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1 John — PBE 2027 Study Guide

Walking in light, love, and truth.

A pastoral letter from the Apostle John addressing assurance, love, and warnings against false teaching about Jesus.

Author
The Apostle John
Chapters
5
Date written
c. AD 85–95
Audience
Christian churches in Asia Minor
Key theme
Assurance, love, and walking in truth
Notable passages
1 John 1:5–10, 3:1–3, 4:7–21, 5:11–13

Overview

The First Epistle of John was written by the Apostle John late in his life, likely from Ephesus, to churches under his care. The letter responds to early false teachers (sometimes called proto-Gnostics) who denied that Jesus had truly come in the flesh. John writes to give believers assurance of salvation and to call them to walk in light, love, and obedience. Three tests recur throughout the letter: the moral test (do you obey God's commands?), the social test (do you love fellow Christians?), and the doctrinal test (do you confess Jesus as the Christ come in the flesh?). The famous declaration "God is love" (1 John 4:8) comes from this book.

Chapters

Browse each chapter for a study overview and sample practice questions:

Chapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5

Sample Practice Questions

A small preview from the PBE Quizin database — the full set of questions for 1 John is available free to all signed-up users:

1 John 2
According to 1 John 2:20, what do the believers have from the Holy One, and what is the result? (2 points)
1 John 3
According to 1 John 3:7, who is identified as being righteous? (1 point)
1 John 2
According to 1 John 2:2, He Himself is the _____ for our sins and not for ours only but also for the whole _____. (2 points)
1 John 2
According to 1 John 2:21, John said that he had not written to them because they did not know what, but because they did know it? (1 point)
1 John 1
According to 1 John 1:9, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to do what two things? (2 points)
1 John 2
According to 1 John 2:17, who is the person that will 'abide forever'? (1 point)
1 John 5
According to 1 John 5:10, True or False: John says not believing God makes Him a liar by rejecting the testimony He gave of His Son. (1 point)
1 John 3
According to 1 John 3:6, what is true of whoever abides in Him? (1 point)
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