1 John - Cycles as patterns of importance

In 1 John there are cycles wherein the Biblical writer will introduce an idea, and gradually reframe the idea, narrow the idea, or expand the idea over subsequent sentences or phrases. Today we'll examine how John calls special attention to themes via literary cycles. These cycles are like billboards. When you are driving along the highway there are times where billboards inform you about upcoming exits, restaurants, gas stations, or companies that provide goods and services. Billboards seek to grab attention to focus you on some advertising message. They highlight what a company wants to emphasize. Biblical writers often use descriptions, illustrations, concepts, and statements to introduce an aspect of truth which will then be further narrowly focused on or further expanded up in subsequent statements. John as a biblical writer does this masterfully and repeatedly throughout 1 John. 

Sin and Salvation Cycle

5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 

8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. 

2 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 

(1 John 1:5-2:2)

This cycle is made up of statements about God's character, human rebellion (sin), the epidemic of human rebellion (sin), and God's work of mercy towards those who sin and repent. Within this cycle we read that God is light, and there is no darkness in him. Through this illustration God's character as righteous and good.  Also, God's character is revealed. In other words, God's character is not a mystery, not a hidden thing (of darkness), but rather is on full display. This is first stated in 1:5, then reiterated again in 1:7 (as he is in the light). Christ's work of purifying his people from produces fellowship. Let's see how this cycle is repeated and reinforced after verse 7. 

In verse 8 sin is mentioned again and this time self-deception is brought up. To claim to be without sin is to deceive ourselves. Notice that in the first cycle of verses 5-7 Jesus was mentioned almost as soon as sin was mentioned. Again, in verses 8-10 Jesus is mentioned quickly after sin is brought up. The pronoun in verse 9 is connected to purify and forgiving. In verse 7 we were told that it was Christ's blood that purifies. This is one way John continues his cycle of discussing God's character, human rebellion (sin), and God's work of mercy towards those who sin and repent. To admit sin, to openly, truthfully, and sincerely declare we are guilty before God is to be truthful. On the one hand verses 8-10 expand the cycle to include forgiveness as an aspect of Christ work (not mentioned in 5-7). On the other hand, the cycle becomes more focused by emphasizing the process by which purification comes to us - through confession, and forgiveness. This part of the cycle wraps up with deception just like it started. Now the deception is not only about self but is accusatory in nature. When we claim to have no sin, we are saying that God's righteous position of declaring us sinful is a lie. When we claim to have no sin, we call God a liar. 

The third section (1 John 2:1-2) stays with the same themes discussed so far in the cycle with some added details. John starts this section with a caring name, calling his audience "my dear children". John is writing to people he cares for, people he delights in seeing grow and do good. These aren't abstract moral platitudes for an audience which is only present under some sense of societal obligation. These are truths conveyed from someone who loves the audience deeply and has a heart filled with hope. John brings sin up again, but this time as something to avoid. Previously John was discussing the mechanics of how sin destroys our relationship with God. Now John says he's writing so no one will sin. In this cycle John gives both the instruction along with the reasoning of why he gives the instruction. 

John then moves from the instruction to the failure of the instruction. If anyone does sin, what then is the next question? Here again where sin becomes a problem, Christ Jesus is the solution. In verse 1 Jesus is in close proximity with the Father. Jesus is our "advocate" and the "Righteous One". Jesus is then called by John the "atoning sacrifice for our sins" (2:2). The scope of just how much atonement and forgiveness is available then reaches to the size of the whole world by the end of the cycle. This is John showing us just how much sin Christ Jesus' blood can cover for those who repent and believe. Jesus' blood is sufficient for all those who repent (following the cycle of confessing, and repenting) but it is efficient only for those who do repent. There are some who try to take a belief of "universalism" in 1 John 2:2, but this is only achievable if the entire rest of the cycle is ignored. Not everyone is saved, but the problem isn't due to a shortage of God's mercy in Christ Jesus' atoning, forgiving, purifying blood. The reason some are not saved is always due to self-deception and a rejection of Christ as savior. 

The good news of this cycle is that salvation is available to you, and to me. God's goodness abounds in the merciful grace of Christ to us. Sin isn't something that is solved with a self-help program, or even with enough self-discipline. Sin is something which the best Christian still on earth struggles with. Even in struggling against sin we have a gracious Christ who stands ready as an advocate to forgive as we confess. 

The rest of 1 John continues with thematic cycling, where at times the biblical writer focuses in on or expands a particular aspect of a previously mentioned truth. Some more of these cycles are the "Knowing God" cycle (found in 1 John 2:3-11), the "Reason for writing" cycle (found in 1 John 2:12-17), the "antichrists and Christ" cycle (found in 1 John 2:18-26) and the "true and false spirit" cycle (Found in 1 John 4:1-6). 

I hope that this has given you a bit of a tease, or an introduction to some of the ways John calls attention to specific themes or concepts while writing. While John didn't use bold font, or underlining, or other "billboarding" sorts of features to get attention of particular concepts, we can, when we read slowly, and thoughtfully, see that the biblical writers employ various features to help us see key points.