1) The 1) first epistle of St. John is a righteous apostolic epistle and should follow soon after his gospel. For just as in the Gospel he urges faith, so in the epistle he meets those who boasted of faith without works, and teaches variously how works do not remain outside where faith is. But if they remain outside, faith is not righteous, but lies and darkness. But he does not do this by driving to the law, as Jacob's epistle does, but with appeals that we should also love as God has loved us.
(2) He also writes hard against the Cerinthians and against the spirit of the Antichrist, which at that time already began to deny Christ, that he had come into the flesh, which is now really going on. For although one does not now deny with the
1) Erlanger: This.
Although they say publicly that Christ has come into the flesh, they deny it in heart, doctrine and life. For he that would be saved by his works and deeds does as much as he that denieth Christ, seeing that Christ came in the flesh to make us saved without our works, but by his blood alone.
3 Thus the epistle contends against both parts, against those who want to be without works at all in faith, and against those who want to become godly with works. And keeps us on the right road, that we may become godly by faith, and be freed from sins, and after that, when we are godly, do good works and love for God's sake, freely without any request.
The other two epistles are not doctrinal epistles, but examples of love and faith, and also have a proper apostolic spirit.