WEDNESDAY
Perhaps you noticed yesterday I left out one line from my highlights in the first verse.
1 John 1:1–4 (HCSB) 1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the Word of life
Interestingly, John includes two phrases that convey the sense of sight—seeing with our eyes and observed. John is most likely not just being redundant here as the second verb translated observed can also mean “to perceive something above and beyond what is merely seen with the eye.” This second verb is likely implying that John has not only seen Jesus with his physical senses but he has also perceived the true theological meaning of Jesus’ incarnation, life death and resurrection. John does this in his gospel as well.
John 1:32 32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.
John the Baptist bore witness (another theme in 1 John that we will talk about tomorrow) that he not only saw a dove descend and remain on Jesus but he perceived that the dove was the Holy Spirit.
John 1:14 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
In physically seeing Jesus he has also perceived his true glory which goes beyond sensory experience.
As we talked about last week, this also lends credibility to John’s referent being the gospel or the theological truth about Jesus. John, here in his first epistle, is emphasizing that the gospel, although grounded in historical facts about Jesus (as we talked about yesterday), does not solely consist in those historical facts about Jesus. It must be coupled with correct theological beliefs about the meaning of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. These beliefs are sourced in the apostolic witness about Jesus.
Let me explain this further. There are definitive statements we can make about Jesus’ life. Jesus lived around the first century. He died on a cross. He was buried. He rose again on the third day. All true.
Those are the things that have been seen. Now, what must be perceived from those things that have been seen? In the incarnation God took on flesh, so his teaching is the authoritative teaching for my life—primarily reflected in his teaching to love God and others as he defines love. I am a sinner, Jesus perfectly upheld the Law and never sinned. He died on the cross in my place as the perfect sacrificial lamb. His death paid the penalty that my sins deserved. So by faith in Jesus, my sins are removed and I am born again as a child of God. Because of what Jesus has done and my faith in him, I can now live the way of Jesus in right standing before God. Because I am born again as a child of God I have the resurrection, eternal life that Jesus has given me.
Those statements are theological statements based on the events of Jesus’ life. John spends the rest of this letter teasing these theological statements out. It’s not enough to believe the first group of statements about the historicity of Jesus, no matter how important those are. Demons believe those statements. Demons aren’t saved. Those who had gone out from the church (2:19) had abandoned this true theology about Jesus. John is emphasizing that we must believe these theological truths in the gospel to be saved.
Now, it’s important to note that we don’t have to have perfect theology in everything. There are many things that the apostles were less than clear on—end times theology for example. What they were clear on, however, is the basic theological truths of the gospel. These we must be clear on and uncompromising. In the other things, we should pursue truth. When we are wrong we can admit it. When we think we are correct, we can hold it humbly and leave room for differences of opinion.
As we talked about last week, we must believe that Jesus came to reveal life. For this life to be applied to me, I must believe in the truth of the gospel that is perceived from what has been seen.
Reflection
Reflect on the core theological truths of the gospel, many of which I referenced above. Thank and praise God for the gospel that has been not only seen, but perceived.