I John 1.1-4: The testimony of John to the reality of Jesus Christ and His gospel.

I John 1.1-4:

The testimony of John to the reality of Jesus Christ and His gospel.

The book of I John is a wonderful book. Written somewhere between AD 90-98, we have a letter written to a church, giving full apostolic proof to the reality of the life of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. John writes with boldness, power, authority, and the reality that he was there when Christ lived. John was among the first disciples called, and lived his life within the inner circle of Jesus’ disciples. He was a highly respected man, and the last living apostle.

John writes as a defense attorney would. He sets the stage as if the reader was in a courtroom. His language is that of a lawyer defending and giving evidence for a couple of different things throughout the book. The epistle much like his gospel, operates in this fashion.

There is no traditional introduction to the letter, not statement of authorship, nor audience. However, tradition accepts that it was the beloved apostle, John. Within the first verse John talks of that which was from the beginning. In looking at other writings of John, he is not stating that there was an origination of the Word of life but that since the beginning (and before) the Word of Life was (John 1.1). There is an idea of an "always has been", not of a starting point. He goes on to give four verifiable senses in which he experienced the Christ and therefore proves His existence. 1) We have heard. John heard Jesus’ voice many times throughout his three year ministry with Christ. He would have heard him teach different sermons, tell different parables, and even speak kind words of forgiveness from the cross while he was atoning for the sins of the world. John takes it a step farther proclaiming that 2) we have seen with our eyes. This is important, because someone could be heard and not seen. Having the physical proof that Jesus was there was a case John present against the heresies facing this church at the time.

The third thing John addresses dealing with his sense, is an addition to number two. He says that they not only saw Jesus but 3) looked upon Him. This is significant because this word for looked means to gaze upon intently, but not a stalker way. They payed attention and gazed upon Jesus, not merely just caught a glance of Him. Then to put the cherry on top of the cake, John tells us that he 4) handled or touched Jesus. To seal the deal John tells his readers that the testimony of Jesus and the things they heard about him could be true, because He truly existed, to the point that John touched Jesus.

John was writing to clear up the false teachings of the Docetist, which wrongly taught that Jesus only seemed to be who He was not actual. A mere mirage. And John takes their argument right out from under them by giving the physical experience he had with the Savior. Proving that Jesus existed and that he was the one from the beginning who was the Word of life.

Verse two is parenthetical meaning that it breaks the flow from the first verse to the third verses. What John discusses in this verse is important because it tells us that Jesus not only existed, because He always has, but that He actually manifested that life to us. He came and showed us what eternal life looked like in the flesh. Without the initiation of Jesus coming to Earth to manifest this life, we would still all be lost, without knowing what the Word of Life is.

In verse three we see the purpose of this combined, long sentence (v.1-4). John is writing so that he can proclaim or declare this message of the manifestation of the Gospel of Jesus, and he is declaring this so that those who believe could have fellowship with those that already believed. John goes on to explain that the fellowship they would have is with God the Father, and Jesus His Son. This denotes a participation in the Grace of God, from the Father, through Jesus by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The entire trinity is involved in fellowship. Fellowship is the evidence of Christianity. And the two are indistinguishable from the other, fellowship with God and other believers.

This leads right into the last thing that John discusses with here in the prologue of his opening letter. He is telling all of this so that our joy may be complete. Joy and fellowship go hand in hand. How we respond to Jesus determines our joy. Bible teacher Martyn Lloyd-Jones in his book Life in Christ says this, “Joy...is the response and the reaction of the soul to a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ” (30). True fellowship combines social and spiritual interaction and is made possible by Jesus Christ.