John made four purpose statements. First, he wrote to promote his readers' fellowship and joy: "These things write we unto you, that your joy may be full" (1:4).
Second, he wrote to help readers avoid the pitfalls of sin, yet find forgiveness when they stumbled: "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not" (2:1).
Third, he wrote to protect believers from false teachers: "These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you" (2:26).
Finally, he wrote so they might know they had eternal life: "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" (5:13). This last purpose statement governs the other three and brings them together in a unifying theme.
In summary, 1 John was written to confirm Christians in true apostolic Christianity by helping them avoid the destructive beliefs and behaviors to which some had fallen prey.
First John maps out the three main components of saving knowledge of God: (1) faith in Jesus Christ, (2) obedient response to God's commands, and (3) love for God and others from the heart. This epistle shows how Jesus expects His followers to honor Him in practical church life and wherever God calls His people to go and serve.
It is widely agreed that 1 John does not logically, methodically, or rigorously set forth and develop its arguments. For this reason scholars are divided on the best way to structurally outline the letter. It is the least letter-like of the three Johannine epistles because of its lack of identification of the sender and the recipient. It is more like an unsystematic treatise. It often makes assertions along thematic lines, moves to related or contrasting themes, and then returns to the earlier topic, or perhaps takes up a different subject altogether.
1 John Study Notes
1:1 The opening words echo both Gen. 1:1 and John 1:1. God's purpose in His Son has an eternal dimension. John wrote as an eyewitness. Christ was not just a spiritual vision but an actual human being. Christ is the Word made flesh (John 1:14) who gives eternal life to all who believe in Him.
1:2 God made Christ known. Human hearts and minds require God's aid to see His truth (Matt. 16:17; John 3:3). The Son, the second Person of the Trinity, has always existed with the Father.
1:3 John declared faithfully to his readers what the apostolic generation had received. Fellowship refers to the close ties of kinship that God extends to His people.
1:4 There is great happiness in knowing the forgiveness of sins and pursuing the will of God. God is the One who acts to complete a believer's joy.
1:5 John had divine guidance in the message he related. As an apostle he actually lived alongside the Son of God. Darkness had crept in among the readers whom John addressed. To dispel it John testified to Him who is light. God sent the light of the world, Jesus (John 8:12).
1:6 John may have been paraphrasing false views that needed to be exposed and corrected. To walk in darkness is to persist in sin. Since God is light (v. 5), His people are called and enabled to live by the light of His wisdom, truth, and love.
1:7 To walk in the light is to live consistent with God's commandments and character. Fellowship, the shared knowledge of God's light and love, is one of life's deepest satisfactions. John identified the focal point of Christ's saving work as the cross.
1:8 In both Scripture and church history, people have excused their wrongful deeds by claiming to be right with God.
1:9 Confessing our sins does not mean a shallow reciting of misdeeds. It means owning up to wrongdoing and bringing our lives into line with God's goodness and commandments. God can forgive and cleanse us from terrible transgressions.
1:10 Since God is light and there is no darkness in Him (v. 5), to claim to be without sin is to claim to be on par with God, but God says there is no one like Him (Isa. 45:18). If his word is not in us, the saving message of Christ has not taken root. There may be surface knowledge of Christian religion, but the heart has not been transformed.
2:1 Jesus' death was not the end of His ministry but the move to a new phase. Now He serves as our advocate or helper and mediator at the Father's right hand.
2:2 Jesus' perfect obedience and sacrificial death satisfied God's just demand for sin to be punished (propitiation). The phrase for the sins of the whole world does not mean the salvation of all people. It does mean that, in keeping with God's promise to bless all the nations through Abraham and his descendants (Gen. 12:3), Jesus' saving death extends the offer of salvation to all nations.
2:3 John taught an understanding of Christian faith that includes profound assurance, not just the "maybe" of spiritual optimism.
2:4-6 His commandments mean the same thing as his word and Jesus' example (as he walked). The true follower of Jesus is not just a talker but a doer (James 1:22).
2:7 The love commandment was intensified and perfected in its expression by Jesus. Yet it is old, rooted in God's love and His commandments in the OT (Lev. 19:18; Deut. 6:5).
2:8 God is light (1:5), and Christ has come into the world. This means the gloom of present evil and sin is giving way as the true light is already shining.
2:9-11 Relationships with fellow believers are key indicators of whether one is walking—that is, conducting one's life—in the light or in darkness.
2:12-14 While 1 John lacks a formal personal address in its opening lines, the author used terms of endearment here (little children). He included all readers with the inclusive terms fathers and young men.
2:13 The One who is from the beginning could refer to either the Father or the Son; both are eternal (John 1:1; 17:5).
2:14 Believers are strong not in themselves but because of the One in whom they have placed their trust. God's word refers to the saving gospel message that Christ brought, now embodied in the Bible.
2:15 Things associated with the world are not just material objects. They are things that absorb human love for the Father to an undue degree, even to the point of supplanting God (see John's warning about idols in 5:21 and note there).
2:16 John warned against what the body desires, what the eyes itch to see, and what people work hard to acquire.
2:17 Like the darkness in verse 8, the world with its lust is passing away because of the coming of Christ. This opens the way for doing God's will and establishing fellowship with Him for ever.
2:18 Antichrists probably were misguided or diabolical individuals guilty of the sins that he described and condemned. They opposed and sought to replace the true Christ.
2:19 There had apparently been a division among the church members to whom John wrote. But not all who had been in the church were authentic believers. Their departure from the fellowship and from apostolic truth was proof of this.
Ephesus, the fourth largest city in the world in the late first century, is probably the city from which John wrote his three letters. The carved paving stone from ancient Ephesus was probably an advertisement for a brothel. John reminded young Christians that fleshly lust is temporary but faith is for ever (2:16-17).
2:20 The unction (anointing) could be the Holy Spirit, but it more likely refers to the gospel or the saving message—the teaching that believers had received.
2:21 A mark of those who truly know is the ability to admit their lack of knowledge and their desire to learn more. True believers are always "disciples" (learners).
2:22 The error John referred to here was not ethical but theological—false teaching about the Father and the Son.
2:23 This verse affirms the unity and identity of God the Father and the Son. Yet it also affirms their distinctiveness.
2:24 The beginning was the earliest exposure of John's readers to the gospel. There is a direct tie between what they have heard and their status as abiding with God.
2:25 Despite John's earlier ethical warnings to remain faithful, salvation is a matter of God's faithfulness, not human achievement.
2:26 God's people cannot always avoid conflict; usurpers and destroyers arise, trying to deceive.
2:27 On anointing, see note at verse 20. John was content to entrust his readers to the powerful gospel message.
2:28 Ashamed is the guilt and terror of judgment by God.
2:29 The doctrinal knowledge of John's if statement sets up the ethical response implied by doeth righteousness, but the response is a function of spiritual rebirth (born of him) and not human effort.
3:2 Beloved was a favorite term of address for John (v. 21; 4:1,7,11). It is a reminder that Christians are what they are because God has loved them (4:10). The world may think little of God's children now, but at Christ's return things will change: believers will be transformed.
3:3 Knowing that the Lord will return is a strong incentive for believers to live in ways that are pleasing to Him.
3:4 Sin is a grave matter because God has revealed His moral character in His holy law, and sin is breaking the law. It is a personal offense against God.
3:6 John was aware that Christians sin (2:1). They can receive forgiveness through Jesus' death (1:7) as they confess their sins (1:9). In condemning whosoever sinneth, John had in mind flagrant sin by false "believers" whose confession of Jesus was feigned (2:23), whose love was set on the world rather than God (2:15), and whose obedience was lacking (2:4). Jesus Himself warned about people who called Him "Lord" and did great things in His name, but ultimately were not genuine disciples (Matt. 7:21-23).
3:7 Satan continually seeks to subvert and deceive God's people. We must be vigilant always.
3:8 When believers forsake sin, they thwart the devil's aims and further God's kingdom.
3:9-10 On doth not commit sin, see note at verse 6. God's seed is the gospel message. Believers are born of God by the work of His word, and this makes them able to do what is right (v. 7). Cannot sin means freedom from bondage to breaking God's law and freedom to live as God's children. John spoke of what spiritual rebirth makes manifest—not sinless perfection but a life surrendered fully to God.
3:11 Apostolic preaching emphasized that faith in a God of love moved believers to become people who love one another.
3:12 On Cain, see Gen. 4:1-16. John assumed his readers were familiar with this grim OT account.
3:13 The division (see note at 2:19) may have left hard feelings. Jesus foretold that His followers would not always be well received (John 16:2).
3:14 Our assurance of salvation rests in part on the love that God gives us for fellow believers. If we have this love, it is a sign of our salvation. If not, we are warned to examine our hearts before God.
3:15 There is no middle ground. Love is the gospel mandate (John 13:35). The person who neglects to love hateth his brother. This signals absence of eternal life.
3:16 Jesus' death is not only the source of forgiveness (1:7), it is also the yardstick by which believers gauge their own love for other believers.
3:17 Selfishness and God's love are mutually exclusive.
3:18 Faith that is only talk is false faith (James 2:14-17).
3:19 Before him refers to God's observation of our lives. Faithful living results in confident hearts rather than guilt, evasion, or fear.
3:20 The human heart can be self-deceived, but God who knoweth all things can grant assurance.
3:22 We will receive whatsoever we ask if our prayer is within God's will (5:14). If we keep his commandments, we will have no desire to request what God does not wish.
3:23 His commandment and faith in his Son are not different things but two aspects of wholehearted love of God.
3:24 The role of the Holy Spirit has been assumed all along in this epistle, but it is stated here for the first time.
4:1 God gives the Spirit (3:24), but there are counterfeits in the form of many false prophets. Discernment is a critical characteristic for Christian disciples.
4:2 God's Spirit does not condone false doctrine. By the end of the first century a view of Christ arose that denied His true humanity. In this view, the Son of God assumed human form for a time, but the divine Christ departed from the earthly Jesus before the crucifixion. John insisted that Christ had come in the flesh. God was truly and fully incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth.
4:3 John was aware of people speaking by the power of spirits other than the Holy Spirit.
4:4 He that is in the world probably refers to the devil—in person or represented by his spiritual and human servants.
4:5 Spiritual deception is more attractive and plausible to non-Christians than the truth of the gospel message.
4:8 God is love does not mean that love is God. Love is an attribute of God, like righteousness and goodness. Those who truly know Him share in this attribute.
4:9 To live through him means not just biological existence but the spiritual high road of eternal life.
4:10-11 On propitiation, see note at 2:2. The standard of love is not what humans feel but what God has revealed in Christ's life and death on the cross. The phrase God so loved us describes the way He showed His love—by sending His Son.
4:12 No man hath seen God the Father in His heavenly splendor, but God the Son makes the invisible Father clearly known (John 1:18).
4:13 His Spirit plays a crucial role in assuring and convincing believers. That is why it is so important not to tolerate the presence of false spirits (v. 1).
4:14 As in verses 1-3, we refers to John and other apostles. Few of John's readers would have seen Jesus in the flesh.
4:15 Confession of the truth about the Son is a condition for a relationship with God the Father.
4:16 In some verses John emphasized the ethical side of faith; in others he stressed doctrinal fidelity. Here his emphasis is on the devotion of the passions and heart—love.
4:17 The "he" in as he is could refer to either Jesus or God the Father. If the reference is to Jesus, John was saying that as the Son lived in this world, loved others, and pleased God, so can His followers. If the "He" refers to the Father, John meant that as God dwells with His people and moves them to reflect His love, they have complete confidence in view of the coming judgment.
4:18 Believers have no fear of final judgment (v. 17) and eternal torment. John was not rejecting reverent "fear of the Lord" (Prov. 1:7).
4:19 Because God first loved us, our wills and affections are transformed so that love replaces our selfishness.
4:20-21 Followers of Christ love God and love others—or they are not true disciples of Christ.
5:1-21 The previous chapter emphasized love. John affirmed in this chapter that the road to love is paved with faith.
5:3 Love of God is not separate from keeping his commandments. God's commandments teach His people how to do what God accepts as pleasing (Mic. 6:8; Rom. 12:1-2). Knowledge of God transforms the human will, making what was once a grievous burden light (Matt. 11:30).
5:4 Born of God refers to people transformed and made new through faith.
5:6 The words water and blood probably refer to Jesus' baptism and His death. The Spirit testifies through John to the meaning of these events in Jesus' life. John was present at both the baptism and the crucifixion of Jesus. Moreover, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to John and other believers to aid their understanding (John 16:13).
5:7-8 The last half of verse 7 (starting with "in heaven . . .") and the first half of verse 8 (ending with ". . . in earth") are missing from nearly all Greek manuscripts. The unified witness of the Trinity is supported by other Scripture.
5:9 Both Jewish and Roman law depended on witnesses to establish the facts of a legal case.
5:10 By speaking of the record that God gave, after writing that it is the Spirit who testifies (v v. 6,8), John affirmed that the Holy Spirit is God.
5:11 Through an internalized witness (v. 10), believers have growing conviction of the gift they have received (eternal life) and its source (his Son).
5:12 There is no salvation outside of faith in Christ.
5:13 Assurance was one of John's major goals in writing.
5:14-15 The deepest answer to prayer is to know that God hears us. To know this is to have what we have asked Him for. For believers, prayer seeks communion with the Father more than the acquisition of favors or the satisfaction of desires.
5:16-17 A sin not unto death is a sin for which forgiveness is possible (1:9). Sin unto death may be the flagrant offenses against God that so much of 1 John warns against. John may have been speaking about apostasy (falling away from Jesus; denying the apostolic truth; see notes at Matt. 12:31-32 and Heb. 6:4-20). John called on his readers to leave these offenses and offenders in God's hands rather than agonizing in prayer about them. "Death" means spiritual death and eternal separation from God.
5:18 On sinneth not, see note at 3:6.
5:19 We know refers both to apostles like John and to his readers. The whole world is under the sway of Satan, but his reign is fleeting and fading (2:8,17).
5:20 John clearly affirmed the full divinity of Christ.
5:21 This closing verse of the epistle has puzzled interpreters for centuries. Idols may be John's shorthand for all the lies, errors, hate, and rebellion that his letter warned against—in the hope that his readers would satisfy their souls with true knowledge of Christ.
1 John Cross-References
a 1:1ch. 2:13; John 1:1
bch. 4:14; John 1:14; 2 Pet. 1:16
cLuke 24:39; John 20:27
d 1:2 John 1:4; 11:25; 14:6
ech. 3:5; Rom. 16:26; 1 Tim. 3:16
fJohn 21:24; Acts 2:32
gch. 5:20
hJohn 1:1-2
i 1:3 Acts 4:20
jch. 2:24; John 17:21; 1 Cor. 1:9
k 1:4 John 15:11; 16:24; 2 John 12
l 1:5 ch. 3:11
mJohn 1:9; 8:12; 9:5; 12:35-36
n 1:6 ch. 2:4; 2 Cor. 6:14
o 1:7 ch. 2:2; 1 Cor. 6:11; Eph. 1:7; Heb. 9:14; 1 Pet. 1:19; Rev. 1:5
p 1:81 Kings 8:46; 2 Chron. 6:36; Job 9:2; 15:14; 25:4; Prov. 20:9; Eccl. 7:20; James 3:2
qch. 2:4
r 1:9Ps. 32:5; Prov. 28:13
sver. 7; Ps. 51:2
t 2:1 Rom. 8:34; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 7:25; 9:24
u 2:2 ch. 1:7; 4:10; Rom. 3:25; 2 Cor. 5:18
vch. 4:14; John 1:29; 4:42; 11:51-52
w 2:4 ch. 1:6; 4:20
xch. 1:8
y 2:5 John 14:21,23
zch. 4:12
aach. 4:13
ab 2:6 John 15:4-5
acMatt. 11:29; John 13:15; 1 Pet. 2:21
a 2:72 John 5
bch. 3:11; 2 John 5
c 2:8John 13:34; 15:12
dRom. 13:21; Eph. 5:8; 1 Thess. 5:5,8
eJohn 1:9; 8:12; 12:35
f 2:9ch. 3:14-15; 1 Cor. 13:2; 2 Pet. 1:9
g 2:10ch. 3:14
h2 Pet. 1:10
i 2:11 John 12:35
j 2:12 ch. 1:7; Luke 24:47; Acts 4:12; 10:43; 13:38
k 2:13 ch. 1:1
l 2:14 Eph. 6:10
m 2:15Rom. 12:2
nMatt. 6:24; Gal. 1:10; James 4:4
o 2:16Eccl. 5:11
p 2:17 1 Cor. 7:31; James 1:10; 4:14; 1 Pet. 1:24
a 2:18John 21:5
bHeb. 1:2
cch. 4:3; 2 Thess. 2:3, etc.; 2 Pet. 2:1
dMatt. 24:5,24; 2 John 7
e1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Tim. 3:1
f 2:19Deut. 13:13; Ps. 41:9; Acts 20:30
gMatt. 24:24; John 6:37; 10:28-29; 2 Tim. 2:19
h1 Cor. 11:19
i 2:20ver. 27; 2 Cor. 1:21; Heb. 1:9
jMark 1:24; Acts 3:14
kver. 27; John 10:4-5; 14:26; 16:13
l 2:22 ch. 4:3; 2 John 7
m 2:23 John 15:23; 2 John 9
nch. 4:15; John 14:7,9-10
o 2:24 2 John 6
pch. 1:3; John 14:23
q 2:25 ch. 1:2; 5:11; John 17:3
r 2:26ch. 3:7; 2 John 7
s 2:27 ver. 20
tJer. 31:33-34; Heb. 8:10-11
uver. 20; John 14:26; 16:13
v 2:28ch. 3:2
wch. 4:17
x 2:29Acts 22:14
ych. 3:7,10
z 3:1 John 1:12
aaJohn 15:18-19; 16:3; 17:25
ab 3:2 ch. 5:1; Isa. 56:5; Rom. 8:15; Gal. 3:26; 4:6
acRom. 8:18; 2 Cor. 4:17
adRom. 8:29; 1 Cor. 15:49; Php. 3:21; Col. 3:4; 2 Pet. 1:4
aeJob 19:26; Ps. 16:11; Matt. 5:8; 1 Cor. 13:12; 2 Cor. 5:7
af 3:3 ch. 4:17
ag 3:4 ch. 5:17; Rom. 4:15
ah 3:5 ch. 1:2
aiIsa. 53:5-6,11; 1 Tim. 1:15; Heb. 1:3; 9:26; 1 Pet. 2:24
aj2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; 9:28; 1 Pet. 2:22
a 3:6 ch. 2:4; 4:8; 3 John 11
b 3:7 ch. 2:26
cch. 2:29; Ezek. 18:5-9; Rom. 2:13
d 3:8 Matt. 13:38; John 8:44
eGen. 3:15; Luke 10:18; John 16:11; Heb. 2:14
f 3:9ch. 5:18
g1 Pet. 1:23
h 3:10 ch. 2:29
ich. 4:8
j 3:11 ch. 1:5; 2:7
kver. 23; ch. 4:7,21; John 13:34; 15:12; 2 John 5
l 3:12 Gen. 4:4,8; Heb. 11:4; Jude 11
m 3:13 John 15:18-19; 17:14; 2 Tim. 3:12
n 3:14 ch. 2:10
och. 2:9,11
p 3:15 ch. 4:20; Matt. 5:21-22
qGal. 5:21; Rev. 21:28
r 3:16 ch. 4:9,11; John 3:16; 15:13; Rom. 5:8; Eph. 5:2,25
s 3:17 Deut. 15:7; Luke 3:11
tch. 4:20
u 3:18Ezek. 33:31; Rom. 12:9; Eph. 4:15; James 2:15; 1 Pet. 1:22
v 3:19ch. 1:8; John 18:37
w 3:20Cor. 4:4
x 3:21 Job 22:26
ych. 2:28; 4:17; Heb. 10:22
z 3:22 ch. 5:14; Ps. 34:15; 145:18-19; Prov. 15:20; Jer. 29:12; Matt. 7:8; 21:22; Mark 11:24; John 14:13; 15:7; 16:23-24; James 5:16
aaJohn 8:29; 9:31
ab 3:23 John 6:29; 17:3
acver. 11; ch. 4:21; Matt. 22:39; John 13:34; 15:12; Eph. 5:2; 1 Thess. 4:9; 1 Pet. 4:8
adch. 2:8,10
ae 3:24 ch. 4:12; John 14:23; 15:10
afJohn 17:21, etc.
agch 4:13; Rom. 8:9
a 4:1 Jer. 29:8; Matt. 24:4
b1 Cor. 14:29; 1 Thess. 5:21; Rev. 2:2
cch. 2:18; Matt. 24:5,24; Acts 20:30; 1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Pet. 2:1; 2 John 7
d 4:2 ch. 5:1; 1 Cor. 12:3
e 4:3 ch. 2:22; 2 John 7
fch. 2:18,22; 2 Thess. 2:7
g 4:4 ch. 5:4
hJohn 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; 1 Cor. 2:12; Eph. 2:2; 6:12
i 4:5 John 3:31
jJohn 15:19; 17:14
k 4:6 John 8:47; 10:27; 1 Cor. 14:37; 2 Cor. 10:7
lIsa. 8:20; John 14:17
m 4:7 ch. 3:10-11,22
n 4:8 ch. 2:4; 3:6
over. 16
p 4:9ch. 3:16; John 3:16; Rom. 5:8; 8:32
qch. 5:11
r 4:10John 15:16; Rom. 5:8,10; Titus 3:4
sch. 2:2
t 4:11 ch. 3:16; Matt. 18:33; John 15:12-13
u 4:12 ver. 20; John 1:18; 1 Tim. 6:16
vver. 18; ch. 2:5
w 4:13 ch. 3:24; John 14:20
x 4:14 ch. 1:1-2; John 1:14
yJohn 3:17
z 4:15 ch. 5:1,5; Rom. 10:9
aa 4:16 ver. 8
abver. 12; ch. 3:24
ac 4:17 ch. 2:28; 3:19,21; James 2:13
adch. 3:3
ae 4:18 ver. 12
a 4:20 ch. 2:4; 3:17
bver. 12
c 4:21 ch. 3:23; Matt. 22:37,39; John 13:34; 15:12
d 5:1 John 1:12
ech. 2:22-23; 4:2,15
fJohn 1:13
gJohn 15:23
h 5:3 John 14:15,21,23; 15:10; 2 John 6
iMic. 6:8; Matt. 11:30
j 5:4 ch. 3:9; 4:4; John 16:33
k 5:5 ch. 4:15; 1 Cor. 15:57
l 5:6 John 19:34
mJohn 14:17; 15:26; 16:13; 1 Tim. 3:16
n 5:7 John 1:1; Rev. 19:13
oJohn 10:30
p 5:9John 8:17-18
qMatt. 3:16-17; 17:5
r 5:10 Rom. 8:16; Gal. 4:6
sJohn 3:33; 5:38
t 5:11 ch. 2:25
uch. 4:9; John 1:4
v 5:12 John 3:36; 5:24
w 5:13John 20:31
xch. 1:1-2
y 5:14 ch. 3:22
z 5:16Job 42:8; James 5:14-15
aaMatt. 12:31-32; Mark 3:29; Luke 12:10; Heb. 6:4,6; 10:26
abJer. 7:16; 14:11; John 17:9
ac 5:17 ch. 3:4
a 5:18ch. 3:9; 1 Pet. 1:23
bJames 1:27
c 5:19Gal. 1:4
d 5:20Luke 24:45
eJohn 17:3
fIsa. 9:6; 44:6; 54:5; John 20:28; Acts 20:28; Rom. 9:5; 1 Tim. 3:16; Titus 2:13; Heb. 1:8
gver. 11-13
h 5:21 1 Cor. 10:14
