from further sowing to our corrupt flesh and, instead, let us sow to God’s holy spirit. By henceforth sowing to it, we shall in due time reap from that divine spirit everlasting life in God’s new order. (Gal. 6:7, 8) All thanks be to Jehovah God through Jesus Christ that, in this time of urgent need on the part of all lovers of righteousness and peace, His spirit is mightily in action!

The Beloved John Writes About Love

JESUS himself as a certain man “sowed fine seed in his field.” But as the years went by, that Christian wheat field began to look like a field of weeds. (Matt. 13:24-43) Oppressive wolves were entering the flock and causing havoc, calling to mind Paul’s words at Acts 20:29, 30. Yes, as the apostle John looked about him in the closing years of the first century of our Common Era, he saw that already many antichrists had arisen, giving him proof that this was indeed the “last hour” as regards a pure Christian organization on earth.​—1 John 2:18.

It had been more than fifty years since holy spirit first inspired one of Christ’s disciples to write Scripture. John may not have been naturally a writer and it may not have occurred to him, as one of the unlearned ordinary men mentioned at Acts 4:13, that he would one day write a Gospel account of Jesus’ life as did Matthew, Mark and Luke.

But then, while he was on the island of Patmos as a prisoner for Jesus Christ, he received specific instructions to write the Revelation. Apparently this direct command to write so strengthened John as to prompt him to write also his Gospel and three letters.

That John wrote the first of these three letters (although it itself does not so state) there can be no doubt. From earliest times it has been recognized that he was the writer. And the internal evidence is even stronger. When we hear a familiar voice on the telephone we do not need to ask, “Who is it?” The same goes for John’s first letter. To the extent that we are familiar with his Gospel, to that same extent we can see and hear John in this letter. And this applies both to his style of writing, such as sentence structure and vocabulary, and to the subject matter. For instance, only in John’s writings do we find Jesus referred to as “the Word.”​—John 1:1; 1 John 1:1; Rev. 19:13.

When did John write his first letter? Since he tells of many opposers or antichrists having arisen, the time must have been quite late. Helpful in this regard is a comparison of this letter with Revelation.