RONALD SAUER
OUTLINE
Introduction
I. Prologue (1:1-4)
A. The Contents of John’s Message (1:1-2)
B. The Purpose of John’s Letter (1:3-4)
II. Unorthodox Claims Tested by the Thesis of Jesus’ Message (1:5–2:2)
A. The Thesis of Jesus’ Message (1:5)
B. First Unorthodox Claim: Knowing Christ but Living in Sin (1:6-7)
C. Second Unorthodox Claim: Having No Sinful Nature (1:8-9)
D. Third Unorthodox Claim: Committing No Sins (1:10–2:2)
III. Three Assurances of Salvation Discussed (2:3-29)
A. The Moral Assurance: Obeying Indicates One’s Spiritual Status (2:3-6)
1. Obedience Indicates Salvation (2:3)
2. Disobedience Indicates Lack of Salvation (2:4)
3. Obedience Leads to Love for God (2:5)
4. Obedience Leads to Christlikeness (2:6)
B. The Social Assurance: Love for Christians Indicates Salvation (2:7-17)
1. Love Indicates One Is in the Light of the New Era (2:7-11)
2. Those in the New Era Overcome the Sinful Era (2:12-17)
C. The Theological Assurance: Belief in the Doctrine of the Incarnation (2:18-29)
1. Heretics Abandoned Belief in the Incarnation (2:18-19)
2. True Believers Embrace the Truth of the Incarnation (2:20-21)
3. Heretics Reject the Incarnation (2:21)
4. Heretics Do Not Have God (2:22-23)
5. True Believers Must Abide in the Truth (2:24-29)
IV. Three Assurances of Salvation Expanded (3:1–4:6)
A. The Moral Assurance: Obedience and the Righteous Life (3:1-10)
1. God’s Love and the New Birth (3:1)
2. Moral Purity and the New Birth (3:2-3)
3. Moral Impurity and Lawlessness (3:4)
4. Moral Impurity and Jesus’ Work (3:5-10)
a. Believers Have Righteous Behavior (3:5-7)
b. Believers Do Not Sin Like the Devil (3:8)
c. Believers Have God’s Seed (3:9-10)
B. The Social Assurance: Loving the Brethren (3:11-24)
1. Believers Love Other Believers (3:11-14)
2. Unbelievers Will Hate Believers (3:15)
3. Believers Sacrifice for Other Believers (3:16-18)
4. Believers Receive Assurance through Love for Other Believers (3:19-24)
C. The Theological Assurance: Holding to the Doctrine of the Incarnation (4:1-6)
1. The Need for Discernment (4:1-4)
2. The Source of Heresy (4:5-6)
V. The Three Assurances of Salvation Integrated (4:7–5:12)
A. The Social Assurance: Loving the Brethren (4:7-21)
1. The Command for Loving Believers (4:7-8)
2. The Example of Loving Believers (4:9-12)
3. The Divine Empowerment for Loving Believers (4:13-16)
4. The Spiritual Development from Loving Believers (4:17-18)
5. The Impetus for Loving Believers (4:19-21)
B. The Moral Assurance: Obeying Commands (5:1-5)
1. The Theological, Social, and Moral Assurances Are Integrated (5:1-3)
a. Those Who Believe in the Incarnation Are Reborn (5:1a)
b. Those Who Believe in the Incarnation Love Other Believers as an Act of Obedience to God (5:1b-3)
2. The Theological, Social, and Moral Assurances Provide Victory (5:4-5)
C. The Theological Assurance: Holding to the Doctrine of the Incarnation (5:6-12)
1. Believers Possess Credible Evidence for the Incarnation (5:6-11)
2. Believers Possess Assurance of their Salvation (5:12)
VI. Epilogue: Reassurance of Five Certainties (5:13-21)
A. Certainty #1: Assurance of Salvation (5:13)
B. Certainty #2: God Meets Needs through Prayer (5:14-15)
C. Certainty #3: God Helps Others through Prayer (5:16-17)
D. Certainty #4: Deliverance from the Evil One (5:18-19)
E. Certainty #5: Our Knowledge of Him Is True (5:20-21)