Date Scholars tend to date 1 John after the publication of the Gospel of John. Admittedly, the evidence for this order of composition is slight, but most are inclined to think that the epistle reflects historical circumstances that arose slightly later than those that prompted the writing of the Gospel. The widespread belief that John's Gospel was written in the 90s of the first century has thus resulted in the common view that 1 John was composed around A.D. 100. Of course, an earlier date for the Gospel could mean an earlier date for 1 John as well, but support for this remains inconclusive. See introduction to the Gospel of John: Date.

Destination The author never identifies his readers or their location. The dominant tradition is that John eventually left the assembly of apostles in Jerusalem and made his way to Ephesus in Asia Minor, where he spent the rest of his days overseeing the churches in the region. Scholars who accept this tradition infer that John is addressing members of his flock living in Ephesus and its environs. The sense running throughout the letter that John is personally acquainted with his readers and their situation makes this a strong possibility (2:1, 1214; 3:11).

Purpose The letter aims to strengthen believers threatened by a heretical group that broke away from their community (2:19). These individuals— whom John calls antichrists, liars, deceivers, and false prophets—denied that Jesus was "the Christ" (2:22; 5:1) and "the Son of God" (2:23; 5:5) who had truly "come in the flesh" (4:2). Attempts have been made to identify these apostates with various heretical groups that cropped up in the second century, such as the Docetists, who denied the reality of Christ's humanity, the Gnostics, who had a deep aversion to the physical and material element of man, or the Cerinthians, who claimed that the Divine Person of Christ descended on the man Jesus at his Baptism but withdrew from him just before the Passion. Others see them as former converts from Judaism who became increasingly troubled by the doctrine of the Incarnation and the messianic title that Christians gave to Jesus. Whatever the background of these opponents, John wanted to expose their propaganda as contrary to the apostolic faith handed down since the beginning.

Themes and Characteristics The formalities of correspondence that usually characterize ancient letters are absent from 1 John. That is, it never identifies the sender or the recipients, nor does it contain a personal greeting or farewell. Perhaps more than any other New Testament book, 1 John resembles a short catechetical treatise. Still, the work appears to be more spontaneous than systematic in its presentation of Christian doctrine, and its warm, pastoral tone has notable affinities with the canonical letters of Peter, Paul, and James. We might think of it more as a pastoral exhortation than a formal letter. Nevertheless, in terms of literary form, it is undeniable that 1 John is something unique, something that resists a neat and tidy classification among other works of its kind. Be that as it may, longstanding tradition counts 1 John as one of the seven "Catholic Epistles" of the New Testament.

The content of the letter focuses on authentic fellowship with God. Faced with innovators who broke away from Christian orthodoxy, John's readers need assurance that they have embraced the true gospel that comes from the apostles. He therefore stresses that they—and not other rival groups —possess what was passed down from "the beginning" (1:1; 2:7, 13, 24; 3:11). They are the ones whose faith is victorious (5:4) and whose fellowship with God is certain (1:3; 3:24), provided they walk in the light (1:7), confess their sins (1:9), keep the commandments (2:3), and love one another in word and deed (3:18). The difference between true and false believers emerges as John divides the world into light and darkness (1:5), truth and error (4:6), love and hate (2:10-11), life and death (3:14), Christ and the antichrists (2:22). The line that runs between these contrasts is also the line that distinguishes the children of God from the children of Satan (3:10). At the height of all these reflections stands the triune God, who is light, life, and love (1:5; 4:8; 5:11). The fellowship that believers enjoy with the Father rests on the grace of divine life that is given us by the Son (5:12) and abides in us by the indwelling of the Spirit (3:24). This gives John the boldness to insist that we are truly "children of God" (3:1) born of the Father (3:9) for eternal life (5:13). «