I John 1:1-3, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ."

The book of I John was penned by the beloved disciple before his exile to Pathos in approximately 90 A.D. Although the book itself does not bear his name, this epistle is ascribed to John because of his intimate relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ not only as his disciple but as his cousin.

The message appears to be addressed to all believers and bears warnings concerning a problem which was growing during the time of John's ministry, Gnosticism. Gnosticism denied that Jesus was Christ and had come in the flesh; which was something John witnessed and  of which continued to bear witness, "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ, (I John 1:3).

John puts the readers in remembrance of their first love, which is the love of God, and warns them of the teachings of antichrist; "you have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us," (I John 2:18-19).

I John 2:7-8, "Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth."

The book of I John puts us all in remembrance of the greatest gift God has ever given us that is the life of His only begotten Son for the sins of the world. Through His death upon the cross God revealed His eternal life, eternal power, and His eternal love toward all mankind.

When asked what are the greatest commandments Jesus responded, "To love God with all your heart, all your mind, and all your soul, and to love your neighbor as yourself." On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. This is both the old and the new commandments which we have had from the beginning.

This is the truth which flows through the words which are recorded in the book of I John.  It is the love of God which flows down from God the Father through Jesus Christ His Son that is revealed in each and every believer through the Holy Spirit which abides in us.

To love one another is the way in which every believer is revealed to the world and by His love revealed in us shall we know who are His. Through John's words we see ourselves more than conquerors, we are over comers of the world through Jesus Christ our Lord.