Provided to members of the Church of Jesus Christ in Huntington Beach.
When John and Jude wrote their epistles, corrupt doctrine had already started leading many Saints into apostasy. Some false teachers were even questioning whether Jesus Christ had actually appeared “in the flesh” (see, for example, 1 John 4:1–3; 2 John 1:7). What could a Church leader do in such a situation? The Apostle John responded by sharing his personal witness of the Savior: “This is the testimony which we give of 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” (Joseph Smith Translation, 1 John 1:1 [in 1 John 1:1, footnote a]).
And then John taught about love: God’s love for us and the love we should have for Him and all His children. After all, John was a witness of that, too. He had personally experienced the Savior’s love (see John 13:23; 20:2), and he wanted the Saints to feel that same love. John’s testimony and teachings on love are just as needed today, when faith in Jesus Christ is questioned and false teachings abound. Reading John’s epistles can help us face today’s adversities with courage, for “there is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear” (1 John 4:18).