Who was the Apostle John?
Before we dive into a book of Scripture, it's important to know it's background and setting in order that we might gain insight from it's context. Scripture is applicable everywhere, always and for all believers but as 21st Christians it might do us justice to try and understand what a 1st century Christian was up against. First we ask the question, who was John? We know from Scripture that he was a fisherman (Matt. 4.21). We also know he was one of Jesus's close twelve disciples (Matt. 10.2). According to Scripture and early church testimony, he wrote five books in the New Testament canon (Gospel of John, 1/2/3 John, Revelation). We also gather from tradition and the Scriptural witness that he outlived the remainder of the disciples, allowing him to continue his ministry and writing until a very old age (writing his Revelation under the reign of Emperor Domitian, who ruled from 81-96 AD).
John is considered to have ministered primarily in Asia Minor, in and around Ephesus. The things to which he writes (those who do not confess Jesus in the flesh and so on) are indicative of issues which the early church faced in the region of Asia Minor, specifically with a group called the Docetists who denied the human side of Christ. His letter assumes a knowledge of who Jesus Christ is and a basic understanding of the Christian faith, leading many commentators to date this letter in the latter half of the first century, perhaps following the gospel account which bears John's name. The issues of building up the church, encouraging people to continue in the faith, and warning people about false teachings are all themes which we find in this epistle.
Why 1 John
So why should we study 1 John as students in middle and high school? Good question, and the answer has three main reasons. First, it stresses the importance of knowing the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is divine and human, we can't not deny either nor exclude one by emphasizing the other. He is both and that should continue to remain our confession. Second, it gives us a clear picture of right Christian behavior. The Christian faith isn't all about black and white rules of do's and don'ts, but John reminds us here that there certainly are some clear cut ways to understand whether or not one is a Christian by how they behave. This is important for constant personal reflection and encouraging one another to remember our calling. Lastly, it emphasizes fellowship and relationships. For us as a student ministry, this is a great and awesome task. We must continue to build up relationships for the purpose of growing in faith and making the Gospel of Jesus Christ known to a sick and dying world.
Introductions
In the first three verses of his first epistle, John reminds his readers that they can't have a relationship with God without Jesus Christ. The fellowship of knowing God is directly linked with fellowship with Jesus Christ (1.3). That fellowship we share together, as John reminds us, is based on that confession. Though people may come in and visit a church, they are not part of the Christian fellowship until they share in the common belief of Jesus Christ. Another vital point we see in John's introduction is that the disciples have intimate knowledge of Christ (1.1). They ate with him, talked with him, laughed with him and so on. What they write about him can be trusted! Lastly, we see a promotion to share the faith which we proclaim (1.3). John is making no secrets about the Christian faith, he wants people to know all about it! This is our calling too; proclaim Christ as the truth of the Gospel!
Summer of Love
The study of 1 John is a wonderful compliment to building up one another and focusing on love for the summer. I hope you will be encouraged by this study and that your faith will be increased as we dive into God's word and learn what it means to truly love God, love one another and the world. Stay tuned for more thoughts and teachings from 1 John and have a great week!
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