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Biblical Exegesis of I John 1:5

9 Pages 2172 Words January 2015

Topic: God is Light
1 John 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (King James Version)

Introduction
When John was writing this verse and the whole of the three epistles by his name, it looks like it was a time when Gnostics were destabilizing the church with some of the most dangerous heresies of the first two centuries of the church. Gnostics were known for their central teaching that salvation is a product of knowledge. The John of these epistles is the same John of Revelation and that of gospel of John. These few similarities of phraseology can testify to this fact that the author of the three epistles, the gospel of John and the apocalyptic book of Revelation:

Similarity of phraseology between this Epistle and the gospel of John.
The First Letter John The Gospel of John
1. That your joy may be full (1 John 1:4) That your joy may be full (John 16:24)
2. The true light now shineth (1 John 2:3) The true light which lighteth (John 1:9)
3. We have an advocate (1 John 2:1) We know him, if we keep (John 2:3)

The first letter of John is anonymous but has been attributed to John the apostle and author of the first gospel. This identification was made by Irenaeus who lived between 140 and 203 AD, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian between 150 to and Origen from 185 to 253. The write presents himself as an eyewitness of Jesus (1:1-4 and 4:14). In addition he addresses his readers in such a warm and loving tones as little children (2:1, 18 and 3:7) which may well have been fatherly expressions coming from an old man.

II. The Context
Historical Context
John labours in Palestine probably until the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 (Acts 4:19; 8:14 Gal 2:9) after which he probably supervises the church in Asia (Rev 1:4). He is summoned to Rome to stand trial before Domitian is cast into a cauldron of boiling oil, and received by this tormentors (A...

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