“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.” (John 1:2, ESV)
- When and Where Do Biblical Scholars Believe This Book was Written?
This study is based on the belief that John, the brother of James (the sons of Zebedee, Matthew 10:2-4), is the author. He was also known as one of the “Sons of Thunder.” (Mark 3:17) He was also one of the three disciples that were present at Christ’s Transfiguration on the mountain (Matthew 17:1). John also authored the “Gospel of John” and the book of “Revelation” (Revelation 1:1).
It is believed that these letters were written in John’s elder years while he was living in Ephesus, probably 90-95 A.D. We will see as we study these letters; they have very similar themes and organization to his Gospel.
As stated in the opening lines of his letter, John is providing his eyewitness account in letter form to the church.
“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.” (John 1:1, ESV)
“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.” (John 1:3, ESV)
- The Purpose of John’s Letters?
Ephesus, being the intellectual center of Asia Minor at this time, gave rise to many false teachings and doctrines (e.g., Gnosticism, Docetism). This also led to dissension and divisions within the congregations. John sent his letters to the churches within his sphere of influence to address this plague of false teaching and doctrines, and to focus on the original apostolic teaching of the Gospel message. John was calling them back to the fundamentals of the faith; back to the basics of Christianity.
Unfortunately, many of these same false teachings and doctrines are still with us today. Some are in the same form and others in a similar form. Our study will help us recognize and address these.
In the context of the subtitle of this book, “Established by Truth . . . Marked by Love,” John repeats three themes regarding faithfulness to the basics of Christian belief and practice:
- Joy (1 John 1:4, 2 John 1:12, 3 John 1:4, ESV)
- Holiness (1 John 2:1, 1 John 3:9, 1 John 5:18, 2 John 1:11, ESV)
- Assurance (1 John 5:13, 2 John 1:2, ESV)
Consequently, when sound faith, truth, obedience, and love operate together, they result in joy, holiness, and assurance.
| COMPARISON OF THOUGHT AND STYLE IN JOHN’S GOSPEL AND FIRST EPISTLE | ||
| First Epistle of John – Chapter 1 | Gospel of John | |
| 1 John 1:1 | The beginning | John 1:1, 2 |
| 1 John 1:1 | The Word | John 1:1, 1:4, 1:14 |
| 1 John 1:2 | Christ Manifested | John 1:14 |
| 1 John 1:1,2 | Life | John 1:4 |
| 1 John 1:4 | Complete Joy | John 15:11 |
| 1 John 1:5 | Light in God, Light in Jesus | John 1:4 |
In addition to our book, I recommend the following online source for additional perspective. This covers all of 1 John, so we will use it for the first nine weeks of our study. I will provide a new link for 2 and 3 John and Jude when we get to them.
1 John Commentary – Precept Austin — https://www.preceptaustin.org/1_john_commentaries
1 John 1:1-10 Commentary – Precept Austin — https://www.preceptaustin.org/1john_11_commentary