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I John
From A Storehouse of Knowledge
The First Epistle of John is a letter attributed to John the Evangelist. It is included in the Bible alongside the other letters in the New Testament. The letter's author does not identify himself in the text; in fact, unlike other letters in the Bible, there is no preface saying who the letter is to, and no closing either (it ends abruptly with the slightly ominous "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols" - 1 John 5:21).
In the letter, John talks about theological matters in quite an abstract way (eg 1 John 1:5-6). He repeatedly urges people to live a righteous life ("to be in the light") and to love one another, but does not give the kind of specific practical advice that is found in the epistles of St Paul. Rather, he urges Christians to have love and faith in Jesus, reasoning that these virtues will naturally lead to a life free from sin (1 John 5:1-2).
He also warns against the Antichrist (1 John 2:18) and against false prophets.
John ends the letter by encouraging forgiveness (1 John 5:16-17) and reaffirming his belief in God and Jesus.
The Trinity
1 John 5:7-8 has been the focus of some controversy regarding the Trinity. Later versions of it contain an extra clause that supports the doctrine of the Trinity, which is not present in early versions. This is known as the Johannine comma.
| Books of the Bible | |
| Old Testament | |
| Pentateuch (Torah) | Genesis • Exodus • Leviticus • Numbers • Deuteronomy |
| History | Joshua • Judges • Ruth • I Samuel • II Samuel • I Kings • II Kings • I Chronicles • II Chronicles • Ezra • Nehemiah • Esther |
| Wisdom Literature | Job • Psalms • Proverbs • Ecclesiastes • Song of Solomon |
| Major Prophets | Isaiah • Jeremiah • Lamentations • Ezekiel • Daniel |
| Minor Prophets | Hosea • Joel • Amos • Obadiah • Jonah • Micah • Nahum • Habakkuk • Zephaniah • Haggai • Zechariah • Malachi |
| New Testament | |
| The Gospels | According to Matthew • According to Mark • According to Luke • According to John |
| History | Acts of the Apostles |
| Pauline Epistles | Romans • I Corinthians • II Corinthians • Galatians • Ephesians • Philippians • Colossians • I Thessalonians • II Thessalonians • I Timothy • II Timothy • Titus • Philemon |
| General Epistles | Hebrews • James • I Peter • II Peter • I John • II John • III John • Jude |
| Prophecy | The Revelation to John |
