THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN PART ONE—THE PROLOGUE OF THE EPISTLE (1:1–4) (This prologue, or opening statement, resembles that of John 1:1–18. Both deal with the pre-incarnate existence of Christ, the historical manifestation of Christ, and the human witnesses to Christ. This prologue of First John is a summarization of that which John unfolds in the remainder of his epistle. Almost every word of John’s prologue is a refutation of Gnosticism. The Gnostics denied the deity of Christ, the incarnation
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