Manifestation and Declaration of the Word of Life, 1 Jn 1:1-4
John’s First Epistle General is a declaration of that which he saw and heard when Jesus, the Word of life, was on earth. He begins his epistle in similar fashion to his gospel, writing of that which was from the beginning, 1 Jn 1:1, Jn 1:1. This is Jesus Christ, the Word of God, who was made flesh and dwelt among us, Jn 1:14. Through his life, he manifested the eternal life of the Father to them.
John wrote that “we” (he and the other apostles) have heard, have seen with our eyes, have looked upon, and our hands have handled the Word. They were able to do this because the Word became flesh. They were intimately familiar with him, having spent three and a half years with him during his earthly ministry.
In the same way that they heard, saw, looked upon, and handled him, we should hear, see, look upon, and handle the words of God written in the Bible. In this epistle, John bears witness to, shews, and declares to us the life that was manifested to them. Through these words, we can have fellowship with those who saw him and with the Father and the Son. John equates our fellowship with him through these words with the fellowship he and the other disciples had with him when he was here in the flesh.
John wrote these words that “your joy may be full”. Jesus spoke God’s words to them in Jn 15:11 so that their joy may be full. And John wrote these words that our joy may be full. Of course, they won’t bring you joy sitting on your shelf. You must see them, hear them, and handle them to have the joy of them.
Message of the Word of life – 1 Jn 1:5
The message that they heard and declare unto us is “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all”. See Is 60:19. When Jesus came to the earth, since Jesus is God manifest in the flesh, John the Baptist bore witness to the Light, that Jesus was the true Light, Jn 1:4-9. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world”, Jn 8:12.
Fellowship with the Word of life – 1 Jn 1:6-10
Just as Jesus, the Word of God, is light, so, the words of God are light, Ps 119:105, 130. Thus, when we trust Jesus to save us by believing him and the written words of life, we are light in the Lord, Eph 5:8. However, we must walk in the light, as he is in the light, v.7, to have the fellowship with him and one another. This is the fellowship John wrote about in v.3. Therefore, we are not to have “fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness”, Eph 5:11.
John gave five conditions, in these verses, for having fellowship with the word of life.
- If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. This is obvious when you remember that “in him is no darkness at all”. When men love darkness rather than light, their deeds are evil, Jn 3:19. They won’t walk in the light; they hate it, Jn 3:20, no matter what they may profess. Furthermore, if you’re not walking in the light of the words, you’re not having fellowship with him. You’re walking in darkness.
- If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. To have fellowship with the Lord and with those who are in fellowship with him, we must walk in the light. You do this by hearing, reading, and obeying his words. They are light, Ps 119. If you don’t, you “do not the truth”, v.6. Because we are not sinless, the word of life shows you your sin, when you walk in the light, and the blood of Jesus will cleanse your sin, to keep you in fellowship with the Lord.
- If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. There are some who say “we have no sin”. In fact, they do have sin. The trouble is that the truth is not in them. Since the truth is in the words of God, and the words of God are light, they are not in “fellowship with him”, because they “walk in darkness”. If you’re in the light, you will see your sin. This is something that the Pharisees could not do.
- If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. To confess our sins is to agree with God about what he calls sin in our life, to acknowledge the sin or sins we commit. When we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins because “he is the propitiation for our sins”, 1 Jn 2:2.
Also, when we confess our sins, we are to forsake our sins, Prov 28:13. The objective in confession is two-fold. First, “that ye sin not”. God doesn’t want us to continue to commit the same sins over and over again. He wants us to quit the sin, 1 Jn 2:1. The second objective is “to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. When we confess, God cleanses us. Being cleansed from sin is obviously connected with our fellowship with him, v.7.
- If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. When his word shows you that you have sinned and what the sin is that you have committed, you’re calling him a liar if you say that you haven’t sinned. You have to call sin what sin is and deal with it as sin to continue to walk in the light, as he is in the light, v.7.
Conclusion
The word of life is Jesus. Just as the apostles saw him, so he will reveal himself to you in his words. He desires to have fellowship with you and for you to have fellowship with him. But you must walk in the light to do this. Sin is the main impediment to walking in the light. It will keep you in darkness and out of fellowship with him. So, confess it and let him cleanse you with his blood.
To study the next lesson, see Keep His Commandments.