Thursday, March 5, 2009

1 John 1:1-4 "The Witness"

Read 1 John 1:1-4.

"... we have seen it and testify to it...." NIV

John jumps right in to counter the false teachings of Gnosticism with an eye-witness testimony to the humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ. John and the apostles heard Him, saw Him, and touched Him and could say that Jesus truly was "the Word of life." So John and the other apostles were proclaiming it to The Church so they would not turn away from the truth to the lies being planted among them.

In a similar way this is exactly what we are doing today, but in a spiritual realm. If we have received Jesus as our Lord and spent time growing with Him, we have seen Him, heard Him, and even felt the touch of His Spirit. The Holy Spirit, who lives within us, testifies to His existence every day. And the power of His death and resurrection is lived out in the lives of millions who follow Him. So many want to deny the divinity of Christ, but His work in our lives and indwelling in our hearts is part of the proof of His divinity. We are the living examples of who He is and why He came.

So, like the apostles, since we can testify to the power and truth of Jesus Christ, we have the same responsibility that they had in proclaiming to others "what we have seen and heard." Our Lord is alive and well. He is still at work in millions of lives, and we must share the hope and direction that He can bring through a relationship with Him. We are the body, and we are His Plan A. There is no Plan B. If we don't tell them, who will?

Further Thoughts:
  1. Why does John call Jesus "the Word of life?" Where else in the Bible is He called this?
  2. What statement does John make to give evidence that Jesus was with God from the beginning of time? For what reason does he emphasize this point?
  3. What of Jesus that you have "seen and heard" could you proclaim to others? 
  4. What would have happened if the person who proclaimed the power of Jesus to you hadn't?

1 comment:

  1. I have had a GREAT day so far! If the enemy was throwing darts my way, I didn't notice!! Thanks for all your encouragement :-) By the way, love the new picture...

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