1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— ² and the life was revealed, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was revealed to us— ³ what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. ⁴ These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete (1Jn1:1-4).

Moving on to the first epistle of John, the apostle, who is spoken of in Scripture as having an especially close relationship with Jesus Christ, is keen that his readers should do the same. To do so they must seek to understand the nature and origins of the One known to Christians as Lord and Saviour. In terms of origins, the Being that was incarnated as the Lord Jesus Christ was “from the beginning” (v1). He is therefore quite distinct from everything that has been created, for as John opened his gospel, “without Him nothing was made that has been made”. And as Paul affirmed, “For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things” (Rom11:36). John distinctly  identifies this eternal Being as the Word (Greek: Logos) – in Greek philosophical terms the ordering principle of the universe.

Way Truth and Life

Jesus described Himself as the way, the truth and the Life, and John utilizes the latter description in the opening  verse – the Word of Life. This “life” is what Scripture more often refers to as eternal life. That is not only describing its never-ending nature but its quality; for  “this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (Jn17:3). I used to understand references to eternal life in the New Testament exclusively in the context of whether or not one goes to heaven when one dies, but that makes no sense in the context of verses such as 1Jn3:15 : “ Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him”.

John is speaking of a quality of life that as a result of the Fall mankind no longer innately possesses. It can be regained by knowing and following the One who told His disciples “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly (Jn10:10). Note also from Jn17:3 that having affirmed Christ/the Word’s comprehensive deity, John asserts the Father’s supreme monarchical status within the godhead, the Father being “the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (cf. Paul 1Cor8:6 & 11:3).

Called into fellowship

As stated in my opening paragraph, the purpose of John’s exposition concerning the Word and His incarnation as Jesus Christ, is that people, even whilst clothed in sinful mortal flesh, might have a living relationship with this sublime divinity. However, that means sharing in measure what our Lord experienced on earth, and (to put it mildly) not all of it was good. But following in His Way, guided by His Truth and sharing in His Life, those who are so called, have been chosen and remain faithful become conformed to their Master’s image (Rom8:29). And like Jesus, “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross” (Heb12:2), His followers with joy, wonder and a measure of trepidation remember they are “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him” (Rom8:17NASB).

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