Taking Advice from the Beloved Disciple – 1John 1:1-5 – Lite (10 min)

People want to improve themselves and their circumstances. Ever since the Garden of Eden, humanity has grasped for more illumination. Jesus warned people saying, “… take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.” (Luke 11:35) Clearly, the Lord indicated there is a luminousness that is good and another that is evil. That’s what light does; it reveals what is there. Words also reveal; they reveal thoughts.

Without words, thoughts are unclear.

Without light, that which is real remains but is veiled by obscurity, perversions, yes darkness.

Light and words emit, reflect, and make clear the pathways among obstacles. We are all heading somewhere and have decisions to make along the way. What light is guiding you to which destination? Which words do you heed? How do you experience reality and who defines it? Let’s look at what the beloved disciple said.

**What is the Big Idea in 1st John 1:1-5?**

Did you notice none of the previously identified keywords in 1 John¹ were in these verses? The Apostle John wanted readers to know ‘who‘ eternal life is based on before writing about the believer’s assurance. It is written:

“¹That 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, concerning the Word of Life, ² the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us, ³that 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. ⁴And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. ⁵This 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. “(1 John 1:1-5)

Main Point This Segment

The first five verses of 1 John 1 is the preamble to establish the manifested REALITY of Father God, and His Son Jesus Christ. Please note that by the time 1st John was written, Gnosticism ² was spreading.

In most letters, the author is identified in the letter itself; in the New Testament, it is usually at the beginning of the letter. Not so in this case.

The authorship is implicit when comparing John’s other writings such as the Gospel of John and Revelation. He stated 7 reasons for writing the letter (mentioned in chapters 1, 2 and 5); 1 John 5:13 is the purpose summation.

Verse by Verse Highlights

Verse 1: indicates that the author (along with others) were eyewitnesses who saw, heard, and touched the centre and source of life that he called the ‘Word of Life’. This indicates eternality because of the mention of the ‘beginning’, and omnipresence since new life occurs globally, yet because of ‘touch’ it confirms locality and physicality.
Verse 2: When the author used the word ‘manifested’, he used the Greek word ‘phaneroó‘ which Thayer’s Greek Lexicon states is “to make visible or known what has been hidden or unknown … whether by words, or deeds or in any other way”.
Verse 2: The author ‘bears witness’ (martyreo in Greek) that the Source of Life who manifested to them was with Father God and was also at the beginning (verse 1). The word ‘martyreo’ (root word martyr) originally meant to testify; however, because of the consequences of solemnly declaring experiences that were antithetical to opposing audiences, over time, the word has become associated with undergoing a violent death as a result of the steadfastness of declared faith.
Verse 3: It becomes clear that the motivation for writing is so that the readers may have fellowship with God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and other believers. The word ‘fellowship’ here is the Greek word ‘koinōnia‘ which means partnership and communion.

Have you considered what partnership and intimacy with the Godhead means? What is the impact on your earthly existence? What does it mean for others? Did you know how you live now impacts your rewards or losses in eternity?

Verse 4: expresses the outcome of participating with the Godhead in Christ; joy completed, full.
Verse 5: joins the preamble to the substance of the letter. Jesus Christ (Messiah) explained to His eyewitnesses that God is holy, pure illumination, with perfect righteousness and there is no sin, wickedness, or imperfection in Him. His witnesses wrote it down for us (John 8:12, John 12:36. 1 Timothy 6:13-16, James 1:17, Revelation 21:23, Revelation 22:5, ).

Summation of 1st John 1:1-5

Father God’s pure illumination provided the way to have fellowship with the Perfect, Righteous Majesty on High through the promised humiliation of the Eternal Word of Life manifested in the God-Man, Jesus Christ, Messiah.

The details in the five chapters of 1 John explain how you can KNOW that you have ETERNAL LIFE with the Creator Saviour (1 John 5:13), yet the introduction in chapter 1 is vital to receiving the eternal life God offers. What you believe about Jesus matters.

Without believing that (1) the Son of God’s aseity is eternal³ (He is not dead) and (2) that He fulfilled the Father’s Messianic promise (to provide redemption as the perfect, sinless Representative for humanity by being conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a woman) one cannot have the assurance of eternal life.

This statement is asking you to believe John 3:16-21. The concept is hard to comprehend when applying human logic/science. We are not asked to understand how God achieves His works, we are asked to believe what He said. Do you believe Him?

How Credible is the Writer?

Now, if you are a believer I point to two passages that indicate the ultimate authorship of these sacred texts is the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-21).

If you need more evidence surrounding the authority and integrity of the human writer, I could not possibly add to anything the Word of God has already stated.

But, I would ask you this.

If you believed your message was a lie or you had doubts about its accuracy, would you continue to broadcast your unaltered testimony having been imprisoned, beaten, and sought after to be killed; all the while knowing your loved ones could be persecuted?

John was imprisoned for his witness of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:9). Many of the other disciples were killed for testifying to Christ’s Deity and resurrection. They stood against the pressure of cultural norms, in front of courts, and kings, and prayed for those who were killing them.

Jesus is the embodiment of the Father’s message. His message is the Godhead is with us, loves us, delivers us, keeps us, and invites everyone to come into their illumination. Just as the Apostles grew revelation and clarity of Him, so should we if we have this light.

As the Message, Jesus’ earthly life demonstrated His authority over demons, disease, and disasters. His words, love, and revelatory knowledge changed the world.
Today, Jesus is the only Mediator between the Father God and humanity. This God-Man lives forever making intercession for those who trust in Him for eternal life (Hebrews 7:25).

What is it about the Word of Life that transforms hearers to light bearers? How is He transforming you?

**How Does 1st John 1:1-5 Compare to Other Passages?**

There are too many verses to incorporate into this brief blog. Here are just a few:

During Christ’s earthly ministry, Jesus said:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:58)
“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. (John 11:25)
“I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

After Christ’s ascension, the Apostle John received the Revelation wherein Christ said:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8)

The Apostle John wrote in the Gospel of John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (John 1:1-5)

In the Torah, it is written:

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2)

To the deceiving serpent who tempted Eve with a dark knowledge, God said:

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15)

Isaiah wrote:

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

The Apostle Paul wrote:

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see, such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it. (Colossians 1:15-23 NLT)
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11 NLT)

The writer of Hebrews wrote:

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, … For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”? And again: “I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son“? But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” (Hebrews 1:1-6)

Next Steps: Read 1st John 1:5-10

What Can You Do?

Please read 1st John 1 verses 5-10.
Remember to pray first; ask God to speak to you through His Word. Chew on these verses for one week.
Consider what you believe about Jesus and the Word of God in conjunction with “walking in the Light”. What are the claims the Bible makes about Christ that challenge your faith?

What I Will Do

Within the next post of this ‘lite’ series called “Taking advice from the Beloved Disciple – 1^st John“, we will review the remaining verses of the first chapter of 1^stJohn, and expand on why children of God are forgiven for sin after the initial conversion or regeneration.

What are the Series Objectives?

Understand the evidence of eternal salvation with its instructions and warnings.
Celebrate the assurance we have in Christ; deepen our fellowship with the Father and His family.
Identify and take any corrective actions.

Please Note: This series is not a deep study. It will be either an illuminating eye-opener or a refreshing reminder. If you want a deep chapter study on living for Christ, please consider study notes in the Romans Series.
Also, if you are a child of God, the Holy Spirit is your Teacher who illuminates the Word of God! He guides you to all truth as you yield to the Word.

Thank you for taking the time to read and invest in your eternity!