The apostle John wrote this letter in part to help the people of the church have assurance of their salvation, and to help test the faith of others as well. It is also a letter oriented directly towards God, with 184 references to the Godhead – a higher concentration than any other book in the bible. Likewise, the word “love” as both a noun and a verb is used 46 times. The word “know” is used many times as well – again, focused on enabling believers to know, to have confidence in their salvation. This is closely related to the word “abide” used many times – also used in John’s gospel frequently – as is “fellowship”.
John writes to “little children” – seeking as a father to assure his children of the promises they have in the true Father. But it is also there to help perceive the truth of the faith of others. Some people get offended at the notion of questioning someone’s faith, but there are times where it is important to know who is influencing you, and where that influence ultimately comes from.
John speaks specifically to the concept of influence from “anti-Christ” sources. In particular, the early strains of gnostic thought were becoming influential and John is writing in part to combat that.
John begins his letter in a way that echoes the beginning of his gospel – in the beginning. In the gospel, “in the beginning was the Word.” Here, he speaks to what he saw, heard, touched – the Word made flesh, the “word of life.” The word “touched” here can mean both to physically touch and also to seek after – it is used by Jesus in Luke after his resurrection to push his disciples to explicitly understand his physical resurrection. This is a clear broadside against the gnostic beliefs about the evil of matter and the notion that Jesus was some kind of spirit or phantom.
In verse 2, John continues with the themes from his gospel – Jesus as the light of life made manifest by God the father. We are all seeking that true life, “life abundantly” as John tells us Jesus calls it in John 10.
In verse three, John walks through what that life looks like and why he is sharing all this – fellowship between believers and between believers and the Father and the Son. This must be greater than what the world offers, because it comes with the power of the God of the universe behind it.
He wraps this section fleshing out that reason for writing – to make his joy complete. To bring other Christians to a fuller knowledge of God’s love is what brings his joy to overflowing. To whom and how are we proclaiming this fuller knowledge?
We can also pray for that fellowship within our church to be unhindered, and to share our testimony as John shares his own here.
– Sermon Notes, Bart Hodgson, Seed Church, Lynnwood WA, September 5, 2021