At a glance
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Authorship | John the apostle (traditional) |
| Date | ~90-95 AD |
| Audience | Likely Asian churches, including Ephesus |
| Genre | Pastoral epistle / homily |
| Purpose | Test of true Christianity and assurance and warning against early Gnosticism |
| Chapters | 5 |
Main themes
| Theme | Description |
|---|---|
| God is light | 1 John 1:5 |
| God is love | 1 John 4:8, 16 |
| Confession of sin | 1 John 1:9 |
| Three tests of true faith | Love and righteousness and truth |
| Christ truly human | Against early docetism |
| Assurance | 1 John 5:13, "that you may know" |
Key passages
- 1 John 1:5-2:2, light and walking and confession
- 1 John 2:18-23, antichrists
- 1 John 3:1-3, children of God
- 1 John 3:16, Christ's love demonstrated
- 1 John 4:7-21, God is love
- 1 John 5:11-13, eternal life and assurance