1 John 2:18, 26

In this plan we will undertake a study of the book of 1 John, in the New Testament. The book of 1 John is the first of three books, written by John the elder to house church believers. The book of 1 John encourages believers to remember that God is light and love and therefore to live lives that reflect that light and love with one another and the world.

The signs Jesus described as “birth pangs,” signal His impending return as they unfold and shape the direction of history. Like labor pains, with mounting strength and frequency, they both usher at the end of the age and more importantly, herald the birth of another age — a glorious era where the King of kings physically governs the world for which He died.

1 John is one of three letters written by John the Beloved, the same author as the Gospel of John and Revelation. Written as a response to false teaching in the church, John reminds his readers that just as God is both love and light, true believers are to show love and light to the world.

John, the last living apostle, wrote a Gospel, and it seems some people were distorting it. John writes to believers, bringing clarity and commentary on what he wrote. He shows them what it looks like to be people of light and life instead of people of death and darkness. This plan in the series takes us through 1 John and how to live in the face of distorted Christianity.