When comparing the First John with the Second and Third Johns, one notices that the First John lacks the stylistic characteristics typical of a letter. However, the genre of First John is an epistle. This exceptional book joins twenty other New Testament letters. First John is probably best regarded as a written sermon or pastoral address. Walt Russell gives us clear principles when we read and interpret an epistle. It states the following steps: read the entire epistle in one context to get a general idea of ​​the letter and its main outlines, think in terms of paragraphs which are the main units of thought, knowing the structure of the epistles helps you know where you are in the letter, and do some background reading to better understand the epistle's main concerns and its historical and cultural context. One of the most important tools to use when interpreting an epistle is to thoroughly understand the historical background of the human author and readers. The human author, John, was probably a pastor or evangelist who built churches in the Mediterranean world. The apostle John, son of Zebedee, one of the twelve was extremely passionate about Christ and was writing a letter to a church that needed to hear God's truth. Although we are not sure which church this was specifically, we can be certain that this letter intended to teach believers about Jesus, the commandments of God and love. Fortunately, this letter can also be applied to our daily lives.1 John 5:13-21 fits into the larger flow of the entire book of First John, reinforcing the themes that emerged in the previous chapters. Interestingly, the word groups surrounding the Greek “know” (oida and ginosko) make a stronger appearance in this passage than…half of the paper…which sticks with me and, unfortunately, is difficult for me to lean and trust in God's strength and protection. This passage has assured me that I have power in Christ, I can trust His Word, and I am able to fully trust and lean on God's strength when my strength fails (emphasis added). Works Cited Akin, Daniel. The new American commentary. Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001. Burge, Gary. Letter of John Application commentary to the NIV From the biblical text to contemporary life. Zondervan, 1996. Fee, Gordon. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Eerdmans Pub Co, 1984.Johnson, Thomas. New International Biblical Commentary. Peabody, Massachusetts: Original Hendrickson Publishers, 1993. Russell, Walt. Playing with fire. Colorado Springs: NevPress, 2000. Smalley, Stephen. Verbal Bible Commentary. Waco, TX: Word Co, 1984.