1 John has an unwavering energy that says: “Hey! THIS is what life is about! We’ve finally understood it! THIS is the way!”. There is no resigned, pragmatic attitude - only an excited, confident one. 1 John shifts our gaze away from a mediocre life to an ideal, glorious one.
Life: Light and Love
1 John has a simple, yet emphatic style of language with the use of images like LIFE, LIGHT and LOVE. There’s a number of similarities you might be able to pick up between the book of John (John’s Gospel) and 1 John’s (John’s Epistle, a.k.a. his letter) - even if they aren’t necessarily the same author. You find the images of LIFE, LIGHT and LOVE in both - here’s two verses from John that you might find echoed in 1 John.
“I have come that they may have LIFE, and have it to the full.” - John 10:10
“A new command I give you: LOVE ONE ANOTHER. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” - John 13:34
Inseparable Truths
John will elaborate on one of these messages, only to thread it back in again later. Rather than circle back to the same thought again and again as it is laid out in 1 John, our talks and studies will be organised by these themes.
The way John weaves these aspects back and forth suggests that we need to apply ALL of these aspects to live out the gospel - if you neglect one, the whole gospel message falls over.