Author
John the Apostle
Apostle
Written
c. 85–95 AD
Chapters
5
Audience
Christians in Asia Minor (likely Ephesus), facing Gnostic false teaching
The apostolic proclamation of the incarnate Word and walking in the light of fellowship with God
Chapter 1Read in Bible
Christ as our advocate, obedience as the mark of knowing God, and the call to love the world not the world's values
Chapter 2 → Chapter 1Read in Bible
Warning against antichrists and the call to abide in the truth of Christ's anointing
Chapter 2 → Chapter 18Read in Bible
The transforming reality of being children of God, characterized by righteousness and love for one another
Chapter 3Read in Bible
Testing the spirits and discerning true doctrine of Christ's incarnation from false prophecy
Chapter 4 → Chapter 1Read in Bible
The supreme command to love one another as a reflection of God's own nature as love
Chapter 4 → Chapter 7Read in Bible
Assurance of eternal life, the testimony about the Son of God, and confidence in prayer
Chapter 5Read in Bible
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
1 John 1:9"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."
1 John 4:8"We love because he first loved us."
1 John 4:19"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life."
1 John 5:13First John is a pastoral letter written to reassure believers of their salvation and warn them against false teachers who denied the incarnation of Christ and the necessity of righteous living. John establishes tests of genuine faith—doctrinal orthodoxy, moral obedience, and love for fellow believers—to help his readers distinguish true Christianity from the deceptive claims of early Gnosticism. The letter is theologically rich in its portrayal of God as light and love, and its emphasis on the believer's confident relationship with God through Jesus Christ.