1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2: (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 3: That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4: And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

Introduction

The apostle John opens this letter not with a formal greeting or salutation. He did not follow the standard format of identifying the writer and the recipient by name. Instead he opens this letter with a beautiful reminder what he and the first-generation apostles have witnessed firsthand everything about Jesus Christ, the Word of life. Instead of opening with some salutation, John decided to begin by addressing major false teachings that were being propagated and becoming popular in his day. The first two verses are very significant but in order to appreciate these two verses, we must understand what John was opposing.

As I have pointed out last week, one of the reasons why John wrote this letter is to warn the believers against false teachers that are already in the church. He clearly states, in John 2:26 “These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce [or deceive] you.”

There are those in the church who are seeking to lead the believers astray and so John being a devoted pastor, warns fellow believers against these false teachers. But who were these false teachers? What were they teaching? When we understand what John was opposing, we will understand why he opens the way he opens this letter.

In John’s day there were individuals who thought they possessed some type of superior knowledge. They were known as the Gnostics and they promoted what is known as “Gnosticism.” The word Gnosticism comes from the Greek word “gnosis,” which means “knowledge.” Gnosticism is a philosophy attacking the very person and work of Jesus Christ. It can be summed up with two basic beliefs. First is the belief of the supremacy of knowledge. They believed in salvation by enlightenment into their special brand of knowledge. The Gnostics believe there was a mysterious or secret knowledge reserved for those with true understanding, leading to the salvation of the soul. Secondly, the Gnostics believe that all matters are intrinsically evil, and the spirit is good. And therefore, our bodies, flesh, and blood are evil in themselves.

There were various forms of Gnosticism, which John may have written to counteract. One form is Docetism. Docetists deny the true humanity of Jesus Christ but accepted His deity. The heresy that taught that Jesus only “appeared” or “seemed” to have a physical body. They believed Jesus was a spirit with no real physical substance who left no footprints when He walked.

The other form of Gnosticism is Cerinthianism. Cerinthians are followers of Cerinthus. Irenaeus, who was a disciple of Polycarp, who was a disciple of John wrote these words about  Cerinthus: “represented Jesus as having not been born of a virgin, but as being the son of Joseph and Mary ..., while he nevertheless was more righteous, prudent and wise than other men. Moreover, after his baptism, Christ descended upon him in the form of a dove from the Supreme Ruler... But at last Christ departed from Jesus, and that then Jesus suffered [died on the cross] and rose again ...”

Cerinthians believe that Jesus and Christ are two separate beings. They believe that the man Jesus and the Christ spirit were two completely distinct beings. They deny the supernatural birth of Jesus, making Him the son of Joseph and Mary, and distinguishing Him from Christ.

These were the heresies John may have written to warn the believers against. John is deeply concerned about this dangerous threat to the Gospel and so the apostle without wasting time gets to the point. He doesn’t even bother to say who he is, for his readers knows who he is, and he knows his readers. And so, instead of introducing his letter with a salutation, John opens with a bold and powerful setting forth of truth about Jesus Christ that were under attack. Here from the very beginning of his letter, John sets forth truths about Jesus that false teachers of his days have tried to deny, and even in our present-day false teachers are trying to deny.

I – The Divinity of Christ

The first truth that John sets forth is the Divinity of Christ.

1 John.1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;

John opens this letter with these words, “That which was from the beginning ...” The beginning of what? Is it the beginning of life? The beginning of creation? The beginning of time? The beginning of history?  The beginning of the church? The beginning of earthly life of Jesus? No, before all of those things. Actually, all the way back to eternity past. John here speaks of the Word of Life as One who was from the beginning.

This verse is very similar to the opening verses of John’s gospel where were read, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:1-4)

The Word of Life, the Word of God, was from the beginning. He is eternal. He had no beginning. He will have no ending. He was with God from the very beginning. He was not a created being. He is the Creator. All life comes from Him. All things were made by Him. Nothing exists without Him. All things that exist today, exist because of Him.

So, the opening statements both of John’s gospel and John’s letter clearly speak of the deity of Christ. At the very outset, John refutes the false teacher’s error and sets forth the Deity of Christ. In the face of all denials about Christ’s deity and eternality, John boldly and plainly proclaims that Jesus Christ was from the beginning and He existed with the Father from the beginning. Here is unchanging truth about Jesus the Word of Life. Jesus Christ is not just any other man. He is the eternal Son of God.

II – The Humanity of Christ

The second truth that John sets forth is the humanity of Christ—that Jesus Christ is man.

1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2: (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

These statements emphasize and affirm not only the deity of Christ but also the humanity of Christ. This refutes the false claims of the Gnostics that Jesus only “appeared” or “seemed” to have a physical body. It refutes the erroneous belief that Jesus was merely a phantom, that He seemed to be a man but was not really a man. It refutes the belief which denies the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

John boldly teaches that Jesus the eternal Son of God was not an apparition. The Word of life became flesh and dwelt among us. Now John does not use the term incarnation instead he uses the word “manifested” twice, which means became evident or became clear or revealed. The Word of Life was manifested; the eternal life was manifested (verses 1 and 2). John wants to be clear that God’s Son became a man.

Paul also speaks about this truth in ...

1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

John testifies that he and other apostles were eyewitnesses of the Word of life that was manifested in the flesh. Jesus was real person with a real human body. They heard Him, they saw Him, they studied Him, and they touched Him. They had a personal and intimate knowledge and contact with the Word of Life.

1. We heard Him

John along with the other apostle have heard the incarnate Son of God. They heard Jesus called them to follow Him. They heard Him teach the multitude. They heard him preached the Sermon on the Mount. They heard Him command the demons to flee. They heard Him command the storm to be still. They heard Him prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. They heard His sorrowful and dark cry, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me.”  They heard His triumphant words “It is finished!” They have heard the Word of life Who was from the beginning.

2. We Saw Him

Not only did they hear Word of Life, but they also saw Him with their own eyes.

1 John.1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2: (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 3: That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

Three times here he says we saw Him; we have seen Him. The apostles were eyewitnesses of the Incarnation. They saw Him heal the leper. They saw Him give sight to the blind. They saw Him made the lame to walk. They saw Him feed the five thousand. They saw Him walk on water. They saw Him calm the sea. They saw Him weep with Mary and Martha when Lazarus died. They saw Him raise Lazarus from the dead. They saw Him crucified on the cross. They saw Him after His resurrection. They saw Him ascended into Heaven. They have seen with their own eyes the Word of life Who was from the beginning.

3. We Looked Upon Him

Not only did they hear and see the Word of Life, but they also looked upon Him. They did not simply see Him at a distance, they got up close and personal. They watched Him. They beheld Him. They gazed upon Him. John and the other disciples have examined Christ carefully from His life to His teaching and not just for a while but for three years as He ministered in Galilee and in Judaea. They beheld the Word who became flesh and dwelt among them. They beheld the glory of the only begotten of the Father of the Word, who is full of grace and truth. They have looked upon the Word of life Who was from the beginning.

4. We Touched Him

Not only did they hear and see and looked upon the Word of Life, but they also touched Him! They touched the Word of Life Himself. In John 13:23, we find the apostle John leaning on Jesus’ bosom. John was there when our Lord appeared to the disciples and said, “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.” John was there when our Lord called the discouraged and disillusioned Thomas to touch His nail-scarred hands and feet and to put his hand and touch His spear-scarred side. They have handled with their hands the Word of life Who was from the beginning.

What is the apostle John’s point here? The apostle John’s point is that Jesus is not a ghost or a phantom. He just doesn’t have to “appeared” or “seemed” to have a physical body. No! Jesus Christ is real with a real body and He is alive. The Word of Life has become flesh. He has become a man. He has been manifested, appeared and they beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

III – The Divinity and Humanity of Christ

Jesus Christ was fully God and fully human. The false teachers in John’s day and even today deny the two natures of Jesus Christ. The Cerinthians deny that Jesus Christ is both God and Man. They speculated that the “Christ” descended upon the human Jesus at His baptism but left just before the crucifixion. But the Bible is clear that Jesus is both God and Man at the same time. Jesus is not human at times and Divine at other times nor is He half-God and half-man. No, He is 100% God and 100% man at the same time. He is both God and man. He has always been God, but He did not become a human being until He was conceived in Mary.

The Word Who was with God from the beginning, is the same Word Who became flesh, and dwelt among us. Jesus became a human being. This is not to say that Jesus ceased to be God when He took the human nature. This is what theologians call “hypostatic union of Christ”, which is the joining of the divine and the human in the one person of Jesus. Jesus and Christ are not two persons. He is one person. In His incarnation, while remaining God, Jesus took upon a new nature—a human nature. The incarnation was the uniting the divine and the human into one being, one person. Jesus Christ was fully God and fully human at the same time and for eternity.

Closing Thoughts

Why did John start the way he started his first epistle? Why did he open his first letter by setting forth the doctrine of the incarnation? It’s because the incarnation of Christ, that Jesus is both God and man, is at the heart of the Gospel.  For the apostle John, the confession of Jesus’ true humanity and bodily presence on earth was necessary gospel truth. John went so far as to insist that to deny Jesus’ true humanity was anti-Christ.

1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2: Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

Why is the doctrine of Incarnation so vital? Why is the incarnation of Christ crucial to the Christian faith? Why does Jesus have to be both God and Man? Why does John and the early church considered the Incarnation to be one of the most important truths of our Christian faith?

Before I answer that question let me quote Hope Bolinger – “Although we may have difficulty grasping the concept, Scripture makes it clear that Jesus, one person, had two natures. And if we lessened either nature, we run the risk of cheapening His divine power or His work in salvation.”

Let me offer three reasons why the Divinity and the Humanity of Jesus is a non-negotiable truth about Jesus the Word of Life.

1. To Show Us the Father

Jesus Christ became a man to reveal the Father.

John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Jesus being with the Father from eternity past and who is in the bosom of the Father, that is intimately closest to the Father is One and only qualified to declare, to reveal, to make known the Father to us.

Our Lord Himself says that those who have seen Him have seen the Father.

John 14:8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9: Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

Our Lord said, he that has seen Him has seen the Father, why? Because Jesus Christ, the Son of God is the brightness of God’s glory, and the express image of His person.

Do you want to know the Father? Then know the Son! Read the gospels which records the life, the ministry, the teachings, the works, and deeds of the Son of God.

2. To Sympathize with Us

Jesus became a man in order to identify with us in our struggles.

Hebrews 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved [necessary for] him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. 18: For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour [help] them that are tempted.

For this reason, the Son of God had to be made like us, fully human in every way, so that He might become a merciful, compassionate, and faithful High Priest before God. Jesus Christ had to be a man so that he could identify with us, suffer in our place and sympathize with us in our weakness. 

Hebrews 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15: For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Being a man, Jesus Christ is able to sympathize with our weaknesses, in every respect because He Himself suffered much and was tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

3. To be our Substitute

Jesus became a man in order to be sacrifice for sin. But understand, not just a sacrifice for sin but an effective and perfect sacrifice for sin. Without the Incarnation, we would have no Saviour. The law demands death for its payment, God cannot die, so, the Saviour must be human in order to be able to die. But the death of an ordinary man would not pay for sin eternally, so the Saviour must also be God. Jesus had to be a man to pay the penalty for sin, but He must be God to satisfy God’s perfect demands for sin.

In summary, Jesus had to be truly God so that he could satisfy God’s wrath and secure for us true righteousness and life and Jesus had to be a man so that he could identify with us, suffering in our place and sympathizing with us in our weakness. 

The apostle John is focused on Jesus Christ and on His Gospel. He identifies Jesus as the Word of Life in verse 1, the life, and the eternal life in verse 2. What John is claiming is that he along with the other apostles have actually heard and seen and looked upon and have handled with their hands the Word of life and eternal life. In other words, what they have been proclaiming to you and me about Jesus Christ being the only means to eternal life, is not a figment of their imagination. They have personally seen and handled the Word of Life Who appeared in the person of Jesus Christ.

As I have said last week, the purpose of this study is that you would experience true assurance, blessed assurance. But blessed assurance is based on truth—objective truths about God, about Jesus Christ, and about His person and work. I will say that this is a hard study, because of the hard truths John declares and the errors he exposes. In fact, as John exposes the false teachers’ errors, some have left the church. But I pray the truth we will discover in this letter will only make us strong and confident as we study them together. And that you will be able to say, “I know what I believe, and why I believe’” and will be able to sing,

Now I belong to Jesus,

Jesus belongs to me,

Not for the years of time alone,

But for eternity.

AMEN!