The short letter of 1 John says a great deal in a short amount of space. John provides a wide range of encouragement, truth, and exhortation. He also provides a lot of clarity about his purpose for writing. In fact, John tells us no less than thirteen times the purpose of his writing. 

As we come to the beginning of our study in this grandfatherly letter, consider reading 1 John in one sitting (it takes about 20 minutes!). Note all the times John draws our attention to the purpose of his letter and how it develops across these verses.

1 John 1:4

1 John 2:1

1 John 2:7

1 John 2:8

1 John 2:12-14

1 John 2:21

1 John 2:26

1 John 5:13

You can tell from the list above that there is a conspicuous gap from chapters 3 and 4. In these chapters, John pivots to an extended discussion of love. Of the 18 uses of the word “love” in 1 John, fifteen of them are in chapters 3 and 4: 1 John 3:1, 16, 17; 4:8, 9, 10, 12, 16, 17, 18.