That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life
1 John 1:1
Most of us begin a new Bible study hoping to learn something. John hopes for much more than that.
He is not writing merely to increase our biblical knowledge. He is writing so that our fellowship with Christ becomes deeper, our joy becomes fuller, and our confidence in our salvation becomes stronger. His burden is intensely personal. Like an elderly grandfather gathering his family close one last time, John writes because he wants believers to finish well.
1, 2, and 3 John were letters written near the end of John’s life. He had walked with Jesus for more than sixty years. He had watched the church explode across the Roman Empire. He had seen persecution, false teachers, divided churches, faithful saints, and wandering believers. He knew that the greatest danger facing Christians was not always persecution from outside the church. Sometimes it was deception from within.
John writes with remarkable simplicity as he shares his insights and observations. He talks about light and darkness. Truth and lies. Love and hatred. Life and death. Children of God and children of the devil. Remaining and drifting. His words are easy enough for a child to understand, yet profound enough that believers have spent two thousand years exploring their depths.
Before we begin studying these letters, we should first get to know the man God used to write them. We will discover that John was not born “the Apostle of Love.” He was transformed into that man by walking with Jesus.
As we watch Christ shape John’s life, we will be reminded that He is still shaping ours.
Father, thank You for preserving these words for Your Church. As we begin this journey through John’s letters, give us teachable hearts. Help us not merely to gain information but to know Christ more deeply, love Him more faithfully, and follow Him more completely. May Your Spirit use these studies to transform us into people who look more like Jesus every day.
Walking with John… Following Jesus,
eep
