With magnificent clarity John in 1st John 1:1-3 describes three amazing truths about His Son as THE instrument and Basis of our fellowship. Before we look at this notice first that John makes this threefold declaration about Jesus from three different perspectives:
• Personal experience: The Jesus John had encountered was, HEARD, SEEN, and INVESTIGATED. Notice that John’s personal encounter and initial perception hadn’t changed or altered even in the 70 years that had elapsed. In fact, what John had HEARD, SEEN, and INVESTIGATED in Jesus during His earthly life and again had done so after the resurrection had become His calling in life and the thing that John most wanted to talk about. So how about it Christian? Has anything changed from the impact Jesus made in the beginning of your encounter with Him? Oh, I pray your love has increased and not decreased!
• Personal testimony: John declares that his experience has become his privileged vocation and for the last 70 years he has born witness of that experience. That my dear friends is what every Christian’s truest calling is, to bear witness to our encounter with our Lord. And what is that witness? Well John says that it is that “LIFE WAS MANIFESTED” in Jesus. That we began the TRUE purpose and experience of what God had designed for humanity when He created us when we encountered Jesus!
• Personal communication: Next John says that he was engaged in this witness by the means of personal declaration. It is true of all of us; that which we love the most we talk the most about!In the case of some, the one they love the most is themselves and that is what they speak most on. Other’s it may be a hobby or profession or family. I want to talk about the One that saved my life, the comforter of my soul, my resting place and my only joy, my Lord, Savior, and best friend….JESUS!
The basis of our fellowship is Jesus Christ and here in the first three verses John not only tells us how Jesus impacted him, but in what ways Jesus did so.
.• That which was from the beginning”: John’s experience from the beginning conferred the truth to his heart that Jesus was first Eternal and second Divine! Take that in for a moment….John looked upon, listened, and considered all that JESUS said and did for 3 ½ years and then after the resurrection and his conclusion that governed the remained of his over 100 years of life was that Jesus was God and eternal. We must not take such an examination lightly as John speaks of not only the thoroughness of the investigation, but the certainty of it as he spent the remainder of his life dedicated to communicating the FACTS of this investigation. Just consider what evidence it would take for you to come to these same conclusions while looking at a man who in physical appearance looked just like you!
• 1a “Concerning the Word of Life”: Second John recognized through his investigation of Jesus that He alone is life giving and unique. John describes Jesus as the “Word of Life” the original word here is Logos the one who “speaks and it comes into existence”. Jesus, John declares is the “Life giver” as well as the “eternal life giver”! Again, think of the handicaps that John had to overcome to come to these conclusions! The years of prejudice and experience…. there had never been one who walked on earth that was God the Son, who was Logos the very one who spoke, and things came into existence! Furthermore, in 70 years of life and experiences, nothing had come into his life that changed or altered that revelation.
• 2 “The life was manifested”: Finally, John says that this very Person whom he examined for 3 ½ years that was Eternal and Divine, that is the Logos the Word Life Giver was made visible on this earth and John had to reconcile this reality. The Eternal and Divine became man, took on human form. Paul had also come to this same conclusion in Philip. 2:5-8 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” The incarnation of Jesus is what John writes of here and it is the most amazing reality that has ever happened in all human history!