A Study of 1John Wednesday, March 2, 2011

“The Word of Life” (1 John 1:1-4) Objectives of our study: To explore the fullness of John’s reference to “That which was from the beginning.” (Is he referring to Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1? ) To consider how our understanding of “The Word of Life” may influence our relationship with Christ. To reflect on John’s references to natural senses (hearing, sight, touch) in describing his and other disciples’ encounters with “The Word.” What do these references teach us about opportunity of direct relationship with God in Christ?

Background on 1 John 1:1-10 We begin a study in 1 John which primarily teaches disciples how to live, individually and collectively, in the “beloved community” - the “Church”. The author, the Apostle John, is “the Beloved Disciple” who wrote the Gospel of John as well as the other two epistles and the book of Revelation. He instructs believers on the practicality of living in fellowship with God through a relationship with Jesus Christ (the Logos and the Life) within a community of fellow believers. John simply defines God as love. This epistle or sermon in the thinking of some biblical scholars defines agape love (supreme, ultimate and divine love which includes selfless sacrifice, covenantal commitment, fierce loyalty, unwavering fidelity and redemptive results) in relational terms. In many ways, John’s First Epistle is a biblical commentary on “The Great Commandment.”

Background on 1 John 1:1-10 Counteracting the prevalent false teachings of his time relating to the incarnation of Jesus, John’s teachings supply orthodox principles and personal methods for rightly relating to a holy and perfect God who is “the Light of life.” Establishing and progressing within a vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ whom Almighty God sends as the quintessential representation of Himself is the surest means of fellowshipping with God. A disciple’s knowledge of divine love is not theoretical. Rather, it is relational and experiential. To claim legitimately to know the love of God in Christ Jesus, disciples must share their developing knowledge, understanding and wisdom of divine love in the context of mutually respectful and beneficial relationships with each others.

Background on 1 John 1:1-10 Biblical tradition holds the Apostle John as the last living disciple of the original twelve. He was the youngest at the time of Jesus’ public ministry which lasted three and a half years, approximately 26 AD/CE to 30 AD/CE. After the final Jewish revolt against Rome in 66 to 70 AD/CE, John left Palestine and settled in Asia Minor, more specifically in the magnificent city of Ephesus located in modern day Turkey.   There, he formed out of a hodgepodge of house churches “the beloved community,” a collectivity of local Christians who wanted to hear the original stories about Jesus from someone who directly knew Him. In addition to answering these personal requests to hear primary source stories about Jesus, John addresses an increasing theological problem adversely affecting the Church at the time. The heresies relating to the empirical revelation and incarnation of Christ (Docetism) and the types, levels, certainty and means acquiring of divine wisdom (Gnosticism) threatened the doctrines, governance, unity and fellowship of the Church. Conservative Bible scholars date John’s First Epistle around 97 AD/CE. Parenthetically, they date the Gospel of John circa 90 AD/CE. At that time, the Church witnessed its third or fourth generation of Christians. Not surprisingly, as younger believers ascended to leadership with the Church, additions, editions, glosses and errors influenced Christ’s teachings and Church doctrines. The venerable sage, the Apostle John, offers this epistle as a correction to the prevalent theological trends that potentially contaminated the teachings of Jesus Christ.

“The Word of Life” (1 John 1:1-4) Let’s consider the following ideas and questions as we study the passage. What exactly does John mean by the phrase, “That which was from the beginning.” Is he referring to Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1? Is he making a theological statement about the pre-incarnate Logos who assists in the creation of the universe? Logos means “the Word.” Theology means rational thought about Almighty God. Jesus reveals the “Word” which God speaks as He speaks the universe into existence.

The Incarnation of “The Word of Life” (1 John 1:1-4) As we relate to Jesus, we relate the very essence of divine and creative power. We relate to “That which was from the beginning.”

John’s evidence of relationship with the Word … which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. Here, John attests he and the other disciples heard, saw and touched “the Word.” He speaks of a direct relationship. He references the natural senses as evidence of this relationship. Let’s discuss the power of personal testimony in sharing the gospel versus declarations of propositional truth. For our personal purposes, we allude to our personal relationships with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as evidence of His incarnation.

Why did John emphasize his direct and physical experience of the Word? John sought to combat the “Docetic” teachings of the time. This heresy held that Christ did not come in the flesh but an image of Him similar to a ghost appeared to reveal divine truth. Docetism further reasoned that imperfect humans, the creatures of the Holy Creator, could not possess the power to crucify the Christ, the Creator. In the opinions of the Docetists, Almighty God in the Person of Jesus Christ would not submit to such an irrational arrangement.

The Eternal Life was with the Father and appeared to us (1 John 1:2) Using legal language as if he were a sworn witness in a court proceeding, John in the second verse testifies to the “truth, whole truth and nothing but the truth” that “The Life appeared.” He reiterates his actual experience of the incarnate Christ and his stories and recollections are Jesus’ primary teachings. Today, our testimony functions as sworn witness to the power of the resurrected Christ in our lives. Partially, we believe the Bible and its contents because our personal experience correlates with the miraculous power of Christ. We believe biblical miracles because we experience personal ones. We know Christ’s transformative power directly. In the words of the second stanza of the Bill Gaither hymn, “I Believe in a Hill Called Mount Calvary,” “I believe that the Christ who was slain on the cross still has the power to change lives today. For, He changed me, a new life is mine. That is why by the cross I will stay.” The Life which the apostle and his contemporaries proclaim is eternal life which exists with the Father at the foundation of the world. By the grace of Almighty God, this Life appeared to John and the other apostles. Moreover, this Life appears to each person who encounters Him directly. Refer to John 1:1-18, 3:16-21, 3:31-36, 5:24, 20:10-18 and 20:24-29.

Let’s reflect on the Great Commission (Matthew 28: 16-20) as we consider 1 John 1:3 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. John mentions his missionary purpose in offering his witness to the Life. His proclamation enables those persons who hear and believe to enjoy fellowship with other believers. More significantly, it affords them the opportunity to share in the disciples’ fellowship with the Father and with His One and Only Begotten Son, our Lord and Savior, in whom we have abundant and eternal life.

John simply defines God as love. (1 John 1:4) And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 The fourth verse reveals John’s secondary objective in writing this epistle. In setting the record straight and testifying to the unequivocal truth of Christ’s revelation, the great apostle of love seeks to complete the joy of his fellow disciples and that of any future believers who genuinely desire to know the love of God in Christ Jesus. Recite 1 John 1:3-4 in The Message.  

We come full circle to the great commandment (Matthew 22: 37-40)   37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Also, some Christians refuse to swear an oath in court and legal proceedings.