It is one of three letters written by the Apostle John, son of Zebedee, after he wrote his Gospel (at the end of the first century) to confirm those who believed in the Lord Jesus who came in the flesh and saved the world, and to distance them from every deviant teaching.<\/p>\n
Some commentators believe, based on the language of the letter and the ideas it contains\u2026 that John addressed this composition to Christians (of pagan origin) who lived in the Roman province of Asia, whose capital was Ephesus (the city where the apostle lived his last years). It seems that these Christians were open to the temptation of some forms of Hellenistic Gnosticism, so they deviated from the correct faith and thought that they had superior knowledge of God\u2026, and they distinguished between the spirit (which they said was pure) and matter (which they thought was evil), and this distinction led them, from a practical point of view, to moral corruption, since, in their view, nothing that the body did could corrupt the spirit and distort its purity, and consequently to the denial of the human nature of Christ.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
John, who knows Jesus personally, writes to testify to his readers that the Word of God has truly come in the flesh and he wants them to have fellowship with the first witnesses (John adds his testimony to that of those who heard Jesus, saw him, and touched him\u2026) and with the Father \u201cand his Son Jesus\u201d who appeared to save the world and give it life (1:1-4). Then he affirms that \u201cGod is light,\u201d and he sees that the condition for fellowship with him (and with his witnesses) is that each one abandons all evil (and blasphemy) and works \u201cfor the truth.\u201d This, no doubt, presupposes purification and confession of sin, for whoever says he is \u201cwithout sin\u201d deceives himself and makes God a liar, but whoever confesses his sins and repents of them, God forgives him and heals him \u201cfrom all unrighteousness\u201d (5-10). The apostle writes this so that no one will sin, and if he does, \u201cthere is an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, who is the propitiation\u2026 for the sins of the whole world\u201d (2:1-2).<\/p>\n
To know God means to \u201ckeep his commandments\u201d (love). Those who love are faithful to Christ crucified, for Christ, who gave himself for us, was, by his death, the supreme revelation of love (2:1-7). Love is the light of the world, for it dispels its darkness and keeps those who have it away from \u201cstumbling blocks\u201d (8-11). The Apostle says this, and then invites his readers to know the Father and the Son and to live in perfect union with them, to overcome the evil one and all that passes away (the lust of the flesh, the pride of riches\u2026) and to do \u201cthe will of God\u201d so as to remain \u201cforever\u201d (12-17). The ancients learned that an antichrist would come before \u201cthe last hour.\u201d John sees that many antichrists are present now, who deny \u201cthat Jesus is the Christ,\u201d and this is a sign that \u201cthis is the last hour.\u201d Therefore, he urges believers to remain steadfast in what they have heard \u201cfrom the beginning\u201d in order to obtain eternal life. The anointing is present in them and they \u201chave no need\u201d of any other teaching (what false Christs say), because this anointing (which made them members of the Church) \u201cincludes in its teaching all things,\u201d and it is \u201ctruth\u201d in which there is no falsehood (18-29).<\/p>\n
In the third chapter, the Apostle affirms that those who do not know God do not know his children, who will become \u201clike him when he appears.\u201d He reminds \u201ceveryone who has this hope in him\u201d not to sin (not to deny the faith as false Christs do). This (not to sin) is possible for the one born of God \u201cbecause his (God\u2019s) seed remains in him.\u201d Christ has freed us from all sin, and we must live in the light of this truth and do righteousness (1-10). Then John speaks about brotherly love, revealing that its foundation is the love of God that was revealed in his Son Jesus, and therefore it goes beyond words and emotions, and presupposes the sacrifice of one\u2019s life and worldly goods for the sake of all those in need. What makes us \u201cknow that we are in the truth\u201d is to believe, love, and work (11-24).<\/p>\n
John then sets the standard for all sound teaching, saying: whoever does not confess that Jesus Christ \u201ccame in the flesh\u201d cannot bring a message from God. He affirms that the Holy Spirit is the one who enables the believer to examine the spirits and distinguish truth from falsehood (4:1-6). Then he returns to speaking about fraternal love, inviting his readers to love one another in order to know God, because \u201cGod is love.\u201d We see that John does not speak to us in abstract words about the essence of God, but rather makes us contemplate his saving intervention, for God\u2019s love was revealed in that, by a purely free initiative, he \u201csent his only Son into the world\u2026 to be the propitiation for our sins.\u201d He shows that every Christian is called to truly contribute to his life (his nature), that is, to love others freely, without expecting that people will reciprocate or deserve this love. Our love for God cannot be sincere and true love if it is not a participation in his love, and is revealed in the love and service of our brothers. Then John reveals the benefit of the connection between love and obedience. If we love God and give to Him, we do not need to fear \u201cthe day of judgment\u201d (7-21).<\/p>\n
In his final chapter, the Apostle gives the confession of faith a clear importance. He urges his readers to persevere so that they may attain victory (5:1-4). Whoever \u201cbelieves in the Son of God\u201d has God\u2019s testimony. This testimony is \u201cthat God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son\u201d (5:11). Whoever believes in the Son will live, but whoever denies him will die (12). John then summarizes the theme of his letter (13), and calls us to acknowledge God\u2019s faithfulness and our responsibility for everything that offends him (14-17). In this case, the prayer of the congregation can obtain for us the forgiveness of our sins, provided that we have fallen into a sin \u201cleading to death\u201d and persist in it. Perhaps he means the heresy that divides the Lord Jesus (4:3), which prevents heretics from uniting with the Lord and leads them to spiritual destruction. Then he shows that the whole world is \u201cunder the yoke of the evil one,\u201d but the ability that God has given us (\u201cinsight\u201d) to know Him is what establishes believers \u201cin the truth,\u201d that is, what enables them to be strangers in the world, and to know that Jesus is \u201cthe true God and eternal life,\u201d and that through Him alone they are saved from \u201cidols\u201d (every strange, perverted teaching to which man clings and makes his gods).<\/p>\n
This message calls us to turn away from all false teaching, and enlightens our path to truly understand that the life we live here with our brothers and sisters is our ascent to God, who sent his Son to die for our love and to summarize the constitution of heaven in love.<\/p>\n
My parish bulletin
Sunday, January 3, 1999
Issue 1<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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