Introducing 1 John

One of my favorite books in the New Testament is 1 John, one of those little letters tucked near the back of the Bible along with James, 1 & 2 Peter, the two other letters by John, and Jude. They’re all placed between the heavy books of Hebrews and Revelation, like little snacks between two big meals.

There are some well-known passages in 1 John that regular church-goers will easily recognize. How do these passages fit into John’s overall message in this letter? We know and quote these verses, but do we understand them in their context?

We also find some difficult passages in 1 John. John writes, for example, “Anyone who does not love does not know God,” “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar,” and “Whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.” Really? So whoever loves someone is a Christian? What is John saying here?

Maybe you’ve never read 1 John, or you’ve read it but skipped past those curious verses. They didn’t sound quite right, but you don’t have time to do a thorough study of the book. It’s all you can do just to read your Bible every day. I know. I get it. But this book is full of important truth, so I’d like to spend a few weeks looking at 1 John.

The first thing to know about 1 John is that the Apostle John, one of the disciples closest to Jesus, was facing a crisis. Some people who had left the church over theological issues were traveling around teaching their false doctrine, and people were falling for it. These false teachers were trying to convince church members to join them. 

Ever had someone knock on your door wanting to talk to you about God? They’re nicely dressed, seem to know what they’re talking about, act sincere, and have nice tracts they’ll give you. How do you know if they’re true believers? 

I usually tell them that I’d love to talk further with them, and I ask them to make an appointment with me. I have never once had them agree to make an appointment. But I’m ready if they ever do. 

You may be more comfortable saying, “No thanks” and closing the door. Or just don’t answer the door in the first place. The point is, this is the kind of thing that was happening in John’s church, except that the people coming to the door were once active members of the church. So John wrote 1 John to help the members deal with the issue.

The first four verses of John’s letter are often called the “prologue,” and they set the stage for the rest of the letter. 

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. (1 John 1:1-4)

John goes back to eternity past, and he speaks of Jesus as the “word of life.” Sounds very familiar to the opening part of his Gospel, doesn’t it? He also calls Jesus “the eternal life,” because it’s in Jesus that eternal life is found. John is facing an opposition that denies the deity of Christ, and right here at the beginning he assures his readers that they, not the false teachers, are the ones who truly know Jesus and who he is. 

Jesus Christ, “the eternal life, which was with the Father,” is God the Son, fully God, who has existed from eternity past with no beginning. This same Jesus “was made manifest to us” or came to us in the incarnation as fully man yet still fully God (see the blog series, Who is Jesus?). John, one of the original twelve disciples, is an eyewitness to this. He’s not teaching them something he’s been told. John saw Jesus, touched Jesus, and heard him speak, both before and after his resurrection. He knew Jesus. In saying that he has seen Jesus, John is echoing what he wrote in John 1:14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Not only has Jesus come to us, not only is he eternally God the Son and fully man, but Jesus is the only way that we can have fellowship with God. Our fellowship with each other as believers depends first on our fellowship with Christ. That’s why John is writing this letter: to reassure his readers that they have fellowship with John because they also have fellowship with Christ. They don’t have to listen to the false teachers who are causing them to doubt their salvation. John wants to remove their doubt. Even more, John wants them to have joy in their relationship with God. And John’s joy cannot be complete if theirs is not. 

This little opening paragraph is filled with life-altering truth, and it sets us up for the incredible teaching that lies ahead.  I hope you’ll join me as we walk through 1 John.

Series Navigation

God is Light >>