Comment: 1 John

Comment: 1 John

Family language is prevalent in 1 John and is used in three distinct ways. First, family language is used to speak of the relationship between God and Jesus (e.g., 2:22–24; 4:14). Second, the author frequently addresses the community as “little children” (e.g., 2:1; 3:7) or “beloved” (2:7), which are terms of endearment and intimacy. Even though the author is in a position of authority with respect to the community, he emphasizes his closeness with them rather than distancing himself. Third, the author describes the community to which he writes as “children of God” (e.g., 3:1; 5:19) and as those who “have been born of God” (5:1). Other members of the community are one’s brothers and sisters (e.g., 4:20). The central image for this community is family…