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NT Doctrine -- 1 John 1 - Ed Hurst - 02-01-2025
What made John unique among the apostles is that Jesus caught him rather early in his life, probably just a teenager. There was a very strong personal bond between as they were first cousins, and Jesus acted as if John were His best human friend. Thus, Jesus' teaching of the ancient Hebraic way versus the Talmudic Judaism of that day really struck John powerfully. He ended up being the most Hebraic of the Twelve.
He wrote this letter around AD 85 from Ephesus. By that time, the city had become the western capital of Christian religion. John had stayed in Judea as long as he could in order to keep his promise to take care of Jesus' mother. Eventually he had to leave the area. Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Roman army in AD 73 and a great many Christians in Jerusalem ended up in or near Ephesus.
Unlike Greek correspondence, John launches immediately into a prophetic warning: John had been with Jesus during His ministry, saw and heard everything firsthand. Thus, it was easy for him to teach what he experienced personally. He freely shared the whole message, not keeping anything secret, so that his audience could be touched by the Lord and commune in the Holy Spirit. The message itself drew the people, and they became part of John's treasure on this earth. He was rich!
Being the western capital of Christian religion, Ephesus was also the home of some major heresies. Most of them shared a basic major flaw in denying that Jesus was the Son of God. By this time the Gnostic heresy of legalistic Platonic Dualism was well established. They insisted the Jesus was a man who worked with the Holy Spirit, but the later left Him before the Cross. And it was all based on speculation and reason, whereas John's message was direct from Jesus Himself.
God does not divide Himself between competing philosophical assumptions. He has only one message, and it is His Son. If anyone keeps walking in the flesh, then they know nothing of Jesus. It has always been God's requirement that people repent and condemn their fleshly lusts. The fleshly nature must be bound and forced to serve the spirit. God is all about holiness in this world and in Eternity. Anyone who taught that God didn't care about what your flesh did was a liar. Those who would become part of His family must join Jesus on the Cross. But how sweet was the fellowship of those who did this!
Thus, you must confess that your flesh is wicked and sinful and then seek to lock it down by the power of Christ's Spirit. Our Lord is faithful in forgiving our sins. His power is sufficient to cleanse us so that we can walk in purity in this life.