The Word of Life

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—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—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. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:1-5 ESV)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1-5 ESV)

As I read the passages from 1 John this morning, I had to flip back in my Bible to John's Gospel. Based on the notes in my Bible it's hard to tell how close together these two books of the Bible were written but regardless of the time span, John's awe and wonder never left him - awe for who this man, Jesus, is and was. He is keenly aware of the fact that he encountered, lived with and was taught by the Living Word who was and is and will be forever:

we heard

we have seen

we looked upon

we have touched with our hands

we have seen it and testify to it

we have seen and heard

we have heard from him

Seven times in five verses John expresses his excitement - his amazement! - at this truth. John is testifying and proclaiming - not just the Gospel that he knows about, but the very words from the Word of God. The words he heard with his own ears, straight from the source. We heard! We have seen! We have touched with our hands! Brotherhood, fellowship, journey mates who laughed together, grieved together, prayed, ate, slept - lived life - day in and day out.

What a powerful witness, an irrefutable testimony! Maybe we need to read this passage with a fresh perspective. Can we try to capture some of John's excitement and awe? Can we really begin to grasp what happened when Jesus came to live among us?

May we pray to live more fully into the significance of God leaving the glories of heaven, the eternal, to dwell on earth as a human, a man in the dust and muck of humanity, giving us the gift of hope, of salvation, of reconciliation with our Heavenly Father and the promise and reality of eternal life.


In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

That which was from the beginning . . . we have seen . . . we have heard . . . we have touched . . . we proclaim . . . we testify . . . . And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. (1 John 5:20 ESV)