PROFESSOR
BEN ONYEUKWU (REV.)
NCE (English); DIP (Computer
Studies); ND/HD (Journalism); DIP, BA (Theology) MA, PhD.
PAPER PRESENTATION ON THE EXEGESIS OF FIRST JOHN
CHAPTER FOUR VERSES ONE TO SIX, AT A MONTHLY MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION OF
CHRISTIAN THEOLOGICAL PROFESSORS, ON MARCH 22, 2020, AT CITY CHEF, OWERRI, IMO
STATE, NIGERIA
THE PREAMBLE:
Men
and Brethren,
It is common knowledge
that, “high wind is the preamble to a winter storm”, and so, the formation of
the Association of Christian Theological Professors, is the unfolding of a
sound doctrinal body that would beam the kingdom light across the spiritual and
structural spectrum of the Christian faith, in Nigeria, and the world over,
notwithstanding, the extent of the doctrinal damage done by false prophets and
teachers in the Church of our BLESSED LORD and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST.
Let
me, at this time, salute the courage and wisdom of Professor Uzoma Emmanuel,
the convener of this great assemblage of these high level apologists, for the
task of dismantling the grips of false doctrines in our present day church and
society. I am, also, deeply humbled and grateful for your choice of me, for today’s
paper presentation, which is on the Exegesis of 1 John 4:1-6. My drive here is
not to do a perfect work, but to do my best, and leave room for improvement by
other scholars. Having said this, I, therefore, deem it proper to begin from:
A HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE FIRST
EPISTLE OF JOHN
EPISTLE OF JOHN
The
first epistle of John was written by one of the foremost disciples of JESUS
CHRIST, named John. He was probably one of the inner-circle disciples who,
alongside with Peter and James had a special relationship with JESUS, and wrote
his letter between AD 85 and 90, from Ephesus, before his exile to Island of
Patimos, as cited in Revelation 1:9.
The
period under review shows that Jerusalem had been destroyed in AD 70, and
Christians were scattered throughout the empire, and by the time John wrote his
letter, Christianity had been in existence for more than a generation, in which
it faced and survived severe persecutions. The main problem that confronted the
church at this time was declining commitment, as many believers were conforming
to the standards of the world, and consequently could not keep the principles
of the real faith of CHRIST. The period, also, records that false teachers were
on the increase, luring Christians out of the true faith, and so, John wrote
his letter to put the believers back to the path of truth, and to show the
difference between truth and falsehood, as well as encourage them to grow in
genuine love for GOD and for one another.
Ladies
and gentlemen, it is obvious that the same situation and experience are posing
dangerous threats to the Christian faith of today, thus, the need to face these
anti-Christian monsters with stern seriousness and commitment.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
The term “exegesis” appears to be the
prominent word that calls for definition in the topic under review, which, like
many other terms has defiled the principle of lone definition. In this
connection, David Horton shows that, exegesis
is the process of drawing out of a text its intended meaning. From the Greek
word “exegeomai”,
the word is used to describe the disclosure or description of a document,
statement or incident. In contrast, “eisegesis” is the term, which
means, “to read into” or “to bring strange meaning” into a text or document.
The foregoing, therefore, indicates that, there are both true and false
interpretations of GOD’S WORD.
In
the words of Ronald Cooke, “the interpretation of the Scripture depends on
several different factors, which include; words, grammar, context, scope of the
passage and type of literature”, among others. He stresses further that, “it is
impossible to come close to the proper interpretation of any text or passage
without taking these factors into consideration”. In line with this, Horton
further observes that, exegesis employs three approaches to
a text:
{1}
understanding the grammar of the text;
{2} understanding
individual word(s) in a sentence, and;
{3} understanding
the message as a whole in the context of a paragraph, chapter, individual book,
and the entire text of scripture.
PROBLEM
OF FALSE INTERPRETATION
AND APPLICATION OF GOD’S WORD
AND APPLICATION OF GOD’S WORD
In
interpreting a text of scripture, two basic steps are paramount. The interpreter who wishes to interpret GOD’S
WORD correctly must ask:
{1} what did the
passage mean for the person who first spoke or wrote the words, and for the
people who first heard
or read them?
{2} what should the
passage mean to a reader today?
The first task is to enter into the
circumstances of the person who first wrote or heard or read the passage and
then try to understand the meaning in the light of the whole Bible. The second
is to try to make the meaning of the passage clear in the circumstances of the
present century. For instance, the Scripture on “oil of gladness” was first presented to a Jewish audience in Psalm
45:7, and was rehearsed in Hebrews 1:9, and points to JESUS CHRIST our LORD and
BLESSED SAVIOUR. These Scriptures can also be applied to the present day
believer, in whose life CHRIST dwells, and has nothing to do with the
concoction of “bottled oil” which is
an adulteration of “oil of gladness”, manufactured and sold today
in some religious quarters. And so, where the cited hermeneutical rule and
example are genuinely applied, false interpretation and application of GOD’S
WORD can hardly thrive. But, note also, that application of GOD’S WORD is a
multi-faceted thing, whereas, interpretation is but one. This means that, if
interpretation of scripture is properly done, it is the same thing, anywhere,
anytime, as application will always vary, depending on the peculiarity of the
need, circumstances and environment of a target audience. Thus, the hermeneutical
rule to this effect remains, one interpretation, many applications.
EXEGESIS OF THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN CHAPTER
FOUR VERSES ONE TO SIX {1 JOHN 4:1-6}
So far, I hope we
have been able to discover together, some of the points that make for proper
exegesis of GOD’S WORD, and possibly, have also acquired a fair understanding of
how to improve on the arts of biblical interpretation and application, However,
our journey may not be truly satisfactory if a verse to verse analysis of the passage
we seek to explore is not done. With this in mind, I, therefore, suggest we
take a look at;
{1} Exegesis of first John Four verse One:
The first verse of the passage of the chapter four of
John’s letter carries an inquiry into the type of spirits that operate in
church and society, thus, the expression,…”do not believe every spirit, but rather
test them, to see whether they are of GOD”…{vs 1A}.
Now,
notice that the test is a “spirit-test”, and not a “human-test”, and it
takes only the SPIRIT of GOD to detect the spirit of error. Therefore, the
cross-examination here is by means of the HOLY SPIRIT and not by human
psychology or any other method of human fact-finding, and implies that no one
can detect the spirit of error, who is not filled with the HOLY SPIRIT. And so,
teachers of GOD’S WORD should, as a matter of necessity, ensure that those they
teach are filled with the SPIRIT, {Eph. 5:18}.
In
furtherance, the second part of the verse, also, insinuates the need for the
awareness and consciousness of the fact of the presence of false prophets in
society, as it equally says….”because
many false prophets have gone into the world”{vs1B}.
It
is important to note here that, without being aware and conscious of the fact
that the false prophets are around the corner, our sense of watchman-ship will
definitely diminish, and where we become aware of their presence, but fail to
check their ungodly activities, it becomes indicative that, we, too, have
become submerged into their falsehood. And, under such a depraved condition, we
make ourselves a disappointment to GOD and His church. Having said this, let it
be known that;
{1}
false prophets are known for false teaching,[1Peter 2:1}, and this, we must
confront by strong voices of sound doctrines and refutation, {Acts 13;6-12};
{2}
false prophets are equally wonder workers, {Matt. 24:24; Acts 13:6}. This,
also, we must disprove, by dedicating our lives to GOD, for His infallible
signs of the Kingdom,{Mark16:17-18}.
Once again,
remember that the main idea in John’s expression, “do not believe
every spirit”…is on the person moved by a spirit, whether by the HOLY
SPIRIT or by the evil one. A true prophet speaks from GOD, being carried along
by the HOLY SPIRIT,{2Peter 1:21}. But, false prophets, such as the Gnostics of
John’s time, speak under the influence of spirits alienated from GOD. So, we
have a duty to find out, who is who, in church and society.
{2} Exegesis of first John
Four verses Two and Three:
The crux of the
matter in the verses under review is to find out if a given prophet truly
believes that JESUS CHRIST is fully GOD and fully MAN, and hinges on the expression,….”every
spirit that confesses that JESUS CHRIST has come in the flesh is of GOD, and
every spirit that does not confess….,is not of GOD,{vs2-3}.
Notice,
particularly that, it is the confession of a spirit, and not that of the human
vessel used, stressing on the power or forces behind the teacher or prophet who
speaks, and that such a confession must proclaim, the coming or otherwise of JESUS
CHRIST in the flesh,{vs2-3}.
Therefore, if the
true prophet or teacher agrees to the reality of the incarnation of JESUS
CHRIST, his confession must historically catalogue a hearty story {not head
knowledge} of;
---His human
descent, traceable to the house of David;
---His Immaculate
Conception and virgin birth;
---The herald of
His birth by angels;
---The Good news of
the shepherds, confirming His birth;
---The visit of the
Magi;
---The narrative of
His Childhood story;
---His encounter
with some learned folks of His time, at twelve;
---His eighteen
years of silence;
---His temptation;
---His ministry;
---His crucifixion;
---His resurrection
and ascension, which no false prophet can truly acknowledge or attest to.
Also,
the confession of the true prophet, in relation to the coming of CHRIST in the
flesh must equally be experiential, indicating the presence of the SPIRIT of
the risen CHRIST in his person. For, “if anyone does not possess the SPIRIT of
CHRIST, he is none of His”,{Rom.8:9}. In this order, the Apostle Paul
confesses, and, I quote, “I have been crucified with CHRIST, it is no
longer I that live, but CHRIST who lives in me, and the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by faith in the SON of GOD, who loves me and gave HIS LIFE
for me” unquote, {Gal. 2:20 NKJV}. And, without mincing words, the
absence of the cited experience in the life of one who claims one is a prophet
of GOD, becomes an evidence that the spirit of anti-Christ is in place,{1John
4:1}.
In
all, the bone of contention in the verses two and three of John’s epistle is
that, “as Christianity spread across the Mediterranean, it came in contact with
other religions. Greeks and Romans tried to absorb the faith into their own philosophies,
just as some Jews had initially done. Intellectual centers of the Mediterranean
raised questions on the deity of JESUS, stressing that if He was really GOD, He
couldn’t have died. This, a popular new cult of that time called Gnosticism, a
name derived from Greek word for knowledge gained ground in an
attempt to explain these things. This cult, as usual, thrived among the
intellectual elite.
Gnostics
balked at the Christian concept of GOD becoming human, since they believed a
physical body was intrinsically evil, and denied that a pure GOD could take on
a body. Some dealt with the problem by claiming that JESUS was never a real
human being, but a phantom, a temporary appearance of GOD who looked human. Others
proposed that GOD had descended on JESUS at his baptism, but left him before
His death.
Fellow
citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, I hope, it is now becoming very obvious, as
to what informed the writing of John’s letter which we x-ray today. I have no
doubt in my mind that the Apostle John debated in person with the Gnostics of
his time, and had their doctrine in mind when he wrote his epistle. The very
first sentence expressly states that the author had seen, heard, and touched
JESUS---implying he could not have been a phantom or pure spirit. Throughout
the letter, especially in 4:2-3, the author lambastes those who deny that JESUS
came in the flesh. And, no doubt, the same is our calling and duty, in this
generation.
{3} Exegesis of First John four verses Four
to Six
Let
it be noted at this point that, the scriptural expressions, “You
are of GOD”… {vs 4}, “They are of
the world”…{vs 5}, and “We
are of GOD”…{vs 6} will form the main stay of the exegesis
of the verses of the scripture in focus. In them, the Apostle John demonstrates
insight into the spiritual status of members of his congregation, as he shows
his knowledge of those who were saved, and those who were yet of the world. To
explain further, those who are of the world are those who are not saved from
sin and powers of darkness, but constitute part of the community of the evil
system and corruption of the demonic kingdom, which they manifest on earth. So,
the inability of a Church Leader in today’s Christianity to know who is who in
the Body of CHRIST is dangerous, as it creates room for the ever-increasing
level of corruption in Christendom, since the unsuspecting converts are readily
deceived by those who are stirred and influenced by the spirit of anti-Christ.
To
this end, the present day Christian Leader must ensure that his messages are
geared towards regeneration and sound Christian living, as a way of checkmating
false doctrines and the over-bearing influences of false teachers and prophets.
And, if the Church must regain its lost glory, GOD’S messengers of this day
must be wary of empty motivational messages which readily appeal to the pride
and ego of the people, as such messages only stir them into the path of ungodly
earthly values, instead of creating in them a sense of righteousness and
holiness.
Finally,
the Apostle John’s knowledge of being part of the Christian project, which
informed his expression...”we are of GOD”,{vs 6}, is indeed,
heart-warming, and shows that the teacher of GOD’S WORD must be part of the
experience he seeks to share, as no one is qualified to be a messenger of GOD,
without the born again experience, which is what it means to be born of
GOD,{1John 2:21;3:9-10}. By this, therefore, I state without apologies that, it
is not late to quit the ministry, if the cited experience is not the spiritual
status of any member of this association.
SUGGESTIONS
Here,
I wish to submit that the Association of Christian Theological Professors is a
DIVINE project designed to tackle the menace of false teachers and prophets in
today’s society, and hope, it will not fail or disappoint GOD. Also, I do not
at this time; wish to refer to members of this association as erudite, until
the set objectives become realistic. For, we cannot afford to engage in
self-glory while the House of GOD wallows in the shame of evil forces. Having
said this, let me, as a measure against the challenges ahead, suggest that:
{1}
we constitute ourselves into a formidable prayer front, as a way of
ascertaining the presence and leadership of the HOLT SPIRIT for the tasks
ahead;
{2}
a committee be set up, as a fact-finding team for the discovery of the areas
the doctrines of the church have been mutilated, and in turn suggest possible
line of actions;
{3}
a high profile team of researchers be mobilized to ascertain the immediate and
remote causes of the mutilation of Christian doctrines, as well as show ways
future occurrences could be checked;
{4}
a forum for the harmonization of differences in doctrines among members be put
in place, to enable the group speak with one voice, since, this is vital before
any form of outreach, coupled with the fact that we need a constitution that
would guide the general mode of operation of this group. The time to act is
now.
In conclusion, let me, once again, salute these great men and women
of GOD , who, by His special grace have responded to this kingdom summon of
JESUS CHRIST, the KING of kings and LORD of lords, and the UPHOLDER of all
things in heaven and earth. I have no doubt in my mind that, with HIM on our
side, we will succeed. Thank you, and remain blessed!
Professor
Ben Onyeukwu {Rev.}
Professor
of Biblical Studies and Letters
At Crown University {School of
Biblical Studies}
Owerri,
Nigeria.
For
This Work, Other Articles and Bible Lessons Written By the Writer, Please
Visit;
Benonyeukwu2.blogspot.com and
Churchoftheholyghost.blogspot.com
