Major Themes
Light vs Darkness, e.g., love vs hate; children of God (light) vs children of the Devil (darkness, vv. 5-7; cp, "sons of light" John 12.36; 1Thess 5:5);
Cp. Qumran The War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness Scroll.
Contra Gnosticism in the form of Docetism, Jesus only seemed human but in reality a preexistent, lesser demiurge, god.
Structure
readers note it mirrors that of the Fourth Gospel;
a prologue (John 1:1-18/1 John 1:1-4),
two major parts (John 1:19-12:50, the book of signs; John 13:1-20:29, the book of glory/1 John 1:5-3:10; 1 John 3:11-5:12);
epilogue/conclusion (John 21/1 John 5:13-21).
share repeated phrases ('if we claim . . .'), repeated forms of address ('dear children').
Eyewitnesses
highlighted by a dozen or so first-person plural references (“we,” “our,” “us”);
The Apostles witness to the anointed Son of God, son of man, i.e., a human person!
“You are the Christ, the Son of God,” Mar 8:27-30; Mat 16.13-17; Luc. 9.18-21;
John 1.41-51.
“He was a man attested by God,” Acts 2.22-23.
same with others, Mat 9.8 when people saw him do miracles, "they praised God for giving humans such authority."
Which beginning?
ref. to Genesis Creation, cp. "in the beginning," John 1:1;
ref. to the one "made manifest" ("made flesh," John 1.14) Jesus, "seen, looked, touched," cp. Mat 1.1 genesis;
ref. to the word, the KOG gospel ministry;
All of the above, i.e., the creative word of God that is life and light is now embodied in Jesus.
And in this way God's will and purpose are finally revealed by the proclamation of the gospel.
What’s in a word?
In the OT davar:
primarily a prophet’s message to Israel or;
a “decree, plan, proposal 2Sam 17.6; 1 Kings 1.7.” (Hebrew & Chaldee Lexicon to the OT).
In the NT code for the gospel about the KOG that:
people “hear the word of the kingdom,” Mat 13:19;
Jesus “preached this word,” Mark 2:2;
Paul says “be bold to preach the word,” Phil. 1:14.
Gospel & 1 John 1 synonymous:
John 1:1 the word = the word of life 1 John 1.1, i.e., the promise of light, life in the age to come.
This explains John's use of 4 neuter relative pronouns [which or what] into apposition with the masculine logos, the word.
So even if John has the person of Jesus in view, the stress at the opening of both his Gospel prologue and 1 John 1 is on the preaching of the word.
Also note the parallels with "the word of God" John 1.1 = the "words of eternal life" John 6.68 = “the word of Life" 1 John 1.1-2.
No justification for writing “Word” instead of word and personal pronouns.
All English trini translators from the Greek before the KJV in 1611 read “all things were made by it,” (Jn. 1:3) and many did not capitalize “word.”
NOTE in his Gospel or letters John does not use neither noun (gospel) or verb gospel (proclaim/preach the gospel) but the related term "news/message" (angelia) or "eternal life," i.e., of the age to come.
Only once Rev 14.6, "eternal gospel."
With the Father
Eternal life of the age to come = the immortality Plan which was “with the Father” (pros ton patera), i.e., in His mind, heart, as we have shown.
Cp. Gal. 2:5 the Gospel truth “with [pros] you.”
Summary
From Dunn, Christology in the Making, 1980, pp 245-46.
“The subject of which 1 John 1.1-3 speaks is not Christ, not even Christ the incarnate Word, but that which concerns the word of life (the relative pronouns are neuter, not masculine); and what was manifested is not Christ or the Word, but the life, the eternal life which was with the Father.
In other words, it is clearly the content of the message which is in view, not the person as such….Indeed, were it not for John 1.1-18 we would naturally see 1 John 1.1-3 simply as a more ambitious statement along the lines of Luke 1.2 (cf Phil. 2.16; John 6.68; Acts 5.20).”
Christian sinners
What did Jesus say? If your brother "sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to you saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him." Luke 17.3-4;
v.9 "if we confess our sins," cp. 1 John 2.1 "if anybody sins we have the parakletos," Jesus;
not to be confused with repeated, unrepented sin!
1 John 2:1
Jesus as the parakletos:
do not equate Jesus with the Spirit absolutely!
The NET Bible comment on 1 John 2:1 summarizes these scriptures well:
“The reader should have been prepared for this interchangeability of terminology, however, by John 14:16, where Jesus told the disciples that he would ask the Father to send them another paraclete (allos, another of the same kind).
The concept of Jesus’ intercession on behalf of believers does occur elsewhere in the NT, notably in Rom 8:34 and Heb 7:25.”
also, fulfillment of John 14; 16
John 14:16
"And I will ask the Father, and he shall give you another parakletos."
The parakletos another name for the HS;
The Greek word translated "another" allos “another (of the same kind)" and not "another (of a different kind),” heteros.
John 14:26
"The parakletos, the holy spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you."
John 16:7
"If I do not go away the parakletos will not come to you."
What did Paul say?
1Cor 15:45 ESV
Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
2Cor 3.17
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
