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Tag: 2-3 John

3 Letters from the Apostle John
The world cannot think of John without a picture of a young man next to JESUS who wrote,“God so loved the world…”

Or Christians perhaps recall the Revelation of Jesus Christ to John on Patmos with little consideration of his age or the path of the Apostle leading him to this isolated Greek island.

Three intimate letters to believers
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The A.D. 90's - the END of an era 
— JOHN's Apostolic love and truth for fidelity in the faith. 
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The Elder John writes three letters — along with Jude, the LAST EPISTLES of the New Testament.

Although our focus will be 2 John and 3 John, I will include 1 John in this overview written about the same time.

In order to set the cultural stage of the Church enduring beyond the end of the A.D. first century, consider that the Elder writes his 3 Epistles some sixty years after the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ.

Introduction to an Era not unlike our own:

INTRO – MACARTHUR NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARY 1-3 JOHN

quoting Donald W Burdick

Apart from the Judaeo-Christian sphere, the world was religiously inclusivistic. There was always room for a new religion, provided of course that it was not of an exclusive nature. Syncretism[‘s].. characteristic expression was in the combination of various ideas and beliefs from different sources to form new or aberrant religions. This was the age of of the developing mystery religions, the age of the occult, ane age of the proliferation of Gnostic sects.

MACARTHUR Commentary 1-3 John, p.1

Recall from Acts how the young Apostle Jesus loved also preached the Gospel of our risen Lord boldly along with Simon Peter in the Temple. But that was about sixty years ago .

In the year of our Lord 90

(approximately)
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Keep in mind that ALL dates used for comparison to various 1st c. events are approximate, but reveal a chronology of John's life.
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- John’s own Gospel account of the events of JESUS’s incarnate life had already been written and distributed to the churches some five to ten years ago.
- Mark, Matthew and Luke had written and sent out their Gospel’s some thirty years before, back in the 50’s and 60’s.
- Several missionary journeys of the Paul (begun in A.D. 47) along with many others had concluded prior to the Apostle’s death along with Peter in Rome [~ A.D. 66] also some twenty to thirty years before these final epistles of John.
  - Paul had founded this church in Ephesus where John now serves as an Elder.
  - Paul had written to it as well some forty years before, back in the early A.D. 60’s.
Rome had political problems of its own.

In addition to putting down a Jewish revolt in Jerusalem [A.D. 66] and destroying the Temple [A.D. 70], the Caesar’s frequently blamed and banished Christians for their political problems in Rome and other cities of the Empire.

An Apostolic Dogma of John
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The 21st c. Common Era church speaks so little of dogma that I must define it. 
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Dogma – 1. A doctrine or a corpus of doctrines relating to matters such as morality and faith, set forth in an authoritative manner by a religion.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language

This is what I refer to as Apostolic Faith, which includes all Apostolic authority continuing through Scripture to this day.
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Referring to the "we" statements of 1 John, the author speaks on behalf of the Twelve." 

John Stott observes: 
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He does not hesitate to call certain classes of people liars, deceivers or antichrists. .. they either have God or have not, know God or do not, have live or abide in death, walk in darkness or in the light, are children of God or children of the devil.

This dogmatic authority of the writer is seen particularly in his statements and in his commands.

John Stott commentary, quoted by MacArthur, p.4

a culture combining aberrant and mystery religions
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Stick with me on some abridged definitions for your understanding of the A.D. 1st century, (again, not so unlike our 21st century of the Common Era).
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- syncretism –
  - .. fusion of differing systems of belief, as in philosophy or religion, ..the result is heterogeneous – AHD
- aberrant –
  - 3. straying from the right way – AHD
- mystery religions – (What typifies them?)
  - any of various secret cults of the Greco-Roman world that offered to individuals religious experiences not provided by the official public religions.
  - .. initiation in Greece became a matter of personal choice.
  - The mystery religions reached their peak of popularity in the first three centuries a.d. Their origin, however, goes back to the earlier centuries of Greek history.
    
    Source: Britannica
The DANGER of gnostics!

For those of you who really don’t know much about false religions, before we begin John’s three strongly-worded epistles, I need to define this great threat to the Church — gnosticism.

of a person (25 terms) gnostic 1607–
Historical. (With capital initial.) Chiefly plural.

The designation given to certain heretical sects among the early Christians who claimed to…

source: OED

Until fairly recently the term was generally applied collectively to the majority of those 2nd cent. movements which called themselves Christian or borrows heavily from Christian sources, but which were rejected by the main stream of Christian tradition.

more..

.. Gnostic systems which make testing intellectual demands, others which depend on mumbo-jumbo and sleight of hand.

.. high-minded ascetic, and others who are licentious charlatans.

“GNOSTICISM” – Tenney Encyclopedia of the Bible, pub. ZONDERVAN, vol.2, p.736-739

The gnostic doctrine of God

Gnostics borrowed from the anti-christian philosophers:
- ‘that God is so utterly transcendent that He can have no direct contact with the world;
- and can have no contact with God..’
- THEREFORE, they conclude:
- ‘Man is thus a creature of mixed origin, a mixture of incompatibles.
- Christianity is ‘self-condemned:’
..the claim that God became man is impossible, since God and Matter could not mix.

ibid. p.736

God is conceived as remote from all material creation..

If God’s transcendence implies the impossibility of His contact with matter, how could God take a human body —(*that of Christ, whom the gnostics oppose) — still less suffer in one?

ibid. p.737

John’s opposition to developing heresies

Various heresies of the A.D. first century antichrists creeping into the houses of worship in various places led John to write his epistles to the faithful who believed his Gospel of the the Lord Jesus Christ. The Elder’s purpose in writing is to urge the faithful to REJECT false gospels, false philosophies cloaked in christian garments and especially to send away FALSE teachers.

MacArthur continues in his commentary on 1 John 1-4:

He [the Elder John] clearly expected his readers to obey his commands unquestioningly. Only an apostle, known and respected by those whom he addressed, could have written such an authoritative letter and not given his name.

ibid. p.5

John’s first epistle clearly calls on those under his Apostolic authority to apply the test of faith he puts forth and to obey his commands of how to deal with these liars, deceivers and antichrists bringing false faith into the practices of their gatherings and worship.

The Elder’s second and third epistles, the shortest of John’s letters (other than the brief tests revealed to the 7 churches in his apocalypse) addresses certain faithful leaders of the Church more personally with specific individual instructions.

Key Scriptures from Epistles of the Elder

John will reiterate some of his purpose in writing in his second and third Epistles, the focus of our Apostolic look at his last letters. The partial list from 1 John provides a larger context for the Apostle’s last two letters near the end of the A.D. first century.

the First Letter of John the Elder and Apostle of Jesus Christ

Key verses from 1 John
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1 John 1:3-5,9; 2:1,10-11,15,18,26,28-29; 3:5-6,8,18; 4:3-4,10,19; 5:1,13,18-19
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This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
1 Letter of John 1:5 ESV

Do you want to know IF someone truly believes that JESUS Christ is the Lord — the only Son of God?

Without introduction, the Elder John writes to the Church in his own Apostolic authority with two tests for the saints of God to know if another has fellowship with God — the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
1. Belief in God
  - .. if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
    
    1 John 1:7 (and in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians 5:8)
2. Certainty of Sin
  - If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
    
    1 John 8
  - If we confess our sins, he is faithful..
    
    1 John 9a
If we say we have not sinned, we make him [Jesus Christ] a liar, and his word is not in us.

1 John 1:10 ESV

John provides a plumb line to delineate true faith in Christ.

The beloved Apostle makes clear that those who claim falsely to have no sin, ‘lie and do not practice the truth,’ a direct affront on the claim of some that the body can sin while the spirit separately remains pure.

Fellowship

Love and fellowship permeate the Apostle’s larger focus not only in John’s Gospel, but in the 3 Letters from the Elder as well.

κοινωνία – koinōnia is the share which one has in anything, participation; intercourse (between loved ones, but not eros), fellowship (between near friends), intimacy (as that of family members who live lovingly together with each other).

BluueLetteBible.org – Strong’s G2842 – koinōnia *with parenthetical clarity added by RH

What does this mean in relation to God?

Perfect PERSONAL fellowship of the One Triune GOD in the Persons of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Fellowship between the Father and the Son.

Fellowship between believers and the Holy Spirit.

AND within the Church — the Body of Christ — fellowship of personal relationship in the love of the Light of life, our Lord Jesus Christ.

John, in the authority of Christ, sows the seeds of the Father’s love given in the Person of the Son redeeming us from our sins.

Do not love [agapaō] the world or the things in the world.

If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ..the world is passing away along with its desires,

but whoever does the will of God [theos] abides forever.

1 John 2:15,17 ESV

The Apostle urges a fellowship with the loving Person of the Father, not simply an acknowledgment of God, Who IS forever.

Have fellowship with God.. and fellowship with Light.. fellowship AND love [agapaō & phileō]…

Obey God, because of His love for you and His holy ones..

Propitiation of a Personal God
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Propitiation would seem to be a technical theological term unfamiliar to many Common Era Christians. 
The concept is important.. and not so difficult. 
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ἱλασμός – hilasmos –

from a Greek root word found only in John’s first letter

– English translations: propitiation, the sacrifice that atones, atoning sacrifice, expiation, sacrifice to take away

Christ’s love for His Church.

The ‘one Jesus loved’ (the Elder’s own self-identification) instructs believers in how to relate to God as your personal loving God, as John himself had experienced God in Jesus Christ.

Herein is love [agapē],
not that we loved God,
but that he loved us,
and sent his Son
to be the propitiation
for our sins.
1 John 4:10 KJV

What human father would do that?

Is OUR love of God the reason Christ became the propitiation for our sins and the sins of the world? NO!

It is the LOVE — agapē — of our Father in heaven, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father who in His love for us Personally sacrificed Jesus to the Cross for the price of our sins.

Jesus is The Christ!

Therefore, in light of the cultural challenges we introduced as an impetus for the Elder’s epistles, John calls on the Church to identify antichrists among us — that is, heretics and gnostics.
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We will not again address end times today as before.
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7 Epistles of John with the same Revelation

The Elder addresses his beloved saints in Ephesus (and other churches):

Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come,

even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

First Epistle of John 2:19-20.22 King James Version
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Now don't go calling any of your questionable 'christian' colleagues, 'antichrists.' 
The Elder explains why some saints will sit under Godly teaching while others listen only for a time they hope to influence the body.. and then leave the church. 
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‘Do Not Love the World,’ ‘Beware of Antichrists,’ and ‘Remain in Christ,’ read the subheadings for these.

Behold what manner of love..

We recognize this same Apostle once nearest to Jesus as the Elder now embraces his fellow saints with the same concern for their souls as Christ held for His Disciples.

Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are!

The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.

Beloved, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed.

1 John 3:1-2a BSB

‘You know that he [Jesus] appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin,’ John reminds [ESV].

No one who abides in him keeps on sinning..

1 John 3:6a ESV

The Elder then continues in his delineation between the saints of Jesus and antichrists of the devil:

By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil:

whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

1 John 3:10 ESV

the Elder’s foundational exhortation of his epistle

My little children,
let us not love in word, neither in tongue;
but in deed and in truth.
1 letter of John 3:18 KJV

On Denying the Incarnation

This heading from the NIV addresses John’s concern for the saints holding fast to the truth of the Gospel in the recognition of the false teachers of tolerant gnosticism, inclusivist universalism and other antichrists posing as the godly.

Dear friends,

do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God:

Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.

This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

1 John 4:1-3 NIV

John comforts: ‘You, dear children, are from God.. [v.4] and warns:

They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.

1 John 4:5 NIV

Of course the world entangled in sin will neither accept the Truth of Christ or His Incarnation and return in a final Judgment.

Herein is love.. agapaō

In this is love, not that we have loved God,
but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins...

We love,
because He first loved us.
1 John 4:10,19 LSB

John’s Conclusion to his First Letter

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves those born of Him.

We know that anyone born of God does not keep on sinning; the One who was born of God protects him, and the evil one cannot touch him.

1 John 5:1,19 BSB

That is, proclaims the Elder: Jesus Christ, the Son of Man and Son of God, protects you, beloved saint and holy one of His, from Satan and the anti-christs of this passing world.

Next: the last 2 of 3 letters
April 20, 2026
The Elder John and Leadership of the Church
The A.D. First Century Church

I tend to look at the Acts of the Apostles and oversimplify the History of the Church,

STARRING THE APOSTLES — Peter and Paul.

Although Jesus says of Peter, “Upon this Rock I will build My Church,” we tend to miss the frequency of John at Peter’s side throughout the early acts of all of the Apostles in Jerusalem.

Peter, John and the healed lame beggar

ACTS of the Apostles 1-6 – Peter

Epistles from Apostles to Elders

Even while reading the Epistles of Paul outlining a developing leadership structure of the A.D. 1st century Church, Elders seem to get lost somewhere between Apostolic authority (at the top) and dynamic Deacons (such as Stephen).
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Elders, Deacons and other Apostolic leadership 
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Paul writes in his first pastoral letter to Timothy:

Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.

1 Timothy 5:17 NKJV

Other English translations help us apply the same Scripture into responsibilities 21st century C.E. churches consider as leadership jobs.

The elders who are good leaders are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.

1 Timothy 5:17 CSB

We need to think of the Apostles John, Peter, Paul and others in these dual roles in relation to the developing churches they establish.

Paul offers a precedent and example of which churches need elders in a pastoral epistle to (the pastor) Titus.

The reason I left you in Crete was to set right what was left undone and, as I directed you, to appoint elders in every town.

Epistle of Paul to Titus 1:5 CSB

Timothy, Titus, Barnabas, Silas and especially the Apostles often deserved double honor for serving as pastor and teacher of a specific local church for a time, in addition to their commission and titles as apostles, disciples, deacons and elders.

JOHN, during his long years of Apostolic ministry to many churches served as an Elder (probably in several towns) in addition to his chosen commission by Christ as an Apostle.

John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before His throne,

Elders Leading the Family of God

Before we look at letters from John the Elder or the role of an Elder in the New Testament families of God and Christ, let’s honor the tradition into which James and John, Sons of Zebedee, Andrew and Simon Peter and other first century Jews were born.

Elders of Jewish Scripture (the Old Testament)

“You stand today, all of you, before Yahweh your God [יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם]:

your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, even all the men of Israel, your little ones, your wives, and the sojourner who is within your camps..

Deuteronomy 29:10-11a KJV

Included with the elders [the old men, some leaders of clans or families] yᵊhōvâ ĕlōhîm includes officers [foremen] and many others.

Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears and call heaven and earth to witness against them.

Deuteronomy 31:28 ESV

Then all the elders H2205 of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah

1 Samuel 8:4 LSB

So Samuel did what Yahweh said and came to Bethlehem. And the elders H2205 of the city came trembling to meet him and said, “Do you come in peace?”

1 Samuel 16:4 LSB
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Princes are hanged up by their hand: 
the faces of elders were not honoured.
They took the young men to grind, 
and the children fell under the wood.
The elders have ceased from the gate, 
the young men from their musick.
The joy of our heart is ceased; 
our dance is turned into mourning.
The crown is fallen from our head: 
woe unto us, that we have sinned!

Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah 5:12-16 KJV 
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“But you shall select excellent men out of all the people, those who fear God, men of truth, those who hate greedy gain; and you shall place these men over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.

Exodus 18 & Deuteronomy 1 LSB

Elders lead the thousands, the hundreds, the fifties and the tens..

Elders of a developing or disintegrating church

Before we breeze through the years of the ACTS OF THE APOSTLE JOHN, let’s recall the chronology mentioned previously in a look at John’s Gospel — a timeline taking the young Disciple at the foot of the Cross, past his proclaiming the Gospel with Peter on Pentecost and up to the time the Elder writes his Gospel.

A Glance at the Gospel of John

An account of ACTS in the life of John
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All dates and ages of John are approximate
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- ~A.D. 30 – Jesus’ ascension, Pentecost, Peter & John preaching in the Temple
  - The Apostle John is only about 25 years old.
- ~A.D. 44 –
  - John is now in his upper 30’s
About that time King Herod violently attacked some who belonged to the church, and he executed James, John’s brother, with the sword.

Acts of the Apostles 12:1-2 CSB
- ~A.D. 49 – Council at Jerusalem (Acts 15)
  - The Apostle John, ~ age 43
  - Peter, who an angel released at the time James was execution, would have been present, along with James, half-brother of Jesus and leader of the Jerusalem church.
  - Paul and other Elders present to decide how Jews and Gentiles will worship Jesus the Lord as one body of Christ
Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them—Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers—to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, and they sent this letter by them,

“The apostles and the brothers who are elders, to the brothers in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia who are from the Gentiles, greetings.

Acts 15:22-23 LSB
- ~ A.D. 55 – Mark, (John Mark, gentile nephew of Barnabas who had accompanied his uncle and Paul on Cypress & became a scribe to Peter) – writes his Gospel.
  - The Apostle John is about 50 years old
  - Paul and others write Epistles to various churches
- ~ A.D. 61 – Luke, gentile physician of Paul, writes his Gospel and Jesus’ Apostle Matthew Levi writes his Gospel
  - The Apostle John is now in his upper 50’s
  - The Apostles Peter and Paul continue to write Epistles
- ~ A.D. 62 – James, half-brother of Jesus and leader of the Jerusalem church is martyred
- ~ A.D. 66
  - John is now 60 years old
  - The Jews revolt against Rome
    
    Christians flee Jerusalem
  - The Apostles Paul and Peter are Martyred in Rome
    
    Jude (Jesus’ half-brother) writes an Epistle
    
    Epistle “to the Hebrews” written (anonymously)
- ~ A.D. 86
  - The Elder John is now 80 years old
  - ALL of the other Apostles are dead and as Jesus had told Simon Peter, John is the only one remaining.
  - The Lord has saved John even from torture, exiled on a Greek island of Patmos.
  - John will now write three Epistles…
    
    ten, if you count brief greetings to seven in his apocalypse from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Elders of the New Testament

In the New Testament, the role of elders becomes more defined within the structure of the early church. Elders, also known as overseers or bishops, are responsible for shepherding the flock, teaching sound doctrine, and maintaining church discipline.

Plurality and Accountability:
The New Testament model for church leadership often emphasizes a plurality of elders, suggesting that multiple elders should lead each congregation. This plurality provides a system of accountability and shared responsibility, ensuring that no single individual holds excessive power. The collective wisdom and diverse gifts of multiple elders contribute to the health and growth of the church.

Conclusion:
The biblical concept of elders encompasses a rich tradition of leadership and service, rooted in both the Old and New Testaments. Elders are called to be shepherds, teachers, and examples, guiding the people of God with wisdom, humility, and integrity.

Their role is vital to the spiritual well-being and doctrinal soundness of the church, as they seek to honor God and serve His people faithfully.

source: BibleHub.com

NO man was more directly accountable to our risen Lord Jesus Christ, with a lasting impact on the saints of an expanding second century church who had met him, than the ELDER JOHN.

Comment on Scripture – Share the Gospel
March 28, 2026
A Glance at the Gospel of John
Previously we have studied John’s Gospel in a multi-year SERIES.

JOHN – Good NEWS for Common Era Sinners

Please read today’s overview of the Gospel of Jesus Christ written by John with an eye toward its fit with his three Apostolic Epistles.

The Purpose of John’s Book

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book.

But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.

John 20:30-31 Berean Standard Bible ·

One Last Gospel

We introduced John, Son of Zebedee in our Apostolic faith SERIES as a young man in his twenties. John, along with his older brother James and Andrew (brother of Simon), had been discipled by John the Baptist.

Reintroducing John – a Biography and Background

Our own impression of Jesus’ youngest Disciple may come from the mount of transfiguration..

Or even more likely we view John beside the Lord (at a long table) at the Last Supper, in a painting of the Italian Renaissance painter, Leonardo DaVinci.

And some Christians picture the young man John with the women at the foot of the Cross of our crucified Lord..

.. or running to the empty tomb of their risen friend JESUS along with Simon Peter.

Recalling John’s witness as a young man

Some Christians wonder why John’s Gospel is so different from the three synoptic gospels.

In fact, John wrote his Gospel of these historic events many years after they took place.

For a better picture of several decades of the Apostle’s life after his thirties and leading up to John writing his Gospel (and then three Epistles), let’s look at what the Elder chose to write about his earlier days in the context of ~A.D 30-85.

The Apostle reveals his purpose [John 20:30-31, above] near the end of his gospel. A quick look at some events at the time of the writing of all four Gospels should help.
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We will add a few more details next time in the context of ACTS of the APOSTLES.
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Timeline leading to John’s Gospel

John wrote his gospel ca. A.D. 80–90, about 50 years after he witnessed Jesus’ earthly ministry.

John MacArthur Bible Commentary introduction John
- ~ A.D. 30 – Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection and ascension
  - Beginning of the events recorded in ACTS of the Apostles
  - John would be in his early 30’s
- ~ A.D. 40 – Peter brings the Gospel to the Gentiles
- ~ A.D. 44 – James, older brother of John is martyred
  - It’s now about fifteen years after Jesus’ ascension
  - The Apostle John [b. ~ A.D. 6] is a man in his upper 30’s
- ~ A.D. 47-57 – Paul’s three missionary journeys to the Gentiles
  - James, son of Joseph (half-brother of Jesus) and the Apostle Paul write several Epistles to churches
  - John is in his 40’s
- A.D. 50’s – Mark, who had accompanied Paul and Barnabas and received Peter’s account of Jesus writes his Gospel
  - The Apostle John (a man older than Mark) is in his 50’s
- A.D. 60’s – Luke, a gentile physician accompanying Paul on his missions writes his Gospel
  - Matthew, one of the Twelve (who is older than his fellow Disciple, John) writes his Gospel
  - ALL of the other Epistles (with the possible exception of Jude, half-brother of Jesus) are written
  - James, brother of Jude, is martyred [A.D. 62]
  - Peter and Paul are martyred in Jerusalem [~ A.D. 68]
  - John is now about age 62
  - ALL of the remaining Apostles are martyred in various places throughout the world
- A.D. 70 – Rome destroys Jerusalem and the temple
- ~ A.D. 85 – John writes his Gospel
  - The Elder John is now about eighty [80] years old.
John’s Good News for those who will believe

Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Gospel of John 1:1

The Apostle John realized that in seeking the Messiah of Israel — he had met ALMIGHTY GOD — in the flesh, in the Person of JESUS!

Moses’ account of Genesis was simply a Beginning of adam — a beginning of the heavens and the earth and of all the LORD had created — but NOT the Beginning of God.

John also reminds that the Beginning was NOT the beginning of the Spirit or of the Person of Jesus, the Son of God before all time.

And the Word was made flesh,

and dwelt among us,

(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)

full of grace and truth.

Gospel of John 1:14 KJV

Then the Apostle moves from that which was before time and all creation, to his own discovery as a young disciple of John the Baptist, of JESUS, the only begotten of the Father.

Begotten, not made; as the Apostolic creeds of the faith confess.

b. from above

Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
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ἄνωθεν - ánōthen - from above, from a higher place
- (born) of things which come from heaven or God
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In addition to signs and miracles witnessed by many men in several places, John’s gospel presents evidence that some Bible scholars among the Pharisees became convinced to worship Jesus Christ.

He provides other proofs of Jesus as the Messiah — the Christ of Scripture promised by Moses and the Prophets, from a private conversation known to this Disciple John of the Lord’s inner circle.

Jesus’ beloved Disciple clearly connects the Spirit of God the Father with the Son and and Holy Spirit, as well as those who the Father has chosen for eternal life.

“Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born [from above] again G509.’

Gospel of John 3:7 LSB

“He who comes from above G509 is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.

John 3:31 LSB

Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above G509; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

John 19:11

The Apostle John makes clear that Jesus and the Spirit who gives life are ‘from above.’

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Gospel of John 4:24 King James Version

Christ Taught from and Fulfilled Scripture

Imagine John, the women embalming their crucified Lord and others discovering an empty tomb of JESUS, who had been executed so mercilessly on a bloody Cross!

John recalls:

The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this sanctuary, and will You raise it up in three days?”

But He was speaking about the sanctuary of His body.

So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.

Gospel of John 2:20-22 LSB

The Apostle recalls in his Gospel the most important facts, that JESUS had been raised from the dead after three days — and Jesus had prophesied his resurrection very pubically in fulfillment of Scripture.

“Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”

Gospel of John 7:42 LSB

Prior to the Lord’s betrayal, Jesus had even revealed fulfillment of Scripture by Judas.
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My enemies speak evil against me,
“When will he die, and his name perish?”
And when he comes to see me, he speaks worthlessness;
His heart gathers wickedness to itself;
When he goes outside, he speaks it. 
All who hate me whisper together against me;
Against me, they devise for me calamity, saying,
“A vile thing is poured out upon him,
That when he lies down, he will not rise up again.”

Even my close friend in whom I trusted,
Who ate my bread,
Has lifted up his heel against me.

Psalm 31:5-9 LSB 
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“I do not speak about all of you. I know the ones I have chosen;

but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘HE WHO EATS MY BREAD HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME.’

Gospel of John 13:18 LSB

And John recalls Jesus’ prayer in an upper room of Jerusalem when Christ celebrated a new covenant about to fulfill the redemption of blood by this Lamb of God.

“Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent…

“While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.

Gospel of John 17:1b-3, 12 LSB

It’s hard to believe

So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb.

.. he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb.

So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed.

For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.

Gospel of John 20 excerpt LSB

John, the other disciple who like Simon Peter still did not fully get what JESUS had taught all along, even to these men of His inner circle, witnesses now, decades later in the writing of his Gospel, that it was not until they witnessed the risen Lord and touched Him and ate with Him that they believed all that JESUS had taught.

If I want him to remain…

Again, fifty some years later, John writes how Peter’s doubting and denials remained with John’s near friend and Apostle and how Jesus restored this Rock upon which He would build His Church.

“Simon, son of Jonah..
“Feed My sheep.

Then John recalls their proximity to Jesus at that last Passover meal in Jerusalem. The Lord had just said to Peter once again:

Follow me.
from John 21:19

Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them;

the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?”

So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?”

Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”

Gospel of John 21:20-22 LSB

NOT all are called to salvation.

Some betray Jesus even though called to the hope of glory.

The Lord Jesus makes His call Personal — to Peter.. to John..

— to you (if the Father has chosen you for eternal life).

John’s witness of these fifty years prior to recording his Gospel and the three Epistles the Elder is about to write to a troubled and persecuted Church is both corporate and personal.

JESUS had called this Apostle to remain in order that others would answer the Personal call of Jesus to, “Follow Me.”

John’s Signature as Witness

This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his witness is true.

Gospel of John 21:24 LSB

And almost as a Post Script John adds (fifty years after these History-changing events) his purpose in writing his Good News:

ἔστιν δὲ καὶ ἄλλα πολλὰ ἃ ἐποίησεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἅτινα ἐὰν γράφηται καθ᾽ ἕν οὐδ᾽ αὐτὸν οἶμαι τὸν κόσμον χωρῆσαι τὰ γραφόμενα βιβλία

But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

Gospel of John 21:25 – Greek New Testament; Revised Standard Version

NEXT: John – Elder of the First Century Church

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Comment on Scripture – Share the Gospel
March 25, 2026