MESSAGE - 1 JOHN VERSES 2-4: ETERNAL LIFE AND FELLOWSHIP WITH JOY COMPLETE
On the previous occasion when we looked at the opening verse of this glorious first letter of John, we explored many thoughts that are contained in that marvellous verse. John testified to all he had seen and heard and touched when the Lord was on earth. He faithfully recorded the essentials of the faith so clearly through the Holy Spirit. Today we are going to do the next three verses. Let us look at the opening verses of Chapter 1.
{{1John 1 v 1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life –
1John 1:2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us - 1John 1:3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.}}
ETERNAL LIFE WITH THE FATHER
VERSE 2. Verses 2 and 3 are an expansion of the opening statement in verse 1. Verse 2 parallels John 1 v 14 in the gospel – {{John 1 v 14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth”.}} You see that word there, “beheld”, the one where they not only saw, but contemplated and saw beyond just a physical form. John is categorically stating that they saw and could testify to all that happened, but the main thrust of verse 2 is “eternal life”.
What is this eternal life he speaks of in the verse? It is the life vitally connected to the Almighty, the Eternal God who inhabits eternity, who knows the end from the beginning, and who is the great I AM. Eternal life resides with the Eternal God, but in the fullness of time, this life was manifested to the disciples. That was through the One who became flesh, who dwelt among them. You see, we are considering the Godhead here, and Jesus was the eternal Son revealing the Eternal Father to them. Jesus brought the life of God to them and now John confidently proclaims that eternal life to the readers. It is that life that was laid on the line for us, that He was alive, and was dead, but now is alive forevermore, and has brought everlasting life to us. That is what John says in verse 2. What a gigantic acceptance this is that the Eternal Son should grant life to us forever.
Never lose sight of the cost in this, for He who was without sin became sin for us that we can now be reckoned as the righteousness of God. Don’t let that go in one ear and out the other. You were redeemed by the blood of the Lamb at great cost.
Human contemplation is usually insufficient when we try to explore the immensity of God. God is so great and so much beyond us that our capacity for understanding is limited, but God knows that. It is the reason why the Lord spoke about many things, but at a level we understand. He has given us all we need to know in this temporal life. There are so many wonders and facts that we can’t possible know and glories that would almost shatter our human minds, but in heaven we will understand, and we will participate in those things that Paul said it was not permitted to know. Jesus was so kind to the disciples revealing just enough, but even then they were not able to grasp things at the time.
One of the problems with us human beings is that we are given to speculation, and if speculation is not contained within boundaries, then it can run wild, and all sorts of fanciful ideas result. The following two verses could lend themselves to speculation but we would be very unwise to do that. I said the Lord gave us what we needed to live, but there was so much more He refrained to give – for our real benefit I believe! I will leave these two verses with you without comment just to marvel at how good God is:-
2Corinthians 12:4 was caught up into Paradise, and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak. 1Corinthians 2:9 but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.”
ETERNAL OR EVERLASTING?
It is interesting at times to look at the words different bible versions use in translation. They differ from one another. One of the problems with the English language is its huge vocabulary because it can be confusing, and there are often so many words that are interchangeable or nearly so. Some have slight shades of meaning. At times it is difficult to choose the exact word you want. (I am not expert on this but I was told that Spanish is the best language to say exactly what you want to say. I don’t know any Spanish).
The reason for saying the above is to look at the translation of a particular word. In verse 2 it is “the eternal life,” the word “eternal”. God is eternal. He is from eternity to eternity. The Greek word is “eternal”.
In Mathematics, in linear study, it is generally taught that a line segment has a beginning and an end. That is like drawing a “line” on a piece of paper. A ray on the other hand, has a beginning but no end, or an end but no beginning. That is like shining a powerful laser beam from earth. The last one is a line and it is described as having no beginning and no end.
Now which of the above fits a description of God? Well, of course it has to be the “line” for God has no beginning or end. Which of the above best fits the Christian? Well a Christian is one who has been born again and has a new life in God that will last forever. There was a particular point in time when that person handed his life to God. It had a beginning for him and will never end. That fits a “ray”.
Getting back to the matter of translation, the KJV is this for {{John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”}} The KJV is the only translation that has “everlasting” and not “eternal” that every other version has, but I am suggesting it is perhaps a better translation than eternal, for our redeemed life in God has a beginning but no end. It will last forever.
God is eternal with life that had no beginning and has no end. I associate eternal with God but think more as everlasting for me. As a point of interest Strong’s Concordance used the word “petetual”. In the long run, it does not make any difference in words because the new life in Jesus Christ will last forever.
Bishop Ellicott in speaking of the word “eternal in Matthew 25:46 says, “On the other hand, it must be admitted that the Greek word which is rendered “eternal,” does not in itself involve endlessness, but rather duration, whether through an age or a succession of ages; and that it is therefore applied in the New Testament to periods of time that have had both beginning and ending.”
I will leave it at that. Not wishing to bore anyone.
FAITHFUL PROCLAIMATION FOR FELLOWSHIP
VERSE 3. 1John 1:3 “what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.”
Did you happen to notice here in verse 3 that John repeats the words he used in verse 1, those words “seen and heard”? This is important. John is emphasising the fact of the reality of what he is saying. He has actually SEEN and HEARD. He wants his audience (and us) to know this truth. He has seen and heard! Therefore all he says is true.
The fact that Jesus came and revealed the life of the Father to us - for He was of that “same life” – was not a fact that remained in isolation. It actually had tremendous consequences. It resulted in fellowship. Fellowship is built on fact and testimony, not on some gooey feeling or meaningless “feel-good” wave of self-gratification that wafts through us. Fellowship has the most solid basis. It is built on the eternal life of God; on God’s forgiveness of sin through the satisfaction that the righteousness of God was satisfied at Calvary; and on the promises of God, for His promises can not be broken.
What do we mean by fellowship? There is a great hymn – “What a fellowship, what a joy is mine, leaning on the everlasting arms . . .” Just in that one line, fellowship implies trust. Fellowship can only happen after the boundaries are secure. Then the foundation must be solid. Christian fellowship is built on the foundation of God’s justice declaring the saved sinner to be a product of the righteousness of God. The world today strives for peace treaties. There can be no acceptance or latitude to another party if there is no basis of agreement. Once there is, then an intercourse can happen. In WW2 there was no foundation with Japan. Then the peace treaty was made and all sorts of exchanges flowed from that. The world watches North Korea and Russia in the Ukraine and belligerent China with its global ambitions. There is little hope that will be a full and open peace so there will be no true fellowship.
We have fellowship with the Father because our fellowship is with the Son. Both distinct Persons in the Godhead have fellowship with us, and the reverse. John is very clear on this idea. It is literally, “the fellowship which is ours”. We have such a unique fellowship, that we own. Fellowship means peace and joy. That is why Christians can sing the great hymns of the faith with great joy, not chant the tuneless, repetitive lines of modern church singing, standing all the time spaced out. That is why Christians can meet together in trust and peace, and share with one another, and love to worship together.
Earthly fellowship is often established on an uncertain trust but it relates to the trust of fickle and changeable men. Christian fellowship has a foundation founded on an unchangeable God who has written a covenant signed in the blood of the cross. It is the most peaceful and eternal fellowship that could ever exist.
JOY THAT IS COMPLETE; THAT IS FULL
VERSE 4. 1John 1 v 4 "These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete."
At the beginning of the previous message on 1John 1 we did look into the great truth of joy and what it was to make joy complete, and into the difference between joy and happiness. We will touch on this subject of joy being complete, again.
We are given part, or the main purpose, why John wrote his gospel and letters. We can include John’s gospel in this because it was a companion writing that goes with the first letter. In every book of the bible, you must carefully analyse it to see what the purpose for its writing was. Here we know the purpose is that our joy may be complete. Joy is a fundamental bible word and it is God’s desire towards His children. It is worthwhile to examine this letter and make a list of what “these things” are, then meditate on them and let yourselves be joyful over those things. John writes on certain fundamental issues in his letter and we will delve into some of these in future messages.
I suggest it will be good to read through the letter and list those issues.
The Greek for “complete” is p????? and means “filled up”, which is why some versions use “full”. It has the sense of being amply supplied or accomplished. God wants our joy to be maximised, complete, filled up. This would bring me to an important aspect of our characters. Some people are always overflowing with happiness while others are more morose or subdued. Some might think of the latter ones, that these people are sad or lacking joy. I truly think Christian joy is on the inside, but can be expressed outwardly as well, though not by everyone.
John wrote that the readers’ joy might be complete. It also includes the joy of the scripture writers, as well as the readers. Jesus spoke that His disciples’ joy might likewise be complete – {{John 15 v 11 - "I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.”}} To conclude, your faith is grounded in the Lord Jesus Christ, the source of salvation and fellowship, whose life lived in us, makes our joy complete.
May God establish us in our most holy faith and show us those great teachings from His word meant to build us up in joy and fellowship.
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
