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1 John 1:1-4 ESV

NT

1 John 1:1-4

esv

1 John The Word of Life 1 1 a That which was b from the beginning, c which we have heard, d which we have seen with our eyes, e which we looked upon and f have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 g the life h was made manifest, and we have seen it, and i testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, a which was with the Father and h was made manifest to us— 3 c that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed j our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so k that our 1 joy may be complete.

1 John 1:1-4 NA28

1 John 1:1-4

na28

1 John 1 1 Ὃ ἦν ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς, ὃ ἀκηκόαμεν, ὃ ἑωράκαμεν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν, ὃ ἐθεασάμεθα καὶ αἱ χεῖρες ἡμῶν ἐψηλάφησαν περὶ τοῦ λόγου τῆς ζωῆς — 2 καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἐφανερώθη, καὶ ἑωράκαμεν καὶ μαρτυροῦμεν καὶ ἀπαγγέλλομεν ὑμῖν τὴν ζωὴν τὴν αἰώνιον ἥτις ἦν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα καὶ ἐφανερώθη ἡμῖν — 3 ὃ ἑωράκαμεν καὶ ἀκηκόαμεν, ἀπαγγέλλομεν καὶ ὑμῖν, ἵνα καὶ ὑμεῖς κοινωνίαν ἔχητε μεθʼ ἡμῶν. καὶ ἡ κοινωνία δὲ ἡ ἡμετέρα μετὰ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ μετὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. 4 καὶ ταῦτα γράφομεν ἡμεῖς, ἵνα ἡ χαρὰ ἡμῶν ᾖ πεπληρωμένη.

Phrase

1 John 1:1-4

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—

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—

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.

And we are writing these things

so that our joy may be complete.

phrasing

Notes

The main theme: The gospel is about Christ which we proclaim in and outside of the church so that others may share in our joy. Three points: 1. The gospel is about an eternal Person and eternal life. 2. The proclamation is based on personal experience. 3. The proclamation of the gospel brings communion. Questions: What is meant with "from the beginning?" When was that? How do we "see, "look," and "touch" today? What is meant by "word of life?" How does "experience" relate to our concept of faith? Are we open to a real experience of Christ? How can we experience Christ today? Should we speak about it? The trinitarian nature of salvation is strongly emphasized in this text. Jesus was with the Father (2d) 3d is a fulfillment of Jesus' prayer in John 17. It speaks of the unity between the Father, the Son and the bride. The Holy Spirit is implied here. God's nature of self-revelation is also coming out in this text. The Father revealed himself through the Son in a special way (2e) The purpose of gospel proclamation is fellowship and joy (3c; 4) Assurance of salvation is a main theme of this letter. Assurance of salvation is based on the promises of God in Christ. But our assurance is also a personal knowledge of Christ. What is meant with joy? Is it merely an emotion or a deep trust? What is meant with fellowship? The communion of the saints? Is church and unity among believers implied? I think so. This is not just a shallow fellowship and joy. This is the church and the unity we experience through that. Salvation and church membership is not mutual exclusive. We are saved into the church. Covenant community may also be implied here.

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