1 John 1
This letter begins with John discussing relationship with Jesus!
“That which was from the beginning,” 1 John 1:1a
John is immediately pointing us back to the beginning.
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” John 1:1
God, the Father and His son Jesus were here even before the beginning. God created the heavens and the earth! The Word, Jesus was with God and was God even before any of earth came into existence!
“which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-“ 1 John 1:1b
John is saying this beginning, this Word, this Jesus, I heard Him, I have seen Him, I studied (looked upon) Him, I touched Him! John wants the people he is writing to, to know, I am not telling you something I heard ABOUT, I’m telling you something I KNOW!
“the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us-“ 1 John 1:2
John is driving his point home that Jesus, the son of God, lived and breathed on this earth. The definition of manifest is clear or obvious to the mind. John is saying he clearly knew this Jesus as a living breathing person!
“that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ” 1 John 1:3
And now John gets to the purpose, I have seen it and I am telling you about it so that we can be in relationship with each other and that you can be in relationship with Jesus too. John “got it”! John knew a close, intimate relationship with Jesus and he wanted others to know that close intimate relationship with Jesus too.
“And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete! 1 John 1:4
John is saying that his joy, his life would be complete if he knew that others had found this relationship and close fellowship with Jesus too! His whole purpose in writing this book is to point others to relationship with Jesus. This should be our main goal and purpose as Christians as well. For our life to point others to Jesus. Not to judge, or condemn others but to live a life so close to Jesus that others want what we have. This Christian life should be inviting not condemning!
“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” 1 John 1:5-6
John is again reiterating, I have a first hand knowledge I am giving you, I heard it from the source. God is light! Think of a light bulb. There is no shadow coming off of the light bulb. A light has no darkness at all! Jesus is light, he is perfect in every way. We can’t be in close fellowship with Him if we are walking in darkness. This is not to say we will never sin, this is saying we will not walk in sin, we will not live a lifestyle of sin. Many times people mistake this grace that we receive from Jesus, thinking they can do whatever they wish and ask forgiveness later. But when you think that way, it is a sure indication that you are not walking in the light but in darkness which means there is no fellowship with Him.
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:7-9
It’s all about relationship to John, the relationship we have with Jesus and the relationships we have with other believers. If we are truly walking in the light, walking in relationship with Jesus, then the blood of Jesus will cleanse us from our sins. It is not that we do not sin, it is that our sin grieves our heart toward repentance so we can be washed in the blood of Jesus. It’s not denying our sin, it’s a knowing that only through Him and His blood that he spilled on the cross, can we be made righteous to have relationship with Jesus the Son and with God the Father. It’s admitting that we can’t walk this out alone.
“If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:10
This relationship with Jesus is not to try to claim perfection on our own! Quite the contrary it’s recognizing that without His blood covering me I am not worthy to walk anywhere near the light!
I think I like John a lot!
Restore 