1 John
1 John was written by John sometime between 90-95 AD as a personal letter to believers. He is writing concerning the assurance of eternal life as it seems though perhaps some had some doubts as to whether or not they were really saved because of sin. They key word throughout the entirety of the book is fellowship. He discusses some of the hindrances to fellowship, conditions for fellowship, and the benefits of fellowship. He was really trying to encourage the believers to live a Christian life that will lead to assurance. His secondary purpose was to refute Gnosticism and the false teachings related to it that denied some of the aspects of Christ. 1 John 1:5-2:2 is a discussion of the basis for fellowship to emphasize the main objective of this letter which is concerning fellowship with the Father and with one another. He detailed the principles that are really the basis and the foundation for all true and genuine fellowship with God. Verse 5 begins with a declaration of a message that they have heard from Christ that proclaims that “God is light and that in Him there is no darkness at all.” These verse begins with the same emphasis on “this message” as being what he had heard just as he did in the prologue of the letter when he discussed the things in which they had “heard, seen with their eyes, which they had looked at and their hands had touched.” It would seem as though he is referring to Jesus when he states that this message is that which they have heard from a seemingly ambiguous “him”. John is purposely emphasizing that this message is “apostolic in authority and also divine” which would make it from Jesus (Elwell 1179). He shows the importance of this letter because it came from God as well as the timelessness of it as it did not originate with John or with any other apostle or writer (Kistemaker 241). This fact seems as though it is emphasized to show the authority behind this message unlike that of the message of these false teachers. This message
Bibliography: Elwell, Walter A. The Baker Commentary on the Bible. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 2000. Jackman, David Johnson, Thomas F. New International Biblical Commentary: 1, 2, 3 John. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1993. Kistemaker, Simon J Longman, Tremper. The Expositor 's Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005. The New Interpreter 's Bible Commentary Sailhamer, John. NIV Compact Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994. Schnackenburg, Rudolf Vines, Jerry. Exploring 1, 2, 3 John. Neptune: Loizeaux Brothers, 1989. Von Wahlde, Urban C Walvoord, John F., and Roy B. Zuck. The Bible Knowledge Commentary. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985.