1 John

Part One: Introduction to 1 John

The Author

1 John does not name its author, but from the earliest times the church has received it as the work of the apostle John, the son of Zebedee, "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 21:20, 24). Early writers such as Irenaeus, who learned from Polycarp, a disciple of John, attributed it to him. The writer speaks as an eyewitness of Jesus:

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life

1 John 1:1

The letter's vocabulary and themes are strikingly similar to the Gospel of John: light and darkness, truth and lies, love, abiding, being born of God, the world, eternal life, the Word, and "the only begotten Son." The writer addresses his readers tenderly as "little children," the words of an aged spiritual father.

Date and Setting

Early tradition says John spent his last years at Ephesus, ministering to the churches of the province of Asia, and lived until the reign of Trajan (AD 98). 1 John was probably written from Ephesus around AD 85-95, after the Gospel of John and before Revelation. It has no greeting or closing, and reads more like a pastoral sermon sent to the churches in John's care.

The Situation

A group of false teachers had left the churches: "They went out from us, but they were not of us" (2:19). Their teaching seems to have been an early form of Gnosticism, which taught that matter is evil and spirit is good, and that salvation comes through special knowledge. From John's answers we can see that they:

Irenaeus records that one such teacher at Ephesus, Cerinthus, taught that the divine Christ descended on the man Jesus at His baptism and departed before the crucifixion. John's emphasis on Christ coming "by water and blood" answers exactly this error.

Purpose

John states his purposes plainly:

The great purpose is assurance. John's Gospel was written "that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name" (John 20:31). His first letter was written to those who already believe, "that ye may know that ye have eternal life" (5:13). The word "know" appears more than thirty times.

The Tests of Eternal Life

Against false teachers who claimed to know God, John gives three tests by which genuine believers can be recognised, and by which they can be assured. He returns to them again and again, in a spiral:

Theme

The theme of 1 John is fellowship with God and the assurance of eternal life. John presents three great statements about God's nature: "God is light" (1:5), "God is love" (4:8, 16), and the Son as "the true God, and eternal life" (5:20). Those who truly know Him will walk in the light, love one another, and believe in His Son.

God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

1 John 1:5

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

1 John 4:8

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life

1 John 5:13

The "If We Say" Claims

John exposes false claims by contrasting what people say with how they live:

Outline of 1 John

Part Two: Chapter-by-Chapter Analysis

Section I: Prologue — The Word of Life (1:1-4)

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

1 John 1:1-2

Like John's Gospel ("In the beginning was the Word," John 1:1), the letter begins with the eternal Christ. He existed "from the beginning," "with the Father." Yet He "was manifested": He became a real man whom the apostles heard, saw, studied and physically touched (Luke 24:39; John 20:27). This answers the false teaching that Christ only seemed to have a body. The eternal Son of God truly came in the flesh.

That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

1 John 1:3-4

The apostles proclaimed what they had witnessed so that their readers could share their fellowship (a common life and partnership), which is fellowship with the Father and the Son. The result is full joy.

Section II: God Is Light — Walking in the Light (1:5-2:29)

Chapter 1:5-2:2 — Sin, Confession and Our Advocate

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

1 John 1:5

Light stands for God's absolute holiness and truth. There is no trace of evil or falsehood in Him. Fellowship with Him therefore requires walking in the light. John answers three false claims about sin:

Claim 1: We can have fellowship with God while living in sin (1:6-7). "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth" (1:6).

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

1 John 1:7

Walking in the light means living openly before God, honest about sin, not hiding from Him. Those who do so enjoy fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus keeps on cleansing them from all sin.

Claim 2: We have no sinful nature (1:8-9).

If we say that 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.

1 John 1:8-9

Believers still have a sinful nature and still sin. Pretending otherwise is self-deception. The remedy is confession: agreeing with God about our sins, naming them as He sees them (Psalm 32:5; Proverbs 28:13). God is "faithful," keeping His promise, and "just," because Christ's blood has fully paid for sin, so forgiving is right. This confession is not to a priest but to God. For the believer, already justified once for all (Romans 5:1), confession restores fellowship in God's family, as a child confesses to a father.

Claim 3: We have not committed sin (1:10). "If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." Denying sin contradicts God's own verdict on humanity (Romans 3:23).

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 John 2:1-2

John's goal is that believers not sin. But when they do, they have an Advocate (the Greek word paraklētos, one called alongside to help, a defence lawyer) in heaven: "Jesus Christ the righteous." He pleads for us, not by excusing our sin, but on the basis of His own sacrifice. He is "the propitiation for our sins": the sacrifice that satisfies God's righteous wrath against sin (the word is related to the "mercy seat," where the atoning blood was sprinkled, Leviticus 16). And His sacrifice is sufficient for "the whole world," not only for Jewish believers or a privileged few. (Baptists differ on how this relates to the extent of the atonement, but all agree that Christ's death is sufficient for all, and that the gospel is to be offered to all.)

Chapter 2:3-11 — Obedience and Love

The test of obedience (2:3-6).

And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

1 John 2:3-4

The false teachers claimed special knowledge of God. John says that real knowledge of God shows itself in obedience. Whoever keeps His Word has God's love perfected in him. "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked" (2:6).

The test of love (2:7-11). The command to love is "old" (taught from the beginning, Leviticus 19:18) and "new" (seen in a new way in Christ and His people, John 13:34) (2:7-8). "He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him" (2:9-10). Hatred blinds a person (2:11).

Chapter 2:12-17 — Stages of Growth; Love Not the World

John addresses believers at three stages of spiritual growth (2:12-14):

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

1 John 2:15-17

"The world" here is not the created world or the people God loves (John 3:16), but the system of values and desires organised against God. Its three appeals are:

• The lust of the flesh: cravings for physical pleasure.
• The lust of the eyes: desire for what we see and want to possess.
• The pride of life: boastful self-sufficiency and status.

These same three appeared in Eve's temptation ("good for food... pleasant to the eyes... desired to make one wise," Genesis 3:6) and in Christ's temptation (Matthew 4:1-11). The world is passing away; only those who do God's will last for ever.

Chapter 2:18-29 — Antichrists and the Anointing

Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

1 John 2:18

John's readers had been taught that a final Antichrist would come (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). But already "many antichrists," people who oppose and deny Christ, had appeared.

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

1 John 2:19

These false teachers had once been part of the church outwardly, but their departure showed that they had never truly belonged. Genuine believers continue; those who permanently abandon Christ reveal that they were never His (Matthew 7:21-23).

"But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things" (2:20). The "unction" (anointing) is the Holy Spirit, given to every believer (2 Corinthians 1:21-22). The false teachers claimed special knowledge for an elite; John says all believers have the Spirit and know the truth.

Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: [but] he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.

1 John 2:22-23

To deny the Son is to lose the Father; there is no way to God that bypasses Jesus Christ (John 14:6). Believers must let what they heard "from the beginning" abide in them, and so continue in the Son and the Father (2:24); God's promise is eternal life (2:25). "But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you" (2:27). This does not mean believers need no teachers (Ephesians 4:11), but that they do not need the false teachers' supposed new revelations; the Spirit teaches them through the Word they have already received.

And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

1 John 2:28

"Every one that doeth righteousness is born of him" (2:29).

Section III: Children of God — Righteousness and Love (3:1-4:6)

Chapter 3:1-3 — The Father's Love and Our Hope

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

1 John 3:1-3

John marvels at the Father's love: sinners are called, and truly are, the children of God. The world does not recognise them, just as it did not recognise Christ. Their future is not yet fully revealed, but this is certain: when Christ appears, they will be like Him, with glorified bodies and perfected character (Philippians 3:21), because they will see Him as He is. This hope is purifying: those who expect to see Christ prepare by pursuing purity now.

Chapter 3:4-10 — Practising Righteousness

"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law" (3:4). Sin is lawlessness, rebellion against God. Christ "was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin" (3:5).

Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

1 John 3:6

John has already said that believers do sin (1:8-10; 2:1). In this chapter the verbs are in the Greek present tense, describing continuous, habitual practice. John means that the one who abides in Christ does not keep on living in sin as a way of life. "He that doeth righteousness is righteous" (3:7).

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

1 John 3:8

A life of practised sin reflects the devil's character. Christ came to undo the devil's works (Genesis 3:15; Hebrews 2:14).

Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

1 John 3:9

The new birth implants a new nature, God's "seed," which remains in the believer. That new nature cannot sin, and the person born of God cannot continue comfortably in sin as his settled way of life. When believers sin, it is contrary to their new nature, and they are troubled by it. "In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother" (3:10).

Chapter 3:11-24 — Loving the Brethren

"For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another" (3:11). Cain is the opposite example: he "was of that wicked one, and slew his brother... Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous" (3:12; Genesis 4:8). "Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you" (3:13).

We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

1 John 3:14-15

Love for fellow believers is evidence of new life. Hatred is murder in the heart (Matthew 5:21-22).

Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

1 John 3:16-18

Notice that this is 3:16, matching John 3:16. Christ's self-sacrifice defines love. Most believers will not be called to die for others, but all are called to give practical help to a brother in need (James 2:15-16). Love is shown in deeds, not just words.

Assurance before God (3:19-24). By loving in deed and truth, "we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things" (3:19-20). When an oversensitive conscience accuses, believers can rest in God, who knows everything, including their genuine love for Him (John 21:17). "Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments" (3:21-22).

And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

1 John 3:23

Faith and love sum up God's commands. "And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us" (3:24).

Chapter 4:1-6 — Testing the Spirits

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

1 John 4:1

Behind every teacher is a spirit, either the Spirit of God or a spirit of error. Believers must not accept every claim to spiritual insight but must test it.

Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist

1 John 4:2-3

The test is the person of Christ: does the teaching confess that Jesus is the Christ, who truly came in human flesh?

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

1 John 4:4

The Spirit who indwells believers is greater than Satan, "he that is in the world." False teachers are of the world and the world listens to them; "We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error" (4:5-6). The second test is agreement with apostolic teaching, now preserved in Scripture.

Section IV: God Is Love — Love and Faith (4:7-5:21)

Chapter 4:7-21 — God's Love and Ours

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

1 John 4:7-8

Love originates in God. "God is love" does not mean that love is God, but that love is essential to God's very nature, as light and holiness are (1:5). Those born of God share His loving nature.

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1 John 4:9-10

God's love is defined not by our love for Him but by His love for us, shown in sending His only Son to be the sacrifice for our sins. "Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another" (4:11). "No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us" (4:12): the invisible God becomes visible through His people's love.

"And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world" (4:14). "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God" (4:15).

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

1 John 4:16

Love perfected gives "boldness in the day of judgment" (4:17).

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us.

1 John 4:18-19

Those who know God's love need not dread His judgment. Our love is always a response to His.

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

1 John 4:20

Love for God and love for His children cannot be separated (4:21).

Chapter 5:1-12 — Faith That Overcomes; the Witness of God

"Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him" (5:1). Faith in Christ is the evidence of new birth, and those who love the Father love His children. "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous" (5:3).

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

1 John 5:4-5

The new birth gives power to overcome the world's pressures and temptations. The means of victory is faith in Jesus as the Son of God.

This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

1 John 5:6

"Water" most likely refers to Christ's baptism, where the Father declared Him His Son, and "blood" to His death on the cross. The false teacher Cerinthus taught that the divine Christ came on Jesus at His baptism ("water") but departed before His death ("blood"). John insists that the same Jesus Christ came through both: the Son of God Himself died for our sins.

For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

1 John 5:7-8

Verse 7 is a clear statement of the Trinity. It is present in the Received Text and the King James Version, but absent from most Greek manuscripts, which is why many modern translations omit it; defenders of the King James text argue for it from early Latin witnesses and from the grammar of the passage. The doctrine of the Trinity does not depend on this verse, being taught throughout Scripture (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; John 1:1; Acts 5:3-4). Verse 8 gives the earthly witness: the Spirit, the water (Christ's baptism) and the blood (His death) agree in testifying who Jesus is. The law required two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15), and God has given them.

"If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater" (5:9). "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar" (5:10).

And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

1 John 5:11-12

Eternal life is not earned or achieved; it is a gift found only in Christ. It is as simple, and as absolute, as having the Son or not.

Chapter 5:13-21 — Assurance and Confidence

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

1 John 5:13

John wrote so that believers may know, not merely hope, that they have eternal life. Assurance rests on God's testimony in His Word, confirmed by the evidences of new life John has described.

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

1 John 5:14-15

Confidence in prayer rests on asking according to God's will, revealed in His Word.

If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

1 John 5:16

Believers should pray for a sinning brother. "A sin unto death" has been understood in two main ways: as sin by a believer that God judges with physical death as discipline (as with Ananias and Sapphira, Acts 5:1-11, and some at Corinth, 1 Corinthians 11:30), a view common among Baptists; or as the deliberate, final rejection of Christ by apostates like the false teachers, for whom there is no forgiveness. "All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death" (5:17).

John closes with three certainties, each introduced by "we know":

• "We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not" (5:18). The believer does not continue in sin, and Christ (or the new nature) keeps him so that Satan cannot take hold of him.
• "We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness" (5:19). The world lies in the grip of the evil one.
• "We know that the Son of God is come":

And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

1 John 5:20

Jesus Christ is "the true God, and eternal life," a clear declaration of His deity. And the final word:

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

1 John 5:21

In Ephesus, city of the goddess Diana, idols were everywhere. But any substitute for the true God, including a false Christ of human invention, is an idol. Believers must guard themselves.

Part Three: Christ in 1 John

Portraits of Christ

How We Know: The Assurances of 1 John

The Gospel of John and 1 John

Part Four: Prophecies Fulfilled and Future

Part Five: Key Passages in Depth

1 John 1:1-4 — The Word of Life

The apostles heard, saw and touched the eternal Son made flesh, and proclaimed Him so that others might share their fellowship with the Father and the Son, and full joy.

1 John 1:5-2:2 — Walking in the Light

God is light. Fellowship with Him means living openly before Him. Believers still sin, but when they confess, God is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse, and Christ, our righteous Advocate and propitiation, pleads for us.

1 John 2:15-17 — Love Not the World

The world's desires (the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life) are not from the Father and are passing away. Only those who do God's will abide for ever.

1 John 2:18-27 — Antichrists and the Anointing

Many antichrists, who deny that Jesus is the Christ, have gone out from the church, showing they never belonged. Believers have the Spirit's anointing and must abide in the truth they received from the beginning.

1 John 3:1-3 — Children of God

By the Father's amazing love, believers are God's children now, and will be like Christ when He appears. This hope purifies them.

1 John 3:4-10 — Practising Righteousness

Those born of God do not practise sin as a way of life, because God's seed remains in them. Righteousness and love distinguish God's children from the devil's.

1 John 3:16-18 — Love in Deed

Christ laid down His life for us; we should lay down our lives for the brethren, and help those in need in deed and truth.

1 John 4:1-6 — Testing the Spirits

Believers must test every teaching by its confession of Jesus Christ come in the flesh and by its agreement with the apostles. Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.

1 John 4:7-21 — God Is Love

Love comes from God, who is love, and was shown in sending His Son as the propitiation for our sins. We love because He first loved us. Perfect love casts out fear. Whoever loves God must love his brother.

1 John 5:4-5 — Faith That Overcomes

Everyone born of God overcomes the world through faith that Jesus is the Son of God.

1 John 5:11-13 — Assurance of Eternal Life

God's testimony is that eternal life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life. John wrote so that believers may know they have eternal life.

1 John 5:20-21 — The True God

Jesus Christ is the true God and eternal life. Keep yourselves from idols.

Part Six: The Major Teachings of 1 John

1. The Incarnation

The eternal Son truly came in the flesh (1:1-3; 4:2-3).

2. The Deity of Christ

He is the eternal life, the Son of God, the true God (1:2; 5:20).

3. The Nature of God

God is light (1:5) and God is love (4:8, 16).

4. Sin and Confession

Believers still sin; confession brings forgiveness and cleansing (1:8-2:1).

5. Christ's Advocacy and Propitiation

He pleads for us on the basis of His sacrifice, sufficient for the whole world (2:1-2; 4:10).

6. Obedience

Knowing God is shown by keeping His commandments (2:3-6; 5:2-3).

7. Love for the Brethren

The evidence of new life; shown in deed and truth (3:14-18; 4:7-21).

8. Separation from the World

Love not the world (2:15-17).

9. Antichrist and False Teachers

Many antichrists deny the Father and the Son; spirits must be tested (2:18-23; 4:1-6).

10. The Anointing of the Spirit

Every believer has the Spirit and knows the truth (2:20, 27; 3:24; 4:13).

11. The New Birth

Those born of God practise righteousness, love, believe and overcome (2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4).

12. Sonship and Future Glory

We are God's children now and will be like Christ (3:1-3).

13. The Trinity

The Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost bear witness (5:7; compare 3:23-24; 4:13-15).

14. Assurance of Salvation

Believers can know they have eternal life (5:13).

15. Prayer

Confidence that God hears prayers according to His will (3:22; 5:14-16).

Part Seven: Connections — How 1 John Links to the Rest of the Bible

1 John and the Old Testament

1 John and the New Testament

Themes That Run from 1 John Through Scripture

Part Eight: Practical Lessons

• Enjoy fellowship with the Father and the Son (1:3).
• Walk in the light, open and honest before God (1:7).
• Don't claim to be without sin (1:8).
• Confess your sins, and trust God to forgive (1:9).
• Aim not to sin (2:1).
• Rest in Christ your Advocate (2:1).
• Prove your knowledge of God by obedience (2:3).
• Walk as Jesus walked (2:6).
• Don't hate your brother (2:9).
• Love not the world (2:15).
• Do God's will, which lasts for ever (2:17).
• Don't be shaken when people leave the faith (2:19).
• Rely on the Spirit's anointing and the truth you received (2:20, 27).
• Confess the Son; there is no Father without Him (2:23).
• Abide in Christ, ready for His coming (2:28).
• Marvel at the Father's love in making you His child (3:1).
• Purify yourself as you wait to see Christ (3:3).
• Don't make sin your way of life (3:6-9).
• Expect the world's hatred (3:13).
• Love in deed and in truth, not only in words (3:18).
• When your heart condemns you, remember God is greater (3:20).
• Believe on Christ and love one another (3:23).
• Test every spirit and teaching (4:1).
• Remember that greater is He that is in you (4:4).
• Love one another, because God is love (4:7-8).
• Let God's love for you shape your love for others (4:11).
• Let perfect love cast out fear (4:18).
• Love, because He first loved you (4:19).
• Overcome the world by faith (5:4).
• Know that you have eternal life (5:13).
• Pray with confidence according to God's will (5:14).
• Pray for a sinning brother (5:16).
• Keep yourself from idols (5:21).

Part Nine: Key Verses to Memorize

Conclusion

1 John was written by the aged apostle, an eyewitness who had heard, seen and touched the Word of life, to churches unsettled by false teachers who had left them, denying that Jesus is the Christ come in the flesh, claiming to know God while living in sin, and showing no love. John wrote so that true believers might have fellowship with the Father and the Son, full joy, victory over sin and, above all, assurance that they have eternal life. God is light, so fellowship with Him means walking in the light; when believers sin, they confess, and God, faithful and just, forgives, because Jesus Christ the righteous is their Advocate and the propitiation for their sins. Those who truly know God keep His commandments, love their brethren, refuse to love the world, and abide in the truth they have heard from the beginning, anointed by the Spirit and unmoved by antichrists. By the Father's amazing love they are His children now and will be like Christ when He appears. They do not make sin their way of life, and they love in deed and truth. They test the spirits, knowing that greater is He that is in them than he that is in the world. Because God is love, shown in sending His Son, they love one another, and perfect love casts out their fear. Their faith overcomes the world, and God's record is plain: eternal life is in His Son; he that hath the Son hath life. Jesus Christ is the true God and eternal life; therefore, little children, keep yourselves from idols.

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

1 John 5:13