1 John, Part 1: A Testimony of the Word

Today we are beginning a new series on the epistles of 1, 2, and 3 John. As you may know, these are three of the five books of the Bible written by the Apostle John. He also wrote the Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation. In his Gospel account, John gives a detailed testimony of what Jesus said and did; in Revelation, he prophetically reveals what is yet to happen; and in his epistles, he shows us how we are to live in light of all that truth.

So, let’s begin by reading the first four verses of 1 John, chapter 1.

1 John 1:1-4 (BSB)

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have gazed upon and touched with our own hands—this is the Word of life. 

2 And this is the life that was revealed; we have seen it and testified to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us.

3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And this fellowship of ours is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. 

4 We write these things so that our joy may be complete.

You might have noticed that he does not begin by giving a traditional greeting, nor even naming himself as the author in the introduction. It’s the same in the Gospel of John—it is not until the very end that he discloses that he is the author. And even then, he reveals this, not by giving his name, but by saying, “Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them…This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who has written them down. And we know that his testimony is true” (John 21:20 & 24).

John refers to himself as ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved’ five different times in his gospel account. As just one other example, John 13:23 says, “One of His disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining at His side.”

I’ve always found this so fascinating. By describing himself in such a way, he is known as ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved.’ So, does that mean that Jesus loved John more than He loved the other disciples? For sure, Peter, James, and John were close to Jesus. But I don’t think we should assume that John was loved the most just because he’s the only one who describes himself this way.

I think John calls himself ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved’ because he figured out, maybe sooner than the others did, that Jesus truly loved him. That’s why we see him next to Jesus at the Last Supper, and why Peter urged him to ask Jesus the terrifying question: “Lord, who is the betrayer?” I don’t think John was afraid of that answer, and that’s why we see him lean close to Jesus and ask Him.  

But we should remember that it’s John who writes those words describing himself in this way. If you were writing an account of your experiences with the Lord, and you were doing so in the style of third person past tense, how would you describe yourself? Would you feel comfortable describing yourself as “the one Jesus loved”? If you wouldn’t, then let me encourage you: the more you lean into Jesus, the sooner you will find that you, too, are the one whom Jesus loves.

I’ve told this story before, but about 25 years ago, I was in a grocery store and a woman, clothed in her nun’s habit, approached me and said, “I can tell that Jesus really loves you.” Very touched by her words, I replied, “I really love Jesus.” I’ve thought about that encounter a lot over the years, for what she said to me is true. But it’s not just true of me—it’s a powerful message to share with other people. “I can tell that Jesus really loves you” is so much more affecting than only saying, “Jesus loves you.” Somehow, it personalizes this truth: Jesus sees you and loves you. If you struggle to believe that Jesus sees you and loves you, please don’t doubt it any longer. The fact that you are reading this tells me that Jesus really loves you and wants to reveal more of His love to you.

John personally knew Jesus. He had felt His love. So, when he calls himself, “the one Jesus loves,” he’s giving his testimony of what he’d experienced.  

Interestingly enough, this is something that is consistent in all his writing. In each of John’s books of the Bible, he’s giving his testimony. Even in the Book of Revelation, he begins that letter by declaring, “This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon come to pass. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John, who testifies to everything he saw. This is the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:1-2).

And that’s how 1 John begins—with his testimony. So, with all that background in mind, let’s read verses 1-2 again. He says, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have gazed upon and touched with our own hands—this is the Word of life. And this is the life that was revealed; we have seen it and testified to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us.”

John wants to remind everyone that he is a first-hand witness, and this is a testimony. He wants to emphasize that he was not a bystander or mere observer of Jesus. He and the other disciples had personally heard Jesus speak; they had seen Him with their own eyes; and they had gazed upon and touched Him with their own hands. Jesus was truly alive, and he and the others truly interacted with Him. By stating all this, John was countering a dangerous lie that claimed that Jesus was only spiritual and had not truly come in the flesh.

Thanks to the Gospels, including the one John wrote, we know Jesus physically existed. In John’s Gospel account, we see that he shared food with Jesus, even lounging beside Him while eating. John was there at the cross, standing next to Jesus’ mother, and together they saw Him die. Then he was there after Jesus rose from the dead. He outran Peter to see the empty tomb. And when Jesus appeared to them in a locked room, Jesus showed all of them His hands and His side, and John was there to witness it.

And as he wrote in John 20:30-32, “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” John was led by the Holy Spirit to write down and record all that he saw Jesus do. And he did all this so we could have life in Jesus’ name, too.

And that, by the way, is why John is writing this letter, too. Going back to 1 John 1, look again at what he says next, in verses 3-4: “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And this fellowship of ours is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. We write these things so that our joy may be complete.”

There is some debate about verse 4, whether it should read, “We write these things so that our joy may be complete,” or “We write these things so that your joy may be complete.” But it reminds me of what John records Jesus as saying in John 15:11. Jesus said, “I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.”

About that verse, Charles John Ellicott writes in his commentary: “The state of which [Jesus] has spoken to them—the loving and being loved of God—is the ideal perfection of human life. It supplies satisfaction for all the deepest desires of our being. The capacities of the whole man are fulfilled in it, and the result is fulness of joy. They have learnt little of the true spirit of Christianity whose religion does not impart to them a joy which sheds its light over the whole of their lives.”

In other words, if we Christians aren’t filled with a joy that permeates our whole being, no matter our situation, then we still have more to learn—and more joy to receive. Because if we are following Jesus correctly, then joy should fill all areas of our lives. Loving and being loved by God is the source of that deep joy. John possessed that kind of joy. That’s why he could call himself the disciple Jesus loved. He was so filled with love and joy from knowing Jesus that it became his whole identity.

Now, as he’s writing this first letter, he’s giving his testimony with this one purpose: so that all his readers, “may have fellowship with us… so that our joy may be complete.” John wants to testify to this. He wants to testify of the love and joy that He has found, so everyone can be filled as he is. So, I think it doesn’t really matter if we say, “our joy” or “your joy” may be complete. I think John is saying that he writes this letter so that all who have this fellowship with the Father and with Jesus may—together—have a joy that is complete.

Do you have this joy? I don’t want to move on in this letter until we explore this point, because everything that follows only makes sense to people who have first experienced what John experienced: the joy that comes from having fellowship with Jesus.

To possess this all-encompassing, complete joy, we must do what John did. While it’s true, we cannot do exactly what John and the other disciples did—we can’t witness Jesus’ ministry, death, or resurrection in the flesh—we can still hear Jesus speak, see Him with our own eyes, and even gaze upon and touch Jesus with our own hands. Let me tell you how that is possible, looking at each of those things one at a time.

First, we can still hear Jesus speak. John tells us how, right at the beginning of this letter. In verse 1, he wrote, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have gazed upon and touched with our own hands—this is the Word of life.”

Jesus is the Word of life. He is the Word who became flesh. John got to hear the Word speak to him in the flesh. But we have the Word available to us at all moments. We can still hear Him speak to us through the Word of God.

All that we need to hear was written down for us to read and memorize. From what I could tell, over thirty times in the Old Testament we see the phrase, “Hear the Word of the Lord.” The Old Testament people got to hear the Word of the Lord from prophets, and they repeated what He spoke to them. But as 2 Peter 1:19 says, “We also have the word of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt. And you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”

Are you paying attention to it? Are you taking advantage of the Word? If we want to experience this complete joy that John testifies of, the first thing we must do is listen to Jesus speak to us through the Word. As we hear it, it will transform us. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Part of the transformation includes filling us with joy.

We can also hear Him speak by spending time with Him in prayer. We most likely will not hear an audible voice, but we can hear Him as He speaks to our minds. The more time we spend in prayer and in His Word, the clearer His voice will become. John 14:25-26 records Jesus saying, “All this I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you.”

Jesus is saying that the Holy Spirit will speak to us and teach us, and help us understand the Word properly. The Holy Spirit will also grow the fruit of the Spirit within us, giving us more and more joy.

Second, we can still see Him with our own eyes. It might seem like we can’t physically “see” Jesus today, but Scripture says that we can. Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”

We see the Lord when we see the effects of what He does. In the same way that we can’t physically see the wind, but we see the effects of the wind, moving the trees, we can see Jesus. We can testify of all the many ways that Jesus has affected our personal lives.

Now, if we don’t have any testimonies of how we’ve seen Him move, then that’s an indicator that we need to fix something.

A long time ago, I had a neighbor who, after many years of knowing her, confessed to me that she didn’t understand why she never had any miracles happen to her. She told me that she saw God do things for other people, but she felt like she had never experienced God do anything for her or even answer her prayers. As she told me this, I realized that she was faithfully attending church and calling herself a Christian, but she had not yet been born again. I ended up buying her a Bible when I found out she didn’t have one. She was stuck at the very beginning of faith. She had never encountered Jesus and been changed, and that’s why she had no testimony of seeing God do anything in her life.

Have you seen Jesus moving in your life? If you can’t come up with any examples, have you given Him an opportunity to show up? Are you seeking Him? As Psalm 34:8 said, are you taking refuge in Him? I think we could rephrase that verse to read: If you take refuge in the Lord, you will see that the Lord is good. That means that we need to give the Lord opportunities to show up and be evident in our lives. The best way to do that is to rely on Him, seek comfort in Him, and depend on Him. When we do that, He will show up and reveal His goodness to us. Then we will have testimonies of how He has blessed us.

The third thing we can do to increase our joy is by gazing upon and touching Jesus with our own hands. Again, we won’t physically touch Jesus until He returns and resurrects our bodies, but we can still gaze upon Him and touch Him today. We do this when we reach out for Him and find Him there.

In Acts 17:27, we see Paul using these same words when speaking to the unbelieving men of Athens in the Areopagus. He said to them, “God intended that [people] would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.”

If we reach out for God, we will find Him, because He is not far from us. He is nearby to each one of us. John began this epistle by saying, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have gazed upon and touched with our own hands—this is the Word of life.” Jesus is still right here, not far from us.

Have you reached out and touched Jesus? Or do you feel like He’s unreachable? I ask this question because, like my former neighbor, there are sadly a lot of people who call themselves Christians, yet they have never touched Jesus with their own hands. They believe in Him, but they haven’t given Him an opportunity to show up in their lives in a way that they can see and touch.

For example, there are a lot of people who believe in the existence of God, but they have not touched Jesus. And as we know, the only way to God is through Jesus. I want to emphasize this, because I am troubled that so many people who call themselves Christians do not seem to truly believe that Jesus is the only way to God the Father.

Just recently, I read about a famous actor who passed away from cancer. Many people were sharing a video he made shortly before he died, stating that it captured his deep faith in God. Very curious, I watched the video. In it, he said that after meditating he came to realize that “I am worthy of God’s love, simply because I exist, and if I’m worthy of God’s love, shouldn’t I be worthy of my own?” Then, he adds, “And if the word God trips you up, I certainly don’t know or claim to know what God is or explain God. My efforts to connect to God are an ongoing process that is a constant unfolding mystery to me.”

I think most everyone, if they believe God exists, wants to believe that they are worthy of God’s love, so I can see why this sentiment is resonating with people. But what that idea misses is that it was while we were still sinners—and totally unworthy of His love—that Christ died for us. We, by ourselves, aren’t worthy of God’s love, but God loves us anyway. Romans 5:8 says, “But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” That is why we can know God’s love. Jesus’ work on the cross brings us into the love we could never deserve.  

I wouldn’t have thought anything further about this, but later I was surprised to see that Christians and Christian websites were also talking about this actor’s “Christian” faith. So I wanted to know what else he might have said about his faith, and I found this other quote. He said, “Before cancer, God was something I tried to fit into my life as much as possible. After cancer, I feel like a connection to God, whatever that is, is kind of the whole point of this exercise on this planet.”

That man was correct: a connection to God is the whole point of this exercise on this planet. But how can anyone be connected to something he or she can’t define or explain? Sadly, this man’s beliefs are not unique to him. His experience that God is undefinable and unknowable is a tragedy, because God is not far away and unknowable. God has revealed Himself to the whole world by sending us Jesus, His one and only Son, to die on the cross to take away our sins. Because of Jesus, God is not far from us. And He loves us so much that He wants us to know Him personally. He invites us to hear Him, see Him, and reach out and touch Him.

The apostle John does not proclaim a vague, unknowable God. John proclaims the Word made flesh. God doesn’t need to remain a mystery. He is near to each of us. Let me say it again: we can still hear Him, see Him, and reach out and touch Him if we will believe in Jesus Christ and what He did for us on the cross.

More proof that we can join John in testimony to this is that these three things are an echo of what Jesus said in Matthew 7:7. He said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.”

By asking, we are wanting to hear Jesus speak and give us a response. By seeking, we are looking to see Him with our eyes as He works in our lives. By knocking, we are reaching our hand out so He will open the door so we may touch Him and personally know Him. So we can fellowship with Him.

To have fellowship with the Lord and have joy that is complete, we must do these things. And then we can move on and properly understand and follow the rest of John’s epistles. If we don’t do these things first, then the rest of what John writes about will be impossible to follow.

Do you want to hear the Lord speak to you? Do you want to see evidence in your life that He is real? Do you want to reach out your hand and touch Him? Do you want your joy to be complete?

Jesus, and John echoing His teachings, talk of joy that is complete. That tells us that all of us still have more joy to receive from the Lord. Let us read the Word and spend time in prayer each day, so the Holy Spirit can change and transform us as He speaks to our hearts and minds. Let us seek refuge in the Lord, relying on Him and giving Him opportunities for us to see Him at work in our lives. And let us reach out in faith and touch Jesus. If we do, we will find that He is knowable and right here, waiting to reveal more of Himself to us. Then we will be filled with more and more joy as we fellowship with Him, and we, too, can share our testimony.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we humbly come before You and thank You for loving us. We pray that You would help us to spend time in Your Word and in prayer, so we can hear You when You speak. Please help us to trust and rely on You for help, so we can see You move in our lives. And please help us reach out and touch You, so You can heal us and change us. We need to hear Your voice, see You, and touch You, so that we can be filled with complete joy as we fellowship with You. In the name of Jesus, our Savior, we pray. Amen.