Joy Brackett: Outside Reading (1 John)

1 John is one of my favorite books of all time. This book was written by John who was a disciple of Jesus. He was very special in Jesus' eyes, because he was able to witness many miracles that others were not. John is actually the man that Christ put in charge of taking care of his own mother when he was on the cross. John was also the only disciple not killed for his faith and that is made clear in the Bible. He was persecuted and hurt, but not killed. This book was written to an unnamed church who was struggling with their Christian faith. They were starting to believe faith by works to be true and important. This book is used to remind them of God's love and what they already know and have been told. This book demonstrates what true love looks like and is. Upon reading this I have learned that if you love God, you will keep his commands, and if you keep his commands you will love others. In other words, if one does not love other people, they ultimately do not love God. These two things go hand in hand and are vital for a fulfilling life.