1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.
2The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.
3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
- P22
4We write this to make our joy complete.
5This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. - P22
7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
- P23
8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. - P23
When the apostle John wrote this epistle, false teachers were claiming that Jesus was a spirit and did not exist in a fully human body. So, the first point John makes as he introduces his letter is that Jesus came in the flesh. Like most writers of the New Testament, John was an eyewitness with the authority to claim that this is true: Jesus is fully human and fully God. - P24
During His earthly life, He experienced the events recorded in the Gospels. He ate and talked and walked and performed miracles in real historical places, many of which still exist today. One cannot be considered a Christian without believing in this reality (v. 3). - P24
God is light, meaning He is holy and without any impurity. Just like turn-ing on a light banishes the darkness, God‘s purity and sin‘s impurity cannotcoexist. No one can claim to have fellowship with God and yet walk inthe darkness. Those who walk in God‘s light walk in fellowship with otherbelievers and trust in the blood of Jesus to purify them from all sin. - P24
Whenour lives display holiness, it shows that we truly have fellowship with Godand one another. We also need humility in our fellowship because none ofus can claim perfection by God‘s standards (v. 8). - P24
We are dependent uponJesus for forgiveness in order to continue in fellowship with God and withHis people. - P24
Heavenly Father, it is only by Your grace that I dare to approach Your throne or even call You my Father. I know that when I come to You in humble confession, You forgive me and welcome me as Your child. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, amen. - P25
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