“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:8-10, ESV)
John
The apostle John may be the only author found in the Bible that intentionally breaks "the fourth wall." In his gospel He often stops and painstakingly explains things to his readers as he strongly desires everyone to understand what he is writing about, especially the insurmountable problem of sin and how Jesus offers freedom from the bondage of that sin (salvation) to anyone willing to accept and receive Him. In other words, he wants everyone to know that eternal life with Jesus is possible and that they can know for certain that they are going to heaven after they die. Which is why the book of John may be the best gospel for a new believer to first read. This same passion for clear dialog and use of straightforward language continues in these three epistles. Below is a brief introduction to the apostle and a little insight as to possibly why he was compelled to write these epistles. May God bless you in this study and please don't be alarmed by the number of chapters, just like the study of Peter's epistles, this study has been divided into several lesson-sized (short) chapters. Like most commentaries there are a lot of Biblical references, please take the time to look-up and read each verse, especially if the reference suggests to “read” instead of “see.”
Enjoy,
Dave Heywood
The epistle of First John was written by the same author as the gospel of John, the book of Revelation, and of course, the other two epistles known as 2nd John and 3rd John. However, the author never identifies himself in any of these three epistles, so how do we know the apostle John wrote these three? First, we have several early-church commentary writers and leaders who identify or allude to John as the author, including first and second century authors, Clement of Rome, Justin Martyr, Polycarp, and Papias. Then later in the second century Irenaeus (who is believed to be the first to officially name the epistles), Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, as well as third-century authors Origen, Dionysius of Alexandria, and Cypian of Carthage. It is important to remember that John also did not identify himself in his gospel account either (however he does clearly identify himself in the Book of Revelation).
We also see that all five of the writings attributed to John are indeed similar. He used similar stark contrasts, similar grammatical styles, a heavy use of theological themes of love, along with emphasis on presenting facts and information so that his readers could know that what he wrote was true and that they could know that they were saved. He also clearly points out that he was right there in the middle of the action as an eyewitness.
Many scholars have argued as to when the epistle was written, but that is the case with nearly every epistle. Some say that John’s first epistle was written before his gospel writing and others say it was much later. However, most agree it was written around 90-95 AD while John was in Ephesus.
This leaves us with only one last question to explore and that is, why did John write this epistle?
First, we probably should ask why were any of the epistles written? After all, we have the gospels that clearly identify what Jesus did for us, we have the Acts of the Apostles (also known as the book of Acts) that records the first thirty-plus years of church history and the book of Revelation outlining the events of the end times, what else do we need? The short answer would be…a lot! The epistles explain to us what a Christian is, how to live as a Christian, what to expect from the world as opposition to Christianity, what a church is, and how a church works. In other words the epistles are critical for every Christian to know. It is interesting to note that each epistle writer (Paul, James, Peter, John, and Jude) at some point alerts and warns their readers regarding false teachers and false prophets. In this epistle John addresses how an age-old movement had embraced some of Jesus’ teaching and were promptly distorting the truth to match their teaching. This movement would later be officially called Gnosticism.
Probably born out of the writings and philosophy of Plato, this movement encourages the pursuit of “gnosis” (knowledge) or more specifically, “hidden knowledge,” which is knowledge that is not naturally understood or plainly known. The movement started long before Jesus was born and even though its “secret knowledge” and emphasis has changed many times through time, it is well known for two primary tenets namely syncretism and dualism.
Syncretism is essentially the blending of two or more beliefs or religions (or portions thereof) into one belief. Some of the religions that influenced Gnosticism include Judaism, quasi (looks like, but isn’t) and pseudo (false) Christianity, and many pagan religions (often described as a cosmic sponge). Even though the movement was not clearly identified as Gnosticism until the 2nd and 3rd centuries, the movement was already influencing the church in the first century by denouncing the divinity of Jesus, the humanity of Jesus (sometimes one or the other but never both), the incarnation, the concepts of assured salvation, redemption, and His resurrection. They also preached that no one could know for sure the true meaning of the Bible and that there are no absolutes (the Bible clearly teaches that we can know and understand the Word of God and that there are indeed absolutes).
Another tenet of Gnosticism is dualism, which teaches that the body and spirit (mind) are two different things and what you do in one does not affect the other. They believe that the body is like a prison to the mind. Sin would not be a concept they would be concerned with since they believe what they do in the body does not change or influence the spirit. John will use many stark contrasts to counter this erroneous belief (see 1 John 2:9-11; 3:10, 14-15; 4:8, 20-21 for examples of these contrasts). John will also build up a case that clearly states that what we do in life really does matter. Through the years, Gnosticism has splintered in many ways and is known today by many names, what John is teaching is just as relevant and important today as it was during his time.
One of the main themes in this epistle is “genuine fellowship.” While many Christians only know the association of sharing a meal with fellowship, the Greek word ‘koinonia’ means a lot more. Depending on the translation of Bible the word can be translated, joint contribution (referring working together, not financial contribution), participation, community, intimacy, and to communicate. John wants us to understand that we need to be working together. We might ask ourselves if God is indeed the most important part of our lives and what should we be working together to do? John is going to address this subject and much more in this epistle. He will also encourage us to do more than just talk about it!
The Epistles of John: A Commentary on the Biblical Books of 1 John, 2 John and 3 John © 2016 by David Heywood. All rights reserved. Published by Rediscover the Bible Ministries, Inc.
Unless otherwise noted or verses marked ESV, Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.
Verses marked GW or God’s Word are taken from GOD’S WORD. Copyright © 1995 by God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Verses marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Public Domain.
Verses marked LEB are taken from The Lexham English Bible. Copyright © 2012 by Lexham Press. All rights reserved.
Verses marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ All rights reserved worldwide.
Verses marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.