Faith & Reason Nexus

1 John presents clear contrasts between real Christianity and anything else, emphasizing the stark differences between light and darkness, truth and lies, and love and hate. Here are the key contrasts:

• Light and Darkness – 1:5
• God is light, and in Him, there is no darkness at all.
• The New Commandment & the Old Commandment – 2:7-8
• The commandment to love one another is both new and old, emphasizing its timeless nature and its fulfillment in Christ.
• Loving the Father and Loving the World – 2:15-16
• Love for the world and its desires is opposed to love for the Father and His will.
• Christ and Antichrist – 2:18-22
• The contrast between the true Christ and the spirit of antichrist, which denies Christ.
• Truth and Lies – 2:20-21
• Christians are anointed with the Holy Spirit and know the truth, unlike those who lie.
• Children of God and Children of the Devil – 3:1-10
• Those who practice righteousness are children of God, while those who sin are children of the devil.
• Eternal Life and Eternal Death – 3:14
• The difference between living in love (eternal life) and living in hate (eternal death).
• Love and Hatred – 3:15-16
• Love is the mark of true believers, while hatred is a sign of spiritual death.
• True Prophecy and False Prophecy – 4:1-3
• True prophets confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, while false prophets deny it.
• Love and Fear – 4:18-19
• Perfect love casts out fear, and fear is linked to punishment, whereas love is linked to confidence before God.
• Having Life and Not Having Life – 5:11-12
• Those who have the Son have life; those who do not have the Son do not have life.

These contrasts in 1 John emphasize the sharp distinctions between the truth of God and the deceptions of the world.