1 John 5:16-19

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.

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 caught in the aftermath, 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 takes us through 1 John and how to live in the face of distorted Christianity.

The New Testament books of 1, 2 and 3 John have a recurring theme: love. The author speaks repeatedly of Jesus’s command for believers to love one another. Christian believers should stand apart from the rest of the world, characterized by God’s love. This six-day devotional explores John’s words in his three epistles, offering tangible ways to show God’s love to fellow believers.