notes

Main point summary

We have witnessed God incarnate, studied Him, touched him, now we proclaim Him to you so that you may be in relationship with us and Him therefore we write so that when you hear and believe in Him our hearts will be overflowed with joy.

Arc

editing

NT

1 John 1:1-4

esv

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,

progression

concerning the word of life—

ideaexplanation

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—

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.

actionpurpose

And we are writing these things

so k that our 1 joy may be complete.

series

discourse

Article

The Desire for Relationship Everyone on earth wants to love and to be truly loved back. People want to be apart of something bigger than themselves. The world loves comfort and close connection. Sometimes we find it in a spouse, group of friends, or our family. William Irwin said "Humans naturally desire to be loved by others. We also desire to be lovely. We do not just want others to love us, but rather we want to have earned that love." Also, the world praises faithfulness, truthfulness, love, forgiveness, consistency, and mercy. We expect these qualities with our spouses, friends, and family. But here lies the problem....... Humans fail in every single category. Our friends will fail us. Our family will fail us. Our spouse will fail us. We will fall into failure against someone. As a result, relationships fall apart. Some stay intact. Some break apart for a long time. Q: Who can be perfect in these categories for me in a relationship? A: No one. But humans also die. Our relationships are gone. Only memories remain. You no longer have your spouse, group of friends, or family on earth. That fellowship is temporary. And in a world without God, you have nothing . Q: So why even develop relationships with anyone and end in heartbreak? Q: Is there anyone worthy to have a relationship with? Q: Can anything last forever in perfect harmony? The Call for Fellowship from God The world can look to all things which are in the world to grip on to, but they will pass away. Surely, Jesus is worthy of having a relationship with. Even the apostle John thought the same way and wrote so that people may know they have a relationship with God (1 John 1:3; 5:13). But everyone in the world wonders, Who is this Jesus? John answers the world's question in the text. Explanation of the first phrase given in 1 John 1:1 The first characteristic mentioned about Jesus Christ is mentioned at the beginning of verse 1. John starts with "That which was from the beginning,". If you read the text fast, then you might be confused with the pronouns. You might be perplexed by what John is writing to you. You may ask, "What is "which"? Who is "we"? I will deal with the "which" in 1 John 1:1. This word used is a neuter singular relative pronoun. This word is serving the purpose of giving us information about a noun (person, place, or thing). So who is John talking about? Who is "that which"? I could say if you keep reading the mystery is solved in verse 3. Jesus is "that which". John commonly used the neuter for the masculine gender (John 3:5; 1 John 5:4-5). "That which" is the Eternal God incarnate. Jesus is the he who "was from the beginning". I would take the phrase "from the beginning" to mean say the way, John used it in John 1:1. John was declaring Jesus as the One who has no beginning nor end. Jesus is eternal. Q: What else can we know about Him from 1 John? *Jesus is the Son of God (1 John 1:3). *The Son of God came down as a man whom John and others have "heard", "seen", "looked upon (studied)", and "touched" (1 John 1:1). * Jesus Son of God also in perfect fellowship with the Father; Jesus who is God is also distinct in relation with the Father who is also God (Trinity) (1 John 1:2,3) *Jesus is the Word of life (1 John 1:1) * Jesus is the eternal life (1 John 1:2) * Jesus is the life; owner of life; sustainer of life (1 John 1:2) * Jesus is the message John/apostles proclaim (1 John 1:2) * Jesus was made manifest to the apostles (1 John 1:2) * Jesus is personal/accessible. Able to have a relationship with (1 John 1:3) Other characteristics of Jesus are found in the same book but not in (1 John 1:1-4) * Jesus is light; no darkness (1 John 1:5) * Jesus cleanses people from all sin (1 John 1:7) * Jesus is faithful, just, and forgiving. (1 John 1:9) * Jesus is our advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1) * Jesus is righteous (1 John 2:1) * Jesus is the propitiation of our sins (1 John 2:2) * Jesus is the Christ (1 John 2:22) * Jesus the Son and Father are One (1 John 2:23) * Jesus has no sin (1 John 3:5) * Jesus is pure (1 John 3:3) * Jesus laid down His life for us (1 John 3:16) *Jesus is greater than our heart (1 John 3:20) * Jesus knows everything. (1 John 3:20) * Jesus is greater than the ruler of the world (1 John 4:4) * Jesus is love (1 John 4:7-12) * Jesus hears us ( 1 John 5:14) Q: Is there anyone worthy to have a relationship with? So as you can see from the testimony of John and other apostles who have seen Him, touched Him, studied Him, and now proclaim Him to us that Jesus is worthy to have a relationship with. Not only would you have Him, but you will also have a large family of believers to love and be loved by. Q: Can anything last forever in perfect harmony? All those who believe in Christ have eternal life. For all eternity, now and in the new heavens and new earth, we will forever know Him intimately. He will never end. Your family of believers will forever be in fellowship with you as well. No more tears. No more sorrow. No more pain. No more sin. The Call This is the relationship you need above all else. Christ alone. which will also result in a relationship with His body the church. This will satisfy the soul for all the days of your life. Everything on earth will pass away. You may ask, "Are you not from everlasting, O Lord, my God, my Holy One?" (Habakkuk 1:12) Jesus replies "Yes, I am!". The Triune God perfect intimate relationship with one another. No darkness. No immorality. Full of love and faithfulness that is unchanging and eternal. Go to Him for an eternal relationship. He calls you.