I touched Him! This is the same Logos spoken of in John The idea of the Logos — of the Word — was important for John and for the Greek and Jewish worlds of his day. For the Greek, their philosophers had spoken for centuries about the Logos — the basis for organization and intelligence in the universe, the Ultimate Reason which controls all things. Let me now tell you about Him. The life was manifested : This life was manifested , meaning that it was made actually and physically real.
John solemnly testified as an eyewitness we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that this was the case. This was real, and John tells us about it as an eyewitness. Eternal life which was with the Father : In calling Jesus eternal life , John remembered the words of Jesus John , , and He also repeated the idea expressed in his first words of this letter: that Jesus Himself is eternal, and therefore God.
We can say that people are eternal, but we say this with the understanding that we mean they are eternal in the future sense — they will never perish, being immortal John The eternal existence of Jesus is also declared in Micah — But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.
Which was with the Father : This refers to the eternal relationship between the Father and the Son. There was an eternal relationship of love and fellowship between the Father and the Son.
This eternal relationship is clearly described in the Scriptures, but we could also understand it from simple logic. If God is love 1 John and God is eternal Micah , we understand that love in isolation is meaningless.
Love needs an object, and since there was a time before anything was created, there was a time when the only love in the universe was between the members of the Godhead: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Was with the Father : The word with indicates that this being, who is eternal, and is eternal life Himself, is distinct from the Father. John builds the New Testament understanding of the Trinity — that one God exists as three Persons, equal and one, yet distinct in their person.
The Bible links together the names of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in a way that is unimaginable for other persons.
We read, Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Matthew We read, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ 1 Peter 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.
You can enjoy this fellowship even though you do not understand all the intricacies of the trinity. It is the ancient Greek word koinonia , which speaks of a sharing, a communion, a common bond and common life. It speaks of a living, breathing, sharing, loving relationship with another person.
The word common is the ancient Greek word koinonia. The idea becomes almost overwhelming when it is thus applied to the relationship which believing souls bear to the Father, and to His Son Jesus Christ All the resources of each in the wondrous relationship are at the disposal of the others.
Such is the grace of our God, and of His Son. The Greek mind-set highly prized the idea of fellowship , but restricted to men among men — the idea of such an intimate relationship with God was revolutionary.
Jesus started the same kind of revolution among the Jews when He invited men to address God as Father Matthew We really can have a living, breathing relationship with God the Father, and with Jesus Christ. He can be not only our Savior, but also our friend and our closest relationship. Actually, for many people this is totally unappealing. Other people turn from this relationship with God because they feel so distant from Him.
They want a relationship with God, but feel so disqualified, so distant. They need to know what God has done to make this kind of relationship possible.
But with the eternal God who became man, we can have a relationship. The word fellowship has in it not only the idea of relationship, but of sharing a common life. When we have fellowship with Jesus, we will become more like Him. The disciples did not have the close fellowship with Jesus when He walked this earth with them. Therefore we can enter into the same fellowship with God that the Apostles could enter.
It is as if the Father and the Son agree together to let us into their relationship of love and fellowship. This idea of a shared life is essential. We enter into a relationship of a shared life with Jesus. We share our life with Him, and He shares His life with us. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. That your joy may be full : The result of fellowship is fullness of joy.
This joy is an abiding sense of optimism and cheerfulness based on God , as opposed to happiness , which is a sense of optimism and cheerfulness based on circumstances. John clearly echoed an idea Jesus brought before His disciples the night before His crucifixion. He wanted fullness of joy for them — even knowing that the cross was directly in front of them.
That your joy may be full : Fullness of joy is certainly possible for the Christian, but it is by no means certain. John wrote with the desire that believers would have fullness of joy — and if it were inevitable or very easy to have, he would not have written this.
External circumstances, moods and emotions, or sin can all take away our joy. When John wrote about these things , he wrote about this relationship of fellowship and love we can share in with God the Father and the Son Jesus Christ. Too many Christians are passive in their loss of joy. They need to realized it is a great loss and do everything they can to draw close to God and reclaim that fullness of joy.
I pray you do not think it a small loss. Observations on this first portion of the book, which is one long sentence in the original manuscript. John began with the beginning — the eternal God, who was before all things.
He told us that this God was physically manifested, and that he and others could testify to this as eyewitnesses. He told us that this God is the Word of life , the Logos. He told us that this eternally existent God, the Word of Life , who was physically present with the disciples and others and present for fellowship , is God the Son, named Jesus Christ. He told us that fellowship with Jesus leads to a life lived in fullness of joy.
We could say that in these four verses, John gave us enough to live our whole Christian life on. Speech fails him. He labours for expression, adding definition to definition. 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. This is the message : This is a claim to authority. What John will tell us about God is what God has told us about Himself.
God is light and in Him is no darkness at all : We must begin our understanding of God here. John declares this on the simple understanding that God Himself is light ; and light by definition has no darkness at all in it; for there to be darkness, there must be an absence of light.
God is light and in Him is no darkness at all : Therefore, if there is a problem with our fellowship with God, it is our fault. It is not the fault of God because there is no sin or darkness in Him at all. Any approach to relationship with God that assumes, or even implies, that God might be wrong, and perhaps must be forgiven by us, is at its root blasphemous and directly contradicts what John clearly states here.
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. If we say that we have fellowship with Him : John first deals with a false claim to fellowship. Based upon this, we understand that it is possible for some to claim a relationship with God that they do not have. We can also say that it is possible for someone to think they have a relationship with God that they do not have. Many Christians are not aware of their true condition. They know they are saved, and have experienced conversion and have repented at some time in their life.
Yet they do not live in true fellowship with God. And walk in darkness : John speaks of a walk in darkness, indicating a pattern of living. This does not speak of an occasional lapse, but of a lifestyle of darkness. I am writing to you , young men ,. I write to you , children ,. I write to you , young men ,.
But they went out , g that it might become plain that they all are not of us. This is b the antichrist , he who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you , then n you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. But as his anointing teaches you about everything , and s is true , and is no lie — just as it has taught you , abide in him.
The reason why a the world does not know us is that b it did not know him. The reason the Son of God appeared was r to destroy the works of the devil. And why did he murder him? Whoever does not love abides in death. And s by this we know that he abides in us , by the Spirit whom he has given us. N 7 But if we walk in the light, O as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all [ b ] sin.
R 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins S and purify us from all unrighteousness. T 10 If we claim we have not sinned, U we make him out to be a liar V and his word is not in us. All rights reserved worldwide. The best value in digital Bible study. No software to install.
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