'LIGHT', 'LOVE', and 'LIFE'

"A good man ... yes ... perhaps one of the best ever lived ... but just a man", say many. Others disagree, claiming that He suffered from delusions of grandeur - a "messiah complex". And the argument rages over the true identity of this man called Jesus. Suggestions have ranged from "simple teacher" to "egomaniac" and "misguided fool". Whoever He was, all would have to agree that Jesus have left His mark on history. Hearing and reading these discussions, even Christians can begin to wonder and doubt. Is Jesus really God? Did He come to save sinners like us? Does God care about me?1 John was written to dispel doubts and to build assurance by presenting a clear picture of Christ. By doing so, John purpose is to reassure Christians in their faith and to counter false teachings. This letter is entitled and was written to no particular church. It was sent as a pastoral letter to several Gentile congregations. It was written from Ephesus probably between A.D. 85 and 90. John was an older man and perhaps the only surviving apostle at this time. He had not yet been banished to the Island of Patmos, where he would live in exile. As an eyewitness of Christ, he wrote authoritatively to give this new generation of believers assurance and confidence in God and in their faith. John is the apostle of love, and love is mentioned throughout this letter. John uses brief statements and simple words, and he features sharp contrasts - light and darkness, truth and error, God and Satan, life and death, and love and hate. Entering history, Jesus was and is God in the flesh and God in focus - seen, heard, and touched by the author of this letter, John the apostle. John walked and talked with Jesus, saw Him heal, heard Him teach, watched Him die, met Him arisen, and saw Him ascend. John knew God - he had lived with Him and has seen Him work. And John enjoyed fellowship with the Father and the Son most of the days of his life. The elder statesman in the church, John wrote this letter to 'his dear children'. In it he presented God as light, as love, and as life. He explained in simple and practical terms what it means to have fellowship with God.At the same time, false teachers had entered the church, denying the incarnation of Christ. John wrote to correct their serious errors. So John's letter is a model for us to follow as we combat modern heresies. John presents god as "light", symbolizing absolute purity and holiness. John presents God as "love" - giving, dying, forgiving, and blessing. And lastly, John presents God as "life". God's life is in His Son. To have His Son is to have eternal life.