9. Theological and Ethical Value
The Epistle of John is a powerful statement of Christian truth, written with magisterial authority and a deep understanding of the divine essence.
Daniel Steele preaches on the Epistle of John, emphasizing that it is not a systematic theology but a powerful declaration of cardinal doctrines such as sin, atonement, love, and Christian perfection. John writes with the conviction that he is delivering the final statement of Christian truth, exuding apostolic authority and certainty. The Epistle magnifies the essence of love, the atonement through Christ's blood, and the attainability of Christian perfection through the Holy Spirit's work in believers' hearts.
Text
The Epistle is not a designed compendium of systematic theology or handbook of Christian doctrine for catechetical training, being written not for the instruction of the ignorant, but expressly for those who "know the truth." Yet "in no other book in the Bible are so many cardinal doctrines touched with so firm a hand." No other book gives a formal definition of sin, and none so often alludes to the atonement in the blood of Christ presented in its various phases, no other so magnifies love and identifies it with the divine essence, and no other so distinctly teaches Christian perfection attainable by all believers who here and now claim their full heritage in Christ, perfect love shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit.
John writes as if conscious that he is writing the last statement of Christian truth in epistolary form, just as he had written the last of the Gospels. "Each point is laid before us with the awe-inspiring solemnity of one who writes under the profound conviction that 'it is the last hour.' None but an apostle, perhaps none but the last surviving apostle, could have such magisterial authority in the utterance of Christian truth.
Every sentence seems to tell of the conscious authority and resistless, though unexerted, strength of one who has 'seen, and heard, and handled the Eternal Word, and who knows that his witness is true."'
Sermon Outline
- The Purpose of the Epistle
- The Importance of the Epistle
- The Nature of Love and Perfection
- The Authority of the Author
- John writes with magisterial authority
- Conscious authority and strength of one who has seen and heard the Eternal Word
Key Quotes
“In no other book in the Bible are so many cardinal doctrines touched with so firm a hand.” — Daniel Steele
“Each point is laid before us with the awe-inspiring solemnity of one who writes under the profound conviction that 'it is the last hour.'” — Daniel Steele
“None but an apostle, perhaps none but the last surviving apostle, could have such magisterial authority in the utterance of Christian truth.” — Daniel Steele
Application Points
- Recognize the importance of the Epistle as a statement of Christian truth.
- Understand that Christian perfection is attainable by all believers who claim their full heritage in Christ.
- Appreciate the magisterial authority of the author, John, who had a deep understanding of the divine essence.