Felicitations to you on this fine Friday morning, my brother! And let us give our Good God praise for His help and His protection during this week!
Read I John 1.
What an amazing passage this is! Written by the apostle John to early (and unspecified) churches, it is obvious that one of the key purposes of the letter is to address and put to rest any questions about the divinity and eternal nature of Our Lord Jesus. John wrote his gospel account for much the same reason; therefore, this letter and his gospel open in a similar manner – that is, John begins both with a powerful and beautiful defense (apologetic) of the preexistence, the “foreverness” of Christ.
So, let us examine closely the initial phrase of John’s letter to us (vv 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, concerning the Word of life—”. Clearly, John is here referring to the Messiah, Christ Jesus. This opening parallels John’s first statement in his gospel account: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”. Many times, both of these statements are correctly associated with the very first words in our Bibles, from Genesis 1: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”. But there is an important distinction – Genesis refers to a beginning that commences with the creation; John is referencing a beginning that is, and was, eternal; that is, a beginning before creation. And in that eternity, in that time before creation, was Jesus. As He rightfully describes Himself in Revelation 1:8: “”I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.””. The apostle Paul described the eternal nature of Our Lord Jesus like this in Colossians 1: “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”.
Jesus is eternal.
He was “there” before all things.
Returning to John’s letter, the opening declaration to us reveals another important aspect of Jesus – that He was manifested in the flesh, in the form of a man. And the apostle John not only saw Him, but knew Him, and even touched Him ( vv 1 – “our hands have handled”).
Yes, Jesus truly was eternal God, who stepped out of Heaven and became a man, all so that fellowship between God and man could be restored. Here is how John says it in his letter, and this is precisely why the letter was written to each of us (vv 3): “that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”.
God willing, we will consider more of John’s letter next week.
Lord Jesus, I stand amazed before You. You are indeed the Alpha and the Omega, the eternal “I Am”. And You humbled Yourself to come into the world to save me! Thank You, Jesus! Amen!