CIRCUMSTANCES OF WRITING

AUTHOR: Ancient manuscripts are unanimous in naming “John” as the author of 1 John. This was understood to be John the son of Zebedee, the “beloved disciple” who was also the author of the Fourth Gospel. The style and vocabulary of 1, 2, and 3 John are so close to that of John’s Gospel that they beg to be understood as arising from the same person. Some contemporary scholars theorize that an “elder John” (see 2Jn 1; 3Jn 1), not the apostle, may have written the letters. Others speak of a “Johannine school” or “circle” as the originators of the epistles of John (and perhaps Revelation too). But the view with the best support is that Jesus’s disciple John was the author.

BACKGROUND: Second-century sources reported that around AD 70, the year the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, John left Jerusalem where he was a church leader and relocated to Ephesus. He continued his pastoral work in that region and lived until nearly AD 100. Ephesus is probably the place where John wrote the three NT letters that bear his name. They could have been composed at any time in the last quarter of the first century.

MESSAGE AND PURPOSE

John made four purpose statements. First, he wrote to promote his readers’ fellowship and joy. “We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete” (1:4).

Second, he wrote to help readers avoid the pitfalls of sin, yet find forgiveness when they stumbled. “My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin” (2:1).

Third, he wrote to protect believers from false teachers. “I have written these things to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you” (2:26).

Finally, he wrote so they might know they had eternal life. “I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you 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.

CONTRIBUTION TO THE BIBLE

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.

STRUCTURE

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.

OUTLINE

I.The Truth about Christ (1:1-4)

A.An affirmation about the person of Christ (1:1)

B.An affirmation about the author of the letter (1:2-4)

II.The Believer’s Lifestyle (1:5-2:14)

A.Fellowship with God (1:5-7)

B.Confession of sin (1:8-10)

C.Obeying the commands of Christ (2:1-6)

D.Maintaining relationships with other believers (2:7-14)

III.The Believer’s Relationship to the World (2:15-27)

A.Do not love the world (2:15-17)

B.Beware of antichrists (2:18-27)

IV.A Message for God’s Children (2:28-4:21)

A.They will one day be like Christ (2:28-3:3)

B.They are not to continue in sin (3:4-6)

C.They must not be led astray by evil (3:7-10)

D.They are to love one another (3:11-24)

E.They are to “test the spirits” (4:1-3)

F.They are to overcome the world (4:4-6)

G.They are to reflect God’s character (4:7-21)

V.Final Exhortations (5:1-21)

A.Obedient love is proof of faith (5:1-5)

B.Christ brings us eternal life (5:6-15)

C.God’s children do not continue to sin (5:16-21)

AD 4-33

John the apostle, son of Zebedee and Salome is born. 8?

John and his brother James are part of their father’s fishing business in Capernaum, on the Sea of Galilee. 25

Jesus calls James and John to be two of his twelve disciples. 29

Peter, James, and John witness Jesus’s transfiguration. 32

John and Peter are asked to prepare the Passover meal Jesus shares with his disciples. 33

AD 33-44

Peter, James, and John are with Jesus as he prays in Gethsemane. 33

As he dies, Jesus gives the care of his mother, Mary, to John. 33

John may be the first of the twelve disciples to believe that Jesus rose from death. 33

Following Pentecost, John and Peter show great courage in Jerusalem by bearing witness to Jesus’s acts. 33

John’s brother, James, is the first of the twelve disciples to die a martyr’s death. 44

AD 45-65

John is among the pillars of the Jerusalem church who meet with Paul, Barnabas, and Titus in Jerusalem to deal with the question of whether Gentiles had to be circumcised to become Christians. 49

Paul travels through Ephesus toward the end of his second missionary journey. 52

Apollos comes to Ephesus and is mentored by Aquila and Priscilla. 52

Paul returns to Ephesus for a 21/2 year ministry. 54

Timothy, elder of Ephesus, receives the first letter from Paul. 62

AD 60-LATE SECOND CENTURY

The Jewish War is started by zealots who drive the Romans out of Jerusalem temporarily. 66

John leaves Jerusalem for Ephesus. 66-70 ?

The Romans crush the Jewish rebellion and destroy Jerusalem and the temple. 70

John is spiritual leader of the church at Ephesus. 70-100

Irenaeus (140-202) affirms that the body of John’s writings were composed in Ephesus.