The Word of Life
Notes
Transcript
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. 5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
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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.
Introduction
We are not told specifically it is generally accepted that John the Apostle wrote this and the other two letters. He also wrote John’s Gospel and Revelation.
The first letter of John was written to churches that had been plagued and split by the teaching known as Gnosticism. Formed from the Greek word for knowledge (gnosis), that term points to the Gnostic claim to have vital knowledge that ordinary Christians lacked. Gnosticism was the liberalism, modernism, and New-Age syncretism of the apostolic era. Like its present-day counterparts, it actually sought to destroy Christianity by attempting to update and reshape it in light of the supposed certainties of secular learning. Calvin, J., & Henry, M. (1998). 1, 2, & 3 John (p. 9). Crossway Books.
the amalgamation or attempted amalgamation of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought:
"interfaith dialogue can easily slip into syncretism"
Date. The date for the composition of 1 John is usually placed near the end of the 1st century. This date is confirmed by the nature of the heresy condemned and by the references to it in Polycarp and Irenaeus. Greater precision in fixing the date is not possible with the evidence available.
The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church Polycarp, St
Polycarp, St (traditionally c. 69–c. 155), Bp. of *Smyrna. He seems to have been the leading Christian figure in Roman Asia in the middle of the 2nd cent.,
Irenaeus - b. circa AD 130 – d. circa AD 202 • Patristic • Author • Bishop
Second-century AD church father and bishop of Lugundum in Gaul (modern day Lyon, France). One of the foremost early Christian theologians. Defended the orthodoxy of Christian doctrine.
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1. From the Beginning v1
1. From the Beginning v1
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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—
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a. The Beginning
a. The Beginning
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
1, 2, & 3 John: Crossway Classic Commentaries (Chapter 1)
That which was from the beginning doubtless refer to the divinity of Christ, for God did not appear in the flesh from the beginning; but he who always was life and the eternal Word of God appeared in the fullness of time as man. John Calvin
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b. Have Heard
b. Have Heard
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1, 2, & 3 John: Crossway Classic Commentaries (Chapter 1)
This was not merely hearing a report but John means that he had faithfully learned from his Master those things that he taught, so that he alleged nothing thoughtlessly and rashly. John Calvin
25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
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c. Have Seen
c. Have Seen
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14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
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16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
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d. Have touched
d. Have touched
which we have looked at and our hands have touched. By these words he shows that he taught nothing but what had been really made known to him.
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2. Manifested v2
2. Manifested v2
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—
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a. Made Known
a. Made Known
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
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14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
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1 Timothy 3:16 (ESV)
16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
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b. Eternal Life
b. Eternal Life
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16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
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c. From the Father
c. From the Father
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John 1:2–4 (ESV)
2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
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John 1:11–13 (ESV)
11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
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To believe is not lightly to form an opinion, or to assent only to what is said; rather, it is a firm, undoubting conviction, so that we may dare to subscribe to the truth as fully proved. It is for this reason that the apostle heaps together so many things in confirmation of the Gospel. Calvin, J., & Henry, M. (1998). 1, 2, & 3 John (pp. 15–16). Crossway Books.
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3. Fellowship
3. Fellowship
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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.
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a. Proclamation
a. Proclamation
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27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.
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in John 1:14: “We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son,” for he was not known as the Son of God by the external form of his body, but because he gave clear proofs of his divine power, so that the majesty of the Father shone in him as in a living and distinct image. Calvin, J., & Henry, M. (1998). 1, 2, & 3 John (p. 17). Crossway Books.
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b. True Fellowship
b. True Fellowship
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Fellowship - In short, John declares that as the apostles were adopted by Christ as brothers, being gathered into one body so they might be united together with God, so also Christ does with other colleagues. Though they are many, they are made partakers of this holy and blessed union. Calvin, J., & Henry, M. (1998). 1, 2, & 3 John (p. 19). Crossway Books.
3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
4. True Joy v4
4. True Joy v4
4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
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10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
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11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
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To make our joy complete. By complete joy the apostle expresses more clearly the complete and perfect happiness that we obtain through the Gospel; at the same time he reminds the faithful where they ought to fix all their affections. So, whoever really perceives what fellowship with God is will be satisfied with it alone and will no more burn with desires for other things. Calvin, J., & Henry, M. (1998). 1, 2, & 3 John (p. 19). Crossway Books
Conclusion
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11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.