The Writings of 1 John

Since the beginning of humanity there have been false messages spread by people to gain money, fame and power. Sometimes these false messages are being spread to damage the reputation of someone else. Lies and false news have been told for thousands of years. When 1 John was written late in the first Century, false news was being spread about Jesus. 

Imagine if you were a close friend of Jesus when he came to earth. Imagine if you had been with him and seen him perform amazing miracles, healing people who were blind, walking on water, calming storms and feeding thousands of people with just two fish and five loaves of bread. Imagine if you had been in the crowd beside Jesus when he taught wise stories about God. Imagine if you had seen Jesus love people who everyone else rejected. As a disciple of Jesus, this is what John had experienced. So, can you imagine how John felt when he heard that people were spreading lies and false news about Jesus? John knew he had to tell people the truth. 

When John wrote the letter now called 1 John, he would have been a very old man and one of the last disciples of Jesus to still be alive. John wrote this book for two main reasons. First, he wanted to warn the churches that some people were telling false messages. These people were spreading lies and saying that Jesus was not the Son of God who came to earth. They were also ‘walking in darkness’, not showing love to people who were poor and suffering. 

Second, John wanted to remind people of the truth about Jesus, the truth that John had seen with his own eyes. John was not teaching Christians something new. He was telling them to remember the truth. John wanted everyone to remember that Jesus is the Son of God and that he came to earth to save all people. John wanted everyone to know that our sins are forgiven. He wanted everyone to know that God is our father and we are his children. John reminds us that God is light and if we follow him we will walk in the ‘light’ of goodness and truth. He also reminds us that God is love and if we follow God we will show love to each other, just as Jesus shows love to us. 

Perhaps John knew in his heart that his letter would continue helping Christians for centuries to come. False reports about Jesus would always be present and John’s letter would be a source of truth on which to base our faith and hope.