Goal #1 of First John: Proclaim the True Jesus

Each week throughout 2021, I will share a Bible study blog post taking us through the letter of 1 John. Only five chapters long, this brief book is worthy of our consideration. Whether you drop in for one post or many, I pray that you enjoy them. Access all posts here.

1 That which was from the beginning, 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— 2 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 1:1-2)

As we saw in last week's introductory 1 John post, false teachers had crept into the early church. John could not stand idly by and let these deceivers talk about Jesus as if they knew Him. John had to step up to the plate and defend the historical and actual Jesus and share about His Master, Friend, Teacher, and Savior.

John had been with Jesus when He wept in the Garden of Gethsemane, had watched Jesus raise Lazarus and others, and had stood at the foot of Jesus' cross with Mary. He had leaned on Jesus during the Last Supper, had run to Jesus' empty tomb with Peter, and had eaten with Jesus after His resurrection. John knew about Jesus like no one else still alive at that time.

Notice some of the proclamations John made in these first two verses about Jesus:

1. John Said Jesus Is “That Which Was From the Beginning” (v1)

Writing of "the beginning" causes us to think of the book of Genesis, and also the gospel of John. In Genesis, the beginning referred to the start of time, the beginning of creation. In John, the beginning went back to before time, into eternity past, where Jesus existed from forever ago with the Father, for He is eternal in nature.

But here, in 1 John, John seems to be speaking of the beginning of his own experience with Jesus, the beginning of the gospel, the beginning of Jesus' life and ministry on earth.

John's aim in writing this way is to, again, point out how he'd been there from the very start. These secessionists were not part of Jesus' group of disciples. They had not been present for those glorious days walking and talking with Jesus. John had been there from the beginning.

2. John Says He “Heard” Jesus (v1)

And hear Him, John had. He had listened to Jesus pour out His teachings to the masses, noting when Jesus opened His Sermon on the Mount with, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3).

He'd heard Jesus when he was forced to debate and argue with the religious leaders of the day, saying things like, "You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men" (Mark 7:8).

He heard Jesus weep and mourn over people, but he'd also heard Jesus pray, saying things like, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." (Matthew 26:39).

And he had heard Jesus cry out to God and others while upon the cross, praying for forgiveness for those who crucified Him, promising Paradise for a believing criminal next to Him. And, as He became sin for us, crying out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me" (Matthew 27:46).

He heard Jesus, after three hours of darkness on the cross, say he was thirsty, drink, and then cry, "It is finished!" (John 19:28-30). Finally, he heard Jesus say, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46).

And before that, while Jesus was on His cross, John had heard Jesus' directions to his mother and to John, "Woman, behold your son." And then to John, "Behold your mother" (John 19:26-27). Yes, John had heard Jesus.

3. John Says He Had “Seen” Jesus (v1)

More specifically, he said he saw Jesus with his eyes. He didn't want there to be any confusion. Jesus was not a dream or hallucination. Jesus was not a spiritual being. No, John had watched Jesus, not in the metaphorical or imaginative sense, but with his eyes.

He had seen the way Jesus looked at the beleaguered masses who were weighed down by religiosity and legalism. He saw the way Jesus touched the lepers and healed the sick, a foreshadowing of His coming kingdom. He saw how Jesus overturned the tables of the moneychangers and spent time with sinners.

And what a life he saw! In watching Jesus, John was watching the perfect revelation of man. Jesus was everything, in His humanity, Adam, and we were intended to be. He was flawless. He was bold. He was love.

4. John Added That He Had “Looked Upon” Jesus (v1)

At first glance, this detail seems redundant, for he'd just said he'd seen Jesus, but it was a purposeful addition. For one, the word might have had a slightly different use for John, a way of communicating that not only had he seen Jesus, but he'd inspected Jesus. He had gazed upon and thought about Jesus while he watched Him.

Additionally, it seems clear John really wanted his little children to know and remember how he and others -- which is why he continually says "we" -- were actual eyewitnesses.

You see, Christianity is not a mere philosophy or invention. We aren't built upon a dream someone had or a vision one prophet received. Instead, Christianity is built upon a real life, one who came and dwelt among us. John wanted to make it abundantly clear he had seen and looked upon this life.

5. John Said He “Touched” Jesus (v1)

As I said earlier, he had leaned on Jesus at the Last Supper. He had touched Jesus after His resurrection. He had broken bread with Christ. They would have hugged and kissed and high-fived all throughout Jesus' time on earth. John would've shaken Jesus to wake Him from His slumber during the storm. He would've tapped Jesus' shoulder to get His attention. Often, he'd touched Jesus.

This detail was necessary for John to mention, especially given the heresy circulating among the churches at that time. Some had begun to say Jesus hadn't come in the flesh.

John knew this was erroneous and a surefire way to miss the gospel. Jesus Christ came to redeem this broken physical realm and usher in a brand new physical kingdom. Though not of this world, John knew Jesus' forever kingdom would be inhabited by real people with real bodies, Jesus among them.

John could not sit by and let the gospel come under attack by those who had no clue.

6. John Calls Jesus “the Word of Life” (v1)

This title might sound familiar to you on two levels. First, it reminds us of John's gospel, where he referred to Jesus as the Word -- or logos of God. And Jesus is indeed the eternal Son of God who, through His incarnation and substitutionary death, shows us the invisible God.

But Jesus is also the word of life in that He is the message about life, showing us the way to the Father. Paul had spoken of Jesus this way in places like Philippians 2:16, and John was likely doing the same.

You see, Jesus came to show us the way to true life. You can say you have God all day long. You can say you are spiritual all day long. You can say you feel close to God when (fill in the blank).

But if you have tried to find spirituality or holiness or deliverance or morality or joy without Jesus Christ and His message, you haven't gotten the real thing. During John's day, people walked around saying they had God, but since they had rejected the Son God had sent, they were walking around deceived.

Conversely, if you have believed Jesus to be the Son of God who came in human flesh, substituted Himself for the sin of the world, and rose from the dead, if you have trusted Him alone for the cleansing of sin, and as your pathway to God, then you have received the word of life.

Obviously, only God knows who has made a true profession and who hasn't, but true believers have the life Jesus claims He brought. It is through Him we can enjoy God, which we will talk about in a moment.

7. John Tells Us Jesus Was “With the Father” (v2)

This points us to the pre-incarnational (before He came to earth) location of Jesus. He was not created. Ever.

God loves the world and the people in it, but many of the belief systems of the world have gotten His Son wrong. He is not merely a highly ranked prophet. He is not merely one of many manifestations of God to the world. He is not a stumbling block that brings people into error. He was not created by God, the spirit brother of Satan. He is not a created, angelic being, a manifestation of Michael the archangel, who is inferior to God the Father. He is not an example of one who attained "Christhood" like we all can.

He is not merely a good teacher or prophet or a mere miracle worker. He is not a pre-Gandhi Gandhi. He is God, and that is why He has been in existence from eternity past. There has never been a moment when Jesus has not existed.

Jesus Himself attested to this. He said, "Before Abraham was, I AM" (John 8:58), which was a way for Him to speak of His preexistence, but also to take a title clearly reserved for God (Exodus 3:14). He spoke of Himself as being one with the Father, which everyone knew equated Him with the Father. He claimed to be equal to God the Father (John 5:18). He said, "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30).

John knew and heard these things, which is why he wrote, speaking of Jesus:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1).

"All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made." (John 1:3).

The Real Jesus

Like a loving dad, John sat down with the church and told them of the real Jesus. Jesus said, "I am the True Vine" (John 15:1). John knew Him, and this new group of thinkers did not.

For John, it was simple. He wanted everyone to know the real Jesus, even those who got Jesus wrong. He wanted to proclaim the true Jesus.

Don't allow yourself to be persuaded to abandon to real Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In our age, everything will come against such a confession. You will be told you are unscientific, but the Bible makes ample room for science if one is willing to think about it.

You will be told miracles aren't possible, but this is merely a presupposition one makes when they do not believe in God.

You will be told to believe God's Son came to earth - let alone believing in God - is nothing but superstition. But it is obvious every single thing we observe in nature had a cause, so it makes abundant sense there is a "Causer" who was without cause, a perfect and powerful and good being, for He has always been.

You will be told Jesus was merely a teacher or prophet or all-around good guy who was so awesome that His followers made up a whole story so they could build a religion around Him. But these "followers" suffered and died for their confession. Hardly a desirable outcome and not one you would hold onto a myth for.

No, John saw the real Jesus, wanted his followers to know Him, and wants you to know Him as well. He proclaimed the true Jesus.

But John had another goal. He wanted to promote true fellowship, and we will study that next week.