I began this blog in January of 2009 as a way to organize and present my thoughts on particular passages of Scripture, areas of theology, and cultural issues that require a biblical worldview (and they all do!) for the purpose of edifying and instructing believers, restoring the wayward saint, and/or calling the sinner to repentance and faith.  I had no idea how long I would be writing or what would be the outcome from it, but 6 years and over 550 posts later, I’m still writing with the hopes of reaching and teaching people with the good news of Jesus Christ while expressing the importance and necessity of understanding theology and doctrine from the Word of God.

Similarly,  the Apostle John provides for his readers, several purposes for writing his first epistle.  He weaves each of his 13 reasons into the content of his letter.  As you can see below, John clearly knew his audience and wrote to them purposefully.

• And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. – 1 John 1:4
• I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. – 1 John 2:1
• I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. – 1 John 2:7
• It is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. – 1 John 2:8
• I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake. – 1 John 2:12
• I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. – 1 John 2:13a
• I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. – 1 John 2:13b
• I write to you, children, because you know the Father. – 1 John 2:13c
• I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. – 1 John 2:14a
• I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. – 1 John 2:14b
• I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. – 1 John 2:21
• I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. – 1 John 2:26
• I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. – 1 John 5:13

First John stands as a pillar for the test of true genuine faith and it’s author, the Apostle John wrote with pastoral care and concern that His people’s faith would be found true.  What an encouragement for those of us who communicate the truth’s of God’s Word to do so with brotherly love and compassion such that “our joy might be complete” and that our hearers and readers “may know that [they] have eternal life”.