◄ What Does 1 John 1:1 Mean? ►

It was John the apostle in his Gospel who penned the incomprehensible words: "In the beginning was the Word." John's thoughts must have travelled back into the distant past when God's first revelation of Himself announced, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth," and here at the start of his first epistle, John had not exhausted that weighty theme for he announced, "That which was from the beginning... I proclaim to you."

John was lifting up the incarnate Word of God, the Creator of the universe, the Son of God Who was one with the Father from eternity past. He was exalting Jesus, the incarnate Word Who Himself is God, through time and forever. He was proclaiming the Son of Man, Who was formed in the womb of a woman and Who was born in the person of the Jesus of Nazareth.

It was John who had listened to Christ's comforting words of grace and truth with his own ears. It was John who had witnessed His gracious acts of loving-kindness with his own eyes. It was John who had felt the warmth of Christ's breath on his face as Jesus breathed His spirit into His disciples, and it was John who rested his weary head on His Masters bosom on the night that He was betrayed.

John is an aging apostle who, throughout his epistle, still continues to make known to his little children the glorious truth about the eternal and sovereign character of the Word of Life.

This Jesus - Son of Man Who created the world and has the highest office in the universe, is the Man that John lived with for three wonderful years.

This Jesus - Son of God Who is equal in essence and character with every aspect of the Father, is the same Jesus that John heard with his ears, saw with his eyes, and handled with his body.

And so he wrote these words to encourage us: "What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete."

Heavenly Father, praise Your name for the Lord Jesus Christ Who is the Word of life. Thank You that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. How wonderful that John saw the Lord Jesus with his own eyes, lived with Him, and learned from Him. I am looking forward to that glorious day when I too will see Jesus, face to face. In Jesus' name, AMEN.