The Epistles of John. Samuel M. Ngewa
the set standards must be met.
There is a kingdom above all nations of the earth, and the ruler of that kingdom is God himself. It is he who created all things and all rulers of nations govern on his behalf. He sets different ones on the throne and removes them as he wills. Those who belong to this kingdom are called believers because they have certain truths that they believe in, with the highest truth being that God has sent a Savior into the world whose name is Jesus Christ. Members of this kingdom are also called children of God, and as such they have God-given standards they must live by. Today, they are located all over the world but this is the outcome of what began in Jerusalem, on the day of Pentecost, and then spread outwardly until the ends of the earth were reached, and are still being reached. Their constitution is the Bible.
The Epistles of John were written to such members of the kingdom of God, most likely located at Ephesus or its vicinity in Asia Minor. The message of the first letter centers on the need to live a life that reflects God’s nature as light and love, and to firmly hold on to the truth that Jesus is the Christ come in the flesh. The second letter also lays emphasis on the exercise of love and correct belief as to who Jesus is. The focus of the third letter is hospitality, especially to those traversing regions to proclaim the good news of salvation in Christ. Whether addressing matters of belief or practice, the central issue is: What is it that should characterize children of God? Relating this to the words of Maraga quoted above, but now applying to the kingdom of kingdoms, we can say, “The maturity of a believer lies in the soundness of his or her beliefs and the sincerity of his or her practice.” This is what John seeks to advance in the lives of his readers. The same test applies to us also, no matter our social status, as we live in our corners of the world in the twenty-first century.
In this commentary, therefore, the meaning of the biblical text will not be an end to itself. Every effort will be made to move from exegesis to application, as may be necessary. This, however, will be done in a general manner because the needs of the different locations where God’s children live in are varied. In any case, the overall point of application is that we who are believers must rise up to the occasion and face all the challenges of our day as we relate to our God who is light, relate to other believers who are our spiritual brothers and sisters, reach out to bring others (unbelievers) to the wonderful fellowship in the family of God, and remain true to the teachings of Jesus to us, through the apostles.
1. The writer of this work witnessed the reading of the judgment personally, and the same was carried by the newspapers the following day. The same court gave a full verdict on the matter on September 20, 2017. While the majority of judges focused on the ethics of the election (arguing that it matters how one gets the numbers), the minority focused on the numbers that had been announced earlier. The center of disagreement was whether quality takes preeminence over quantity or not. The Epistles of John raise the same question, with a clear answer. Hopefully this work will bring some of this out, as a general principle for Christian living.
2. Nullification of a presidential election had never happened in Africa before this, and in the world only a few countries, like Maldives and Austria, had done it (Peter Kagwanja, Kenyan Sunday Nation, September 1, 2017, 29).
About This Commentary
This commentary is written with the acknowledgement that it only amounts to, say, a bucket of water from Lake Victoria. Many other commentaries have been, are being, and will be written on the same books of the Bible traditionally referred to as the Epistles of John. Writing commentaries is more or less like the preaching that goes on all the time; only that it takes longer time and is more costly. Just as we may have a preacher doing a series on a book of the Bible to a congregation in London and another one doing the same to a congregation in Lagos (these cities selected for no special reason), so also are commentaries. The message of the Bible is so rich and important that the more it is passed on the better, and the more the persons who pass it on the better still. Each of us, however, passes it on within the limitations of our accent3 and understanding. I am grateful to brothers and Drs. Michael Bird and Craig S. Keener (extensively published scholars) who have organized some of us to write the New Covenant Commentary Series so that our “accents” can also be part of the millions of them from other regions of the world.
Those of us who are privileged to make a contribution by way of pen (now replaced by the laptop) and finger (in comparison to preachers who use the pulpit and tongue) do also bring our own personalities, experiences, and life goals. For me, for example, I have noticed that I am more concerned about a statement of review of my writing by a pastor in Accra (used for no special reason) how I related the message of Scripture to the African context than a statement of review on how I failed to explore this or the other theory in my commenting, so long as what I have said correctly represents my understanding of the author’s message. In the budgeting of time I spent in doing this work, I was more focused on what within my limitations I understand John (as will be shown below, John the apostle is assumed to be the author) to have meant when he wrote to his readers and how that applies to us today. What others say John meant is acknowledged, especially in footnotes, but without taking time to argue extensively with them. In my attempt to make clear why I understood a statement this or that way, I have in some places used the concept of shades or aspect of Greek verb tenses and noun cases. Definitions and some explanation of all the ones that are used in the work are provided as an appendix. The translation provided in the work is my own translation from the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament. Comments on variations in the readings from different manuscripts are kept to a minimum. Greek words are used in transliterated form except in a few places where they are a title of work used in this commentary. It is easier for a Greek student to convert the transliterated form into Greek than for a non-Greek student to use the work if Greek letters are used.
It is my hope and prayer that many students of Scripture will find this work a beneficial tool to work and interact with as they seek to understand God’s message to us and apply it in our times.
For words that have come to have two acceptable spellings, like savior and saviour, honor and honour, etc., the shorter spelling has been used, but without any prejudice. Also, small letters are used for pronouns (he, his, him, etc.) which stand for God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit but with full reverence and worship. They are used solely for simplicity in expression.
3. In his book, Healers to Physicians, Japheth K. G. Mati (a renown Kenyan medical professor and researcher) tells of an experience in Gainesville, Florida, where a waitress instructed another “take tea to that guy with an accent” (referring to him) and then Mati adds, “Actually I thought she was the one speaking with an accent” (172). Needless to say, our worldview is an accent in itself, and we all have one.
Abbreviations
1QS Serek Hayyahad, Community Rule (Manual of Discipline) from Qumran Cave 1
DNTT Dictionary of New Testament Theology
DNA Deoxyribonucleic Acid
Eccl. Hist. Ecclesiastical History
HCSB Holman Christian Standard Bible
NASB New American Standard Bible
NIV New International Version
NKJB New King James Bible
NRSV New Revised Standard Version
TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament
TNIV Today’s New International Version
UBS United Bible Societies
Introduction
The focus of this work is not issues of introduction but the teaching of the three letters. However, for their teaching to be explored fairly, an author has to work with certain conclusions, whether by way of assumption or well-argued discussion.