This, then, is the testimony: "God gave us eternal life, and this is life in his Son. ¹² The person who has the Son has the life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. ¹³ I wrote these things to you: those who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you could know that you have eternal life. ¹⁴ This , then, is the confidence that we have toward him: when we ask that which agrees with his will, he will listen to us. ¹⁵ So, if we know that he listens to us, anything that we ask, we know that we have the things for which we have asked him. ¹⁶ When someone sees his brother sinning a non-deadly sin, he should ask and life will be given to that person (for those who are committing non-deadly sins --there is a deadly sin, I'm not saying he should pray about that.) ¹⁷ All injustice is sin, and it is non-deadly sin. ¹⁸ We know that each person who has been born of God does not keep on sinning but God protects the one born of him and the Evil One does not touch him. ¹⁹ We know that we are from God and the whole World is in the grasp of the Evil One. ²⁰ We know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we know the truth and we are in the truth, in his son, Jesus the Messiah: he is the true God and eternal life. ²¹ My little children, keep yourselves from idols.

II John

¹ The Elder to the Chosen Lady and to her little children, whom I truly love . . . and I am not the only one, but all of those who know the truth ² . . . because of the truth which is still among us and will be with us forever, ³ Grace, mercy, and Peace from God the Father and from Jesus the Messiah: the Son of the Father, will be with us in truth and love. ⁴ I was very happy because I found some of your children walking in truth, just as we received the command from the Father. ⁵ So, now I am asking you, Lady, not like I am writing you a new command, but what we had from the beginning: "Love eachother." ⁶ This, then, is love: that we walk according to the command: This is the command, just as you heard from the beginning, that you walk in it, ⁷ because many went out into the World. These are those who do not confess Jesus the Messiah has come in physical reality: this is the Antichrist. ⁸ Watch yourselves, so that you might not destroy what we worked for, but receive payment in full. ⁹ Everyone who goes out but does not remain in the teaching of the Messiah does not have God. The person who remains in the teaching, he has the Father and the Son ¹⁰ If anyone comes to you and does not carry this teaching, do not take him into your home and do not greet him,

¹¹ because the person who greets him shares in the evil things he does. ¹² I have many other things to write to you but I don't want to write them with paper and ink but I hope to come to you and speak with you person to person so that we may be filled with joy. ¹³ Greet the little children of your sister, the Chosen.

III John

¹ The Elder to my dear Gaius, whom I truly love. ² Dear one, I am praying that everything you do would be well and be healthy just as your soul is healthy. ³ For I was very happy, when the brothers came and reporting that you are in the truth just as you walk in truth ⁴ I have no greater joy than that I might hear that my little children walk in the truth. ⁵ my loved ones, you are acting faithfully whatever you do for the brothers, even these who you do not know. ⁶ They testified about you in love before the church; you will do well to send them on in a way worthy of God. ⁷ For they went out on behalf of the name and they did not take any money from pagans. ⁸ So then, we ought to receive people such as these so that we may be fellow-workers in the truth.

⁹ I wrote something to the church, but Diotrophes (the person who is jealous of his place as first among them) does not receive us. ¹⁰ Because of this, when I come I will remind him of the things he does: speaking foully, bringing false charges against us and, not being satisfied with these things, he does not receive the brothers and prevents those who wish to receive them and he kicks them out of the church

¹¹ My loved ones, do not imitate this evil thing but the holy thing: the person who does good is from the lord, the person who does evil has not seen God. ¹² Demetrius is supported by everyone and by the truth itself and we also testify and you know that our testimony is true.

¹³ I have many things to write to you but I do not want to write via ink and pen; ¹⁴ I hope to see you right away to speak with you person to person. ¹⁵ Peace to you: the Friends greet you, greet the Friends by name.

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[1] This is probably referring to the genesis of their faith, not to the beginning of the book of Genesis.

[2] If you read on (cf. 1:9, 3:11), you will find that the thing that was from the beginning was the “command” and that the command is “love each other.” Interestingly enough, this also seems to be saying that the way we know this from the beginning is that we were there to see Jesus act accordingly (1:6).

[3] The “Word of Life” here is Jesus. The thing which everyone took away from experiences with Jesus was his real and physically present love for others.

[4] This is what it means to have fellowship: to share a community, to have a common identity.

[5] Messiah and Christ are the same word, but I like to use Messiah whenever possible to remind myself that Jesus is the fulfillment of Israel’s promise and a Jew: important points biblically and theologically.

[6] The word here is justice which is the same as righteousness (doing what is right) or legal innocence (its original meaning). Look for related words throughout the letter and remind yourself that it has a broader meaning here.

[7] This may just be someone to encourage the sinner, but it is more likely meant to mean a legal representative or mediator.

[8] See note 6

[9]^a This seems to be a reason to follow the command, or a citation in support of the command, not the command itself.

^9b Because the author seems to use quotations a lot, I have tried to render every possible instance as a quotation unless it does not make sense in context.

[10] He is telling them exactly what his message to each group is. It may be that this should be translated (as most versions do) “I am writing to you because . . .” or “I am writing you that . . .” but it seems likely that the parts I have included in quotation marks are intended to be read as his message to each group and so should be read as notes.

[11] He is still talking about what he is writing in this letter, in Greek you can use various tenses to reference what you are writing in a letter. I think he changes tense just to intensify his earlier statements, most of which are repeated here.

[12] His style indicates that knowing the father is the same thing as being forgiven (see 1:12)

[13] The “Good Life” (βιον) is a life of indulgence, and was so commonly used in this sense that the NT writers never use it for the life Christians live.

[14] For John, and “antichrist” is not some big, supernatural thing, but a person who leaves (which is the same as a person who denies that Jesus really came physically (cf 1:22).

[15] What might this “anointing” be?

[16] This is one of the claims of those who left.

[17] The emphasis in the passages on sinning is on the ongoing action or continuous sin, not on committing a sin here and there, as the whole dialogue about people who claim to be sinless indicates.