I John

The first epistle of John was written between 85-95 AD.  This epistle starts out speaking of what it means to live in the light and to be in fellowship with God.  John's epistle makes it very clear that even Christians are going to sin, but when they sin they need not feel guilty for Christ offers hope and salvation to them in spite of their sin.  He goes on to say that if we claim not to have sinned then we are a liar and we make Christ in us seem like a liar.  John makes very clear that those who claim to be born of God must submit to the agenda of God.  Thus, salvation is not just something that is professed with your mouth, but rather it is the surrendering of your citizenship in this world to be a citizenship in the spiritual kingdom of Christ.  John cites sveral specific examples such as when people hate their brothers.  John also makes clear that those born of God will not let themselves be polluted by the world.  John makes a very clear accusation against the antichrists on the earth.  He speaks of those who have come in among them but now have departed.  John tells those he is writing to to remain steadfast in the faith they have received through Christ.  He goes on to speak of the children of God and here he clearly says that he who is born of God does not continue to sin.  In the Greek, the translation reads, "he who is born of God can not miss the mark in such a way as not to share in the prize. John speaks of the importance of love for one another as believers in Christ.  John speaks of the believers heart in important terms stating that if our hearts do not condemn us, then we will be saved.  John speaks of the importance of Christians having love for one another.  He also speaks of the importance of testing the spirits.  He says that those spirits that say that Christ has not come in the flesh are deceiving whil those who say he has come in the flesh are not deceiving but genuine.  When John wrote this, he was probably thinking of the Gnostics.  Remember though that is through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that he wrote these words.  Thus, in our time I think these words refer to those who profess Christ with their mouths but deny by their lifestyle as they clearly are possessed by their fleshly desires.  John also speaks in salvation as the gift of eternal life through Christ the Son of God our Lord.  He speaks of the Trinity by saying it is the spirit the water and the blood who testify.  He then concludes the epistle by speakjing of the certainties of the faith.  he makes clear that rebuke is necessary when one catches their Christian borthers in sin.  This points to the fact that we as a Christian community need to help each ohter in our struggles with sin for we all have a fleshly nature which we struggle with daily.  John closes the epistle by encouraging his audience to keep from idols.  This does not seem to go along with the rest of the letter.  However, there must have been some form of idolatry which was rampant in the area of which John was writing.  John does a very good job also in the last chapter of his book of presenting the dualistic struggle between the world controlled by the evil one, and between those snctified by God who are empowered by the Holy Spirit.