FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD - 1 JOHN 1:3

Verse 3: What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.

John begins by his repetition of what we have seen and heard from the first two verses. These two evidences are repeated to emphasize not only what John saw and heard in his past association with Jesus Christ, but that the images and words from the Savior continue to resonate in him and are applicable for him and for all who have expressed faith in Jesus Christ. The Greek tense of seen and heard, illustrates that John continued to contemplate the present results of these past acts.1

John’s proclamation about the Divine nature of Jesus Christ is designed to enlighten all believers so that they have a solid foundation for their life of faith. And by doing this, believers may be able to enjoy a unique relationship with the Father and Jesus Christ.

Fellowship

There are two aspects of the believers’ relationship with God. The first is eternal life, acquired freely by faith alone in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). This relationship is eternal and can never be broken, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit “for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30) and nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God” (Romans 8:38-39).

The second aspect is fellowship with God, the Father and His Son—one of the main themes of this epistle. John is not contemplating fellowship with other believers at this point in his epistle.

It is important to understand that eternal life is the prerequisite for fellowship with God. It is impossible for a person to have fellowship with the God of the universe without having believed in Jesus Christ for salvation (Hebrews 11:6). The notion that a person only needs to believe that there is a ‘higher power’ and that doing ‘good deeds’ to outweigh their ‘bad deeds’ will obtain the approval of God is the heresy of modern day religions. Christianity is not a religion—it is a relationship with God, who has provided the means for salvation and eternal life through the finished work of Jesus Christ. He paid for all the sins of mankind when He “bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24; cf. 1 John 2:2).

This word fellowship means “an association involving close mutual relations and involvement.”2 Our fellowship with God is much greater than sitting around and singing hymns or walking about pseudo-piously with eyes looking up to heaven. It is intended to be a solemn and intimate relationship that involves our participation and partaking of commonly shared interests and as imitators of God’s characteristics—specifically His righteousness (Ephesians 5:1). However fellowship with God is transitory, since it can be disrupted by our unrighteousness—personal sin. John will address this later in the chapter.

The teaching of fellowship with God is not exclusively a doctrine of John’s. The Apostle Paul defines this doctrine extensively in 1 Corinthians 1:4-9. Primarily, that God called us intentionally to have fellowship with Jesus Christ: “through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son” (1 Corinthians 1:9). It is instructive to note Paul’s analysis in this passage of God’s anticipated design for our fellowship:

·        Verse 4: The entrance is based on His grace, His undeserved favor given to us in Christ Jesus, referring to our salvation by grace (Ephesians 2:8);

·        Verse 5: He enriched (richly supplied) us in all speech and all knowledge, concerning doctrinal truth (2 Timothy 3:16-17), enabling us to share intelligently His truth (the gospel, His doctrines) with others;

·        Verse 7: We are not lacking in any spiritual gift (1 Corinthians 12:4-11), empowering us for His work (cf. 2 Corinthians 13:14);

·        Verse 8: He confirms (guarantees) that we are to be present at Christ’s return (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

 Why does God accomplish all of this for us? Because Paul says in verse 9: He is faithful. He further notes that He is always faithful in spite of our faithlessness.

If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. (2 Timothy 2:13; cf. Lamentations 3:22-23)

Fellowship is Sharing

As previously mentioned, the Greek word for fellowship denotes to partake in commonly shared interests; our fellowship with Christ is also represented by our sharing in His body and blood at the communion table (1 Corinthians 10:16-17). Paul made this clear when he wrote:

Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? (1 Corinthians 10:16)

We have fellowship with our Savior when we obey His command to commemorate His suffering and death that He endured in our place (Luke 22:19; cf. 1 Corinthians 11:24-25). Professor Hauck noted that “those who partake of the Lord’s Supper are Christ’s companions...expressive of an inner union.”3 For Paul contends that the opposite of this is “to become sharers in demons” (1 Corinthians 10:20). Adding that:

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. (1 Corinthians 10:21)

Elsewhere, Paul advises that a believers’ binding relationships with unbelievers presents a blatant conflict with the characteristics of their ideal fellowship with God. We are to comply with his command:    

Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14)

Notice Paul’s distinction of light and darkness that resonates with John’s passage we are presently examining.

Looking Ahead

What will be discussed later in this chapter is that the objective of the mature believer’s fellowship with God is to “walk in the Light” (1 John 1:7). The Apostle Paul explains what this means when he conversely commands that we “Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them” (Ephesians 5:11).  Dr. C.I. Scofield sums this up:

To walk in the light is to live in fellowship with the Father and the Son. Sin interrupts, but confession restores that fellowship. Immediate confession keeps the fellowship unbroken.4

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[1] That is the force of the Greek perfect tense. Dana, H.E. & Mantey, Julius R. (1957). A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament, Toronto, Ontario: Macmillan Co., p.203.

[2] Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains. New York: United Bible Societies, 1.445.

[3] Hauck, F. (1964–). κοινωνία. In Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich, Eds.). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 3.805.

[4] Scofield, C. I., ed. (1917). The Scofield Reference Bible: The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments. New York; London; Toronto; Melbourne; Bombay: Oxford University Press, p. 1321 note.

 

© 2024 David M. Rossi

 

THE REVEALED WORD OF LIFE - 1 JOHN 1:2

Verse 2: And the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us—

 

The Word of Life, as stated in verse 1, is now defined further by John. The life refers to Jesus, Who has been “described as eternal life even before his incarnation,”1 and was revealed to the world by His physical appearance. In his gospel, John declared that He came so that those who would believe in Him “may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). This life He offers is an eternal existence with the Godhead.

This particular Greek word for life is used 135 times in the New Testament. Nearly half of these instances are in John’s writings (66 times)2, where he emphasizes the reality of Jesus Christ and the importance for everyone to secure eternal life—“that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31).

The ‘life’ principle as we now know it on earth is not of the same essence as eternal life, it is an intermediary or transitory life. The existence that most people consider as normal life is in fact a human construct, most often understood apart from their Creator, the God of the universe. Little do they consider that it began for every member of the human race when the Creator breathed life into each individual at birth (Genesis 2:7; cf. Acts 17:25), and it ends at death. But death is not meant to be a meaningless end in a cold grave. For some who have failed to believe in Jesus Christ, there is judgment (Hebrews 9:27; cf. 2 Corinthians 5:10), an eternity separated from God and tormented forever (Luke 13:28; cf. Luke 16:28). But for those who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, Our Lord declared:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” (John 5:24; cf. John 10:28)

Note carefully: once a person believes, he continuously has eternal life. And this is the abundant life promised by Our Lord. W.E. Vine indicated that the Greek word for ‘abundant’ primarily means “what is above and over, superadded, hence came to denote ‘what is superior and advantageous.’”3 Now ask yourself, what could be more advantageous: eternal life with God or eternal judgement?

More Evidence

Next, John reiterates the evidence of verse 1, “what we have seen,” and now adds two more evidences. First, we “testify.” John is reaffirming the validity of his witness and confirming that he was present during the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, just as he did at the end of his gospel account.

This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true. (John 21:24)

For those who were alive at the time that John lived and witnessed the events surrounding Our Lord, they would have had no problem accepting the authenticity of his testimony. Otherwise, John’s divinely inspired writings would not have been preserved to this day.

Second, we “proclaim.” John declares that he continuously provides, verbally, the truth concerning the eternal life—personified as Jesus Christ, the Word of Life. This calls to mind the incident recorded in Acts 4, where Peter and John were commanded by the Jewish Council “not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:18). The reply that Peter and John gave at that time is what John is reaffirming here: “For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). Even though we were not actually present during Our Lord’s earthly ministry, do we have the same aspiration to unfailingly proclaim the gospel of salvation with our whole being to others about us?

The Eternal One

John persistently4 testifies and proclaims that Jesus Christ, the personification of eternal life, “was with the Father.” The Greek word ‘was’ is of great significance, for this verb implies a continuous ongoing status in the past.5 This expresses the theological truth that Jesus Christ existed in eternity with the Father prior to His incarnation. Otherwise known as the Doctrine of the Trinity, a term that articulates the triune Godhead: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit—one God in three persons. Thus it is aptly explained that “in all three persons of the Godhead resides the same essential divine nature, the same majesty, the same eternal glory.”6

Not only does John assert clearly that Jesus Christ exists in eternity with God the Father but that He “was manifested to us.” The Holy Spirit saw fit to inspire John to use this verb ‘manifested’ twice in this verse. In both instances the tense of the Greek “states the fact of the action.”7 And W.E. Vine explains exactly what this implies, “that to be manifested is to be revealed in one’s true character.”8 When we consider all the evidences John has provided, it is incomprehensible to deny the true nature of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul attested to this when he wrote: For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form. (Colossians 2:9)

Also the writer of Hebrews affirms this:

And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Hebrews 1:3)

 Primarily, Scripture states that Jesus Christ is absolute deity with the Father, and the empirical evidences—having been seen, heard and touched—conclusively attests to His true humanity.

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[1] Beetham, Christopher A. (Ed.) (2021). The Concise New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, p. 351.

[2] His gospel (36), 1 John (13) and Revelation (17).

[3] Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). In Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 2.15.

[4] This is the force of the Greek present tense. Dana, H.E. & Mantey, Julius R. (1957). A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament, Toronto, Ontario: Macmillan Co., p. 182.

[5] Wallace, D. B. (1996) Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the Greek New Testament, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, p. 548.

[6] Thieme, R.B., Jr. (2022). Thieme’s Bible Doctrine Dictionary, Houston, TX: R.B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries, p. 273.

[7] Dana, H.E. & Mantey, Julius R. (1957). A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament, Toronto, Ontario: Macmillan Co., p.193.

[8] Vine, 2.32.

 

 

© 2024 David M. Rossi

 

FROM THE BEGINNING - 1 JOHN 1:1

Verse 1: What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life—

John’s use of the phrase from the beginning is conspicuously a reference to the opening phrase of his gospel account: “In the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1). The prepositions he uses—in and from—are immensely distinct. In the beginning (John 1:1) refers back into eternity, before Jesus Christ came in the flesh. John is affirming that Jesus Christ is the Word and that He existed eternally before creation in unity with the Godhead as 100% Deity. In our passage, from the beginning refers to an initial point of time—the Incarnation. This is when Jesus Christ took on humanity becoming the unique person of the universe—the God-Man. And the word was emphasizes the fact that He always existed prior to His Incarnation.

“What” is a neuter noun inferring to the detailed evidences “concerning the Word of Life,” Jesus Christ, rather than about Him personally. John proceeds to enumerate and substantiate his empirical testimony of the reality of Jesus Christ in the flesh, each of these evidences are introduced by the word “what”—heard, seen, looked and touched.

But before looking at these evidences, it is necessary to understand that there are various assumptions of who exactly is John referring to by the word “we.” The Greek scholar Daniel Wallace indicates that:

In many situations in the NT, especially in the epistles, the use of we is not always clear. Does the author mean to include his associates (or co-authors), or his audience, or is this simply an editorial way of referring to himself?1

Considering the time of John’s writing—the late 1^st Century A.D.—he may not have been referring exclusively to himself. Instead it may be assumed that he was referring to his fellow apostles and to members of the audience to whom he is writing.

By most accounts, John was the last living of the 12 apostles, so he may be referencing their combined testimony of the evidences of Jesus the Messiah. But he may also be including those who were alive during Christ’s life that heard, saw, looked and touched the Word of Life. This is not an improbable idea, for the Apostle Paul mentioned just 30 years prior that after the Lord’s resurrection, He appeared not only to the Apostles:

After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:6)

So it stands to reason that if John is still alive 60 years after the Lord’s resurrection that many of the five hundred which Paul mentioned could still be living at the time of his writing. These are John’s unimpeachable witnesses to the following evidences he provides of the authenticity of Jesus Christ.

The Evidences

From the beginning of the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, John enumerates four evidences of this unique Person of the universe as attested by many.

First, “what we have heard.” The gospel accounts record numerous instances of Our Lord’s teachings that were heard by the Apostles, disciples and the multitudes—the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-9); the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24-25) and the 30 parables He taught. John noted 7 “I Am” statements of who Jesus claimed to be: the Bread of Life (John 6:35); the Light of the World (John 8:12); the Door of the Sheep (John 10:7); the Good Shepherd (John 10:11); the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25); the Way, the Truth, the Life (John 14:6); the True Vine (John 15:1).

Second, “what we have seen with our eyes.” Not just the seeing of Him personally, but His miraculous acts of healing and forgiveness, 35 of which are disclosed in the 4 gospel accounts. These were the evidences of His Divine Personage—being the unique Son of God.

Of these first two evidences, Peter and John early in their ministry declared to the Sanhedrin that “we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20).

Third, “what we have looked at.” In John 1:14 he exclaimed that “we saw2 (looked at, beheld) His glory.” This most definitely refers to “His glory” revealed at the Transfiguration, recorded in Luke 9:28-36; Mark 9:2-13. Peter, James and John saw “His glory” along with Moses and Elijah. And they heard the voice of God the Father claiming “This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!” (Luke 9:35). This is alluding to the Shekinah glory—the Lord presence in Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 8:10-11). This glory now indwells every believer in the Body of Jesus Christ (John 17:22; cf. 2 Corinthians 5:18).

Fourth, “what we...touched with our hands.” This Greek word for 'touch' is used only 4 times in the New Testament. But in this instance, John is recollecting the post-resurrection appearance of Our Lord recorded in Luke 24:36-43. The Apostles had been startled by His sudden presence “in their midst.” They thought they were seeing a spirit, but Our Lord encouraged them to “touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones.”

Concerning the Word of Life

John mentions these evidences to authenticate the reality of Jesus Christ as the Incarnate Son of God. Who as the unique person of the universe, John correctly characterizes as the Word of Life.

The Greek for ‘word’ is logos, meaning the content or reasoning behind a word, spoken or written. When used in the phrase word of God, it implies the Divine thoughts, wisdom and declarations of God revealed to mankind throughout the Scriptures.

The phrase word of God (Luke 8:21; Acts 4:31, 6:2, 7; 8:14) is often exchanged for simply the word (Luke 8:15; Acts 4:29, 6:4, 8:4) and therefore it is obviously implying Divine thought, truth and wisdom of God. So, when John declares that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Word (John 1:1), he is concluding that He is the embodiment of the Divine thought, truth and wisdom. And specifically in our passage, when John characterizes Him as the Word of Life he is further equating Him as the mediator of the Father’s divine plan of salvation for all mankind (1 Timothy 2:5)—the manifestation of “Eternal Life, which was with the Father” (1 John 1:2; cf. John 17:3).

 A Closing Thought

This life which is eternal “denotes salvation and deliverance, based on Christ’s atonement.”3 If the reader has not secured this life which Christ provided, you can obtain it for yourself today. The Apostle Paul emphasized: “Behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2b). You only need to “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

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[1] Wallace, D. B. (1996). Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics—Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament. Zondervan Publishing House and Galaxie Software, p. 393.

[2] The same Greek word used by John in this passage.

[3] Ryrie, C. C. (1995). Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 update (Expanded ed.). Chicago: Moody Press, p. 1679 note.

 

© 2024 David M. Rossi

 

1 JOHN: AN INTRODUCTION

John, the Apostle of Jesus Christ, was the son of Zebedee, a Galilean fisherman (Matthew 4:21; Luke 5:10; John 21:2). His mother was Salome, sister of Mary, Jesus’ mother. This can be verified by comparing the women who attended Our Lord’s crucifixion and those who were present at the empty tomb and mentioning her as “His mother’s sister” in John 19:25. As the chart below indicates:

He was the brother of the Apostle James, who suffered martyrdom, c.42 A.D. by the hand of Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:2). The Lord Jesus gave John and James the name “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17).

The Apostle John, the self-proclaimed “beloved” apostle (John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20) is the writer of this epistle. He is not identified as the author, but the similarity of vocabulary and writing style in the Gospel of John is evidence that he is the writer of the this and 2 shorter epistles along with the last book of the New Testament, the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

Following the resurrection of Jesus Christ, John's activity in the book of Acts is featured for only a short time. He is last mentioned having been sent to Samaria with Peter to minister to new believers (Acts 8:14f). There is very little in history to explain what John’s later ministry entailed. The only other mention of him in the New Testament is by Paul when he and James and Peter gave Paul the “right hand of fellowship” at the beginning of Paul’s ministry (Galatians 2:9).

It is believed that John relocated to Ephesus sometime after 63 A.D. and after the martyrdom of Peter and Paul in order to “take charge of the orphan churches, exposed to serious dangers and trials.”1 This undoubtedly refers to the Gnostic heresy that the Apostle Paul forewarned in his address to the elders of Ephesus in Acts 20:17-38; cf. 1 Timothy 1:3-7.

The church historian, Philip Schaff, states that “according to the unanimous testimony of antiquity, he lived till the reign of Trajan, i.e., till after 98 [A.D.], he must have attained an age of over ninety years.”2

Date of Writing

John wrote his gospel account and epistles near the end of the 1^st Century around 90 A.D. Irenӕus, bishop of Lyon c.180 A.D. stated that John wrote his Gospel and letters at Ephesus and Revelation at Pátmos and that he died in Ephesus.3 His writings were the final definitive statement of the truth of Jesus Christ pertaining to His life, death, resurrection and second coming, with the intention of presenting a defense against the apostasy of Gnosticism. J.B. Lightfoot determined that this apostasy “in its manifold and monstrous developments will disturb the peace of the Church for two centuries to come.”4

John’s animosity towards the Gnostic heresy and its advocate, Cerinthus, was documented by the 2^nd Century church father, Irenӕus (c.130–c.202 A.D.), relating an incident “from the lips of Polycarp”5 a disciple of John’s:

There are also those who heard from him [Polycarp] that John, the disciple of the Lord, going to bathe at Ephesus, and perceiving Cerinthus within, rushed out of the bath-house without bathing, exclaiming, “Let us fly, lest even the bath-house fall down, because Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within.”6

Irenӕus further stated that John sought “by the proclamation of the Gospel, to remove that error which by Cerinthus had been disseminated among men.”7

Purpose For Writing

John has a three-fold purpose for writing this epistle: (1) to expose the false teachers who were attempting to deceive his readers, 2:26; 3:7; (2) to promote fellowship with the Godhead, 1:3 and with fellow believers, 1:5; (3) to provide believers the assurance of eternal life, 1:2; 2:25; 4:9; 5:11, 13, 20.

Schaff characterized 1 John as “a postscript” to the fourth Gospel “or a practical application of the lessons of the life of Christ...and earnestly warning them against the Gnostic ‘antichrists.’ already existing or to come.”8 He maintained that only John “could complete the work of Paul and Peter” for the unity of the Church and to secure for it “self-preservation against persecution from without and heresy and corruption from within.”9

Concerning Judaism and Gnosticism

Paul had fought off the infiltration of Judaism in early Christianity dispelling their attempts to regulate what meats to eat and what to drink or which festival, new moon or Sabbath day to observe (Colossians 2:16). And concerning the initiatory rite of circumcision—that had actually been settled in Acts 15—he contrasted this by recommending spiritual circumcision.10 (Colossians 2:11). John is not confronted with this issue, according to Schaff, because he resolved the problem of Judaism “with one sentence: For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).11 

With this, John becomes the defender of truth in combating the false teachings of Gnosticism. This heresy “implies the possession of a superior wisdom, which is hidden from others. It makes a distinction between the select few who have this higher gift, and the vulgar many who are without it.”12 The Gnostics believed in a blend of Eastern mysticism and Greek dualism, which claimed that the spirit is completely good but matter is completely evil, thus attacking the incarnation and humanity of Jesus Christ. John counters this in the prologue—the opening four verses of 1 John. And throughout his epistle, he provides substantial evidences of the Person and Work of Jesus Christ so that the believer can know Him and maintain fellowship with Him in their moment-by-moment walk of faith.

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[1] Schaff, Philip (2006) History of the Christian Church. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1.425.

[2] Schaff, 1.414

[3] https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-John-the-Apostle [Retrieved January 17, 2024]

[4] Lightfoot, Joseph B. (1999). St. Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, p.42

[5] Schaff, 1.430.

[6] Irenӕus, Against Heresies, 3.3.4. https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103303.htm [Retrieved January 19, 2024]

[7] Irenӕus, Against Heresies, 3.11.1. https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103311.htm [Retrieved January 19, 2024]

[8] Schaff, 1.748.

[9] Schaff, 1.425-426

[10] Lightfoot, Joseph B. (1999). St. Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, p.73.

[11] Schaff, 1.549

[12] Lightfoot, Colossians, p.77.

 © 2024 David M. Rossi