1 John and GJohn

As a part of a project that I’m wrapping up today, I did a comparison between 1 John and the Gospel of John “GJohn.” Actually, the larger project was to demonstrate the Authorship and Date of 1-3 John. In order to do this, I needed to show that GJohn and 1 John had the same author, then that 1 John & 2 John were written to combat the same issues, in addition to verbal similarities of 2-3 John and 1 John, and they are thus closely associated enough to prove written by the same author as well, and finally, in that 2-3 John are written by someone with the same title, it seems most likely that all 4 were written by the same person. With church tradition as a major key, as well as looking into this fellow called “the beloved disciple” I came to the conclusion, against C. H. Dodd, that John the Apostle, the son of Zebedee, is the author of Gjohn-3 John.

Anyway, as a part of this study, I compared things in GJohn to 1 John. Once the link can be made there, the rest is downhill. I was struck by all the similarities. I was gonna post these in Greek, but I was afraid most of my readers would think it was just spaghetti on the screed 😉

Take some time to look through these, given the relatively small size of 1 John, this is a significant bit of agreement:

1 John 1:2-3    the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

John 3:11    Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.

 

1 John 1:4    And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

John 16:24    Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

 

1 John 2:11    But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

John 12:35    So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.

 

1 John 2:14    I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

John 5:38    and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent.

 

1 John 3:5    You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

John 8:46    Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?

 

1 John 3:8    Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

John 8:14    Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.”

 

1 John 3:13    Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.

John 15:18    If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.

 

1 John 3:14    We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.

John 5:24    Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

 

1 John 3:16    By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

John 10:15    just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

 

1 John 3:22    and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.

John 8:29    And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.

 

1 John 3:23    And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.

John 13:34    A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

 

1 John 4:6    We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

John 8:47    Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.

 

1 John 4:16    So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

John 6:69    and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.

 

1 John 5:9    If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son.

John 5:32    There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true.

 

1 John 5:20    And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

John 17:3    And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.