Intro to 1 John

The Author

Today we will be beginning a book study of 1 John. So, let’s begin with some details about the author, the date of the letter, and the reason John wrote the letter. Let’s start with the author.

Although 1 John a is letter that was actually sent and received, neither the addressees or the author are mentioned. However, there are numerous internal examples that the author was John son of Zebedee, one of the twelve apostles. This is the same apostle that wrote the Gospel of John. The first four verses of the letter show that the writer knew Christ well and spent time with Him. In chapter 1 verse 1 we read,

1 John 1:1 NKJV

1 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, concerning the Word of life—

Notice the author says, “which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon, and our hands have handled… Clearly, this narrows down the list of possible authors considerably, and it coincides with the ancient tradition that the author was the Apostle John. The Believers Bible Commentary notes the following stylistic clues that strengthen the case that John was the author.

Believer’s Bible Commentary II. Authorship

Strengthening this is the apostolic tone of the Letter: the author writes with authority, with the tenderness of an older spiritual leader (“my little children”), and even with a dogmatic note.

The vocabulary (“abide,” “light,” “new,” “commandment,” “word,” etc.), and expressions (“eternal life,” “lay down one’s life,” “pass from death into life,” “Savior of the world,” “take away sins,” “works of the devil,” and others), coincide with the Fourth Gospel and the two other Epistles by John.

In short, the similar vocabulary and expressions such as “abide” and “eternal life”, leave little doubt that 1 John was indeed penned by the same person who wrote the Gospel of John.

The Date the Letter was Written 64-65 AD?

The date of the letter is debatable, but most scholars agree that it was written after the Gospel of John. There is compelling evidence that John’s Gospel was written somewhere between 48-52 AD. So, John 1 would have been written sometime after this, but most likely before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. It is reasonable to assume that the letter was most likely written in the mid 60’s of the first century.

Background and Theme of the Letter

One of the fiercest debates surrounding the letter of 1 John is the theme or purpose of the letter. It is critically important that we understand the purpose of 1 John. First, we need to understand John was writing to believers that were being influenced by false teachers...

The Grace New Testament Commentary, Revised Edition Introduction

These errors seem to center around the denial that Jesus is the Christ who had come in flesh. The statements in

Naturally John is concerned that his readers are being influenced by this false teaching, and if they, were it would interrupt their fellowship with God. Simply put, the aim of First John is fellowship. John wanted his readers to maintain their fellowship with God in the face of these theological errors. So, once we understand that the purpose of John’s letter is all about believers maintaining fellowship with God, we can correctly interpret the more challenging verses in the letter.

Prologue: The Call to Fellowship (1:1-4)

The first four verses in 1st John form the prologue. Now, if you’ve been out of school for awhile you may have forgotten what a prologue is, so let me give you the answer I found on Google.

A prologue is a short, introductory section that appears before the main narrative and provides background information, sets the stage for the story, or introduces important characters or themes.

Now pay attention to the last part of this definition. It says, “introduces important characters or themes”. This is exactly what the prologue of 1 John does. It introduces the theme of the entire letter. So, the goal for today during our introduction to 1 John is to study the prologue and establish the theme of the entire letter. So, if you have you Bibles with you turn with me to 1 John chapter 1 and let’s read the first four verses.

1 John 1:1–4 NKJV

1 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, concerning the Word of life—2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.