False Christians

John is the only disciple believed to have died a natural death. He lived into old age, and having been the youngest of the disciples, his death is placed at 98AD, which would put him in his eighties at the time of death. His final years were spent exiled on the island of Patmos, and he probably wrote his letters after the remaining apostles had been martyred. Unlike the epistles of Paul and Peter, his letters are not addressed to any particular church or people group, but to the body of believers at large.

While John's letter also refers to the danger of false teachers, he spends more time calling out the reality of false Christians. The logic used is similar to what Jesus had to say about good trees bearing good fruit and vice versa. Simply put, though appearances can be deceiving, generally speaking, a Christian who acts like one, probably is. Conversely, a person who acts in opposition to the teachings of Christ, probably is in opposition to the teachings of Christ.

Tomorrow's reading: 1 John 4:7-3 John 1:15