1, 2 & 3 John: Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary

During a historical crisis involving a splintering church, 1 John was written to solidify fellowship among like-minded congregations in a time when some teachings (2:19) denied the humanity of Christ. The writer of 1 John convincingly contends with claims from rival versions of the faith, tests each one, and wholly discredits them. He believes the best response to such dangerous belief is to portray the ideal Christian life, teach followers to discern true teachers, and call his readers back to what they heard from the beginning of their faith. First John is, among other things, the source of influential sayings that has powered the imitation of Christ/God for disciples, been the vehicle of forgiveness for those troubled by their sins, and served as a primary impetus for “loving one another,†the durable definition of God as love.

Second John, like 1 John, emphasizes the serious nature of false teachings and exhorts readers to be on their guard. Third John, the briefest book of the New Testament, juxtaposes hospitality embodied and denied in the situation of Gaius and Diotrephes.