1 John

The writer of this letter is John. He was an apostle. It was at a time when there were many religious ideas. But John spoke about one special problem. Several New Testament churches had this problem. And it caused trouble and worry. It was a false gospel.

Some people were very eager to spread their message. A name for them was Gnostics. (This comes from a Greek word, ‘gnosis’. It means ‘knowledge’.) These people offered a way of salvation. It was by ‘knowledge’. They said that they knew some spiritual mysteries. They told them to a few special people. And these mysteries had the power to save people. Church members slowly accepted ideas like this. Some Gnostics believed that all physical things were evil. So Christ could not have had a human body. They could not believe that Christ actually came to earth.

Other people said that Jesus only seemed to be human. Their name was Docetists. (This comes from the Greek word ‘dokein’. It means ‘to seem’.) Some people said that Jesus did not really die on the cross. They said that, at the end, someone else was there instead.

That was why John insisted on two facts about Christ. He insisted that Christ is both God and man (4:1-3, 7-10, 14-15). And he emphasised two things about God's revelation in Christ. It is unique. There is nothing else like it. And it is sufficient. Humans need nothing else.

[Note: The Greek word for ‘revelation’ means ‘to take away the cover’. God does this when he shows things to people. He does this in natural ways or in special ways.]

Christ is God's only Son (2:23). He ‘came to earth and he became a man’ (4:2). He is:

• our Saviour (one who saves) from sin and its results (1:7; 2:2; 4:10, 14)
• our Lawyer in heaven (2:1)
• our Perfect example (2:6)
• the great Son of God who conquers the devil and destroys all his work (3:8b)
• our Lord who will return to this earth (3:2-3).

The Gnostic teachers were very different from this. And John used some words that might have been what they were teaching. The words are, ‘if we say’ (1:6,8,10). There are also the words, ‘the man who says’ (2:4). Here are some of the Gnostics’ ideas. They said that they had:

• special fellowship with God (1:6; 2:6)
• no sin in themselves or in their actions (1:8,10)
• knowledge that nobody else had (2:4)
• special spiritual understanding (2:9).

John's subject in 1 John is ‘Fellowship with the Father’. He deals with:

Its Principles (Chapter 1:1-10)

The Christian message about our fellowship with the Father is:

A fact. It comes from actual events of history (1:1-4). It is not just thoughts and ideas like those of the Gnostics. We can check up on these events. People saw Christ. They touched him and they heard him. He was in this world. Christ had a real body.

A revolution. It demands a change of life. Christians cannot just say spiritual things (1:6). We must do things too. Our lives must show that we are different. It is not just stating religious beliefs, then living as we like. We must ‘keep on walking in the light’ (1:7. ‘Light’ shows what God is like. It means ‘goodness’ or ‘truth’). God will ‘keep on making us clean from all sin’ (1:7). Notice something here. Both these verbs show continuous action.

A certainty. God always keeps his promises. We may live very close to him. But we cannot be perfect in this life (1:8, 10). However, when we sin, we must repent. We must confess our sins. Then he will forgive us (1:9).

We do not earn God's pardon. It is not because of the words that we use. It is not because of how very sorry we are. It is because of God's nature. He is faithful and he is fair (1:9).

Its Demands (Chapter 2:1-17)

John now explained the high standards of the Christian life. But first he reminded the people who read his letters about Christ. John wrote about who Christ is. He is special. There is nobody else like him. Christ's work for us is special too. Our ideal ambitions would be like impossible dreams. We will make mistakes. But Christ makes us able to live as well as we possibly can. This is because:

• Christ is our holy lawyer (2:1)
• Christ is our great sacrifice (2:2)
• Christ is our perfect teacher (2:3-5. Read John 15:15)
• Christ is our loving example (2:6).

All through his life, Jesus served people. He really cared about people. He had sympathy and pity for them. And we must be like Jesus. This is not a new command (2:7; 4:21. Read Leviticus 19:18 and Deuteronomy 10:19). But Christ gave a new importance to it (Matthew 22:37-40). There was more meaning to the command (John 13:34). We must love and care for everybody (Luke 10:29-37).

Fellowship with the Father demands love. It demands love for the people in the world who need God. It is not about love for the things that are in the world.

Christians receive pardon (2:12). They can really know God (2:13). And they defeat ‘the Evil One’ (Satan). Christians receive power too (2:14). But there are people who choose the world's control of their lives. They choose to have the attitudes and the behaviour of the people in the world (2:14). And it is different for people like this. They will not have God's love in them (2:15). They love the world and the things that are in it (2:15). They want more possessions. They are proud of what they achieve (2:16). And these things might satisfy them for a while. But they do not recognize one important fact. It is this. None of these things will last (2:17).

Its Enemies (Chapter 2:18-29)

Some people had left the church (2:18-19). And John knew the reason for this. It was because of some false teachers. They had taught wrong things about Christ (2:22-23). They were enemies of true Christian teaching. They said that their message was only for a few people. And their special knowledge would save them. However, John emphasised the truth. He said that the Holy One teaches all true believers (2:20, 27).

Its Qualities (Chapter 3:1-24)

First, John wrote about things that are not about Fellowship with the Father (3:1-10). Then he wrote about things that are (3:11-24). The true child of God does not choose to go on sinning. The tense in 3:6 and 3:9 is important. The present tense means ‘keeps on sinning’, and this refers to a particular sort of person. It is someone who is always sinning, and who is never sorry. He or she has no care about the moral demands of the gospel.

Some Gnostics said that the ‘spirit’ or ‘soul’ is all that matters. [Note: The soul is the inner part of a person. It is what makes each person different.] They said that the ‘body’ could do whatever it wanted to. And John wanted everyone to know that this was wrong.

There is something important here for us too. John did not teach that it is impossible to sin. But he did suggest that, in any situation it is possible not to sin. So it is not certain that we will sin in a particular circumstance. If it was certain, the words in 2:1 would have no meaning. John said ‘So that you will not sin’. But there will be times when we do fail. And John made this plain. He said ‘But if anybody does sin’ (2:1).

John shows a Christian's qualities. A Christian is holy (3:1-11). He has God's love for other people (3:11-24). He has great sympathy and care. And this shows the difference between believers and unbelievers. (This means those who are not believers, 3:11-15.)

A Christian's love is:

• ready to give all, even to give life itself (3:16)
• practical (3:17)
• genuine (3:18).

Love is a command that Christians must obey. They do not have a choice (3:21-24).

Its Tests (Chapter 4:1-21)

Someone may say that he or she is a Christian. And there are ways to test if this is genuine. Here John mentioned a beliefs test. Does the person accept that Christ is entirely human (4:1-3)? Elsewhere in his letter, John referred to a second beliefs test. Does the person accept that Christ is entirely God? (Read 1:3; 2:22-23; 4:15; 5:1, 10 and 13).

Then there is a fellowship test (4:4-6). True Christians are partners. They enjoy the confidence of those who love the truth. This is because the Spirit of truth speaks to each of them (4:6. Read John 16:13).

The practical test is love (4:17-21). And we have models of this love. There is God's love (4:8, 16 and 19). Then there is Christ. He came into the world (4:9). His task was to save the world (4:14). And he died so that God could take away our sins (4:10).

Genuine Christian love is God's gift. True love proves that a Christian:

• is God's child (4:7)
• has a personal knowledge of God (4:8)
• has God's life in him or her (4:16)
• is like God (4:17).

‘God showed his love’ (4:9). And we must be like this. People should be able to see our love. But this sort of love is not easy (4:10, 11, 19). And John was very much against something. He said ‘Our love should not be only words or talk. No! Our love must be true love. We should show our love by the things that we do’ (3:18; 4:20).

Its Certainties (Chapter 5)

John ended his letter with the same familiar subjects. They are:

• love (5:1)
• obedience (obeying; 5:2-3)
• faith (5:4-12)
• prayer (5:13-17)
• being holy (5:18)
• being sure (5:19-21).