1 John 1:1-3
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of Life. The Life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you may also have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.
Devotion
The introduction to this letter is very similar to the introduction to John’s Gospel. Here, John goes out of his way to make that point that they heard the words of Christ, saw Him perform many miracles, and actually experienced a physical Jesus. Most likely John is writing to combat a gnostic heresy which denied the humanity of Christ. John wants his readers to know they encountered a physical Jesus who was as real as they were.
Like in his Gospel, John uses imagery to convey the Christmas story. In his Gospel, John writes, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” In this letter he declares, “The Life appeared…” John is testifying to the fact that Jesus is the One who existed from eternity. He also testifies that this Eternal One became a flesh and blood man. He was true God and true man.
In verse two Jesus is called “the life” because He is the living One who has life in Himself. He is also the source of life and sovereign over all life. As we seek to reclaim Christmas this year, it is important that we do not forget the identity of the sweet little baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. This Jesus whose birth we celebrate is the Lord of Glory. He is author and sustainer of all life as we know it.
We must not forget the significance of the One who was sent to reconcile us to God. It is so easy to be distracted by the holiday season and all that goes with it. Jesus was God’s love in human form. Jesus came to save us from our sins and restore us in a relationship with our heavenly Father. Jesus came down out of heaven that we could experience the fullness of God’s love. Now let’s proclaim the Good News of Jesus far and wide!
Questions to Ponder
What did John mean by, “That which was from the beginning…”? True fellowship with God is made possible because of what Jesus did for us. How is our fellowship with God and with each other connected to the person of Jesus? How was Jesus the fullest expression of God’s love exemplified?
Spend some time in prayer meditating on what God revealed to you today.