Gnosticism vs. 1 John

John wrote his first letter to Christians wrestling with what many scholars believe was an early form of Gnosticism.  Central to this heresy was the belief that spirit is entirely good and matter is entirely evil.  You can probably guess some of the implications of this line of thinking: Christ wasn’t a real human being; a person could either treat their material body harshly or indulge in it’ salvation meant escape from the body and was accomplished by means of a special knowledge (gnosis is the Greek word translated “knowledge”).  In the case of 1 John, knowing the historical-cultural context will clarify main themes of his letter: the genuine incarnation of Christ in that God really did become a human being, the need to walk in the light rather than in immorality, and the need for love (vs. the arrogance of those who claimed to possess the special knowledge).

References:

Grasping God’s Word

J. Scott Duvall

J. Daniel Hays