(REFLECTIONS ON 1 John 1:1-4 )

1 John 1:1

1 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.

When we read about the beginning, perhaps that takes us back to Genesis 1:1,

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

In the beginning God…Who or what then is God? How do we recognize Him? How do we interact with Him? The writer of 1 John writes that they have heard, seen with their eyes, looked at, and have touched that which was from the beginning.

In the beginning God…and He was heard, seen, touched, and is the Word of life. This Word is the Greek word Logos.

Logos is God’s eternal self-expression, His mind, reason, wisdom and speech, made manifest. In Genesis, God used His Word to create the heavens and the earth, when God said, then it was done. However, how do we begin to understand and connect with this self-expression, and how in the world do we form a relationship with it?

1 John 1:2

2 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 see that the Word, this Logos, the abstract concept of God’s eternal self-expression, was heard, seen, and touched, as the life appeared. This life is Jesus Christ, the Word, the Son of God, Logos.

This is the testimony of those that were with Jesus, lived with Jesus, heard, saw, and touched Jesus. And this testimony is for us, so that we may too believe and have fellowship with those who saw God, in flesh, as the life appeared in the world.

1 John 1:3-4

3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete.

Back to the original question, Who or what then is God? How do we recognize Him? How do we interact with Him? Through Jesus Christ, the Word, Logos, that was with God in the beginning. It is Jesus Christ that the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. It is through Jesus Christ that we now can be in fellowship and relationship with the God that, in the beginning, created the heavens and earth.

As we celebrate this season of Advent, we wait in anticipation and expectation, because He was heard, seen, and touched, so that we can also be in this relationship with God.

Pastor Michael Lu
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: 1 John 1