Delving into the 1st Epistle of John
Apostle John wrote his first epistle already being an old man. He has seen a lot of God’s work in his lifetime and tested out the teaching of Christ on his own skin. The result – an unshakable faith in the Lord Jesus Christ accompanied by a great eagerness to share His life with others.
The people John is writing to a group somewhat similar in their standing to us. Just like us, a lot of them were brought up in Christian homes. Christianity in their world existed at the time for already roughly 60 years which almost exactly corresponds to the age of Ukrainian Evangelical church. It’s likely that a lot of them, especially of the younger generation, have lost their fervor and John takes upon a task to once again relate to them who Jesus, our great God and Savior, is and how His person and work affects us.
The main theme of this letter can be summarized in the call to three things: true doctrine (teaching), obedient living and passionate devotion. John is not about what we ought to be doing but, rather, focuses on what has already been done by God and calls the readers to respond out of that knowledge and transformation. The true teaching translates into authentic Christian living when it is obeyed.
True Christians are not “of the world” or “of the devil” but they belong to God and are “of the light.” Since God lives in them it is clear for all to see Him in their lives. It manifests in their talk (it builds people up), actions (they are helpful rather than harmful) and life (the goals that they aspire to and live for are God’s).
