According to the apostle John in his letter, 1st John 1:1-3, the basis of our fellowship with God is Jesus Christ and here in the first three verses of chapter 1 John not only tells us how Jesus impacted him, but in what ways Jesus did so.
1 vs. 1a “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 of 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!
2 vs 1b “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.
3 vs 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 of 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!
When John wrote his gospel, he started with the Person of Jesus who according to John 1:1 was both Divine and human. In the Gospel John simply calls Jesus, the Word, but here in this letter he says that Jesus is the Word of Life, and we can safely proclaim as John does that Christianity is Christ and our foundation is the fact of Jesus’ Divine Person and Work. The Church ceases to exist, and its relevance becomes insignificant if it ever becomes ununited to their founder Jesus!
