If you had to describe God using just one word, what would it be? Try finishing the sentence, “God is ______?”
What word did you choose?
In his letter, John writes, “God is love” (1 John 4:8 ESV). John uses other words and images to help us understand God, but ultimately love is the one word that sums up who God is in this letter. John celebrates God’s love, and he urges his hearers to love God in return by obeying his commands and by loving others (1 John 4:11; 5:2-3).
It’s clear from their style and content that the three letters of John were written by the same man who wrote the Gospel of John. In fact, it may be helpful to you to skim John’s Gospel before reading the letter of 1 John, because John’s letters assume we already know his larger work, and they build upon it.
John wrote his Gospel so his readers would “believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31). Now, he writes this first letter to people who have already believed. His purpose in writing 1 John is to help followers of Jesus find complete confidence and joy in their new life in Christ (1 John 1:4). He wants us be confident of our salvation, and gives us ways to discern whether we have genuine faith in Jesus. Among other indicators, we know we have genuine faith when we see God’s love working in us to produce obedience, love for God’s people, and service to others. For those who have been saved by God from their sin will live in a distinct way.
Though we include the book of 1 John with the other letters of the New Testament, it’s more like a reflection than a letter. Today it would probably be a blog post. One of the difficulties of reading 1 John is that John doesn’t follow linear rules for writing by starting with a topic, giving support, and marching forward to a conclusion. Instead, he makes a point and then circles back to make the same point again in a slightly different way. Then he circles back again… and again… to his main themes.
His purpose in writing 1 John is to help followers of Jesus find complete confidence and joy in their new life in Christ (1 John 1:4).
One of John’s main ideas is that if we have believed in Jesus and received his eternal life, our lives will be transformed. Sometimes Christians mistakenly understand eternal life to simply mean life with God after death. John writes to tell us that eternal life is not something we experience later, but is ours today (1 John 2:25; 5:11-14). Eternal life isn’t just the new life we will enjoy in eternity; it’s the quality of life we enjoy now because we have been brought into relationship with God. The lives of those who truly have received eternal life from Jesus will look different than the world around them. John writes to show us that those who truly believe in Jesus are God’s children who depend upon God’s love, live obediently to God’s commands, and are full of joy, all as a result of having received eternal life.
John urges fellow children of God to abide in God. (1 John 2:24-25; 3:9-10). Abiding in God means depending upon him like fruit depends upon the vine for nourishment (John 15). John circles back repeatedly to the idea that we are dearly loved children and that we also should love one another (1 John 3:16-17, 23; 4:7, 20). If we truly abide in God and love God, we will obey him, and our obedience can often be measured by how we love others.
As you read 1 John, consider what it means for God to be love. How do we see this truth through the life and person of Jesus? How do we see God’s love in our everyday lives? Finally, hear John’s call to enjoy eternal life today—life that is transformed by God’s love. Our belief in Jesus is never just an intellectual box we tick—it’s a matter of life and death (1 John 5:11-12). It reshapes what we love—our values, priorities, and ambitions—and influences how we love others. Abide in God’s amazing love, and thank him for the eternal life he has given you in Jesus!