We live in an era that looks with suspicion on any type of certainty or conviction about the truth. Our society has abandoned the idea of absolutes, choosing instead to arbitrarily grant equal validity to every opinion and philosophical musing. Sadly, today’s church, influenced by the surrounding culture, has fallen prey to an inclusivism that tolerates seemingly any and every viewpoint, except dogmatism. Dogmatism is utterly contrary to today’s relativistic attitudes, and those who hold it are consistently condemned as insensitive, unloving, and anti-intellectual. The reality is that those who deny Scripture’s clarity are likely motivated by rebellion against its clear message of sin and righteousness (cf. John 3:20). Denying that the Bible can be understood gives false comfort to those who do not like the truth it reveals. In contrast, those who love the truth are quick to seek it out and apply it to their lives (John 3:21). Such God-honoring adherence to divine, absolute truth is precisely what the apostle John exalts in his first epistle as the evidence of genuine salvation.
The writers of Scripture, were absolutely certain of what they believed and, under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, wrote with a clarity and boldness that makes the message of salvation in its fullness understandable to the regenerated and illuminated mind. For the Apostle John, the teaching of 1 John may be divided into three categories of certainty: theological certainty regarding the gospel and the person of Jesus Christ (2:1–2, 22; 5:1, 20), moral certainty regarding the commandments of God (2:4, 7, 29; 3:9, 22), and relational certainty regarding love (2:10; 4:7, 21; 5:2–3). John's aim here is that you may have joy (1:4) thereby eliminating sadness. He aim to foster holiness (2:1) that you may reduce sin and he strives to promote assurance of salvation (5:13) that you may eliminate doubt. We know John spent his later years in and around Ephesus. He wrote this letter to the churches of Asia Minor probably between A.D. 80 and 85. The church was now composed of second- and third-generation Christians. For some Christians this was a time of persecution. For others perhaps the thrill was gone and the flame of devotion to Christ was flickering. False teachers were infiltrating some of the churches, and some Christians were becoming lax in their Christian standards. Into these circumstances steps John with his letter (Allen, D. L. (2013). 1–3 John: Fellowship in God’s Family. (R. K. Hughes, Ed.) (p. 19). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.)
Consistent with his firm commitment to the certainty of divine truth, John dispenses with all introductory amenities—he did not even name himself as the author, nor did he identify his audience. Rather, he immediately launches into writing the Spirit-inspired truth. He began by presenting five certainties about the person and work of Christ: The Word of Life is 1) Unchangeable (1 John 1:1a), 2) Historical (1 John 1:1b–2a), 3) Communicable (1 John 1:2b–3a), 4) Relational (1 John 1:3b), and 5) Joyful (1 John 1:4).
1) The Word of Life Is Unchangeable (1 John 1:1a)
1 John 1:1a 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) (ESV)
Why, then, did John use the neuter pronoun “that which” to begin v. 1? It is because he wishes to draw attention equally to the “Word proclaimed” and the “Word as person.” The message and the person ultimately cannot be separated. Each explains the other. The message about Jesus is intimately related to who Jesus is (Akin, D. L. (2001). 1, 2, 3 John (Vol. 38, p. 51). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
The message of redemption is unchanging. From the beginning of the proclamation of the gospel it has been the same. Those who preach the true gospel have always commanded faith and repentance (Matt. 4:17; John 3:16–18; Acts 2:38; 17:30), declared that the kingdom of God is at hand (Matt. 3:2; Acts 19:8), announced the merciful and gracious availability of divine forgiveness (Acts 10:43; Eph. 1:7), and urged sinners to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:18–21). This “beginning” is the same “beginning” as that of Genesis 1:1 and of John 1:1, the beginning of time and space. Genesis 1:1 has reference to the activity of Christ at the moment of creation. John 1:1 has reference to the existence of Christ before creation. 1 John 1:1 has reference to the activity of Christ since creation. (Gingrich, R. E. (2005). The Books of I, II, II John and Jude (p. 8). Memphis, TN: Riverside Printing.)
Please turn to Galatians 1 (p.972)
When the apostle John wrote this epistle, an incipient Gnosticism (which I will detail later on) were already threatening the churches of Asia Minor. Its proponents denied the full deity and humanity of Jesus Christ and, therefore, His true nature essential to the gospel. They further claimed to have attained, apart from the gospel, a transcendent knowledge of the divine, available only to the “spiritual” elite and otherwise beyond the reach of the common believer.
The apostle Paul also earlier warned in unambiguous words of those who propagate an altered or false gospel:
Gal. 1:6–9 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (ESV)
• Any alteration of this heavenly revelation, whether by adding to it or taking from it, constitutes an attack on the truth and its sovereign Author. All preachers, teachers, and witnesses for the gospel—in any generation or location, for any reason, including making the message more acceptable or marketable—should know they cannot freely change with impunity any element of God’s revelation.
In beginning with the simple opening statement: "That which was from the beginning", John establishes that the gospel message concerning the Word of Life is permanent and unalterable (cf. Rev. 22:18–19).
Poem: On God's Word, John Clifford wrote: "And so, I thought, the anvil of God’s Word; For ages the skeptics’ blows have beat upon, But though the noise of falling blows was heard; The anvil is unchanged; the hammers gone". (John Clifford, as recorded in Jones, G. C. (1986). 1000 illustrations for preaching and teaching (pp. 28–29). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers )
2) The Word of Life Is Historical (1 John 1:1b–2a)
1 John 1:1b–2a (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—)(ESV)
The contrast in time frame between “that which was from the beginning” and what “we have seen with our eyes … and touched with our hands” is then a contrast between eternity and a definite past event. In other words, John and other eyewitnesses saw this deity, who has life in himself from eternity, incarnated in time/space/history (Akin, D. L. (2001). 1, 2, 3 John (Vol. 38, pp. 52–53). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.).
Contrary to what the false teachers taught, experiencing Christ and His gospel is not some mystical, spiritually transcendent, secret insight reserved only for those elite who ascend to some higher understanding. John told his readers—even those who were young in their faith (cf. 2:12)—that they could apprehend the actual, historical truth about the Word of Life, which is the person and work of Jesus Christ as proclaimed in the gospel. Jesus is both the preacher of God’s message and the message itself (Marshall, I. H. (1978). The Epistles of John (p. 102). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.)
In his record of the life and ministry of Christ, John wrote that “the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14; cf. Rom. 1:3; Gal. 4:4; Heb. 1:1–3; 1 Tim. 3:16; Rev. 19:13). Jesus Christ is the God-man (John 10:30), fully divine (Phil. 2:6; Col. 2:9); and fully human (Luke 1:31; Phil. 2:7–8; Heb. 2:14; 4:15). John had experienced that reality through his natural senses and was a true witness to the incarnation in its completeness.
John now lists four ways he had actually perceived the Word of Life with his senses. First he had heard the Lord speak. John heard the parables (e.g., Matt. 13:3–33; Mark 4:26–29; Luke 15:11–32), sermons (Matt. 4:23; 5–7), and private words of instruction and counsel from Jesus (Matt. 10:5–42; John 13:12–17; 14–16). That John expresses this encounter as one who has: "have heard" it translates a perfect tense form of the verb akouō, indicating a completed occurrence in the past with an impact in the present. John did not merely hear something from Jesus on a single occasion. He was present throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry (cf. John 20:30–31; 21:24–25). Though John wrote this letter some sixty years later, what he had heard firsthand was still a vivid truth in his heart.
Second, not only had John heard the Lord; he had also seen Him. The verb translated have seen is also in the perfect tense, again suggesting a past, completed action with a present, ongoing impact. John added with our eyes to make it clear that he was referring to the physical experience of seeing; he was not referring to some kind of spiritual vision that was only in his mind. Christ is not a mystical, phantom image, as some have alleged, but a real man whom John had observed daily for three years by means of normal eyesight.
Third, reinforcing the truth that he had actually seen Jesus, John added the term looked upon/at. That word involves more than a mere glance or quick look; instead, it denotes a long, searching gaze (cf. 4:14; Matt. 11:7; Luke 23:55). Beyond the works that Jesus performed, John and the other apostles watched Him intently for several years and saw the stunning and unmistakable realities of who He is (cf. Matt. 13:16–17)—the Lord and God, Messiah and Savior (Luke 2:25–32; John 1:29, 41), with supernatural power over demons, disease, nature, and death (Matt. 4:23–24; 8:28–32; Mark 1:23–27; Luke 5:4–6; 7:12–15; John 2:6–10; 4:46–53; 5:5–9; 9:1–7; 11:38–45), and the authority to forgive sins (Mark 2:5, 9; Luke 7:48) and grant eternal life (Luke 19:10; John 11:24–27). As intimate and constant eyewitnesses to His earthly ministry, they had ample proof that Jesus Christ was God in human flesh (John 14:8–11).
Finally, John told his readers that he had touched with his hands the Word of Life. The word rendered touched (psēlaphaō) means “to feel after,” or “grope” (like a blind man). Jesus used the same word in Luke 24:39, “Touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” The apostles would have touched Jesus all the time in the daily course of their companionship with Him. John even described himself as one who leaned on Jesus’ chest (John 13:23, 25; 21:20). The Lord encouraged Thomas to touch Him on that postresurrection occasion, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing” (John 20:27). John wrote his Gospel to prove the deity of our Lord, assuming His humanity, whereas he wrote his first epistle to prove His humanity, assuming His deity. In the words, “which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have touched,” he is maintaining the real humanity of our Lord against its denial by a certain group in the Church at that time. These were the Gnostics. There were two groups among them, both agreeing in the essential evil of matter. Both groups had their own private opinions regarding the Person of our Lord. The Docetic Gnostics denied His actual humanity. The word “Docetic” comes from the Greek word dokeō (δοκεω), “to seem.” These argued that our Lord had only a “seeming” body, not a real physical body. The Cerinthian Gnostics distinguished between the man Jesus and the aeon (ἁεον) Christ that came on Him at His baptism and left Him on the Cross (Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest’s word studies from the Greek New Testament: for the English reader (1 Jn 1:1). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.)
Please turn to John 5 (p.890)
Verse 2 answers these by showing the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the life was made manifested. The verb translated made manifested (phaneroō) means “to reveal,” or “to make visible what was hidden.” God did not reveal Himself in human flesh until Christ’s earthly ministry when the divine or eternal life became visible to mankind. Christianity is unique among all major world religions: it is the only religion with a living leader. No other world religion can make that claim. All the other leaders have been dead for centuries, but the religion Jesus brought did not even begin until he had died and was risen from the dead. His resurrection is the central fact of Christianity (Womack, M. M. (1998). 1, 2 & 3 John (1 Jn 1:2). Joplin, MO: College Press )
This is the life that Jesus brought as He said:
John 5:25-29 25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.(ESV) ” (cf. 1:1–4; 5:39–40; 11:25–26; 1 John 5:12).
• All created beings owe their existence from God. Theirs is derivative from something outside themselves (ens ab alio). (Cross, F. L., & Livingstone, E. A. (Eds.). (2005). In The Oxford dictionary of the Christian Church (3rd ed. rev., p. 115). Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press)
• John explains that just as the Father was never created and was never given his life by someone else, but has life in himself so that he can impart that life to others, so the Son has life in himself and is able to call the dead to life. Theologically known as the Aseity of God, the Father and the Son have the same divine life, and both can grant eternal life (John 6:37–40). (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2032). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.)
Illustration: What difference does it make that there is real history in understanding God: Hendrik Rookmaaker, the Christian art critic, warned his students: “You cannot begin as though there was nothing before you. There have been many who have struggled before you. Learn from them; be humble. You stand on the shoulders of those others, and you can maybe take their ideas a little further; that is all. Then one day, someone will go beyond you; only be sure that you take your ideas and your work deeper into the Christian way of seeing reality.”(Haddon Robinson, “On Target,” Focal Point.)
3) The Word of Life Is Communicable (1 John 1:2b–3a)
1 John 1:2b–3a (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.)(ESV)
For John, that which was made manifest to him—the Word of Life—became the basis for his proclamation of truth. His privileged life in the presence of the Lord Christ was not a private experience to elevate him above others who were not so blessed, as if he were somehow one of God’s “favorite sons.”
• When someone asks us why we are Christians, the wrong answer is a series of subjective experiences. If our answers are about what I came to understand, believe, or do, then, in essence, we are the captions of our salvation and may lose it. If however, our testimony is about objective reality outside of ourselves then we have an objective and not subjective faith. When we can profess that the Holy Spirit made clear a truth, convicted us of our sin, enabled us to repent and believe the objective truth of the gospel, then our basis of faith is not ourselves, but the transcendent reality of God.
Please turn to 2 Peter 1 (p.1018)
John's privilege became the platform for his responsibility and mandate, as an apostle and eyewitness, to bear witness (testify) of the truth (John 20:30–31; 21:24; cf. 1:41–42; 2 Cor. 5:14–15) and proclaim the gift of eternal life in Him (cf. Ps. 145:11–12; 1 Cor. 2:2; 9:16) to those, including his readers, who had never seen Jesus. Because of his widespread reputation as one who had been with Jesus as an apostle (cf. John 1:14, 16–18, 37–51), John was a true and credible witness (John 19:35–37). Other New Testament books written by apostles or their associates also present eyewitness accounts of Jesus and the truth of the gospel. The other Gospels do that (cf. Luke 1:1–4), as does the book of Acts (cf. 1:1–3) and the epistles (e.g., 2 Peter 1:16–21). In all of this, to testify refers to John’s personal experience. This term was often used of testimony in a court case (Utley, R. J. (1999). The Beloved Disciple’s Memoirs and Letters: The Gospel of John, I, II, and III John (Vol. Volume 4, p. 196). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International).
Peter talked about testifying to the truth of Christ, that the Apostles wrote:
2 Peter 1:16–21 16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (ESV)
• No prophecy of Scripture comes from (i.e., originates out of) someone’s own interpretation (i.e., from someone’s individual understanding of events, visions, or other things), but rather, that “all prophecy of Scripture” came about from the Holy Spirit’s leading. Likewise, the gospel of Christ is no myth (a story without basis in fact, a legend), because the apostles were eyewitnesses of Jesus' majesty. Peter is apparently emphasizing that the interpretation of the apostles (“we”) is to be regarded as authoritative for the church (“you”).Jesus’ second coming will not only be an objective event in history, it will also rise in your hearts as the full light of Christ’s presence transforms the hearts of his church to perfect purity (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2419). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.).
John focuses on the quality of life here to emphasize that the revelation (incarnation) of this Word (who reveals life and is the Source of eternal life) is the revelation of eternal life itself (Akin, D. L. (2001). 1, 2, 3 John (Vol. 38, p. 54). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
Illustration: M.A.S.H. was a T.V. series set during the Korean War. B. J. Honeycutt, who was a character on the T.V. series, gave this reason for why he didn’t give in to temptation in the midst of the War: “I live in an insane world where nothing makes sense. Everyone around me lives for the now, because there may not be a tomorrow. But I have to live for tomorrow, because for me there is no now.” For B. J., his hope for the future was seeing his family again. That hope was sufficient to define how he would behave in an extremely difficult situation. How much more so should our future hope of the kingdom of God shape how we live? (Michael P. Green. (2000). 1500 illustrations for biblical preaching (pp. 121–122). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.)
4) The Word of Life Is Relational (1 John 1:3b)
1 John 1:3b 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.(ESV)
John proclaimed the Word of Life so that (hina, “in order that”) all believers would realize they have fellowship (an authentic partnership) with Jesus Christ and fellow believers (cf. Acts 1:14; 2:42, 44–47; 1 Cor. 12:26–27; Eph. 4:1–3; Heb. 10:25; 12:22–24). Eternal life is more than a possession; it is a Person with whom we relate (have fellowship). This is the first and primary theme of this epistle. For John eternal life has a qualitative aspect that is tied to one’s relationship with Jesus, who not only gives that life but also is that life incarnate (Derickson, G. W. (2012). First, Second, and Third John. (H. W. House, W. H. Harris III, & A. W. Pitts, Eds.) (1 Jn 1:4). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.).
Please turn to Acts 2 (p.911)
The word rendered fellowship, the familiar Greek term koinonia, signifies a mutual participation in a common cause or shared life (cf. Gal. 2:9; 6:6; 1 Tim. 6:18; Titus 1:4; Philem. 6; 1 Peter 4:13; Jude 3). It is far more than a mere partnership of those who have the same beliefs and are thus drawn together. Rather, it is the mutual life and love of those who are one in spirit (1 Cor. 6:17; cf. Eph. 5:30–32). Christian fellowship is not the sentimental and superficial attachment of a random collection of individuals, but the profoundly mutual relationship of those who remain “in Christ,” and therefore belong to each other (cf. 3:23–24) (Smalley, S. S. (1989). 1, 2, 3 John (Vol. 51, p. 12). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.).
Through a series of number of activities characteristic of the earliest church we see fellowship exemplified:
Acts 2:42–47 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved (ESV).
• Numerously repeated, this fellowship was of believers centered around truth. One of the characteristics of true (fellowship) is a desire to (study the word, help each other as they have need) spend time (together) and worship. When it is real, the Lord will add to their number, changing hearts and enabling true repentance and faith (because what they have is attractive, and true) (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2086). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.).
The aim of gospel preaching is to produce faith that rests in Christ (John 6:29; Acts 20:21). Those who believe savingly in Jesus enter into a genuine union with the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul wrote, God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Cor. 1:9; cf. Gal. 2:20) The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. (2 Cor. 13:14; cf. John 17:21) To have fellowship with believers is to have fellowship with God (which also involves fellowship with his Son) and to share in the work of God (Kruse, C. G. (2000). The letters of John (p. 58). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos.)
Even sinning Christians who lose the joy of their fellowship with God never lose the reality of that eternal life from Him (1 Cor. 1:9; 2 Cor. 13:14; Phil. 2:1; Heb. 12:10), given them through their union with Christ (Rom. 6:3–5; Eph. 2:5; Col. 3:2). Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (John 5:24; cf. Eph. 5:26; Titus 3:5). The new birth produces new life, so that believers are regenerated into everlasting fellowship with the triune God (cf. John 3:5–8).
Illustration:
Now suppose you wanted to know all about Shakespeare because you wanted to teach that particular subject. You would go to Oxford University and attend the particular school specializing in that subject. When you ate, you would sit down at the board, and there you would meet the others who were studying Shakespeare, and you would meet the professors who did the teaching. You would hear them all talking about Shakespeare in a way you never had heard before. ...You would hear many things that would alert you to the fact that you had a lot to learn about Shakespeare. So you would begin to study and pull books off the shelf in the library and go to the lectures. After you had been at the school for two or three years, they would make you a fellow. Then when you would go in and sit at the board with the other students and professors, you would join right in with them as they talked about the sonnets of Shakespeare. You would have fellowship with them, sharing the things of Shakespeare. Now fellowship for the believer means that we meet and share the things of Christ. We talk together about the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word (McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Epistles (1 John) (electronic ed., Vol. 56, pp. 22–23). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.)
5) The Word of Life Is Joyful (1 John 1:4)
1 John 1:4 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. (ESV)
Because it is transforming truth, John’s message is one that brings consummate joy, produces full satisfaction and complete fulfillment that can never be lost (John 10:28–29; Rom. 8:35–39; Phil. 1:6; 2 Peter 1:10–11). Jesus told the apostles in the upper room, “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full” (John 15:11; cf. 16:22, 33; Luke 2:10). As the apostle Paul explained, “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17; cf. Phil. 4:4; 1 Thess. 5:16). The χαρά (“joy”) is nothing other than the salvation that is given with the κοινωνία (“fellowship”) with the Father and the Son: the eschatological salvation. But the χαρά is present without losing its eschatological sense, because the believers are freed in faith from the world that is pressing in upon them (Bultmann, R. K. (1973). The Johannine epistles a commentary on the Johannine epistles (pp. 13–14). Philadelphia: Fortress Press.)
Please turn to John 17 (p.903)
The secular, dictionary definition of joy—“the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires”—is thoroughly inadequate when applied to the Christian life. Biblical Joy is something very deep and profound, something that affects the whole and entire personality. In other words it comes to this; there is only one thing that can give true joy and that is contemplation of the Lord Jesus Christ. He satisfies my mind; He satisfies my emotions; He satisfies my every desire. He and His great salvation include the whole personality and nothing less, and in Him I am complete. Joy, in other words, is the response and the reaction of the soul to a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Life in Christ: Studies in 1 John [Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 2002], p.30)
In His high priestly prayer to His Father, Jesus prayed:
John 17:11-21 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. 20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me (ESV)
• Jesus shows the kind of profound unity that should be the norm among genuine believers. ...This is to be a reflection of the unity that has existed eternally between the Father and the Son (v. 11), namely, the unity of a common mind and purpose, an unqualified mutual love, and a sustained comprehensive togetherness in mission.... it is rooted in the truth of God’s word (John 17:14, 17, 20); and it involves “sanctification,” that is, in the sense of consecration to serve (vv. 17, 19); Finally, it results in believers being filled with joy (v. 13; see also 3:29; 15:11; 16:24; 1 John 1:4); and it becomes a witness to the world so that “the world may believe” (v. 21); (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2058). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.)
John wanted his readers to experience the joy that comes from understanding the reality of Christ, the saving truth of the gospel, and the fellowship that each Christian has with God and fellow believers. It is then that all true followers of Jesus will have His “joy made full in themselves” (John 17:13; cf. 15:11; 16:24; Ps. 16:11). John considered his encounter with Christ to have been a joyful experience—the best thing that ever happened to him.
• What do we do when good things happen to us? We immediately pick up the phone. Or we run down the street to a friend’s house. Something about good news practically demands that we share it. How much more the wonderful and marvelous truth that God sent Christ into the world to bring lost and empty people back into a rich relationship with himself? (Barton, B. B., & Osborne, G. R. (1998). 1, 2 & 3 John (p. 18). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.)
(Format Note: Outline & some base commentary from MacArthur, J. (2007). 1, 2, 3 John (pp. 13–20). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.)
