First John 1:1-6

First John 1:1-6

I John 1:1-3 says, “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, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

It is always good to start at the beginning. But what beginning is being talked about here? The beginning of creation. What was from the beginning: the truth, the Word, Jesus. It is a way of saying that God has always existed. God doesn’t have a beginning or an ending. He is the Alpha and the Omega the beginning and the ending. Jesus is not a created being Jesus is Jehovah, the eternally existent one; the everlasting Father. I John is about coming to the truth to have fellowship with God; to do that, you need to know the truth, understand the truth and believe or accept the truth; the truth that Jesus is God, that Jesus is the Savior of the World.

What is said here in I John chapter 1 verse 1 is very similar to what is said in the gospel of John chapter 1:1-4, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things where made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”

I John is talking about that which was from the beginning, the WORD. Jesus is the living Word. These are great verses of scripture: compare them again. I John 1:1, “that which was from the beginning,” and John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word and the word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Don’t make the mistake of thinking just because you are human and have a beginning that God does too. God is eternal. Truth is eternal. Truth comes from God. Truth is eternal because God is eternal. God has always been around and always will be. Jesus existed before he came to the earth born of a virgin.

There are many other passages in the Bible which help to clarify this truth. One of them is found in the book of Philippians 2:6-8 which says of Jesus Christ, “who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

In all honesty it’s not hard to grasp or understand the concept that God is eternally existent. It really is just a question of what people believe in their hearts about Jesus Christ that causes them to accept or reject this truth.

It is the Apostle John writing here and saying that he has seen with his eyes and looked upon and handled the word of life. There is an important emphasis here on God’s Word. God’s Word is something that is real. You can see a Bible, you can pick it up and handle it and touch it and read it and experience the words. It is the Word of God that brings us into fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus.

People sometimes say they are looking for something real that they can experience and touch and interrelate with. It doesn’t get more personal and real than God’s Word. All it takes is the Holy Spirit to understand the word.

The great message is that of eternal life that is being revealed here. What eternal life is and how to acquire it. It’s a simple message. It’s the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ that Jesus died for your sins, was buried and rose again the 3^rd day. This is the message of eternal life: the forgiveness of sins that comes through the blood of Jesus Christ. There is no greater or more wonderful message in the world.

And if anyone, the apostles including John, who wrote these verses could certainly say that they had seen and bear witness. They saw Jesus and walked and talked with him both before and after his resurrection. They knew from a very special personal experience with Jesus Christ how real eternal life is. And we have the words of John right here, to bear witness to us of how real and true eternal life is.

I John 1:1 says, “That which was from the beginning.” The truth has always been here. God has always been here. This brings one more important truth to mind. God is eternal, he has been around a lot longer than you or I. Have you ever heard the saying older means wiser? Jesus is the ancient of days. We have every reason to trust the Lord and to rely on him for wisdom to guide our lives every day.

The Bible goes on to say in I John 1:4, “And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”

It’s both interesting and ironic to think that people are driven by the desire to be happy but most people choose to reject the bible. If you want happiness, true happiness, true joy, the kind that is always there both in the day and the night in the calm and in the storms, the kind of joy that is not dependent on your physical circumstances then you must look to God’s word for it.

This verse says these things are written so that your joy maybe be full. This isn’t talking about a glass empty situation where you just look on the bright sight but its about a full glass situation. There is nothing negative about the bible, there is nothing lacking in God’s promises. Understanding the eternal life that is found in Christ Jesus brings a fullness of joy.

There are a lot of bad things that can happen in life, the worst is probably death. There is nothing more morbid and final than death. Some of the worst sorrows that people face in life are when they lose someone they love to the clutches of death. This is why the bible is so important. If you know Jesus as savior then death is nothing but the doorway to eternal life. What great hope and peace and comfort and joy can be found in knowing the things that God has promised to his children in heaven. O death where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory? We can rejoice with joy unspeakable, even in the face of death, if we know the things written in the Bible and keep them in our hearts and minds.

I John 1:5 says, “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

Most people’s concept of God is very distorted and this should not be a surprise because unless what you think of God is based on the Bible you are going to have some very foolish thoughts. God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. What a great truth to know. God is good. God is just. God is love. God is light.

Many many people make the mistake of thinking God is unfair and unjust or even evil in the things that he does. If only they would read 1 John 1:5 and believe it. The truth is there is something about the sin nature of man that causes man to lean in his own humanistic thinking, lack of faith thinking, to think that God is unfair or unjust or that the way of the Lord is unequal. It takes faith to see the truth, but as simple as the truth is, it is an essential truth, an important truth. God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

By knowing this verse, I can more easily apply and believe other great verses of the Bible such as Romans 8:28 which says, “all things work together for God to them that love God.” Of course, all things are going to work together for God because God is light and in him is no darkness at all.

It is important to be able to accept the bad that happens to us in this life, to accept it simply as something we must suffer for Jesus. We may not understand why certain bad things happen to us but God knows and God is just. If you can take it on faith in God’s Word without cursing God, then you will be victorious in this life of trials and sorrows.

I John 1:6, “if we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.” In other words, it is possible to tell what kind of a relationship a person has or does not have with Jesus by their understanding of truth. For example, a Christian who thinks they can lose their salvation is a prime example of someone who walks in darkness. If you don’t think you have fellowship with Christ, then you don’t because it’s based on grace through faith. You have to have faith.

Really this is a simple verse. The word of God enlightens the mind; so, to not be in darkness you must be in the word. That is why Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word of God.”

The warning is so that we do not deceive ourselves. Maybe people have deceived themselves in this life. A person who thinks they are a Christian but has never accepted Christ as savior is a very deceived person. They might think because their family was Christian or because they were baptized into the church or because they go to church that they walk in the light. The Bottom line is that you are not walking in the light if you are not in the word of God.

As you can, see there are many wonderful truths to learn from God’s word. All them will help you to walk in the light that your joy may be full. If you have never trusted in Christ as your Savoir then you can do so right now. Simply pray to Jesus and ask him to save you from your sins.

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