Historical Context
The First Epistle of John, similar to the Epistle to the Hebrews, mentions neither its author nor its specific recipients. Both of these epistles also do not employ formal greetings and blessings that are commonly found in other epistles. Another uncommon structure is also shown by the absence of a formal closing section such as found in the epistle of James. However these do not of course render the epistle to be considered as merely an open writing addressed to anyone who reads it. The manner in which the author addressed his readers as “beloved”, “children” or “little children” indicates that both the writer and the readers were considerably knowledgeable of each other and had an intimate relationship.
Although there …show more content…
What did he mean with the “old commandment”? He asserted that this “old commandment” was something they had been familiar with, that they had known this well. It seemed like John was trying to connect his readers to what they had been taught or even had practiced. Since the core of the teaching of John was love, it was as though he was saying “I have taught you about this and I know that you have been doing this act of love. But now I see that you need to revisit this”. In writing to two generations of Christian , John was reminding them to the teaching of love that they had understood. To the first generation, he might be reminding them of the extent of the love of God that had been expressed through His liberating act by liberating the Hebrews out of Egypt and made them His own people and of the requirement to love God and people as commanded by the Torah. To the second generation –inclusive of the first generation as well- he might be reminding them of the good news provided through the suffering of Jesus Christ who bore their sin and gave them eternal life, the good news which started their new lives as Christians a few years ago. They were invited to revisit the love of God as a love which is continuously acted out in real actions. Yarbrough said that the old is not necessarily concerned about the content but rather it is a requirement to obey the commandment
The First Epistle of John, similar to the Epistle to the Hebrews, mentions neither its author nor its specific recipients. Both of these epistles also do not employ formal greetings and blessings that are commonly found in other epistles. Another uncommon structure is also shown by the absence of a formal closing section such as found in the epistle of James. However these do not of course render the epistle to be considered as merely an open writing addressed to anyone who reads it. The manner in which the author addressed his readers as “beloved”, “children” or “little children” indicates that both the writer and the readers were considerably knowledgeable of each other and had an intimate relationship.
Although there …show more content…
What did he mean with the “old commandment”? He asserted that this “old commandment” was something they had been familiar with, that they had known this well. It seemed like John was trying to connect his readers to what they had been taught or even had practiced. Since the core of the teaching of John was love, it was as though he was saying “I have taught you about this and I know that you have been doing this act of love. But now I see that you need to revisit this”. In writing to two generations of Christian , John was reminding them to the teaching of love that they had understood. To the first generation, he might be reminding them of the extent of the love of God that had been expressed through His liberating act by liberating the Hebrews out of Egypt and made them His own people and of the requirement to love God and people as commanded by the Torah. To the second generation –inclusive of the first generation as well- he might be reminding them of the good news provided through the suffering of Jesus Christ who bore their sin and gave them eternal life, the good news which started their new lives as Christians a few years ago. They were invited to revisit the love of God as a love which is continuously acted out in real actions. Yarbrough said that the old is not necessarily concerned about the content but rather it is a requirement to obey the commandment