THE WORD OF LIFE

Bible Study on 1 John 1:1-4

1 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–

2 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–

3 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.

4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

Presuppositions for Bible Study.

• As the Word of God to us, divinely authoritative for faith and conduct, making us wise for salvation, the written revelation from God, we are under the Scripture. Therefore we must be prepared to let Holy Scripture study us.
• As an ancient text we must understand its original context and purpose and discern how its teaching applies to our contemporary situation.
• We need to pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit so that we are open to what God is saying to us today.

Outline

If you were asked to define or describe the core teachings of Christianity where would you begin? Of course, the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed attempt to do that, but they were not formulated until late in the third century. How would you express your own beliefs? The First Letter of John attempts to present what he considered to be the core issues of apostolic Christianity in his day. We will do well to compare our beliefs with his. We can ask ourselves how closely do our lives and actions approximate to the norms he establishes.

The apostle John’s prologue is reminiscent of his Gospel. “That which was from the beginning…” “In the beginning”, which echoes the first words of Genesis, “In the beginning God…” Whereas the Gospel emphasizes the divinity of the Word, here John stresses the materiality of the Word of life. “Which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched.” Jesus was a full human being of flesh and blood. He was no mere spirit walking around in a human form, as the spiritualists were claiming. He was no spirit being, no angel, no psychic phenomenon, no astral projection, no paranormal guide or apparition. He is the eternal Word of life who was from the beginning who appeared to all who heard him while he was on earth. This eternal Word of life entered into human historical existence. Why is this so important?

Firstly, that at the beginning of all life is Jesus Christ – the personal God and Savior of the world. Unlike modern atheism which views the beginning of life as impersonal, cold determinism characterized by the survival of the fittest with no meaning and purpose, at the core of Christianity is the belief that a God of love, revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ, created us for a purpose, and came into real human space and time.

“When the pagan looks at the very core of the cosmos he is struck cold. Behind the gods, who are merely despotic, sit the fates, who are deadly. Nay, the fates are worse than deadly; they are dead.” (G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy, p.159)

Life has value, eternal value. We must never forget that or think that there is no significance to life. We are not just here to take up space and time while we await extinction. We are here for a reason.

Secondly, that God has come in the flesh that can be seen, heard and touched. God is not untouched by our fragility, our vulnerability, our weaknesses, our mortality, our finiteness, our limitations. World events may indicate that God is indifferent to human suffering and does not intervene to save us, which is the belief of the Deist. St. John tells us that the Word of life comes alongside us and stands with us in the challenges and suffering of life. Jesus, the Eternal Word of life and yet also the Son of Man, is tested and tempted as we are. He is subject to all the stresses and strains of mortal life. He is not separated from you, or superior to you. He is Immanuel, God with us.

Thirdly, that the aim and goal of this revelation is so that we may have fellowship with the Father and the Son and his people. We are meant to become part of a community of joy. We are to enjoy relationships with God and his people and become part of a community – the church of those who have experienced Jesus and become his followers. Human beings are not just individuals, but are social beings. Our identity is defined by our involvement in social institutions. Joy-filled Christian fellowship is at the heart of the Gospel of Christ. Christianity is relational. God is love and imparts his love to us in Jesus to share with one another.

What then is at the core of our belief? It is the uniqueness of Jesus Christ. He is God incarnate, the Word made flesh in our midst. He is central, not as a spirit being, but truly human and truly divine. There can be no Christianity without this understanding of Jesus Christ. No group which waters down their understanding of Christ or plays down his significance as uniquely one with the Father can claim to be Christian. He was at the beginning. He will be at our end. He is the Alpha and the Omega.

We are to have fellowship with him, with the Father, and with his people. That fellowship establishes relationships at the heart of Christianity. Our faith is meant to be experienced in community, not exercised in solitary loneliness. Joy is to be found in fellowship with one another. The church should be a place where we enjoy such fellowship, such love, such support and encouragement. Christianity is not just a head trip, a set of intellectual beliefs, but a community of loving souls seeking to serve one another. Christians do not seek to feather their own spiritual nests or seek to satisfy their own spiritual needs in isolation from others. We complete our joy in relationship with one another in Christ. Joy is the goal. Jesus said, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11).

Questions for discussion.

1. What do you think of this statement? “Christianity is a personal matter, not to be commended merely to others, but to be experienced in your own soul, and though you may confound your opponents by your arguments, you will never do any essential good and much less will you reap any saving benefit to your own soul, till you can say, ‘What mine eyes have seen, mine ears have heard, and mine hands have handled of the word of life, that same declare I unto you.’” (Charles Simeon, 1822)
2. John asserts the experience of the apostles as reliable eyewitnesses. Why did the other eyewitnesses not believe (Matt.13:14ff., John 9:39-41)?
3. There are many historians and theologians who do not believe in Jesus. Since we can’t see, hear, touch Jesus at first hand what is the basis of our faith? How can we experience Jesus at second hand today? See 1 John 3:24;4:13. “Apostolic witness has always to wait upon the life-giving breath of the Spirit. Historical knowledge can never itself become the condition of faith.” (Soren Kierkegaard) – Matt.16:17
4. How does this primary belief affect our relationship with non-Christians?
5. How do we engage in interfaith activities and at the same time maintain the centrality of Jesus for our faith without being offensive to non-Christians? They may maintain their distinctives as a matter of integrity and freedom of religion, but when we express ours, they are offended!
6. Why do people belong to the church but they do not believe that Jesus is God the Son come in the flesh?
7. What is the basis of Christian fellowship?
8. How joyful is your Christian fellowship?
9. What does it mean to see/touch/hear Jesus today? How do we have ongoing communion with Jesus today? How does Christ impact our lives?