The New Under Ground Church-THE TRUTH MUST BE TOLD: John’s First Letter

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

John’s First Letter

Posted on January 27, 2015 by nhiemstra

In John’s first letter to the churches, he explained the reason he sent it:

The Word of life existed from the beginning. We have heard it. We have seen it. We observed and touched it (I John 1:1)

Now the first time I read that, I read it again in the Living Bible, where Ken Taylor rendered it as, “Christ was alive when the world began . . .” I scratched my head and said, “Hey, I read that before!”
Then I turned to Genesis 1:1, where it says,

“In the beginning Elohim created heaven and earth.”

Then, in the first chapter of John’s Gospel it says,

“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was already with God in the beginning. Everything came into existence through him. Not one thing that exists was made without him. He was the source of life, and that life was the light for humanity (John 1:1-4).

Now wait a minute! We read told that the “Word of Life” existed from the beginning. Then we read that “Elohim” created it all? To top it off, we read that “in the beginning” the “Word” not only existed, the “Word” was “with” God? Huh? Not only with him, the Word was God!
My head was beginning to spin when I read, “We have heard it. We have seen it. We observed and touched it” (I John 1:1). What? This Word of Life, Elohim, who existed from the very beginning, was seen and heard and touched?
No wonder John was proclaiming the reality of the Word that gives life! In Greek, the word used is logos, which seems to suggest that Jesus is God’s communication with humanity! Jesus is the Word; He is Elohim!
John confirmed all this when he wrote “He [Jesus] was the source of life, and that life was the light for humanity (John 1:4). Even Jesus confirmed this: ” “I am the one who brings people back to life, and I am life itself. Those who believe in me will live even if they die” (John 11:25) ““I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one goes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6].
John continued in his letter:

This life was revealed to us. We have seen it, and we testify about it. We are reporting to you about this eternal life that was in the presence of the Father and was revealed to us (I John 1:2)

The wondrous part of this is knowing that John was proclaiming something we had personally experienced. He had seen Jesus, walked with him, talked to him, slapped him “high-fives” and gave him hugs! I know I can trust what he is telling me because he wasn’t teaching me something he had heard about or read about in a book. We need to be able to do this. We need to be able to speak and testify to what our Lord has done in our life, the things we have experienced.
All of the events and experiences the Lord has worked in my life has always been my inner strength. I can never deny what I have seen and what I have experienced. I can testify to the day, the date, the time and events surrounding the story of my Salvation because it was so significant and real for me. I experienced the moment the Life of Christ was infused into my inner being. It was so real and personal; I can never deny it occurred!
John continued:

Again I say, we are telling you about what we ourselves have actually seen and heard, so that you may share the fellowship and the joys we have with the Father and with Jesus Christ his son (I John 1:3)

That my friends, is where our confidence can come from!

And if you do as I say in this letter, then you, too, will be full of joy, and so will we! (I John 1:4)

Oh, that is what I want to be: Full of Joy!
How about you? Are you satisfied we where you are in your life? If not, then spend more time reading and meditating on the Words of Life, and allow the Holy Spirit to work those Words deep down into your inner being.
Nickolas

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With these Morning Messages, I take you on guided tours to, as Bunyan described, the Celestial City. At times we linger at corners familiar and unseen. And explore the depths of our faith along the way.

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