1st John Bible Nerd-Study - Week 29

Week 29 —1st John Bible Nerd-Study

*Missed last week? Click here for 1st John Bible Nerd-Study - Week 28

Jerusalem Bible + 1 John 2:29-3:6 + FB Meyer notes

1 John (FB Meyer)

For this week let's use a much smaller commentary. F.B. Meyer has some short notes on the book and I believe it is a good example for us. If, after having studied for a year, we can come up with some overview-type paragraphs for each major section that would be some fruit. It's true that we may have a lot of notes and many details to tell people about that we've discovered. But can we do something simple like this as well? As always, F.B. Meyer brings the word to all of us and lifts us up to Christ (see attached).

Let's read from the Jerusalem Bible this time. In the 1960s or so there was a movement among the Roman Catholics to get into reading the Bible. One piece of fruit from that time is the Jerusalem Bible. It is a Catholic translation so it will have some extra books in it, but we're just looking into 1st John. I've used a Catholic translation several times when witnessing to Catholics. I very rarely run into a useful gospel verse that I can't still use in their translations. The problem there is not normally what's left out but what's been added to the gospel.

And this translation is very neat. I like how it uses Yahweh in the OT. And you'll notice in 1st John how some of the notes refer to the Vulgate (The Latin translation by Jerome. A good source for all of us but especially emphasized among the Catholics like many others today may feel about the KJV).

I noticed in 1 John 1 how the word union is used instead of fellowship, and how in a footnote they share a very key element to outlining 1st John: "God is in Christians 1:3, as the principle of their new life. Since God is light, 1:5, virtue, 2:29, and love, 4:8, 16, whoever lives in union with God must live a life of light, virtue and love ..." I learned this somewhere else but was so glad to see it here.

I have a huge copy at home which I took some pictures of. See the link below. You can find this translation online but I didn't quickly see one where the notes are listed. Also, the subheadings and format are part of the translation efforts. It's similar to NIV in that it's somewhat exact but more of a meaning for meaning translation. I found several spots that were helpful.

1 John (Jerusalem Bible)

As usual, let's press on in our verse by verse meditations and memory: 2:29-3:6.