I John
The first epistle of John
has three main themes: Jesus is the Son of God, those who follow Him must live
holy lives, and if we are His, we will love one another. It was written to
emphasize the main essentials of the gospel and to warn against deadly heresies
which later would produce a corrupt, paganized and worldly form of
Christianity.
Toward the end of his life,
John's home was Ephesus. Here he lived to a ripe old age. His special care was
the churches that were in the region. In his old age he wrote the gospel, three
letters, and the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
Christianity had been in the
world some 70 years, and in many parts of the Roman Empire it had become a
powerful influence. Naturally there came all sorts of efforts to mix the gospel
with the current philosophies and systems of thought. One was a form of
teaching which emphasized knowledge and it was disrupting the churches in
John's day.
It exaggerated the value of
intellect and maintained that in human nature there are two separate entities
which are hostile to each other, the spirit and the body.
They taught that sin resided
in the flesh only. The spirit was constantly in touch with God and so the body
could do as it pleased. Therefore lofty, high‑sounding words of piety and
love for God were entirely consistent with a life that was immersed in sin.
It did not matter what you
did. Your daily life could be filled with immorality and corruption, but your
spirit was untouched by it all. You could sing the praises of God while you
lived a life contrary to the promises of God. These false teachers taught that
Jesus Christ had not come in the flesh. By denying that He had become a man,
they claimed that they could attain a more spiritual knowledge of God.
Throughout this letter the
Apostle John had these heretics in mind. He insisted that genuine knowledge of
God must result in moral transformation and that Jesus was the actual
manifestation of God in the flesh.
His opening thought states
this. It should be read with a sense of wonder and awe. "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 show unto
you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto
us." (I John 1:1,2)
John's first letter is a
solemn warning that we cannot hold views of Christ that are untrue and have
fellowship with God. It is not possible to deny the suffering of Christ on the
cross and have our sins forgiven. It is impossible to deny the resurrection of
Christ and enjoy the blessings that are grounded in the fact of the risen Lord.
You cannot deny that God revealed Himself through Jesus Christ and have
fellowship with Christ. "For there is one God, and one mediator between
God and men, the man, Christ Jesus." (I Timothy 2:5)
Study this book to maintain
your fellowship with the risen Lord.
© Copyright
2002, LeRoy Eims