The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary

Tyndale New Testament Commentaries #21

by John R.W. Stott

"John evidently loves the people committed to his care," says John Stott in the preface to this commentary on 1, 2 and 3 John. "They are his 'dear children,' his 'dear friends.' He longs to protect them from both error and evil and to see them firmly established in faith, love and holiness. He has no new doctrine for them. On the contrary, he appeals to them to remember what they already know, have and are. He warns them against deviating from this and urges them to remain loyal to it. Whenever innovators trouble the church, and ridicule whatever is old or traditional, we need to hear and heed John's exhortation, to continue in what we have learned and received, and to let it continue in us."

The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries have long been a trusted resource for Bible study. Written by some of the world's most distinguished evangelical scholars, these twenty volumes offer clear, reliable, and relevant explanations of every book in the New Testament.

These Tyndale volumes are designed to help readers understand what the Bible actually says and what it means. The introduction to each volume gives a concise but thorough description of the authorship, date, and historical background of the biblical book under consideration. The commentary itself examines the text section by section, drawing out its main themes. It also comments on individual verses and deals with problems of interpretation. The aim throughout is to get at the true meaning of the Bible and to make its message plain to readers today.

The original, unrevised text of this volume has been completely retypeset and printed in a larger, more attractive format with the new cover design for the series

Genres: Theology, Reference, Biblical Studies, Christian, New Testament, Nonfiction, Christianity

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1964

About the author

John R. W. Stott is known worldwide as a preacher, evangelist, and communicator of Scripture. For many years he served as rector of All Souls Church in London, where he carried out an effective urban pastoral ministry. A leader among evangelicals in Britain, the United States and around the world, Stott was a principal framer of the landmark Lausanne Covenant (1974). His many books, including Why I Am a Christian and The Cross of Christ, have sold millions of copies around the world and in dozens of languages. Whether in the West or in the Two-Thirds World, a hallmark of Stott's ministry has been expository preaching that addresses the hearts and minds of contemporary men and women. Stott was honored by Time magazine in 2005 as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World."

Reviews

[Gabriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a book with incisive insights and interpretations which helped me a lot with bible study leading preparation. A good first portion of the book was spent on analysing the authorship which I suppose is not as useful unless for academic purposes. That said, I think this commentary can still serve as a reliable port of call for better understanding the 3 Johannine letters.

[Mark Donald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used this commentary while preaching through 1 and 2 John. It is clear, succinct, and quotable. Engages with the greek fairly regularly, but not necessary to know greek to find it useful. Recommend.

[Peter Krol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will read any commentary by John Stott. There might be only a few I haven't read yet, and this was my second time through this one. But I will read him anytime, anywhere.

Some commentaries fail to illuminate the text. They spend hundreds of pages on word studies and etymology and historical usage of terms, but they fail to get at the author's main points and flow of thought. (I think of F.F. Bruce and Leon Morris as some chief examples here: good theologians and historians, but not the best commentators.)

Not Stott. He is concise and clear. He explains the text and the author's logic. This enables him to make helpful connections to the present day.

If you study a book of the Bible that Stott has a commentary for, get it. The Letters of John is a great place to start.

[Bethany Gerdin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first commentary, and I learned so much!

[Daniel Ligon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Very original. A good mix of technical and pastoral material. This was my favorite commentary on the letters of John.

[Lucas Dorminy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughtfully and logically presented. An easy to read commentary with good insights. Would recommend.

[Eddie LaRow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall helpful. At times Stott spends more time than necessary on speculating who the “secessionists” were. Per usual, it is extremely practical yet academic.

[Jimmy Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This commentary is, perhaps, his most well-known. At the least, I’ve seen it quoted time and again in later major exegetical commentaries on the Epistles of John. It’s his only commentary in the wildly popular Tyndale New Testament Commentary (TNTC) series. I imagine this series has been one of the best-selling of all time because of its broad usefulness. Despite its age, I still see it widely recommended and even called the best in this series by many reviewers.

The thorough introduction is wisely divided into three parts: authorship, occasion, and message. He reasons beautifully for the authorship of the letters by John. He has wonderful things to say about occasion and message. There is much learning there. He seems to conclude much as the earlier commentator Robert Law did, though he’s far easier to follow in my opinion. I don’t exactly agree with Law’s premise, but it’s well explained here.

The commentary proper is model commentating. The introduction and commentary on II and III John are equally compelling. This book lives up to all its hype.

The TNTC is currently going through its second major revision. That means this title will likely be replaced by a new author. I’m confident that IVP will not allow this book to go out-of-print and if you ever can’t find it in the TNTC look for it is as a classic reprint by them. Get this one!

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

[Joe Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fine commentary that has depth but also explains the letters in a way that the layperson can understand. The intro is strongly pro-John the Apostle as the author and does a fairly in depth look at the first letter and the epistle sharing much in the way of thought and language. This is followed by the second and third epistles showing similarities to the first.
The meat of the book is the commentary which requires thought but is accessible. One notable suggestion was that the heresy mentioned was that of believing that Jesus became Christ at his baptism and ceased to be Christ before the cross. This John combated by writing specifically that Jesus was Christ through, not at, water (baptism) and through, not just before, the blood (crucifixion). There are quite a few well explained concepts such as this in the volume.

[Steven McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Stott is ever helpful exegetically, theologically, and devotionally. This commentary was no different. I'd highly recommend this resource both for those who want to to preach or teach through the Epistles of John, and also for those who simply want to study it for personal benefit or use this book as an aid to devotional reading in this part of the Bible.

[James Ruley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent commentary on First, Second, and Third John. While not being too lengthy, this commentary provides adequate context surrounding the book and good explanations of difficult passages. Written in a pastoral tone, this commentary is a perfect assistant for any Bible study in John’s epistles.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent commentary of 1-3 John. I used it as I preached through 1 John. Even as I listened to sermons from other Reformed ministers on 1 John, I could tell they had used this book too. So, it's a very good resource for studies in John's epistles.

[Steve Hazell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is solid. Thorough yet not so scholarly that it is beyond the reach of most readers. Stott always gives solid insights and approaches the text faithfully and from every angles. Highly recommended.

[William Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stott's three tests makes the outline of 1 John understandable. A short but informative and loaded commentary though not friendly towards the Received Text nor the KJV. His earlier edition was based on the KJV, this newer edition is based on the NIV.

[Caleb Levi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may be my least favorite Stott commentary. However, he’s still one of the greatest commentators to study. No one can break down and summarize a book of the Bible like Stott. I wish most academics would write with his clarity and pastoral conviction.

[Nika Spaulding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought it was especially helpful in the 1 John portion when he discusses the moral, social and doctrinal tests. Really brought what felt like a disordered book into clearer focus.

[Njaka Tsiory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Letters of John? Letters who tell us the Love of God.

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very thought provoking

[Mason Bramer]

As always, Stott here is helpful pastorally and devotionally.

[Mark Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book as I taught through 1, 2, 3 John. It is an excellent resource for pastors.

[Jack W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stott does an excellent job communicating the rich message of the apostle John, especially 1 John.

[Stephen Clardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic for a reason.

[Tim Parks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Extremely detailed on things that I didn't find really that relevant (e.g., proving that John wrote the book for a whole chapter or two.)

[lori hoad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always had trouble with the extreme positions of the letters of John (anyone who sins is not from God, etc.). This commentary helped me see the balance and answered some of my questions. Particularly I will take away a deeper sense of the seriousness of sin (I read the beginning of this commentary at the same time as Don Everts book "The Smell of Sin" which was really helpful in further illuminating the severity of sin) and a glimpse at understanding the balance between truth and love.

"If, then, the whole purpose of Christ's first appearing was to remove sins and to undo the works of the devil, Christians must not compromise with either sin or the devil, or they will find themselves fighting against Christ. If the first step to holiness is to recognize the sinfulness of sin, both in its essence as lawlessness and in its diabolical origin, the second step is to see its absolute incompatibility with Christ in his sinless person and saving work. The more clearly we grasp these facts, the more incongruous will sin appear and the more determined we shall be to be rid of it." (pg. 129)

"The fellowship of the local church is created by truth and exhibited by love. Each qualifies the other. On the one hand, our love is not to be so blind as to ignore the views and conduct of others. Truth should make our love discriminating. ...Our love for others is not to undermine our loyalty to the truth. On the other hand, we must never champion the truth in a harsh or bitter spirit. Those who are 'walking in the truth' (4) need to be exhorted to 'love one another' (5). So the Christian fellowship should be marked equally by love and truth, and we are to avoid extremism which pursues either at the expense of the other. Our love grows soft if it is not strengthened by truth, and our truth hard if it is not softened by love. Scripture commands is both to love each other in truth and to hold the truth in love." (pg. 207)

[David Holford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Use this as the principle commentary to teach through 1 John. Stott relies heavily upon Robert Law's The Tests of Life: A Study in the First Epistle of St. John from 1909, available in full in pdf on the internet. I found a combination of Stott and Law to be quite useful. In the more difficult passages of 1 John, Stott provides a good range of alternative views and argues persuasively for his own positions.

[Glenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with all of John Stott's commentaries, the Letters of John are exegeted with clarity, exposited with insight, and made pastorally practical. You don't get much better than Stott for giving the reader a fresh, understandable, and thoughtful explanation of John's Letters. The pastor or layman will not go wrong using this short, but insightful work. Highly recommended

[Gerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very accessible, and reasonable-length commentary on the Letters of John. I learned a lot from Stott's reflections, and he did a fair job interacting with the views of other (and, I assume, more technical) commentaries. I appreciated the shorter length also, but it also meant less depth of discussion on some of the finer points, or on application to today.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Stott is the man. He pastors, writes commentaries, theological works, apologetics . . . This is a first rate commentary. Great scholarship, utterly readable, pastoral in tone. Highly recommended!

[Nate Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seems like any time Stott has a commentary on a book, it makes preaching that book all the easier. This is no exception. Obviously written for pastors, many sample sermon outlines suggested by his comments. Helpful.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent commentary.