He loved the church

the more I read about John, the more I realize how much he loved the church. He talked about " if you continue to do what is sinful, you are of the devil", yet, for those who " obey his commands" Jesus' blood will redeem them. Now, he is not saying that you are perfect, but if you look in the context of the writings of 1 John, he wrote while the pervading idea of Gnosticism was prevalent at the time. This was the idea that you can know God, but that he, or any other god, is not more important than the others, and that there is no moral code with which to live your life. John was speaking to the people who remained in the church after the split and telling, in no uncertain terms, what is right and what is wrong, so they would not be dissuaded. He loved the church. Yet, today, I hardly hear about people loving each other enough to tell ( or hear) this word from God. It is a gutsy move on John's part. He risked others leaving as well. Yet, he did. Good for him. Shame on us if we don't act in the same manner.