Author: The apostle John
Date: Around the year 90 A.D.
Theme: Jesus is the son of GOD. Those who follow him whold live in righteousness.
Key words: Love, know, life, light, companionship
Author and addressees: Although this epistle is anonymous, its style and vocabulary clearly indicate that it was written by the author of the Gospel of John. The internal evidence also points to John as the author, and the ancient testimony unanimously attributes it to him.
The lack of a special dedication or salutation suggests that the letter was a circular, probably sent to the churches around Ephesis, where John passed his final years.
Date: The weight of a strong and early Christian tradition in which John passed his final years in Ephesus, along with the fact that the tone of its writings suggests that it came from the pen of a mature Christian who had gone through a profound spiritual experience, points to a date around the end of the first century. Furthermore, the character of the heresy that the letter attacks points to the same time, around 90 A.D.
Occasion and purpose: John emphasizes that he wrote to give assurance about eternal life to those "who believe in the name of the Son of GOD" (5:13). His readers' uncertainty about their spiritual condition had its origin in an unsettled conflict with the teachers of a false doctrine. John refers to these teachings as deception (2:26; 3:7) and to its teachers as "false prophets" (4:1), liars (2:22) and antichrists (2:18,22; 4:3). At one time they had belonged to the church, but they had withdrawn (2:19) and had "gone out into the world" (4:1) to propogate their sinful heresy.
The alluded heresy was a doctrinal precursor to that which would be the gnosticism of the 2nd century, which taught that matter was essentially evil and the spirit essentially good. The dualistic point of view made the false teachers deny the incarnation of Christ and, therefore, the resurrection. The true GOD, they taught, couldn't live within a material body, of flesh and bone. Therefore, the human body that Jesus had wasn't real, but only apparent. John wrote vigorously against this error (see 2:22,23; 4:3).
They also taught that because the human body was only a wrapping for the spirit, and because nothing the body could do affected the spirit, ethical distinctions ceased to be relevant. Therefore, they didn't sin. John indignantly refuted these errors (see 2:4,16,15-17; 3:3,7,9,10; 5:18).
"Gnosticism" is a word derived from the Greek gnosis, which means "knowledge". Gnostics later taught that salvation was achieved through mental enlightenment, which descended upon only a select group of people who were initiated in spiritual things, and not upon ordinary Christians. Therefore, they replaced faith with intellectual purposes and placed speculation above the basic principles of the gospel. Faced with these teachings, John reacted vigorously: He declared that no revelation existed that was reserved for only a few intellectuals, and that the entire body of believers possessed the apostolic teachings (see 2:20,27).
John's object in writing the epistle was to expose the heresy of the false teachers and confirm the faith of the true believers.
Characteristics: There are great similarities between the Gospel of John and this epistle. In this, the tone is brotherly and paternal, which reflects the authority that his years and apostleship give him. The style is informal and personal, which reveals the apostle's intimate relationship with GOD and his people.
Content: In its warnings against heresy, I John emphasizes such themes as love, light, knowledge and life. These principal ideas are repeated throughout the entire letter; the theme of love is presented as a dominant note. Having love is a clear evidence that one is a Christian, and lack of love indicates that one is in darkness (2:9-11; 3:10-23; 4:7-21).
John affirms that GOD is light and companionship with Him makes one walk in the light and in true companionship with the other believers. Companionship with GOD and other believers allows us to recognize, through the anointing from above, false doctrines and the spirit of the antichrist.
Companionship with GOD necessitates walking in the light and obedience to his commandments (1:6,7; 2:3-5). "He who does righteousness is righteous, as He is righteous" (3:7), while "whoever doesn't do righteousness...isn't of GOD" (3:10). The love of the Father and the love of the world are totally incompatible (2:15-17), and nobody born of GOD has the habit of practicing sin (3:9; 5:18). Christ is the antithesis of sin, and He has appeared to take away all our sins (3:5).
In chapter 4 the theme of discerning spirits continues; that is, the identification of false prophets who have gone out into the world (v. 1). To test the spirits we must ask whom they recognize as Savior and LORD Every spirit that doesn't recognize that Jesus is GOD incarnate isn't of GOD (v. 3).
The epistle ends with the testimony of Jesus, the Son of GOD. Jesus is he who came. The official title of the Messiah is "the One who comes" or "the One who should come" (Matt. 11:3; I John 5:6). John identifies him as the One who came through water and blood, the GOD who came to dwell with us, the Word made flesh.
ADD THESE TO IJohn.html: Literary Form (HBH): The letter lacks an introduction and greeting from the author. It expresses no thanksgiving and lacks a concluding salutation. The author never mentioned the name of another Christian in the writing. he never quoted the Old Testament. The epistle reads like a sermon, but there are sections in which there are clear indications that John wrote to specific people with specific problems (2:1,26).
The style of writing involves much repetition, often with deceptively simple phrasing of words. John alternated emphases on the necessity of right attitude, right action, and right belief. John believed that the practice of these patterns demonstrated the possession of eternal life and distinguished believers from unbelievers.
Purpose and Theology (HBH): John wrote to strengthen the joy (1:4) of his readers and to give them assurance of their relationship with Jesus Christ (5:13). He also wanted to prepare them for dealing with false teachers (4:1-3).
John advocated the genuineness of Christ's humanity (1:1-2), and he called those who questioned the reality of Jesus' incarnation "Antichrists" (4:1-3). He presented the death of Christ as an atoning sacrifice for sins (2:2), and he taught the return of Christ (2:28). He denied the idea that Christians could make a practice of sinning (3:8-9), and he called for a demonstration of the reality of faith by ministry (3:16-18).
He opposed both moral laxity and theological errors centering around the person and work of Christ. He opposed Docetism, the denial of the reality of Christ's body, by teaching that he had heard, seen, and touched Christ (1:1). He also emphasized that the same Jesus Christ appeared at both the baptism and the crucifixion (5:6).
Personal Application: In I John, the positive note about Christian security is prominent. The verb "know" is mentioned 22 times. Christian truth goes beyond all speculation, because it's irrevocably anchored in the historical account of Jesus Christ, and the apostolic testimony about that event. Furthermore, Christians have received the anointing and testimony of the Holy Spirit to confirm the truth about GOD, Christ and their own spiritual postition.
Three tests demonstrate authentic Christianity: the test of faith (4:2), the test of obedience (2:3) and the test of love (4:20). These same things are negatively affirmed. One who professes to be Christian, but hasn't passed the test of faith (2:22), the test of obedience (1:6) and the test of love (4:20), is a liar. John resumes the three tests in 5:1-5, where he indicates that a profession of Christian faith is false unless it's characterized by a true belief, obedience to GOD and brotherly love. The same test is valid in our days.
Christ revealed: John emphasizes the divinity as much as the humanity of Jesus. It is declared in the epistle that GOD completely entered the life of human beings through Christ. One proof of Christianity is believing correctly in the incarnation (4:2,15; 5:1).
Jesus is our advocate before the Father (2:1). Sin is incongruent with the life of a Christian; however, if the believer sins, Jesus attends his case.
Jesus is the propitiary offering for our sins (2:2; 4:10). See the note for Romans 3:25.
Jesus is also Savior, sent by GOD to rescue us from our sins (1:7; 3:5; 4:14). Only through Him can we have eternal life (5:11,12).
John presents the Second Coming of Jesus as an incentive to remain firm in the faith (2:28), and gives assurance that our complete transformation into Christ's image will occur at his return.
The Holy Spirit in Action: John describes the triple ministry of the Holy Spirit in his epistle. First, GOD gives the Spirit to fortify our relationship with Christ, whether because he dwells in us (3:24), or we dwell in Him (4:13). Second, the Holy Spirit testifies of the reality of Christ's incarnation (4:2; 5:6-8). Third, the Spirit guides true believers to the full realization of the truth concerning Jesus, so they can successfully oppose the heretics who deny this truth (2:20; 4:4).
I. The incarnation 1:1-10
II. The life of the righteous 2:1-29
III. The life of the sons of GOD 3:1-4:6
IV. The source of love 4:7-21
V. The triumph of righteousness 5:1-5
VI. The assurance of eternal life 5:6-12
VII. Christian certainty 5:13-21
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