Expository Thoughts – 1 John 1:1-4

The tangible experience of Jesus Christ by the Apostle resulted in the writing of this letter with the hope that his audience would also enjoy that vital, vibrant fellowship with God and therefore with them as well.

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_¹ That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— ² the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— ³ that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴ And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

1 John 1:1-4 (ESV)

Who Jesus IS

John is not talking about “the word of life” as a mere message or concept. He is saying that he has had an encounter with “the life” – that is, the author and source of life itself – and this encounter was not merely theoretical, but indeed tangible.

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Six Characteristics of Christ:

Our appreciation for this text is amplified when we consider the significant & strong parallels with John 1:1-18. Namely, we will consider some of the Characteristics of Christ:

1. Eternal – “That which was from the beginning” (1 John 1:1)
   • “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1-2)
   • Jesus Christ existed eternally with the Father – unique from, but one with Him
2. Tangible – “which we have heard… seen… touched” (1 John 1:1)
   • We see also in 1 John 1:2 a repetition of the phrase “was made manifest” (not something needing to be said regarding the rest of humanity)
   • “The word became flesh and dwelt among men” (John 1:14)
3. The Life – “The word of life… the life made manifest… the eternal life” (1 John 1:1-2)
   • Just in this short passage we see Jesus referred to as “the life” 3 times
   • “All things were made through him… in him was life, & the life was the light of men” (John 1:3, 4)
   • Jesus, then is proclaimed as the very source and, dare we say, substance of life itself – He upholds and sustains the universe (Hebrews 1:3); all life on Earth is contingent upon him like a shadow to its object
4. With the Father – “which was with the Father” (1 John 1:2)
   • John 1:1 (see above, regarding “Eternal”). Also, we read “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14)
   • “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” (John 1:18)
   • Once again – unique from, but one with the Father
5. The Son of God – “our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3)
   • Note here John’s comment – that the fellowship is with BOTH the Father and his Son
   • See references to John 1:1, 14, 18 above
   • Although Jesus is “one with with Father,” we see something of the relationship in this title – the Son obeys the Father and submits to his will
6. The Messiah – “his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3)
   • The title “Christ” (which is Greek) or “Messiah” (Hebrew) is so closely associated with Jesus that we may be tempted to think of it as his name
   • “The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17)
   • As the “Christ,” we see John saying of Jesus that he is the fulfillment of God’s Messianic promises to the people of Israel from the time of the fall (Genesis 3:15)

Application:

John is pointing his readers to the very person and nature of Jesus Christ — dear friend, as you consider these six characteristics of Christ, have you embraced this Christ? Or, perhaps have you accepted / rejected something else? He is (1) the eternal Son, (2) unique from, yet one with the Father, (3) the creator, sustainer, source and substance of life in this universe AND the only source of eternal life with God, (4) who literally, physically, historically walked the earth as a man, (5) who is the fulfillment of all God’s promises and the deliverer of his people! This is the Jesus whom John proclaims!

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Side Note regarding “The Life”

Consider this – death was the result of the curse which came through sin (Genesis 2:17; 3:19; Romans 5:12; 6:23) – and now all must taste death. Yet, somehow, through believing in Christ, by having him – we now have life, eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). In the midst of our own physical death, we can rejoice that we have eternal life. Jesus even promises as much: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).

Dear friend, I ask you the question posed in Question One of the Heidelberg Catechism: “What is your only comfort in life and death?”
Answer: That I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. (You can search the web for the full answer, or the full Heidelberg Catechism – it is well worth your time and meditation.)

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John’s experience of Jesus:

John experienced Jesus in very tangible ways – the physical, historical life, death and resurrection of Jesus is paramount to John’s preaching and therefore our understanding.

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Ways that John experienced the “Word of Life”

John describes an experience with Christ that engages the full range of human senses (excluding taste and smell – for obvious reasons). And these aspects of experience are the basis of John’s testimony. As one recording artist, Michael Card, once penned, “To know you is what eyes and ears are for.”

• He heard Him – private & public teaching; personal conversation, etc. — these experiences were both Pre & Post Resurrection
• He saw Him – daily life; his baptism; miracles; transfiguration; in the boat calming the waves; crucifixion; resurrection; etc. — once again, Pre & Post Resurrection
• He touched Him – day to day (e.g. greetings); the Last Supper & foot washing; removing his body from the cross; his resurrected body; etc. — and again, Pre & Post Resurrection
  • Don’t let the significance of this slip by – as John writes this, his memory is filled with those occasions where he heard, saw, and touched him… in the same way that we may be filled with a rushing sensation when we recall those events that had life altering impacts on us.

John’s actions as a result of his encounter with Christ:

There are 3 key results of John’s encounter with the “Word of Life.”

1. Testify (bear witness) to it (life) – 1 John 1:2
2. Proclaiming “eternal life” (Christ) – 1 John 1:2, 3
3. “Writing these things” (the content of the letter and the reality to which it points) – 1 John 1:4

John’s explicit purpose in these ^ actions:

John’s testifying, proclaiming, and writing all have explicit purposes for the readers.

1. Their fellowship with the community of believers (‘that you too may have fellowship with us’) – 1 John 1:3
2. Their fellowship with the Father & Son (seen in v.3, much more clearly in 1:5–2:6)
3. The resultant Joy (there is a question of “our joy” vs. “your joy” in 1:4 – in the Greek manuscripts, it is a difference of 1 letter; however, both parties benefit from the resulting Fellowship of the Gospel proclamation)
   • Recall these words from an individual stand point: “in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forever more” (Psalm 16:11)
   • Or, from the author’s perspective, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 4).
   • Either way, both parties experience resultant joy from Gospel proclamation

Application:

In the presentation / offering of Christ to his readers, John makes some lofty promises: (1) a community of people unified — and this, not by a mere common ideology, but by a common fellowship (which John will explain in the coming chapters); (2) actual fellowship with God himself(!); (3) the all-satisfying joy which is a result of this very real fellowship with God; and (4) life – which flows from the Christ proclaimed; eternal life, the experience of which begins now in fellowship with God.

Dear friend, do you believe these things? That you can have actual fellowship with the one who created you and all things? Genuine fellowship with the person of God himself? That you can have unity with fellow believers? That you can have full joy which flows from that fellowship? Oh turn to Christ! Seek him in his Word!

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Our Experience of Jesus:

While John’s experience of Jesus Christ was indeed unique to him and the Apostles, it does beg the question, in what ways do we encounter Christ?  What kind of similarities do we have in experience ‘concerning the word of life’?

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Ways that WE encounter / fellowship with Christ:

1. Believe in him (who he is, what he says, what he has done)
2. Hear him (his teaching through the Word; receiving “the testimony” – 1 John 1:2; “hearing” the Spirit – Hebrews 3:7; Revelation 2-3)
3. See him (with the eyes of faith — not physically (consider 1 Peter 1:8, “though you have not seen him, you love him”) — “beholding his glory” – 2 Corinthians 3:18; “looking to Jesus” – Hebrews 12:2; “set your minds on things above” – Colossians 3:2)
4. Touch him (by this, I mean a special awareness of his presence – not in the same tangible way that John experienced with the physical Christ – but knowing his presence by the Holy Spirit; or, perhaps when our physical bodies observe the physical aspects of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper > for more on this concept see Tim Chester’s book, Truth We Can Touch)

Our actions as a result of our encounter with Christ:

Just as John’s fellowship, experience with Christ resulted in actions with purpose — so too, our encounter with Christ should result in action.

• Do we fellowship with other believers? And does that fellowship centered on / flow from our fellowship with God?
• Do we seek to encounter “life” – the living, reigning, resurrected Christ?
• Do we seek to testify / proclaim the same?
  • Remember: Jesus is the eternal life which we proclaim, which we possess, through whom we are unified with other believers, with whom we fellowship, and who is our very joy!

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Somehow, by the grace of God, when we have fellowship with him through Christ, we hear, we see, we touch something of life itself, the eternal life – but its not just some concept, its the very person of Christ!

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Conclusion:

There are two key concepts that we need grasp from John’s message in 1 John 1:1-4

1. John was an eye witness to the physical, historical, in-the-flesh reality of Jesus and his life on earth; his message, therefore, is not merely an expression of visions or ideas of human origin – but rooted in the very real, very physical, very historical life and ministry of Jesus.
2. While that is the case, his message is also one that introduces his audience to personal, vital, very real communion with the Father through Christ.  Through faith, we hear what is not audible, see what is not visible, and perhaps, touch what is intangible.

The substance of Christianity, then, is both historical and current, past and present — to have genuine Christianity, you must have both – for both are aspects of the real Christ! To be lacking in one is to be lacking entirely.

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Resources:

• Tim Chester, Truth We Can Touch: How Baptism and Communion Shape Our Lives. Crossway, 2020. (Find on Amazon)