One Who Existed from the Beginning

Today’s Scripture: 1 John 1:1-4

Key Verse: 1 John 1:1

We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life!

The authorship of First, Second, and Third John is not as clear as most of us may assume. Most Biblical experts agree that John the Apostle wrote these three small epistles while on the Island of Patmos, and that John wrote the Book of Revelation there as well. Rome had exiled John to the Island of Patmos because of his testimony about Jesus.

However, none of the epistles give a name to the author other than “The Elder”. No matter who wrote the Epistles of John, we can rest assured that God inspired the writer and that they give us great truths for living a Christlike life.

The first verse of 1 John gives us the profound truth that Jesus was the Second Person of the Triune God and has existed forever. We often need reminding that Jesus was present at the creation of earth and mankind. The idea that God lives outside of time and, to Him, a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day boggles our minds (2 Peter 3:8).

John also reminds us in the first verse that Jesus is the Word of life. In other words, when Jesus gave up His glory in Heaven to come to earth, his very life would be like a book that tells the story of the redemption of mankind. Every action of Jesus’s life, every attitude, every behavior, and every word He spoke helps us understand who God is and why He sent Jesus to earth. Jesus was the “Word of Life” and that life is available to all who would believe in Him.

When we receive Jesus into our lives, we join a fellowship that exists between the Triune God and all His children. First John 1:4 tells us that John’s purpose for writing is to help his readers to experience the joy of this fellowship that he enjoyed with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.

Think with me, for a moment, about this word “fellowship”. It is a word that connects enjoying food, laughter, and warm moments with people we care about. Jesus did not come to start a religion. He came that we might share fellowship with almighty God.

Have you joined this fellowship?

Father, I receive Jesus as my Savior. Help me to relax and enjoy the fellowship that this relationship provides. In Jesus’s Name I pray, amen.