Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

• Love for fellow believers 12:9-13
  "Nowhere else in Paul's writings do we find a more concise collection of ethical injunctions. In these five verses are thirteen exhortations ranging from love of Christians to hospitality for strangers. There are no finite ve...
• Outline
  I. Introduction: the purpose of the epistle 1:1-4II. Living in the light 1:5-2:29A. God as light 1:5-7B. Conditions for living in the light 1:8-2:291. Renouncing sin 1:8-2:22. Obeying God 2:3-113. Rejecting worldliness 2:12-1...
• II. Living in the light 1:5--2:29
  "The teaching of 1 John is concerned essentially with the conditions for true Christian discipleship. The two main divisions of the letter set out these conditions and exhort the readers to live in the light (1:5-2:29) as chi...
• III. Living as children of God 3:1--5:13
  "In the second division of this document (3:1-5:13) John concentrates on the developing spiritual life of his followers, rather than sustaining his attack on the heretics, some of whom have already seceded from his church (2:...
• The practice of love 4:17-20
  4:17 Our love becomes complete in the sense that we can now have confidence as we anticipate our day of judgment (i.e., the evaluation of our works at Christ's judgment seat; 1 Cor. 3:12-15; 2 Cor. 5:10). The characteristic o...
• 5. Keeping the faith reaffirmed 5:5-13
  Here John set out his fifth and final condition for living as children of God (cf. 2:18-29)."We canbelieve, and therefore we shouldmaintain the faith."162In the previous section (4:7-5:4) John wove together the themes of fait...
• A. Practicing the Truth vv. 4-6
  John wrote this epistle to urge his readers to continue to be obedient to God by responding positively to the truth of His revelation. He also wanted them to resist the inroads of false teachers who sought to distort this tru...