1 John 3 Background Information with Maps and Images (Picture Study Bible - 1 John) Free Bible Online

1 John 3

The Book of 1 John

1 John 1:1-3 - That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen [it], and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship [is] with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

1 John 4:1-4 - Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

1 John 4:10 - Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins.

1 John in The New Testament - A Brief Overview

Painting of St. John the Evangelist by Reni - 1620

Introduction to The Book of 1 John

Brief Summary. John encourages believers that Jesus was Jehovah God who had come in the flesh, that God is Light and he encourages Christians to walk in the light by keeping His commandments, and the main commandment was to love God and love one another. Anyone who does not love is an antichrist, and anyone who teaches that Jesus was not Jehovah come in a fleshly body is from the spirit of error. Whoever is fellowshipping with the world and sin is not from God. Christians should love one another and they will be assured that they know God and have Eternal Life.

Summary of The Book of 1 John

Purpose. The purpose of the first book of John was to encourage Christians to "love one another" because "God is love". The other purpose was to combat various forms of heresies which had crept into the church. False teachers  had gone out from the church and had begun to teach another doctrine. John refers to these false teachers as "Antichrist" and "false prophets." John went so far as to say that there was a spirit of error and the only way to detect the spirit of error was if the person denied that Jesus was Jehovah come in the flesh. John also addresses the Christian attitude, that the original enthusiasm of the believers needed to be renewed, and that they should not yield to the pleasures of the world. He also continually encourages them to love Christ and one another.

Audience. John clearly wrote to all Christians throughout the world to encourage them to love one another, and to guard against the Gnostic heresies which denied that Jesus was Jehovah come in the flesh.

Author. Although the book does not name the author, most scholars agree that the apostle John was the writer of 1 John, and early Christian writers often quoted from 1 John as having come from the apostle John.

Date. Many scholars believe that John the apostle had stayed in Jerusalem to care for Mary as Jesus had commanded him, and after the destruction of Jerusalem he went to Ephesus. Most Bible teachers believe that 1 John was written after the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, although there is no evidence of this.

Place. According to church tradition John spent the last years of his life in Ephesus, as a center point to write to the churches. He lived to a very old age having written the gospel of John, the three epistles, and the book of Revelation. Among his students were Polycarp, Pappias, and Ignatius.

Outline of the Book of 1 John

Fellowship with God - Chapter 1-3
Brotherly Love - Chapter 4
Victory over the World - Chapter 5

The Name Jesus In Ancient Hebrew Text
"Yeshua" in First Century Hebrew Text. This is how the name "Jesus" would have been written in ancient Hebrew documents. The four letters or consonants from right to left are Yod, Shin, Vav, Ayin (Y, SH, OO, A). Jesus is the Greek name for the Hebrew name Joshua or Y'shua which means "The LORD or Yahweh is Salvation".

1 John Maps and Resources

Map of the Roman Empire (14 A.D.) - This map reveals the Roman Empire during the time shortly after the birth of Jesus, in 14 AD at the time of the death of Augustus. The order which prevailed in this extensive empire, the good military roads, and the use of Koine Greek as the general language of culture throughout the area were among the factors which multiplied the rapid spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Color Map)

Map of Paul's First Missionary Journey (48 A.D.) - This map reveals the areas in Asia Minor where Paul visited in his first missionary journey. Around 48 AD, in the springtime, Paul and his companions Barnabas and Mark were sent on a mission from the church in Antioch. This would be the first of Paul's Missionary Journey's. (Color Map)

Map of Paul's Second Missionary Journey (51 A.D.) - This map reveals the areas in Asia and Greece where Paul visited in his second missionary journey. Paul re-visits a couple cities in Asia, one of which was Lystra where he was stoned and left for dead a few years earlier. He later has a vision that leads him over to Greece and Paul and his companions travel and minister in various cities in Greece (Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens and Corinth. Later Paul returns to Ephesus and finally to Caesarea and Antioch. (Color Map)

Map of Paul's Third Missionary Journey (54 A.D.) - This map reveals the areas in Asia and Greece where Paul visited in his third missionary journey. On Paul's third missionary journey he returned to the cities he had first visited on his first missionary journey. During this time he decided to remain in Ephesus for about 3 years, and this city was the main focus of his activities and an important Christian community (Acts 19). (Color Map)

Map of the New Testament World - This map reveals the "Nations" within the ancient world during the first century A.D., the time of the New Testament. The map includes the areas of Israel, Asia, Greece, and Italy. (Color Map)

Map of New Testament Greece This map reveals the cities within Greece in the ancient world during the first century A.D.,The map includes the principal cities of Greece like: Athens, Corinth, and Thessalonica, and provinces like Macedonia and Achaia. (Color Map)

Map of New Testament Asia - This map shows the cities within Asia Minor during the first century A.D., the time of the New Testament. The map includes the principal cities of Asia including Tarsus, Ephesus, and Colossae, and provinces like Galatia and Pamphilia. (Color Map)