Concerning the Word of Life 1 John 1:1

1 John 1:1 (NKJV) That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life--

"Concerning the Word of Life" tells us what John is writing about. "Concerning" means "related to or about," according to Google Dictionary. John has seen, watched, and touched something that was from the beginning related to the "Word of life."

What is he talking about?

What is the "Word of life?"

John assumes his readers are familiar with the gospel he wrote. The opening paragraph of John's gospel is incredible.

John 1:1-5 (NKJV) ¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was in the beginning with God. ³All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. ⁴In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

This passage shows that the Word was with God, and the Word was God. From verse two, we see that the Word is a person. "He was in the beginning with God." The Word has gender along with personality. In John's gospel, as in his letter, John starts with "the beginning." In addition, in the gospel account, John includes, "All things were made through (or by) Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

The "Word" is not necessarily the spoken or written word. John was writing in Greek, and Greek has a specific word for the spoken or written word. Instead, John uses a word that means "the concept or idea carried by the spoken word." John uses the word "λόγος" (logos). Logos carries the notion of reason or logic. The idea is that there is a meaning behind any spoken word, and logos is the expression of that meaning.

As the Logos (Word), Jesus is the expression of God. Hebrews 1:1-3 tells us:

Hebrews 1:1-3 (NKJV) ¹God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, ²hasin these last days spoken to us by [His] Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; ³who being the brightness of [His] glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Hebrews reiterates the fact that the Father made all things through the Son. Notice especially the beginning of verse three. "Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person." This expression or revealing of God is the "Logos."

The revealing of God through Jesus Christ is also part of the truth expressed in John 1:4. "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men." John is not trying to confuse us by using terms only a few understand. Instead, he is trying to communicate saving truths concerning the nature of the relationship between Father and Son.

John refers to Jesus as the "Word." We understand that calling Jesus "the Word" points to His revelation of God to us. Without Jesus, we could not know the character and nature of God since it is through Jesus that these things are made known. We can see God's mighty power and wisdom in the things He has made, but to know His person, we must know Jesus Christ.

Because of this connection between knowing God and Jesus Christ, John calls Jesus "the Word of life."

Here again, we must understand the word "life."

The Greek word used by John in 1 John 1 is "ζωή" (zōē). A synonym for zōē in Greek is "βίος" (bios). Both are translated as "life," but zōē has more to do with existence, and bios has more to do with duration. A biography records a lifetime. Zoology studies life in its various forms.¹ Another way to state the distinction is that bios refers to the means of existence, and zōē refers to the fact of existence.

When the Bible speaks of eternal life, it refers to our continuing existence even though our "biological" life ends. As far as Scripture is concerned, every human soul will continue its existence forever. God breathed into man the "breath of life" (Genesis 2:7). As a result, man became a "living being." This gift from God will never end. However, the Scripture speaks of those who reject the Son of God as being cast into the Lake of Fire and calls this the "second death." Death is not the cessation of existence. It is a change in the place of existence. This is why John says in John 17:3,

John17:3 (NKJV): "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

True life is knowing God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Eternal life, life that will never end, is found in the "Word of Life." To be outside of that life is to perish. Jesus said,

John 14:6 (NKJV) Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Until we come to Jesus for life, we are dead, separated from God and His promises. The more we enter into Jesus, the more we enter into life. Jesus taught us to abide in Him, and then our joy will be made full.

We spend our biological lives pursuing things that will not satisfy us. Things will grow old and rust. Our bodies will break down. All the riches we gather on earth and the skills and knowledge we collect will be meaningless if our biological life ends and we don't have the true life given by the "Word of Life."

Gaining this life is as easy as asking. Just call on the name of the Lord and say, "Jesus, I want the life that you offer." Then, set about learning about Jesus through the Bible.

1 Biology is also the study of life, but it is the study of the organisms and systems that function within a living being. In contrast, Zoology classifies different kinds of living beings.

From the Beginning 1 John 1:1

 What was from the beginning? 

From my beginning, I  remember patches, little glimpses of activity: Being held by my mother…crying in the middle of the night as my father held and comforted me. But I do not remember my “Beginning.” I just was. At some point, I came to understand that my parents came before me and my grandparents before them. My parents talked about my great-grandparents. As age has crept up, I have become increasingly aware of the many generations that have gone before.

John starts his letter at the beginning. 1 John 1:1 says, “That which was from the beginning…” The word John uses for “beginning” is “ἀρχή” (archē).  It comes from the verb “ἄρχω” (archō), which means to be chief, to lead, or to rule. From the idea of being chief, “arche” means beginning, origin, or the person or thing that commences something, that by which anything begins to be. 

The beginning was long before you and I. It was before our parents and great-grandparents. Whenever it was, whatever John was talking about was from the “beginning.” John does not answer the question, “From what beginning?” So, we assume that he is speaking of the beginning of everything.  The words, “That which was from the beginning,” point to our (humanity’s) origin.  

Scripture assumes that God was from the beginning. We were created. The Bible opens with, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” 

Where we came from is important. It is a big deal. 

Where did humanity come from?

In Today’s world, the idea of creation is no longer given a place at the table. Even though science cannot answer everything (because science is done by human beings who are flawed), science is how we grow in knowledge. Science is applying our minds to the systematic observation of our world. Therefore, science is essential for our survival. It is necessary to examine the evidence and go where it takes us. Science includes fields such as math, and physics, sociology, and psychology. Given the essential nature of science, it is reasonable to examine the assumption of a Creator God, and it is unreasonable to rule out the possibility of creation a priori. History is not science. It is a record of what happened. And to deny God is to deny history. Most of humanity believes that the evidence is strong enough to believe at least that God exists, and the majority believe in the God of the Bible. Our purpose here is not to examine the evidence. Rather, the goal right now is to point out the battle that rages around the whole concept of “the Beginning.”

John’s claim to have heard and touched and seen “that which was from the beginning is incredible. Look at John’s opening sentence!

1 John 1:1 (NKJV) That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life--

 Consider the list that he gives. First, he identifies what he is speaking of as “That which was from the beginning.” Next, John says, “which we have heard.” 

It is necessary to notice that John does not say “which we have heard about.” To make this point clear, John says, “which we have seen with our eyes.” John and whoever was with him saw that which was from the beginning with their physical eyes. They were not there in the beginning to see it, but that which was from the beginning was made manifest according to what John says in verse 2. 

The beginning was a long time ago.

John is not saying he had a vision. John is saying that they (we) saw something with their physical eyes. The “we” implies that John was not alone. He says, “which we have seen with our eyes.” Then he emphasizes the fact that they saw with their physical eyes when he says, “which we have looked upon.” The idea behind this statement, “looked upon,” is that they studied it with their eyes long and hard. They stared at it. And then, if their eyes are not enough, he adds another statement, “and our hands have handled.” In other words, they did science on it. They carefully observed it.

Please pay attention! John is saying, “We.” He is not alone in his testimony. He is claiming to be one of a number of eyewitnesses. He has not named Jesus yet, so please pardon my jumping the gun, but it is crucial that we understand that there are more than one or two eyewitness accounts of Jesus. The most reliable records are those of the four gospels, but other writers from that day make mention of Jesus. 

We are not following clever fables. The gospels are not dreams, visions, or make-believe. They are history. John’s statement highlights the concrete reality of those who walked with and listened to Jesus. Their eyes saw Him. Their hands touched Him. They spent YEARS with Him! History has recorded Him! 

Humanity resists Him. The battle over the “Beginning” rages because we don’t want to acknowledge Him. John brings up several reasons why we fight against the knowledge of Him, but let’s consider just one right now.

In John’s Gospel, he says, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” And then later, He says,

John 3:20 (NKJV) “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”

John 3:20 explains humanity’s fight against the knowledge of God. John and his companions saw “that which was from the beginning.” They handled it with their hands and examined it with their eyes over an extended time. However, we do not accept their testimony; even though we know in our hearts they speak the truth. This is why Romans 1:18 says:

Romans 1:18 (NKJV) For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

In Romans 1:18, it does not say we ignore the truth. It says we “suppress the truth.” John deals with this later, but I will point out the answer to this condition of our hearts.

1 John 1:9 (NKJV) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Are you suppressing the truth in your life? Each of us must ask God to help us to seek and know the truth.

The Light of the World

1 John 1

 

1 John is the Apostle John’s letter to the Church scattered throughout the world. At the time he wrote this letter, he was the last living Apostle. All the rest had died as Martyrs, giving their lives as testimonies to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. John lived a martyr’s life, suffering much for his faithful testimony to the truth about our Lord Jesus Christ. As the 90-year-old Apostle writes, he begins his letter with:

1 John 1:1 (NKJV) That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life--

 

He is giving testimony to what he and his friends saw, touched, and experienced. He began his record of Jesus’s life, the Gospel of John, at the same place.

John 1:1-3 (NKJV) 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

 

The Bible begins its narrative at the same place. The first verse of the Bible being:

Genesis 1:1 (NKJV) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

 

This is the testimony of Scripture. God created the heavens and the earth. John begins his testimony with this foundational truth. This is where all of our testimonies must begin. It is as the Scriptures say:

Acts 17:28 (NKJV) “for in Him we live and move and have our being.

 

At some point, all creatures in heaven and on earth will acknowledge this truth. The earth and all it contains were created by and belong to the Lord, which includes us. John’s testimony is that this One who created us is what he calls “the Word of life.” 

1 John 1:1 (NKJV) That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life--

 

He continues by saying that this Word of life was made visible, and that life is eternal life, and that eternal life was with the Father.

1 John 1:2 (NKJV) the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us--

 

The Word of life was present with God in the beginning, and this life is eternal life, and it has been made known to us.

 

In verse 3 of 1 John, once again John declares:

1 John 1:3 (NKJV) that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, …

 

We should all take note of this. John once again says that they are telling us what they saw, touched, and experienced

 

Our lives are dependent on God. He is the originator of life and the source of life. This truth is at the core of our faith, and God has made it clear to every person. Romans 1:19 says:

Romans 1:19 (NKJV) because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown [it] to them.

 

If God has made it clear (manifest) in them, why don’t all people believe? Romans also answers this question when it says:

Romans 1:18 (NKJV) For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

 

In His Gospel, speaking of Jesus, John says:

John 1:9-10 (NKJV) 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.

 

This is incredible. This is the power of darkness at work in the lives of men and women. Turning once more to the Scriptures to understand this. In 2 Corinthians, we read:

2 Corinthians 4:4 (NKJV) whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

 

You will have noticed that light and life are tied together in these Scriptures. And you will have noticed that men and women are in darkness for two reasons. First, they suppress the truth. Second, the god of this age blinds them.

 

We suppress the truth because, like Adam and Eve, we want to be like God, and the same serpent that tempted Adam and Eve by saying, “you will become like God,” is the same devil that deceives people today.

 

The enemy of our souls wants to keep the light of the gospel from illuminating people's lives. When Jesus came to earth and lived among us, the devil tried to stop Jesus, but He failed. John 1:5 says:

John 1:5 (NIV) The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

 

The world is under the power of the evil one, but he has not overcome Jesus, who is the light. Now I want to look at our part in all this.

 

The first thing is that we must remain in Jesus if we are going to have life and walk in the light.

 

The second thing is that Jesus says we are the light of the world. Yes, us!

Matthew 5:14-16 (NKJV) 14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 “Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all [who are] in the house. 16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

 

In 1 John, John declares to us the message they heard, and in that message we come to know the light. When we walk in the light as he is in the light, we illuminate the world around us. What is more, God has given us His Holy Spirit who dwells within us, and thus we carry the light of God with us wherever we go.

1 Corinthians 2:12 (NKJV) Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

 

1 John 4:13 (NKJV) By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.

 

Because of the Spirit He has given us, John can say:

1 John 4:17 (NKJV) Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.

Abiding in God

1 John

 

 

 

What is eternal life?

 

Is it more of what we have here? Does eternal life mean living a long time?

 

Surely, none of us wants to live forever with the evil we see in this world. Disease, death, and suffering keep getting worse and worse.

 

The book of 1 John is about eternal life and, more to the point, it is about fellowshipping with God, or as I have chosen to say, “Abiding in God.”

 

John states his purpose in writing in 1 John 1:3-4.

1 John 1:3-4 (NKJV) 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship [is] with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.

 

Let’s take this from the bottom and work our way up. The conclusion that these two verses reach is found in the words, “We write to you that your joy may be full.” Just before saying this, John tells us what will make our joy full. He says that they are declaring what they have seen and heard so that we can have fellowship with them. (Perhaps someone was with John when he was writing, so he writes in the plural “we.”) Pay attention because the following phrase is the key to the letter. He says, “And truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

 

All that this letter is declaring and teaching is so that we can have fellowship with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ, and when we have fellowship with the Father and the Son, we have fellowship with the Body of Christ, the Church. We should each belong to a local branch of the Church, which exists in many localities around the Earth. Our fellowship with each other is based on the premise that we have fellowship with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.

 

 

1 John teaches us that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

1 John 1:5 (NKJV) This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

 

We each should explore what is meant by “light,” and the implications that has for our lives. We should consider God’s commandments, our relationship to them, and whether they are important to us. We should talk about the dangers of deception in the world and how we should approach teachings that differ among us. We should contemplate what it means to be God’s children. And we should learn how we can have confidence to stand on the day of judgement.

 

Each of these: Light, commandments, deception, God’s children, and confidence, are fields of study by themselves, but John writes about each of them in this brief letter. Each subject is well worth our time, yet it seems we can only ever scratch the surface. However, no matter how deep we are able to go, these are crucial subjects for us to understand.

 

In 90 AD, when John was writing, deceptive teachings were a real threat to the Church. They still are. John was writing, in part, because of bad teaching regarding Jesus Christ. Some were saying that as a begotten Son of God, Jesus was not the same as God. Others were denying that Jesus was God in the flesh. They taught that the “Christ Spirit” descended on Him at His baptism. There were (and are) many such teachings. Some of the false teachings are very complex and appear and feel spiritual and intelligent, but the truth John declares is quite simple. John emphasizes repeatedly that any teaching that denies Jesus as the Son of God (God in human flesh) is not from God.

 

The Deity of Christ is attacked in many ways, and John makes it clear that we must hold fast to the truth that Jesus is God come in the flesh. The Gospel of John also clearly and boldly declares that Jesus is God. The idea of the Trinity is clearly seen in both the Old and New Testaments, starting with Genesis 1, where the God who made the heavens and the earth is written in the plural, i.e., "Gods." Then in Genesis 1:26, God says:

Genesis 1:26 (NKJV) Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

[Who is God speaking with?]

 

Our fellowship with God starts here at this truth. Romans 10:9 says:

Romans 10:9 (NIV) If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

 

I used the NIV translation because it is clearer in its representation of what is being said in the original. When Romans 10:9 says, “Jesus is Lord,” the literal meaning is “Jesus is God.” In English and in Greek, Lord can mean master or boss depending on context. And, taken in the context of what is being said in Romans 10:5-13 about faith and calling on the name of the Lord, it is clear that the confession spoken of is that Jesus is God.

 

This is what John begins with in his letter when he says:

1 John 1:1 (NKJV) That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life--

 

John saw, heard, and handled the One who is the Word of life. 

 

Now, I want to answer the question I asked at the beginning. What is eternal life? Look with me at what John says in His gospel.

John 17:3 (NKJV) “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

 

Eternal life is not a continuation of what we see in the world around us. Eternal life is fellowship with the Father and the Son. It is life, never-ending, but it is life in the presence of the Father and the Son. If you do not know or enjoy the Father or the Son now, you do not have eternal life. But if you: “If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” This is the promise of God.