Why Did John Write This Letter?

Here's a question we don't have to guess the answer(s) to! John explicitly states his reasons for writing this letter within the letter. All you have to do is skim through the letter and underline any phrases that have to do with writing or not writing. The phrases will be something like: these things we write, I am not writing, I am writing, I am writing to you, etc. The NASB, NIV, RSV, and NLT all have similar wording. If you use The Message, you'll get a few fewer reasons than from the other versions because of the way Eugene Peterson translated some of the phrases, but what you do get will adequately answer the question: Why did John write this letter?

Once you've underlined all the "writing" references, list what each tells you about why John wrote this letter.

Read through your list a few times and think about the reasons he stated. What connections do you see between these reasons? How are they related to one another?

If you had to write one sentence stating John's purpose for writing this letter, what would you write?