1-3 John: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary

Overview

This New Testament commentary series reflects this objective of explaining and applying Scripture. Some commentaries are primarily linguistic, others are mostly theological, and some are mainly homiletical. This one is basically explanatory, or expository. It is not linguistically technical but deals with linguistics when that seems helpful to proper interpretation. It is not theologically expansive but focuses on the major doctrines in each text and how they relate to the whole of Scripture. It is not primarily homiletical, although each unit of thought is generally treated as one chapter, with a clear outline and logical flow of thought. Most truths are illustrated and applied with other Scripture.

The apostle John is really a man for our times. He wrote his three New Testament letters in a bold, direct, even dogmatic manner—more so perhaps than any other New Testament writer. Although renowned traditionally as the apostle of love (and he was), he was an authoritative, uncompromising teacher—an exclusive-style instructor with a crucial message of truth versus error, which the church much needs to hear in the twenty-first century.

This commentary considers John's clear, simple, unambiguous words from his three brief but profound letters. His themes, some of them reiterated more than once, emerge powerfully—such as the first letter's stress on doctrinal certainty, moral clarity, and the preeminence of biblical love, along with the second letter's emphasis on living the truth and the third's on discerning friends and foes in the local church.