1 John Simplified

Author & Audience

Author: Most Likely the Apostle John

He was a Fisherman and One of Jesus’ Inner Circle (With His Brother James and Peter)

One of the Greatest Evidences is the Extreme Similarities Between…

This Letter and the Gospel According to John

They Both Contain Very Black and White Contrasts:

God & the Devil

Light & Darkness

Life & Death

Truth & Lies

Love & Hate

They Both Contain MANY of the Same Phrases and Expressions

There is Little Doubt that the Same Person Wrote Both Books

Also, Many of the Early Church Fathers of the 2nd Century…

Claimed that the Apostle John was the Author of this Letter

Recipients: Likely Christians in and Around Ephesus

Purpose

John Gave 4 Purpose Statements in this Letter

1 John 1:1–4 (NASB95)

1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.

John Wants His Readers to Be in Full Fellowship with Himself, the Father and the Son

This Would Make His Joy Complete

1 John 2:1 (NASB95)

1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;

John Wrote to Help His Readers Not Sin

But He Also Wanted Them to Know that…

Forgiveness is Available to Them in Jesus

1 John 2:26 (NASB95)

26 These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you.

John Wrote to Protect His Readers From False Teachers

1 John 5:13 (NASB95)

13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

John Wrote to Build His Readers’ Confidence in Their Salvation

Themes

There are Several Themes in John’s Writings

But the Greatest has to Be:

Love (52 Times - More Than Any Other NT Book)

John Focuses on God’s Love for Us…

And Our Need to Love One Another…

As Proof of Our Love for God

Summary

Chapter 1

John starts off this letter in an extremely similar fashion, to how he started off his gospel account

He begins talking about Jesus, whom he calls the Word of life

Jesus was with the father from the beginning…

But he has appeared to us, so that we could see, hear, and touch him.

He is life

And we proclaim him so that others may have the life that he provides…

And that they might have a relationship with us…

As we have fellowship with the Father and the Son

God is light and in him is no darkness

If we say we have fellowship with God, but walk in darkness we are liars

But if we walk in the light as he is in the light…

We have fellowship with God and Jesus cleanses us from our sins

If we say we have no sin, we are also liars

But if we admit, and confess our sins we will be forgiven of our sins.

Chapter 2

We have Jesus as our advocate when we sin.

In order to have a genuine relationship with Jesus…

We must obey his commands

Anyone who claims to have a genuine relationship with Jesus…

But doesn’t keep his commands is a liar

Those who do obey the commands of Jesus…

Prove that they have a true and complete love for God

To have a relationship with God, we must live as Jesus lived

In chapter 1, John was talking about walking in light and darkness

Now he tells us what that looks like:

To walk in the light is to love your brothers and sisters in Christ

To walk in darkness is to hate your brothers and sisters in Christ

John reminds these Christians that…

Through Jesus, they have overcome evil and darkness

You cannot love the world and God

They are opposites

If you love one, then you hate the other

The world and its desires are passing away…

But those who do God’s will will live forever

Some among the church have forsaken Jesus

They are antichrists because they deny that Jesus is the Messiah

They are liars

Those who deny the Son have no relationship with the father…

And therefore have no eternal life

Those who acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah…

And continue to live accordingly…

Have a relationship with the Father and have eternal life

John says that these Christians have been anointed…

They don’t need anyone to teach them

The anointing that they have been given will teach them all they need to know

This is most likely referring to the Holy Spirit…

Who taught and guided the early church

John encourages these Christians to continue doing what is right

Jesus is righteous, and everyone who does what is right belongs to him

Chapter 3

God has shown his great love for us by calling us his children

We don’t know exactly what eternal life in our new bodies will be like…

But we know we will be like Jesus

This is our hope, and all who share this hope live purified lives

To sin is to break God’s law

But Jesus came to take away our sins

Anyone who continues to sin does not have a relationship with Jesus

John urges these Christians to not let anyone lead them astray

Those who live righteously and love their siblings in Christ are children of God

But those who don’t live righteously are children of the devil

Jesus came to destroy the work of the devil

Anyone who has God’s seed in them (Spirit working through the Gospel)…

Is gods child, and cannot continue a life of sin

This is the message of the gospel:

We should love one another

We shouldn’t be surprised when the world hates us for doing what is right…

Because Cain hated Abel for doing what is right

We are no longer destined for death, because we love one another

But those who continue to hate are still destined for death…

Because they are murderers at heart

What does it mean to love one another?

We’ve been given the perfect example through Jesus

He laid down his life for us

So we must be willing to lay down our lives for each other

If the ultimate end of hate is to take a life out of selfishness

Then the ultimate end of love is to give one’s life out of selflessness

Love looks like using our material possessions to help our siblings who are in need

To not do so is to prove that one does not love God…

Or have the love of God in us

It’s one thing to tell others that we love them…

But God expects us to show it

This is how we can know we are living in the truth:

If we keep his commands

What are his commands?

His commands are to believe that Jesus is our messianic king…

And to love one another

That is the spirit of truth that God has given us…

And that’s how we know we live in Him and He in us

Chapter 4

But don’t believe every spirit

Those who say Jesus hasn’t come in the flesh are false prophets…

And have the spirit of the antichrist

A spirit of truth confesses Jesus

A spirit of error does not

Those who love one another are God’s children…

And have a relationship with Him

God is love

So those who love, know Him

God showed us what love is when He sent His Son to the world…

To save us and give us eternal life

If God loves us in such a way…

We should love each other in such a way

If we live in love for one another…

We can have confidence in the day of judgment

We have nothing to fear if we love one another

We love one another because God loved us first

If you say you love God but you hate your sibling in Christ…

Then you don’t really love God at all

To love God is to keep His commandments

And his greatest commandment to us is to love each other

Chapter 5

Those who believe that Jesus is the messiah are God’s children

And if you love the Father, you will love the Father’s children

We are victorious over the world…

Whenever we have faith that Jesus is the Son of God

God testifies to us that Jesus is His Son in 3 ways:

His Baptism

His Death

And Through the Holy Spirit

Whoever believes God’s testimony has eternal life in Jesus

John is writing this letter so that these believers will know they have eternal life

John wants his readers to have confidence in their relationship with God

And with confidence in our relationship with God...

Comes confidence in Him hearing our prayers

If we ask anything in line with His will…

He will give it to us

That includes praying for our siblings when they sin

If we pray for them, God will give them life

But if they are committing sin that leads to death…

(Apostasy from faith/love in Jesus)

Praying to God won’t do any good for them

Without repentance and returning to God…

There is no life available to them

Those who are God’s children are protected by God’s Son

He keeps us and protects us from the evil one

Jesus came to show us who God truly is

And if we have a relationship with Jesus…

We have a relationship with God

He is the only true God and the only source of eternal life

So keep away from idols

Key Passage

There’s a Number of Good Key Passages About Love in this Letter

But I Found this One to Most Practical

1 John 3:16–18 (NASB95)

16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

John Shows Us What Love Looks Like…

By Pointing Us to the Example of Jesus

He Gave His Life for Us

We Must Be Willing to Give Our Lives for Each Other

What James Said About Faith…

John Says About Love

Faith and Love in Jesus Means Helping Our Siblings in Need

It’s Not Good Enough to Say We Love Them

We Must Prove Our Love Through Action

This is How We Follow Jesus

And, According to John…

This is How We can Have Confidence in Our Relationship with God