First John is a warm, plainspoken letter written to help believers know that they have eternal life and to keep them close to the truth. The author writes as an eyewitness to Jesus, and he circles back again and again to three tests of genuine Christian life: believing that Jesus is the Son of God who came in the flesh, obeying his commands, and loving one another. God is described as light and as love. Believers are urged to walk in the light, to confess their sins honestly, and to trust that Jesus is their advocate and the sacrifice for sin. The letter warns against those who left the community and denied that Jesus had come as a real human being, and it cautions against loving the world's desires more than the Father. Its repeated address to little children and dear friends gives it a pastoral, family tone. The author never names himself; church tradition has long connected the letter with the apostle John, and some scholars think it came from a close circle around him.

Author

Unnamed; traditionally the apostle John, while some scholars point to a close circle around him.

Date

Usually placed in the late first century AD, perhaps around 90 to 95, likely from Ephesus.

Audience

Christian communities in Asia Minor unsettled by teachers who had broken away.

Themes

Outline

1. 1:1–1:4The word of life and the eyewitness
2. 1:5–2:17Walking in the light and not loving the world
3. 2:18–3:10Truth, antichrists and children of God
4. 3:11–4:21Love one another, for God is love
5. 5:1–5:21Faith, victory and knowing eternal life

Key verses