Johannine Epsitles (1-3 John) Theme of Community

Getting along. Hanging together. Sharing. Community sounds pretty nice, right?

The elder writes a lot about his particular Christian community but also devotes a lot of pen and parchment to people outside his community. And spoiler alert: he doesn't like them. See, there's a group of former community members who have broken off and started spreading their own info about Jesus, and the elder is not pleased. This leads to an us vs. them mentality, which makes us think twice about what community really means.

Questions About Community

  1. Why is the elder trying to keep a tight leash on the community? Is this good or bad?
  2. Should communities grow and change or just keep on with the way things have always been? What would the elder say?
  3. How do you get to be part of the elder's community? How do you get uninvited?
  4. Why does the elder use the image of family to describe his community?