1, 2 & 3 John (Life Application Bible Commentary | LABC)
Overview
1, 2, and 3 John are epistles written by one who was a close companion of Jesus and the last apostle to die-John. John was a part of Jesus’ inner circle. He was one of the three disciples that Jesus took with him to witness his transfiguration. At the Last Supper, John was the disciple sitting next to Jesus. And John is thought to be the disciple Jesus loved. Surely, no human knew Jesus better than John did. John wrote these epistles to reassure Christians in their faith, to encourage them to experience the divine life, and to counter false teachings. In the first two epistles, John urged his readers to (1) live in the truth, (2) love one another, (3) be on guard against false teachers, and (4) adhere to the apostolic teachings-in the face of Gnostic infiltration into the church. As you read this epistle, you can discover how to live in the truth, love other Christians, stay clear of deceivers, and remain faithful to the orthodox teaching that Jesus is fully God and fully man.
About the Series
The Life Application Bible Commentary series provides verse-by-verse explanation, background, and application for every verse in the New Testament. In addition, it gives personal help, teaching notes, and sermon ideas that will address needs, answer questions, and provide insight for applying God’s Word to life today. The content is highlighted so that particular verses and phrases are easy to find.
Each volume contains three sections: introduction, commentary, and reference. The introduction includes an overview of the book, the book’s historical context, a timeline, cultural background information, major themes, an overview map, and an explanation about the author and audience.
The commentary section includes running commentary on the Bible text with reference to several modern versions, especially the New International Version and the New Revised Standard Version, accompanied by life applications interspersed throughout. Additional elements include charts, diagrams, maps, and illustrations. There are also insightful quotes from church leaders and theologians such as John Calvin, Martin Luther, John Wesley, A. W. Tozer, and C. S. Lewis. These features are designed to help you quickly grasp the biblical information and be prepared to communicate it to others. The reference section includes a bibliography.
Top Highlights
“How do people ‘love’ the world? They do so by greedily and selfishly loving all that it offers them, such as riches, power, and self-indulgence.” (Page 44)
“Instead, the term ‘world’ here refers to the realm of Satan’s influence, the system made up of those who hate God and his will.” (Page 42)
“True spirituality manifests itself in community fellowship. One cannot say that he or she communes with God and then refuse to commune with God’s people.” (Page 22)
“Just as one measure of grace is used up, another replaces it. The same is true for mercy and peace. God reveals his ‘mercy’ by forgiving and freeing people from sin, resulting in peace between them and God. ‘Peace’ refers to the peace that Christ made between sinners and God through his death on the cross. Peace also refers to that inner assurance and tranquility that God places in the heart, producing confidence and contentment in Christ. Grace, mercy, and peace keep on coming like a spring-fed well that never runs dry. Grace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ can never be exhausted; God always makes it available to believers.” (Pages 131–132)
“Light also relates to truth because light exposes whatever exists, whether it is good or bad. In the dark, good and evil look alike; in the light, they can be clearly distinguished. Just as darkness cannot exist in the presence of light, sin cannot exist in the presence of a holy God.” (Page 20)
