Introduction to 1, 2 & 3 John

The 1, 2 and 3 John, we will reflect upon, are collectively known as the Johannine Epistles. We will discover that 2 and 3 John have specific addressees, whereas 1 John was addressed to no one in particular. John, the author of these letters was the son of Zebedee and brother of James. He is often referred to as John, the beloved or the disciple whom Christ loved. Together with his brother James, he was one of the original twelve apostles who walked and ministered with Jesus. He had also written one Gospel and many think he had also written the Book of Revelation.

These letters were probably written to churches in Asia Minor. John was at that time ministering in the city of Ephesus. The exact date and place of writing cannot be ascertained with finality. Suffice to say that most people accept them to be written from between AD 80 and 95.

The group of churches in Asia Minor that John was writing to was in crisis. False and unorthodox teachings had invaded the fellowship. Verse 19 of chapter two suggests that those false teachers were once from the fellowship. Having been influenced by unorthodox doctrines, they left the church. Although no longer a part of the church, they did not stop propagating their wrong teachings among the believers. Their teachings had brought disruption to the church and had caused much confusion to the believers. In these letters, the Apostle John wrote to counteract the propagation of false beliefs as well as deal with certain issues relating to hosting itinerant teachers. John had a two-fold objective. While he dealt with the heretics and their teachings, he also assured them so that they would continue in the truth.

What do we do with these letters? In our days there is also a proliferation of all kinds of teaching. It seems that every other week we hear of teaching seminars being conducted. Running parallel to these seminars are also all sorts of untrained people rising to make claims that they are God’s authentic prophets, teachers and pastors. It behooves us, as people who love Jesus dearly, not to be hook-winked and led astray from our true beliefs. Learning form these letters could provide hints on how to deal with them; how to stand firm in our faith; and how to live for the honor of God.