BEMA Episode Link: 170: 1 John — Love and Truth
Episode Length: 20:11
Published Date: Thu, 28 May 2020 01:00:00 -0700
Session 4
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings discuss the letter of 1 John and his insistence on the role that love plays in truth—and not the other way around.

Discussion Video for BEMA 170

Docetism — Wikipedia

Transcript for BEMA 170

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

BEMA Episode 170: 1 John — Love and Truth

Title & Source Summary

Episode: BEMA 170: 1 John — Love and Truth
Hosts: Marty Solomon and Brent Billings
Topic: An exploration of 1 John and its radical teaching on the relationship between love and truth, challenging the common evangelical emphasis on balancing love and truth by arguing that love is what makes something true.

This episode examines the first letter of John, focusing on his central thesis that love and truth are not competing values to be balanced, but that love is the determining factor of truth. John’s letter addresses churches in Asia Minor, likely combating Docetic Gnostic teachings that denied Jesus’ humanity. However, the hosts concentrate on John’s revolutionary teaching that without love, nothing can be considered true, regardless of how factually accurate it may appear. The discussion challenges contemporary Christian emphasis on defending truth at the expense of love, arguing that John presents love as the prerequisite for truth rather than its equal partner.

Key Takeaways

  • 1 John was written by the Apostle John to churches in Asia Minor, likely addressing Docetic Gnostic heresy that denied Jesus’ physical incarnation
  • John uses Essene-like language about walking in light versus darkness, connecting to Jewish sectarian thought
  • The central message is that love is the determining factor of truth, not the other way around
  • John repeatedly states that claiming to love God while hating others makes someone a liar
  • The common evangelical teaching about “balancing love and truth” is backwards according to John’s theology
  • If something lacks love, it cannot be true, regardless of its factual accuracy
  • Walking as Jesus walked means prioritizing love above all other considerations
  • God is love, and knowing God is evidenced by loving others, particularly fellow believers

Main Concepts & Theories

Authorship and Historical Context

John’s authorship of the Johannine literature (Gospel of John, 1-3 John, Revelation) remains debated in scholarship:

  • Single Author Theory: Marty advocates for John the Apostle writing all five books
  • Johannine School Theory: Scholarly alternative suggesting a school of disciples trained in John’s methods and themes
  • Geographic Context: John served as pastor to Asia Minor, specifically Ephesus, until his exile to Patmos
  • Historical Evidence: Polycarp, John’s disciple, records that 1 John circulated among Asian churches
Docetic Gnostic Opposition

The letter addresses a specific heretical teaching:

  • Docetism: A Gnostic belief that Jesus never truly became human flesh
  • Spiritual vs. Physical: Docetics claimed Jesus was purely divine/spiritual, never genuinely physical
  • John’s Response: Multiple statements in 1 John emphasize Jesus’ physical incarnation and tangible reality
  • Connection to Colossians: Similar Gnostic threats addressed by Paul in his letter to Colossae
Essene Theological Connections

John employs language and concepts familiar from Essene teaching:

  • Sons of Light vs. Sons of Darkness: Binary categories found throughout Dead Sea Scrolls
  • Walking in Light: Essene metaphor for obedience to God’s ways
  • Walking in Darkness: Opposition to God’s path and commandments
  • Jesus and Essene Connections: Previous BEMA exploration of possible Jesus-Essene relationships
  • Cultural Familiarity: John’s background would have included exposure to Essene thought through Jesus and potentially John the Baptist
The Rabbi-Disciple Relationship

John applies traditional Jewish educational concepts to Christian discipleship:

  • Rabbinical Imitation: Disciples were expected to become exactly like their rabbi in every way
  • Complete Mimicry: Not just learning teachings but replicating the rabbi’s entire approach to life
  • John the Baptist Example: People questioned if he was Elijah because of his imitative behavior
  • Christian Application: “Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did”
  • Central Question: If Christians must walk as Jesus walked, what defined Jesus’ walk?
Love as the Essence of Truth

John’s radical theological proposition challenges conventional thinking:

  • Traditional View: Love and truth must be balanced equally
  • John’s Teaching: Love is the prerequisite and determinant of truth
  • Directional Relationship: If something lacks love, it cannot be true (not vice versa)
  • Biblical Precedent: The Bible never states the reverse (that lack of truth negates love)
  • Practical Implication: Factual accuracy without love equals falsehood
The Impossibility of Loving God Without Loving People

John presents this as a logical impossibility rather than merely difficult:

  • Clear Statement: “Whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen”
  • Logical Progression: Visible relationships as the testing ground for invisible relationship
  • No Gradualism: John offers no “learning to love” exception for those who claim to love God
  • Universal Application: This principle applies to all who claim faith, without exceptions

Examples & Applications

Contemporary Evangelical Tensions

The episode addresses common church leadership concerns:

  • “Balance” Language: Frequent calls for balancing love and truth in ministry
  • Protective Theology: Feeling obligated to defend God and Biblical truth
  • Cosmic Policeman Mentality: Taking on responsibility to correct and protect divine truth
  • John’s Alternative: Focus on love, trusting that God can defend Himself
Paul’s Parallel Teaching

Connection to 1 Corinthians 13 reinforces John’s message:

  • “Clanging Gong” Imagery: Paul’s description of knowledge without love
  • Complete Knowledge: Even perfect theological understanding is worthless without love
  • Practical Outcome: Both apostles conclude that love validates all other spiritual qualities
Jesus’ Foundational Teaching

The episode connects to Jesus’ core message:

  • Greatest Commandments: Love God and love neighbor summarize all law and prophets
  • Good Tree/Good Fruit: Jesus’ teaching that orthodoxy means nothing without orthopraxy
  • Western Resistance: How this challenges Western emphasis on correct doctrine over correct practice
Historical Church Application

Examples of how this principle would have applied in the Asian churches:

  • Docetic Teachers: Those promoting correct Christological doctrine but lacking love would be false regardless of accuracy
  • Community Relationships: Church conflicts over theological precision versus relational health
  • Cultural Integration: Maintaining love while addressing cultural and theological challenges

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

  1. Johannine Literature Comparative Study: Deep analysis of themes connecting Gospel of John, 1-3 John, and Revelation
  2. Dead Sea Scrolls and Essene Theology: Comprehensive examination of light/darkness themes and their influence on early Christianity
  3. Docetic Gnosticism Research: Historical study of second-century Gnostic movements and early Christian responses
  4. Rabbi-Disciple Educational Systems: Investigation of first-century Jewish pedagogical methods and their Christian applications
  5. Love-Truth Relationship in Scripture: Biblical theology study of how love and truth interact throughout Old and New Testaments
  6. Polycarp and Early Church Fathers: Study of how John’s disciples interpreted and applied his teachings
  7. Asian Church History: Historical research on the seven churches of Asia and their theological challenges
  8. Orthopraxy vs. Orthodoxy Development: Tracing how the church balanced right belief and right practice through history
  9. Contemporary Church Application: Practical theology for applying John’s love-truth relationship in modern ministry contexts

Comprehension Questions

  1. How does John’s use of Essene-influenced language about “walking in light” versus “walking in darkness” support his argument that love is the defining characteristic of true Christian discipleship, and what does this reveal about his intended audience’s familiarity with Jewish sectarian thought?

  2. Why does John present the relationship between loving people and loving God as a logical impossibility rather than simply a difficulty, and how does this challenge contemporary Christian approaches to spiritual growth that emphasize gradual development in love?

  3. In what ways does John’s teaching that “if it lacks love, it cannot be true” challenge the modern evangelical emphasis on balancing love and truth, and what are the practical implications of prioritizing love as the determinant of truth rather than its equal partner?

  4. How does the rabbi-disciple model of complete imitation help explain John’s expectation that Christians “must walk as Jesus walked,” and what does John identify as the central characteristic of Jesus’ walk that disciples must replicate?

  5. What connections can be drawn between John’s teaching in 1 John and Paul’s description of love in 1 Corinthians 13, and how do both apostles address the inadequacy of correct knowledge or doctrine without love?

Brief Personalized Summary

BEMA Episode 170 presents one of the most challenging and revolutionary theological propositions in the New Testament: that love is not merely equal to truth but is the very foundation that makes something true. John’s first letter refuses to allow the comfortable evangelical balance between love and truth, instead insisting that without love, nothing—regardless of its factual accuracy or doctrinal correctness—can be considered true.

This teaching strikes at the heart of contemporary Christianity’s tendency to prioritize defending truth over demonstrating love. John’s stark declaration that “whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen” eliminates any possibility of separating divine relationship from human relationships. There’s no learning curve, no gradual development, no exception for those still “working on” their ability to love others while maintaining their love for God.

The episode’s most profound insight is the directional nature of the love-truth relationship. While we often hear calls to balance these two values, Scripture consistently presents love as the prerequisite for truth, never the reverse. This isn’t merely about being nice while sharing difficult truths; it’s about recognizing that truth without love isn’t actually true at all. John’s teaching suggests that God doesn’t need cosmic policemen to defend divine truth—God needs people who will demonstrate divine love, trusting that authentic love will naturally reveal authentic truth.

The rabbi-disciple framework helps contextualize this radical demand. If Christians are truly disciples of Jesus, then complete imitation isn’t optional—it’s the definition of discipleship. And according to John, the defining characteristic of Jesus’ walk wasn’t His theological precision, His doctrinal accuracy, or His ability to correct error, but His love. This challenges every impulse to prioritize being right over being loving, suggesting instead that being loving is what makes us right.

Perhaps most personally challenging is John’s refusal to allow compartmentalization between human and divine relationships. The person we can see sitting across from us in conflict, the family member who frustrates us, the fellow believer whose theology we question—these relationships aren’t separate from our relationship with God but are the very testing ground where the authenticity of our divine love is revealed. John’s message is both beautifully simple and devastatingly challenging: love is what makes everything else true.

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