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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Study of 1 John | 1 John | Makarios | 22030 | ||
A Profile of the John, the Apostle ***************************************** John was a son of Zebedee, a master-fisherman in good position, plying his craft in one of the towns on the Lake of Galilee, possibly Bethsaida. It is probable that his mother was Salome, one of the women who 'ministered' to Christ in Galilee (Mark 15:41), a sister of Mary the mother of Jesus. This may be inferred from a comparison of Matthew 27:56 and Mark 15:40, 16:1 with John 19:25. John, the Apostle, was the brother of James the "Greater" (Matt. 4:21; 10:2; Mark 1:19; 3:17; 10:35). He was one, probably the younger, of the sons of Zebedee (Matt. 4:21) and Salome (Matt. 27:56; comp. Mark 15:40), and was born at Bethsaida. His father was apparently a man of some wealth (comp. Mark 1:20; Luke 5:3; John 19:27). He was doubtless trained in all that constituted the ordinary education of Jewish youth. When he grew up he followed the occupation of a fisherman on the Lake of Galilee. When John the Baptist began his ministry in the wilderness of Judea, John, with many others, gathered round him, and was deeply influenced by his teaching. There he heard the announcement, "Behold the Lamb of God," and forthwith, on the invitation of Jesus, became a disciple and ranked among his followers (John 1:36-37) for a time. He and his brother then returned to their former avocation, for how long is uncertain. Jesus again called them (Matt. 4:21; Luke 5:1-11), and now they left all and permanently attached themselves to the company of his disciples. He became one of the innermost circle (Mark 5:37; Matt. 17:1; 26:37; Mark 13:3). He was the disciple whom Jesus loved. In zeal and intensity of character he was a "Boanerges" (Mark 3:17). This spirit once and again broke out (Matt. 20:20-24; Mark 10:35-41; Luke 9:49, Luke 9:54). At the betrayal he and Peter follow Christ afar off, while the others betake themselves to hasty flight (John 18:15). At the trial he follows Christ into the council chamber, and thence to the praetorium (John 18:16, John 18:19, John 18:28) and to the place of crucifixion (John 19:26-27). To him and Peter, Mary first conveys tidings of the resurrection (John 20:2), and they are the first to go and see what her strange words mean. After the resurrection he and Peter again return to the Sea of Galilee, where the Lord reveals himself to them (John 21:1, John 21:7). We find Peter and John frequently after this together (Acts 3:1; 4:13). John remained apparently in Jerusalem as the leader of the church there (Acts 15:6; Gal. 2:9). His subsequent history is unrecorded. He was not there, however, at the time of Paul's last visit (Acts 21:15-40). He appears to have retired to Ephesus, but at what time is unknown. The seven churches of Asia were the objects of his special care (Rev. 1:11). He suffered under persecution, and was banished to Patmos (Rev. 1:9); whence he again returned to Ephesus, where he died, probably about A.D. 98, having outlived all or nearly all the friends and companions even of his maturer years. There are many interesting traditions regarding John during his residence at Ephesus, but these cannot claim the character of historical truth. The Apostle John wrote the entire Gospel that bears his name (thought to be around 70 to 85 A.D.), the 3 epistles that bear his name (85-95 A.D.) and the book of Revelation (95 A.D.). Sources: Easton Bible Dictionary, Holman Bible Dictionary, Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible |
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2 | Study of 1 John | 1 John | Makarios | 22527 | ||
Continuing Study on 1 John by Nolan Keck *********************** Gnosticism, what is it? "The heresy of Gnosticism had begun to make inroads among churches in John's day. Among its teachings were (1) knowledge is superior to virtue, (2) the nonliteral sense of Scripture is correct and can be understood only by a select few, (3) evil in the world precludes God's being the only Creator, (4) the Incarnation is incredible because deity cannot unite itself with anything material such as a body (Docetism), and (5) there is no resurrection of the flesh. The ethical standards of many Gnostics were low, so John emphasized the reality of the Incarnation and the high ethical standard of the earthly life of Christ." (The Ryrie Expanded Edition Study Bible) Therefore, we see an early challenge to the church, and the focus of 1 John has two basic purposes: (1) to expose false teachers (2:26) and (2) to give believers assurance of salvation (5:13). Also, he emphasized the lack of morality taught by Gnostic teachers (3:8-10), and he sought to confirm his readers' belief in the incarnate Christ (1:3). In addition to this, prayon wrote an excellent post on 06/20/2001 that defined Gnosticism... "Gnosticism is a diverse religious and theosophical movement of the first three centuries AD. The name derives from the means of salvation: the Gnostic is saved through a special knowledge (Gk. gnosis). The central Gnostic doctrine is the ontological dualism between the supreme, ineffable God of love and the material world, considered evil or at best, indifferent. Between God and matter lie a host of spiritual powers, collectively termed the fullness of God. From its lowest rank comes the creator, a demiurge identified with the OT Yahweh. Fallen spiritual powers, often linked with astral referents, now rule the world. The focus of Gnostic redemption is not on God but ultimately upon the individual's self- understanding and the resulting freedom it provides. It declined rapidly in the 3rd century as Christianity countered with apologetic attacks as well as systematic biblical and theological work. Paul dealt with a culture already familiar with some elements of the Gnostic synthesis. An example is the opponents at Corinth "puffed up" with knowledge (1 Cor. 8:1). In 1 Timothy the author censures self-proclaimed teachers of the law (6:4) who teach a false gnosis (v. 20). [Condensed from the Eerdman's Bible Dictionary.]" NOTE: The Outline of 1 John was taken from The MacArthur NKJV Study Bible |
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