Friday, March 2, 2007

Outline of the First Epistle of John

Outline of First John
From James Montgomery Boice, The Epistles of John

Preface (1:1-4)
I. The message (1:5-2:2)
A. God is light (1:5)
B. All are sinners (1:6-10)
1. The first denial (1:6-7)
2. The second denial (1:8-9)
3. The third denial (1:10)
C. The call to holiness (2:1-2)
II. The basis of the Christian’s assurance (2:3-27)
A. The moral test: righteousness (2:3-6)
B. The social test (2:7-11)
1. Parenthesis on the church (2:12-14)
2. Parenthesis on the world (2:15-17)
C. The doctrinal test: truth (2:18-27)
III. An exhortation to righteousness in view of the Lord’s return (2:28-3:3)
IV. The church and the world (3:4-4:6)
A. The first contrast: righteousness and sin (3:4-10)
B. The second contrast: love and hate (3:11-18)
Parenthesis dealing with doubt (3:19-24)
C. The third contrast: truth and error (4:1-6)
V. An exhortation to love in view of the Christian’s relationship to God (4:7-21)
VI. Summary of the Letter (5:1-20)
A. The three tests combined (5:1-5)
B. God’s own testimony: the final word (5:6-13)
C. Confidence in prayer and intercession (5:14-17)
D. Three final affirmations (5:18-20)
Conclusion (5:21)

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