Learning God

1st John

Avoid False Teachings

Summary  |  About  |  Why You Should Read it  |  Author  |  When Written |  Context  |  Timeline  |  Location  |  Outline  |  Observations  |  Resources


Summary

1st John is a short but deeply theological letter emphasizing key themes such as love, truth, and fellowship with God. Its focus is on strengthening the faith of believers and highlights the difference between light and darkness, with a central theme of love and obedience.

The table below is a high-level look at the structure and contents of 1st John.


About

1st John is the 23rd book of the New Testament and the 62nd book of the Bible.  It is one of five books authored by John.


Why You Should Read It

1st John is an encouraging letter that calls believers to live in love, truth, and obedience, providing them with a firm foundation in their faith.  It reassures believers of their eternal life, and encourages them to live in light and love. It addresses false teachings, particularly Gnosticism, which denied Jesus’ humanity and divinity. It also provides warnings against false teachers and encourages discernment through the Holy Spirit.


Author

The author is John son of Zebedee (see Mar 1:19-20), the apostle and the author of the Gospel of John, Revelation (see Introductions to both books: Author) and his other two epistles. He was a fisherman, one of Jesus’ inner circle (together with James and Peter), and “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (Jhn 13:23; see note there).

Unlike most NT letters, 1 John does not tell us who its author is. The earliest identification of him comes from the church fathers: Irenaeus (c. a.d. 140-203), Clement of Alexandria (c. 150-215), Tertullian (c. 155-222) and Origen (c. 185-253) all designated the writer as the apostle John. As far as we know, no one else was suggested by the early church.


When Written

1st John was likely written after his other two letters, despite being called 1st John.  It was like written in the late 80s to early 90s A.D., but before Revelation.


Context

1st John was written in the late 1st century AD, likely between 85-95 AD, during a time when the early Christian church was facing internal and external challenges. The specific context and reasons for its writing include:

  1. Combatting False Teachings:
  • Gnosticism and Docetism: Early forms of Gnosticism, especially Docetism, were spreading, teaching that Jesus was not truly human but only appeared to be so. This heresy denied the incarnation of Christ, undermining core Christian beliefs about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
  • Antichrists and False Prophets: John warns against those who deny that Jesus is the Christ, calling them antichrists. These false teachers were leading people away from the true faith, creating division within the church.
  1. Strengthening Christian Communities:
  • Division and Schism: The church was experiencing divisions due to these false teachings. Some members had left the community, which caused confusion and doubt among the believers who remained. John wrote to reassure them of their faith and to encourage unity.
  • Moral and Ethical Challenges: With conflicting teachings, there was confusion about what it meant to live a Christian life. John emphasizes love, obedience, and righteousness as markers of true faith, providing ethical guidance to counter misleading teachings.
  1. Encouraging Assurance of Salvation:
  • Reassuring Believers: Many believers were uncertain about their salvation due to the influence of false teachings. John wrote to reassure them that they have eternal life if they believe in Jesus, love one another, and keep God’s commandments.
  1. Promoting Love and Fellowship:
  • Fellowship with God and Each Other: John emphasizes that true Christian fellowship is grounded in a proper understanding of who Jesus is and is demonstrated by love for one another. This was a call for believers to live out their faith authentically in community.

Overall, 1st John was written to confront false teachings, strengthen the faith of believers, and promote love, truth, and fellowship in the early Christian community.


Timeline

The general order of events from the New Testament period of the early 60s to the early 100s is shown below.  This letter was written in this timeframe.


Location

John is believed to have written this letter from Ephesus, where he spent the latter part of his life ministering to the churches in Asia Minor. The epistle was likely intended for a network of house churches in this region.


Outline

Introduction: The Reality of the Incarnation (1:1-4)                   

The Christian Life as Fellowship with the Father and the Son (1:5; 2:28)                 

            Ethical Tests of Fellowship (1:5; 2:11)    

                        Moral likeness (1:5-7)

                        Confession of sin (1:8; 2:2)

                        Obedience (2:3-6)

                        Love for fellow believers (2:7-11)

            Two Digressions (2:12-17)

            Christological Test of Fellowship (2:18-28)        

                        Contrast: apostates versus believers (2:18-21)

                        Person of Christ: the crux of the test (2:22-23)

                        Persistent belief: key to continuing fellowship (2:24- 28)

The Christian Life as Divine Sonship (2:29; 4:6)             

            Ethical Tests of Sonship (2:29; 3:24)       

                        Righteousness (2:29;3:10a)

                        Love (3:10b-24)

            Christological Tests of Sonship (4:1-6)   

The Christian Life as an Integration of the Ethical and the Christological (4:7; 5:12)                

            The Ethical Test: Love (4:7; 5:5)   

            The source of love (4:7-16)

            The fruit of love (4:17-19)  

            The relationship of love for God and love for one’s fellow Christian (4:20; 5:1)

            Obedience: the evidence of love for God’s children (5:2- 5)       

Conclusion: Great Christian Christological Test (5:6-12)                     

Certainties (5:13-21)          


Observations

  • John:
    • Was one of the original 12 apostles.
    • Was one of the inner circle of the apostles, Peter, James, & John.
    • Was the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” John 13:23
    • Was one of the first two disciples called by Jesus.
    • Was one of the “pillars” of the church at Jerusalem. Galatians 2:9
    • Near the end of his life, John lived in Ephesus.
    • Near the end of the 1st century, John was exiled to the island of Patmos.
  • John authored five books of the New Testament.
    • John
    • 1 John
    • 2 John
    • 3 John
    • Revelation
  • Only Paul authored more New Testament books than John.
  • A number of reasons were involved in writing 1 John.
    • To add to their joy. 1:4
    • To help them guard against sin. 2:1
    • To confirm the truth that the faithful have overcome the evil one. 2:12-14
    • To strengthen their faith in Christ and assure them of eternal life. 5:13
  • John teaches that:
    • God is light.
    • God is love.
    • God is life.
  • John teaches about:
    • Love
    • Fellowship
    • Forgiveness
    • Confession
    • Blood of Christ
    • Sin

“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

                                          1 John 1:7

Sections in I John

  1. Walking and living in the Light 1:1-2:11
  2. Staying in the Light 2:12-2:27
  3. Practicing the righteousness & love of God 2:28-3:23
  4. Testing the Spirits 3:24-4:6
  5. Loving others as God loves us 4:7-4:21
  6. Believing in Jesus 5

Theme

  • Living in fellowship with God, who is light and love.
  • Fellowship with God produces a (sections):
    • Clean life (1)
    • Discerning life (2)
    • Loving life (3-5)
    • Confident life (6)

Jesus in I John

  • Jesus is the Word of Life, who is God come in the flesh to bring eternal life to those who believe (1:1: 4:2:5:20).

Old Testament

New Testament

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