| INTRODUCTION | | | | of God (4:15; 55:5, 10) who came in the flesh (4:2; II |
| The epistles of the New Testament called First, | | | | John 7) to provide salvation for men (4:9-14). |
| Second and Third John are traditionally ascribed to St. | | | | II John addressed from 'the elder' (John) to 'the elect |
| John the Apostle, the Son of Zebedee (Mark 1:19-20) | | | | lady and her children' (the church). The occasion of the |
| who is also the author of Revelation and the Gospel | | | | letter is similar to that of I John (cf. II John 7 with I John |
| of John. Jude, another epistle, (the penultimate book in | | | | 4:3), false teachers were travelling from church to |
| the Bible is also traditionally ascribed to St. Jude, though | | | | church denying that the Son of God had really been |
| some critics disagree. The Johanine epistles were | | | | incarnate. Jude warns against such teaching, cautioning |
| probably written between AD 85 and 95, and Jude | | | | his friends not to extend hospitality to the false |
| around AD 80. | | | | teachers and encouraging them to follow after the |
| Structure | | | | truth which already abides in them and to fulfill the |
| It is realistically observed that the Johanine epistles | | | | command of love (4:11). |
| "have a common author and illuminate each other" | | | | III John is a private letter addressed to the elder's friend |
| (Wilder, 1957, p.209). Both II and III John are letters in the | | | | Gaius, a leading member in another church who is |
| strict sense, as is indicated alike by their form and | | | | commended for his attachment to the truth and for |
| content. I john has no epistolary introduction and herein | | | | showing practical love to traveling preachers. His |
| resembles the epistle to the Hebrews. Unlike Hebrews, | | | | attitude was the reverse of that of Diotrephes who, in |
| it also lacks the concluding feature of a letter. The | | | | his aspiration to be a leader, persecuted these |
| epistle of Jude, according to Barnett (1957) "has its | | | | preachers. |
| major content... found in II Peter. It quotes from the | | | | Jude writes to a group of Christians threatened from |
| uncanonical book of Enoch and the Assumption of | | | | within by men whose false teachings, characterized by |
| Moses" (p.320). | | | | arrogance, immorality and conceit, were creating |
| I JOHN: | | | | division. These false teachers (probably Gnostics) are |
| 1. Prologue (1:1-4) | | | | however doomed to destruction like Sodom and |
| 2. The ethical test of fellowship with God; the light and | | | | Gomorrah in Genesis 19; Cain in Genesis 4; Balaam in |
| the darkness (1:5-2:17)a. Fellowship with God and its | | | | Numbers 31 and Korah in Numbers 16. His intention is to |
| test (1:5-10)b. Knowledge of God and obedience | | | | stiffen the resistance to such teaching - a call to |
| (2:1-6)c. Love and the true light (2:7-11)d. Charge to | | | | persevere. |
| young and old; love for the Father and the world | | | | PURPOSE |
| (2:12-17) | | | | The purpose of each letter could be summarized thus: |
| 3. The deniers of the faith; truth and falsehood | | | | I JOHN: to expose the false teachers and give |
| (2:18-27)a. The antiChrist and the last hour (2:18-23)b. | | | | believers assurance of salvation |
| Summons to faithfulness (2:24-27) | | | | II JOHN: to admonish believers to discern the travelling |
| 4. The children of God and of the evil one; life and | | | | teachers, in order to guard against spreading heresy |
| death (2:28-3:24)a. The children of God and the | | | | rather than the truth |
| second coming of Christ (2:28-3:3)b. The children of | | | | III JOHN: to commend Gaius for supporting itinerant |
| God and of the devil (3:4-10)c. Hate and death in the | | | | teachers and to indirectly warn Diotrephes who |
| world; life and living in the faith (3:11-18)d. Confidence | | | | persecuted. |
| before God in the truth (3:19-24) | | | | JUDE: to warn readers about false teachers who |
| 5. The false spirits and the Spirit of God (4:4-6)a. The | | | | were trying to convince believers that God's grace |
| denial of Christ come in the flesh (4:1-3)b. The victory | | | | gave them license to live immorally. |
| of the children of God (4:4-6) | | | | THEOLOGICAL THEME |
| 6. God's love and our confidence (4:13-18); the witness | | | | The theological theme of each letter is outlined below: |
| of the Spirit (4:7-5:12)a. God's love and our love for one | | | | I JOHN: God is light in whom there is no darkness (1:5) - |
| another (4:7-12)b. The grounds of our confidence | | | | a correction of the heretical views of certain Gnostic |
| (4:13-18)c. The children of God and his commandments | | | | teachers who denied that God has really become a |
| (4:19-5:5)d. The witness of the Spirit (5:6-12) | | | | man in Jesus. |
| 7. Epilogue: closing affirmations and charge; the true | | | | II JOHN: Love one another (5) |
| God and eternal life (5:13-21) | | | | III JOHN: Imitate what is good rather than what is evil |
| II JOHN: | | | | (11) |
| 1. Address and greeting to the church (1-3) | | | | JUDE: Contend for the faith once delivered or |
| 2. Summons to love (4-6) | | | | entrusted to the saints (3) |
| 3. Warning against error (7-11) | | | | RELEVANCE OF EACH BOOK TO THE |
| 4. Conclusion (12-13) | | | | CONTEMPORARY SIERRA LEONEAN SETTING |
| III JOHN: | | | | I JOHN: Today, false teachers are moving in our |
| 1. Address and greeting to Gaius (1-2) | | | | churches, rejecting Scriptural truths. Lack of love is also |
| 2. Gaius and the itinerant missionaries (3-8) | | | | evident. |
| 3. Recalcitrance of Diotrephes (9-11) | | | | II JOHN: False teachers are quietly infiltrating the |
| 4. Commendation of Demetrius (12) | | | | churches. |
| 5. Conclusion (13-15) | | | | III JOHN: Presently, there are 'Diotrephes' fighting for |
| JUDE: | | | | position and sowing discord among brethren. |
| 1. The epistolary introduction (1-4)a. Salutation (1-2)b. | | | | JUDE: Today, Christians are rebellious like Cain; some |
| Occasion of the letter (3-4) | | | | pastors bargain when given preaching appointments |
| 2. Characteristics and doom of the heretical intruders | | | | (like Balaam rushing for profit) and others stage 'coups' |
| (5-16)a. The Scriptures show that God invariably | | | | for position like Korah. |
| punishes sinners (5-7)b. Heretical teachers | | | | A critical analysis of each book reveals that it has a |
| characterized and denounced (8-13)i. Their basic sin is | | | | timeless message. In other words, it is relevant to the |
| irreverence (810)ii. Jude passionately denounces them | | | | contemporary Sierra Leonean church. Although from a |
| (11-13)c. Inspired prophecy warns of these intruders | | | | different context, Paul aptly observes in I Corinthians |
| (14-16) | | | | 10:11 that "all things happened unto them for ensamples; |
| 3. The most holy faith the true foundation (17-23)a. | | | | and they are written for our admonition, upon whom |
| Apostolic teaching supplies elements in this foundation | | | | the ends of the world are come" (Authorized King |
| (17-19)b. Holy living, the best witness to apostolic | | | | James Version, 1611, pp. 120). |
| Christianity (20-23)i. Sound theology essential to the | | | | By implication, the present day church, although at |
| good life (20)ii. This faith, holy in origin, produces holiness | | | | varying degrees, is guilty of issues raised in each of |
| (21-23)c. The benediction(224-25) | | | | the afore-mentioned letter and if it fails to repent, it will |
| BACKGROUND | | | | be subjected to the doom predicted. |
| In I John, the writer provides an antidote to the activities | | | | BIBLIOGRAPHY |
| of false teachers who had seceded from the church | | | | Barnett, A.D. (1957). "The epistle of Jude". In The |
| and who were attempting to seduce the faithful | | | | Interpreter's Bible: The Holy Scriptures. New York: |
| (2:18-26). Their esoteric group, probably the Gnostics | | | | Abingdon Press. |
| (Douglas, 1962), erroneously believed that they had | | | | Douglas, J.D. (1962). The New Bible Dictionary. London: |
| superior knowledge to ordinary Christian (cf. 2:20, 27; II | | | | The Inter-Varsity Fellowship. |
| John 9) and showed little love to them (c.4:20). The | | | | Wilder, A.M. (1957). "I, II and III John". In The Interpreter's |
| proponents, inter alia, appeared to have denied that | | | | Bible: The Holy Scriptures. New York: Abingdon Press. |
| Jesus was the Christ (2:22), the pre-existent (1:1), Son | | | | |