Daily Devotions
1 John
THE AUTHOR
Traditionally, the author of a series of letters is understood to be the Apostle John, even though he did not identify himself as the Apostle as Paul did.
John did not have to identify himself as the writer for he did not have to deal with the problem of apostleship. He was well-accepted as the beloved disciple of the Lord Jesus from the earliest times. Church fathers who lived close to the time of the Apostle John identified John as the author. Two early church fathers, Ignatius and Polycarp testified that John was the writer of these epistles.
SIMILARITIES
The Epistles of John bear remarkable similarities to the Gospel of John. The following may be highlighted:-
1. The vocabulary
2. The style
3. The imagery employed
As we read 1 John we would find ourselves recalling what John wrote in his Gospel. John ably and loyally promoted a strong Christological emphasis.
OCCASION OF WRITING THE JOHANNINE EPISTLES
Though the first century of the Church was called the golden era, there were problems that confronted the Church. All the apostles had to rise to the defence of the Church from false teachers. Like the other apostles John ably defended the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
1 John in particular was written as a defence against false teachings. The flock of God had to be defended from false teachers. John minced no words as he fought the false teachers.
CHRISTIANITY AS A WAY OF LIFE
In the Gospel of John the emphasis was obviously focused on the Person and the Teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ! In the Epistles of John the focus was on how faith in the Lord Jesus must become a way of life. Faith and life are so closely inter-related they are inseparable!
OUR READING OF THE JOHANNINE EPISTLES
Today our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is severely challenged too! How would we explain why we believe in the Lord Jesus? How would we be able to explain why we seek to live the way we do? Let us seek to be inspired to learn how we may stand firm and steadfast in our historic Christian faith!
Prayerfully,
Pastor Charles Tan