Backdrop to 1 John
Many commentators agree that the issues addressed in 1 John could indicate the emergence of what would later become a formalized belief system called Gnosticism. According to Gnostics, only the elite obtained an enlightened level of mystical knowledge that could save their immaterial spirits from this encumbering world.
Imagine the exclusivity. Can I access this salvation country club? I’m probably not qualified enough to be “in the know”.
Physical creation was thought of as evil, to be denied and escaped. Imagine the doctrinal corruption. How could a perfect God come as a human if matter is evil? Jesus isn’t who he seemed.
On the other hand, physical desires were considered meaningless, to be thoughtlessly indulged as inconsequential to “real” spirituality. Imagine the disconnect. What’s the big deal about my actions if spirituality is all about knowledge? God’s commands don’t matter.
Recipients of 1 John were hearing teachings like this, and - most disturbingly - from former church participants. Conclusions such as these still echo thousands of years later, even if they aren’t from clearly gnostic sources today. Have you ever wondered if you’re as spiritually elite as someone else? Has someone planted doubts about who Jesus is? Is there a disconnect between the words of people you follow and the way they live?
These lead to an undoing of confidence in the Gospel and in God’s promise of eternal life, so they’re countered from various angles throughout the book. Since John writes to believers, he isn’t first and foremost explaining to his audience how to have eternal life, but he answers the question, “What proof should I look for so that I know I have eternal life? And how can I discern whether the person I’m listening to has eternal life?” Like an apple dangling from a branch doesn’t make the tree an apple tree, it proves you can be sure it is an apple tree. Apples are the evidence that point to an identity.
There are three aspects of life that offer proof of eternal life, and we will evaluate these topics again and again in 1 John.
Belief: Who is Jesus?
Behavior: How am I following God’s Word?
Brotherly Love: Where can love be seen in my life?
Eternal life begins with accurate belief in who Jesus is. His life in us produces behavior consistent with God’s commands and the type of love for others that He himself showed. As you read 1 John, note the ways these three areas are expounded upon even more fully in the coming chapters, and let’s hold our own hearts and lives up to the light.
