I -- 1:1-4 – Prologue
This letter begins with a prologue in much the same way as John’s gospel
There are obvious verbal connections between the two
“That which was from the beginning…”  (John 1:1, Gen 1:1)
This “beginning” refers to the beginning of the Christian tradition
Four verbs refer to body parts – heard, seen, looked at, touched
This makes his witness very concrete
It also indicates that Jesus really came in the flesh; he was a human being
The life that appeared is now eternal and with the Father
These are all indications of Christ Jesus and his incarnation
The Christ is not introduced until verse 3
There, it is in the context of fellowship – mutual indwelling with Christ and God
Those who oppose these teachings have put themselves outside this fellowship
The Elder’s reason for writing is to “make our joy complete”
His writing is another way of proclaiming the message
Proclaiming the message gives him great joy

Walking in the light and the problem of sin
God is light
This describes the essence of God as well as his relation to humanity
Light stands for truth, empowering activity
God’s light both shines upon us (blesses us) and illumines our way (guides us)
There is no darkness at all in God, not even any gray
Light and dark are antithetical
John’s opponents claim to be in fellowship with God yet walk in darkness
If we do the same, we lie and do not live by the truth
To be in “fellowship” means to live in communion, be at peace, be in a right relationship
Our thinking cannot be at odds with God’s essential nature (light)
If we walk in the light and are in that right relationship, we will also have fellowship with each other
Additionally, the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin
The closer we get to God the more we will be aware of our sins
There we will find that God has already sent Jesus to atone for them
If we deny our sins, we deceive ourselves and “the truth is not in us”
Such self-understanding is false and suggests a denial of responsibility for our actions
If we, however, confess our sins, we will be forgiven them
In addition, we will be purified from all unrighteousness
God will act thusly because he is “faithful and just”
These are covenantal terms indicating God’s care for his people
When people acknowledge their need of God, He responds
This suggests that humans cannot solve the problem of sin
It requires action by God – and He stands ready to do it
Apparently, the opponents declared they had not sinned and, therefore, didn’t need any redemption 
That, of course, makes them liars but also blasphemers against God
They are, essentially, calling God a liar
In claiming no sin, they cut themselves off from what God has to offer
The word, the message of life, has no place in their lives
Obviously, no one wants to sin, but if someone does, it needs to be acknowledged
The solution lies with Jesus Christ, the Righteous One
He will intercede for us and speak in our defense
The Elder states that Jesus is the “atoning” sacrifice for our sins
Biblically speaking, atoning involves removing the offense of sin
“Sacrifice” links to the OT notion of sacrifice
The purpose of Jesus’ death was for the reconciliation with God
His atoning sacrifice wasn’t just for the benefit of Christians, but for everyone’s sins – for the sins of the whole world

Walking in the light and the challenge of obedience
How will Christians know if they truly know Christ/God?
They will obey (keep) his commands
These commands are to have faith in Jesus and love for one another
One’s beliefs must be validated by one’s actions
The one who says “I know Him” but does not keep His commands is a liar
There is no truth in him
They claim one thing in words, but do not follow through in actions
The one who truly knows God is the one who keeps His word
That Christian will grow in love until that love is mature, complete
To know God is to grow in His love
And that love will be demonstrated by obeying His commands
This is “how we know that we are in him”
Those who claim to live in him must walk as Jesus did
“Live” means to abide or dwell, to be in an ongoing, personal relationship
The opponents do not walk as Jesus did because they do not keep God’s commands and they do not love as Jesus loved
The Elder addresses his readers as “dear friends/beloved”
They are truly loved -- by him, by Jesus, and by God
He reminds them this is not a new command, but one that they have had from the beginning
It is a founding principle of the Christian movement, based on the revelation of Jesus that has been passed on by the apostles
Ironically, this “old” command is also a “new” command
It is “new” in the sense that it was initiated by Jesus, but also represents the dawning of a “new” era, the era of grace and truth in the Christ
It is measured, no less, by the love that Christ has for them
As they allow the truth (light) to shine in their lives, the darkness will dissipate
Lastly, those who claim to be in the light but profess hatred for their brother remain in the dark
Being “in the light” means having fellowship, being in that right relationship with God
“Hatred” has no place in the light; therefore, those who hate are in darkness
Hatred here might refer to the schism in the church or a sense of superiority by those who claim to be spiritually superior
The differences between the opponents and true Christians are very pronounced
Those who love fellow Christians remain in the light
These Christians will not stumble, nor cause others to stumble
The opposite, of course, is those who hate
They live in the dark, stumble around in darkness, and are blinded by the dark
Because of this, they have absolutely no idea where they are going
(There is little middle ground in this section – old/new; light/dark; love/hate)

The faithful community will do God’s will
The important point for believers to remember is that our sins have been forgiven
This forgiveness has come on “account of his name”
This refers to the atoning sacrifice
By his name we are forgiven, but his name is also the point of our faith
“Fathers” are addressed
Perhaps the “fathers” represent experienced leaders in the community
They are the authentic ones, not the opponents
They know “him who is from the beginning”
Next, the “young men” are addressed (women would have been included)
They have overcome the evil one (devil)
They have been victorious because of what Christ has done in the past
“Dear children” are also victorious because they have known the Father
They know him and follow his teachings
The address to “fathers” is repeated -- this adds intensity, emphasis
Another admonition to the “young men” repeats the previous stanzas
They are strong, have overcome the evil one, and the word of God lives in them
This is an obvious reference to their spiritual strength
Strengthened by God, they have been able to withstand the temptations of the devil
The Elder warns the believers against compromising with the world
The opponents obviously “love the world”
He clearly tells the believers, “Do not love the world”
“World” means Satan’s domain; it is not referring to God’s good creation
One must choose between loving God and loving the things of the world
This is again very black and white – no middle ground
“Everything in the world” is really comprised of three characteristics
Desire of the flesh; lust of his eyes; boasting of accomplishments
None of this comes from the Father, but is of the world
This is a very self-centered life
The best reason, though, for not loving the world is that it is very temporary
Everything about the world will eventually pass away
The one who does the will of God will live forever
This is life through the Son; those who reject Jesus cannot have this
Those who believe in Jesus already have eternal life

The Antichrist
The goal is to be faithful in view of the lies of the antichrist
The antichrists are the opponents, those who have left the movement
They deny the Christ, both humanly and divinely
The Elder announces that this is the “last hour” – the turning point
In this hour will be darkness and tribulations
They know this teaching – that in these final moments people will come who will deny Christ
Indeed, their very presence indicates that the “final hour” has arrived
At one point, these opponents were faithful believers
But they “went out from us”
It shows that they never did fully understand the teachings
If they had, they never would have left
They were not authentic Christians, but only claimed to be Christians
In contrast, true believers have been “anointed by the Holy Spirit” and know the truth
“Anointed” is perhaps a reference to their baptism
It is this Spirit that has shown them the truth
They do not have to be intimidated or tempted by the lies of the opponents
He’s not writing this to inform them of this fact – they already know it well
He does, however, want to reassure them in the face of strong opposition
“No lie comes from the truth”
Their teachings do not have their source in the truth (i.e. Jesus)
“Who is the liar?”  -- The one who denies Jesus as the Christ
(Obviously, the opponents, the secessionists, could not accept a fully human Jesus)
“Antichrist” means “in the place of”, against, or false Christ
Those who deny Jesus deny the Father as well
The Father and the Son are a unity
Jesus repeatedly said that to know him was to know the Father
One must be in a right relationship with Jesus in order to be in a right relationship to the Father
The Elder urges them to remain in the teachings they have known from the beginning
As long as this teaching is in them, they will remain with the Father and the Son
There is a connection between being faithful to the gospel and being in a right relationship with God
The Christian who perseveres to the end also gets a promise – eternal life
This is a present blessing for believers; others can only hope for it
As always, however, there is a warning against being led astray
They are not alone in trying to remain steadfast
They have been anointed – that anointing remains in them
It teaches “all things,” is “real, not counterfeit”
This is another reference to the Holy Spirit (paraclete in John’s Gospel)
This anointing has a divine source
It will remain with them forever, empowering their lives
It will teach all things – they don’t have to be persuaded by fast talking opponents
And it is real – they all had this spiritual experience
Therefore, they should remain loyal
Then they will have nothing to fear or to be ashamed of when he comes again

On loving one another
This teaching has been there from the beginning
They should love one another
Cain is offered as a negative example of what not to do
Cain was “from the evil one” and killed his brother
The Elder claims that Cain’s actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous
Cain stands over against God’s children
The Elder again mentions how the world hates believers
The world remains in death; believers, however, have passed into life
There is nothing left to fear
Those who don’t love remain in fear
It was hate for his brother that caused the death of Cain’s brother
Obviously, the person who hates like that can never have eternal life abiding in him
In contrast, believers know what love really is
Just as Jesus laid down his life for others, so should they
Jesus is again the model for believers to follow
This kind of love fosters the well-being of others, builds them up
One example would be concerning material possessions
The one who sees his brother in need will have pity on him because the love of God is in him
“Love” is not expressed with words but with actions
This “love” has to be practical, active, and in truth

The need for assurance
Those who express this kind of love know that they “belong to the truth”
In this their hearts can be at rest in his presence
These aren’t just comforting words; they indicate God is with them
He is the source of their strength and a witness of it
So when we doubt, when our “hearts condemn” us, God knows us and is upholding us
“God is greater than our hearts” – His word is true
We are His children; we are loved and saved; we have been forgiven
When our hearts do not condemn us, when we are not filled with doubt, we are confident before God and receive what we ask from Him
This is the prayer of faith           
But we also keep His commands and do what pleases Him
And what are His commands?  -- to believe in the name of Christ and to love one another
“Believing” in Christ means to commit to him; his “name” is his character
Believing, then, involves an initial commitment as well as an ongoing one
Loving each other is what distinguishes them from the opponents
In summary, there is a mutual indwelling for those who obey God’s commands
They abide in him, and he in them
We know this through the mediating work of the Spirit
This, the opponents do not have regardless of their claims

Are the Spirits from God?
How does someone know who is speaking the truth, whose doctrine is true?
The Elder says to “test the Spirits”
The OT has a long history of false prophets preaching messages not of God
The first century of Christianity was no different
Many claimed to be prophesying by the Spirit of God
Yet their messages were in conflict with the truth
How to know? – Do they preach Jesus Christ “has come in the flesh”?
Do they preach that the Word, the Son had become fully human?
Authentic preachers from God will preach that Jesus was fully human
His name is combined with his saving function
If they cannot confess Jesus, they do not come from God
Again, this is black and white; there is no middle ground
The one who rejects Jesus is not from God and has the spirit of the antichrist
This is not new information; they just recognize that it’s happening
Satan is behind this whole conflict
True believers, however, are from God and have overcome the antichrists
They have successfully rejected the false doctrine because the Holy Spirit is in them
The Holy Spirit is stronger than the one that “is in the world”
Those who are from the world, speak to the world, and listen to the world
Those who are from God, speak the truth, and listen to the truth
These people know God
This is how anyone can distinguish between the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood

Let us love one another
We are to love one another because love comes from God
Since God is the source of all love, if we belong to God, we should demonstrate our unity by loving one another
Those who love have been born of God and know God
These people are in relationship to each other
Again, there are only two groups of people
Those who love and know God; and those who don’t
Those who love God are also concerned for the well-being and building up of others for God is love
The God who loved us sent His only Son into the world
This is how His love was demonstrated
The Son was sent so that we might live through him
“Through him” means because of him, for what he has done, and for who he is
This didn’t happen because we loved God; rather it is because He loved us
Because He loved us, He sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice
Through this, we have passed from death to life
Because we have this great love from God, we should love one another
The model for loving comes from God’s love for us
This would include both the style of loving and the intensity of loving
Indeed, loving one another is a Christian obligation
We are limited in that we can never see God
But if we love authentically, we can experience Him and His love is made complete in us
Our ability to love authentically will grow and mature

Confidence not fear
Obviously, the people to whom this letter was addressed needed these words of assurance regarding God’s love for them.  They were being confronted by those claiming a superior spirituality.
The Elder repeats that we “live in him and he in us”
It is the Holy Spirit that makes this possible
In addition, we have the satisfaction of knowing God sent His Son to save us
As Savior of the world, Jesus announced that the kingdom was at hand
Our confession that Jesus is God’s Son means God lives in us and we in God
We have divine fellowship with God because we have confessed Jesus as Son
As a result, we can be confident of our relationship with God           
We have come to know the love that God has for us
This love is reliable and as we rely on it, we realize that “living in God” really means “living in love”
As we abide in God’s love, it is made complete in us, perfected in us
This gives us confidence for the Day of Judgment
We have nothing to fear for we are already modeling Christ
We are “like him”
(We follow him; we are God’s beloved children; we do not sin; we love one another; we are born of God)
Furthermore, fear has no part of love
Perfect love drives out fear
Fear has to do with punishment; we, on the other hand, are loved
If we are still fearful, it indicates that more work needs to be done in perfecting love

Summation involving love
Love professed is nothing if not practiced
And while assurance is essential, it still needs to be made practical in action
Loving one another is a Christian obligation
We have the ability to do this because God has first loved us
The opponents were perhaps professing to love God but not showing any love for their neighbors in their actions
The Elder writes that loving God but hating your brother is an impossibility
Again, this is very black and white, no middle ground
The point is, however, that it’s easier to love what’s seen than what’s not seen
Or, at least, it’s easier to measure
It’s hard to know what’s truly in someone’s heart
They can look devout but have ulterior motives     
Love for your brother involves going out of your way to put his/her interests first  
Such behavior is measurable
Bottom line – whoever loves God must love his brother
In like manner, everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God
It logically follows that we should love everyone born of God
We can know that we are loving God’s children by loving God and doing His commands
Our actions come from the heart and are obedient to God
These commands are not burdensome
He gives us the strength to be obedient
In so doing, we are able to overcome the world – withstand the hostile environment
Victory in overcoming the world belongs to the one who believes Jesus is the Son of God

Having faith in the Son
The emphasis here, however, is on the human nature of Jesus
He is the one who came by water and blood
This may refer to his baptism and crucifixion
It is the Spirit who testifies to this and the Spirit is the truth
In essence all three of these testify to the Son – the Spirit, water, and blood
If water and blood signify the beginning and end of his ministry, it is the Spirit that bears witness to these historical events
Anyone who believes in the Son has this testimony from God
God’s testimony surely has greater weight than any other
The one who doesn’t believe God’s testimony is essentially calling God a liar
People are either going to believe it or not
The people who do accept God’s testimony believe that Jesus is the Son of God
The people who don’t accept it are disbelieving of God as well as Jesus
And what is the essence of this testimony?
God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son
For believers, this is a present spiritual reality
The converse is also true – those who do not have the Son do not have life