AUTHOR 1 John is not like most other letters in the New Testament. It is not addressed to a specific group of people. It does not begin with “Dear So and So” and it does not end with “Yours sincerely, John.” What is called the first letter of John is more like a sermon or a meditation. David Jackman describes 1 John as being like a spiral staircase. He writes, As you climb the central staircase in a large palace or a stately home, you see the same objects or paintings from a different angle, often with a new appreciation of their beauty. It is rather like that with the great truths John is concerned to state and revisit in the letter. The view gets more wonderful as you climb and the heavenly light shines more and more clearly until you reach the top. [1] Who created this wonderful spiral staircase? This is one of only two letters in the New Testament (the other one being Hebrews) that does not provide the author’s name. However, the opening verses of 1 John seem to suggest tha
AUTHOR In considering the authorship of this letter there are three points of internal evidence to take note of. First, the author of this letter identifies himself as Simon Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, in the very first verse. Secondly, in 2 Peter 1:16-18 the author says, For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. Thus, the author of this letter claims to be an eyewitness of the transfiguration of Jesus. Thirdly, in 2 Peter 3:1, the author refers to this as his second letter, suggesting a connection between this letter and 1 Peter. In addition to the internal evidence for Peter’s authors