1 John 1

1Jo 1:1-10.

THE

WRITER'S

AUTHORITY AS AN

EYEWITNESS TO THE

GOSPEL

FACTS,

HAVING

SEEN,

HEARD, AND

HANDLED

HIM

WHO

WAS FROM THE

BEGINNING:

HIS

OBJECT IN

WRITING:

HIS

MESSAGE.

IF

WE

WOULD

HAVE

FELLOWSHIP WITH

HIM,

WE

MUST

WALK IN

LIGHT, AS

HE

IS

LIGHT.

1. Instead of a formal, John adopts a virtual address (compare

1Jo 1:4).

To wish joy to the reader was the ancient customary address. The

sentence begun in

1Jo 1:1

is broken off by the parenthetic

1Jo 1:2,

and is resumed at

1Jo 1:3

with the repetition of some words from

1Jo 1:1.

That which was--not "began to be," but was essentially

(Greek, "een," not "egeneto") before He was

manifested

(1Jo 1:2);

answering to "Him that is from the beginning"

(1Jo 2:13);

so John's Gospel,

Joh 1:1,

"In the beginning was the Word."

Pr 8:23,

"I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the

earth was."

we--apostles.

heard . . . seen . . . looked upon

. . . handled--a series rising in gradation.

Seeing is a more convincing proof than hearing of;

handling, than even seeing. "Have heard

. . . have seen" (perfect tenses), as a possession

still abiding with us; but in Greek (not as English

Version "have," but simply) "looked upon" (not perfect tense, as of

a continuing thing, but aorist, past time) while Christ

the incarnate Word was still with us. "Seen," namely, His glory, as

revealed in the Transfiguration and in His miracles; and His passion

and death in a real body of flesh and blood. "Looked upon" as a

wondrous spectacle steadfastly, deeply, contemplatively; so the

Greek. Appropriate to John's contemplative character.

hands . . . handled--Thomas and the other disciples on

distinct occasions after the resurrection. John himself had leaned on

Jesus' breast at the last supper. Contrast the wisest of the heathen

feeling after (the same Greek as here; groping

after WITH THE HANDS") if haply they might

find God (see

Ac 17:27).

This proves against Socinians he is here speaking of the personal

incarnate Word, not of Christ's teaching from the beginning

of His official life.

of--"concerning"; following "heard." "Heard" is the verb most

applying to the purpose of the Epistle, namely the truth which John had

heard concerning the Word of life, that is, (Christ) the

Word who is the life. "Heard," namely, from Christ Himself,

including all Christ's teachings about Himself. Therefore he puts "of,"

or "concerning," before "the word of life," which is inapplicable to

any of the verbs except "heard"; also "heard" is the only one of the

verbs which he resumes at

1Jo 1:5.

2. the life--Jesus, "the Word of life."

was manifested--who had previously been "with the Father."

show--Translate as in

1Jo 1:3,

"declare" (compare

1Jo 1:5).

Declare is the general term; write is the particular

(1Jo 1:4).

that eternal life--Greek, "the life which is eternal." As

the Epistle begins, so it ends with "eternal life," which we shall ever

enjoy with, and in, Him who is "the life eternal."

which--Greek, "the which." the before-mentioned

(1Jo 1:1)

life which was with the Father "from the beginning" (compare

Joh 1:1).

This proves the distinctness of the First and Second Persons in the one

Godhead.

3. That which we have seen and heard--resumed from

1Jo 1:1,

wherein the sentence, being interrupted by

1Jo 1:2,

parenthesis, was left incomplete.

declare we unto you--Oldest manuscripts add also; unto you

also who have not seen or heard Him.

that ye also may have fellowship with us--that ye also

who have not seen, may have the fellowship with us which

we who have seen enjoy; what that fellowship consists in he proceeds to

state, "Our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son." Faith

realizes what we have not seen as spiritually visible; not till by

faith we too have seen, do we know all the excellency of the true

Solomon. He Himself is ours; He in us and we in Him. We are "partakers

of the divine nature." We know God only by having fellowship with Him;

He may thus be known, but not comprehended. The

repetition of "with" before the "Son," distinguishes the

persons, while the fellowship or communion with

both Father and Son, implies their unity. It is not added

"and with the Holy Ghost"; for it is by the Holy Ghost or Spirit

of the Father and Son in us, that we are enabled to have fellowship

with the Father and Son (compare

1Jo 3:24).

Believers enjoy the fellowship OF, but not WITH, the Holy Ghost. "Through Christ God closes up the

chasm that separated Him from the human race, and imparts Himself to

them in the communion of the divine life" [NEANDER].

4. these things--and none other, namely, this whole Epistle.

write we unto you--Some oldest manuscripts omit "unto you," and

emphasize "we." Thus the antithesis is between "we" (apostles and

eye-witnesses) and "your." We write thus that your joy

may be full. Other oldest manuscripts and versions read "OUR joy," namely, that our joy may be filled full

(Compare

Joh 4:36,

end;

Php 2:2,

"Fulfil ye my joy,"

Php 2:16; 4:1;

2Jo 8).

It is possible that "your" may be a correction of transcribers to make

this verse harmonize with

Joh 15:11; 16:24;

however, as John often repeats favorite phrases, he may do so here, so

"your" may be from himself. So

2Jo 12,

"your" in oldest manuscripts. The authority of manuscripts and versions

on both sides here is almost evenly balanced. Christ Himself is the

source, object, and center of His people's joy (compare

1Jo 1:3,

end); it is in fellowship with Him that we have joy, the

fruit of faith.

5. First division of the body of the Epistle (compare

Introduction).

declare--Greek, "announce"; report in turn; a different

Greek word from

1Jo 1:3.

As the Son announced the message heard from the Father as His apostle,

so the Son's apostles announce what they have heard from the Son. John

nowhere uses the term "Gospel"; but the witness or testimony,

the word, the truth, and here the message.

God is light--What light is in the natural world, that God, the

source of even material light, is in the spiritual, the fountain of

wisdom, purity, beauty, joy, and glory. As all material life and growth

depends on light, so all spiritual life and growth depends on

GOD. As God here, so Christ, in

1Jo 2:8,

is called "the true light."

no darkness at all--strong negation; Greek, "No, not even

one speck of darkness"; no ignorance, error, untruthfulness, sin, or

death. John heard this from Christ, not only in express words, but in

His acted words, namely, His is whole manifestation in the flesh as

"the brightness of the Father's glory." Christ Himself was the

embodiment of "the message," representing fully in all His sayings,

doings, and sufferings, Him who is LIGHT.

6. say--profess.

have fellowship with him--

(1Jo 1:3).

The essence of the Christian life.

walk--in inward and outward action, whithersoever we turn

ourselves [BENGEL].

in darkness--Greek, "in the darkness"; opposed to

"the light" (compare

1Jo 2:8, 11).

lie--

(1Jo 2:4).

do not--in practice, whatever we say.

the truth--

(Eph 4:21;

Joh 3:21).

7. Compare

Eph 5:8, 11-14.

"WE WALK"; "God is (essentially in His very

nature as 'the light,'

1Jo 1:5)

in the light." WALKING in the light, the

element in which God Himself is, constitutes the test of fellowship

with Him. Christ, like us, walked in the light

(1Jo 2:6).

ALFORD notices, Walking in the light as He is in

the light, is no mere imitation of God, but an identity in the

essential element of our daily walk with the essential element of

God's eternal being.

we have fellowship one with another--and of course with

God (to be understood from

1Jo 1:6).

Without having fellowship with God there can be no true and Christian

fellowship one with another (compare

1Jo 1:3).

and--as the result of "walking in the light, as He is in the

light."

the blood of Jesus . . . cleanseth us from all

sin--daily contracted through the sinful weakness of the flesh, and

the power of Satan and the world. He is speaking not of justification

through His blood once for all, but of the present

sanctification ("cleanseth" is present tense) which the

believer, walking in the light and having fellowship with God

and the saints, enjoys as His privilege. Compare

Joh 13:10,

Greek, "He that has been bathed, needeth not save to

wash his feet, but is clean every whit." Compare

1Jo 1:9,

"cleanse us from all unrighteousness," a further step besides

"forgiving us our sins." Christ's blood is the cleansing mean,

whereby gradually, being already justified and in fellowship with God,

we become clean from all sin which would mar our fellowship with

God. Faith applies the cleansing, purifying blood. Some oldest

manuscripts omit "Christ"; others retain it.

8. The confession of sins is a necessary consequence of

"walking in the light"

(1Jo 1:7).

"If thou shalt confess thyself a sinner, the truth is in thee;

for the truth is itself light. Not yet has thy life

become perfectly light, as sins are still in thee, but yet thou hast

already begun to be illuminated, because there is in thee confession of

sins" [AUGUSTINE].

that we have no sin--"HAVE," not "have

had," must refer not to the past sinful life while unconverted,

but to the present state wherein believers have sin even

still. Observe, "sin" is in the singular; "(confess our) sins"

(1Jo 1:9)

in the plural. Sin refers to the corruption of the old

man still present in us, and the stain created by the actual

sins flowing from that old nature in us. To confess our need of

cleansing from present sin is essential to "walking in the

light"; so far is the presence of some sin incompatible with our in

the main "walking in light." But the believer hates, confesses, and

longs to be delivered from all sin, which is darkness. "They who

defend their sins, will see in the great day whether their sins can

defend them."

deceive ourselves--We cannot deceive God; we only make ourselves

to err from the right path.

the truth--

(1Jo 2:4).

True faith. "The truth respecting God's holiness and our sinfulness,

which is the very first spark of light in us, has no place in us"

[ALFORD].

9. confess--with the lips, speaking from a contrite heart;

involving also confession to our fellow men of offenses committed

against them.

he--God.

faithful--to His own promises; "true" to His word.

just--Not merely the mercy, but the justice or

righteousness of God is set forth in the redemption of the

penitent believer in Christ. God's promises of mercy, to which He is

faithful, are in accordance with His justice.

to--Greek, "in order that." His forgiving us our sins

and cleansing us, &c., is in furtherance of the ends of His

eternal faithfulness and justice.

forgive--remitting the guilt.

cleanse--purify from all filthiness, so that henceforth we more

and more become free from the presence of sin through the Spirit of

sanctification (compare

Heb 9:14;

and above, see on

1Jo 1:7).

unrighteousness--offensive to Him who "is just" or

righteous; called "sin,"

1Jo 1:7,

because "sin is the transgression of the law," and the law is the

expression of God's righteousness, so that sin is

unrighteousness.

10. Parallel to

1Jo 1:8.

we have not sinned--referring to the commission of actual

sins, even after regeneration and conversion; whereas in

1Jo 1:8,

"we have no sin," refers to the present GUILT

remaining (until cleansed) from the actual sins committed, and

to the SIN of our corrupt old nature still

adhering to us. The perfect "have . . . sinned" brings down

the commission of sins to the present time, not merely sins committed

before, but since, conversion.

we make him a liar--a gradation;

1Jo 1:6,

"we lie";

1Jo 1:8,

"we deceive ourselves"; worst of all, "we make Him a liar," by denying

His word that all men are sinners (compare

1Jo 5:10).

his word is not in us--"His word," which is "the truth"

(1Jo 1:8),

accuses us truly; by denying it we drive it from our hearts (compare

Joh 5:38).

Our rejection of "His word" in respect to our being sinners, implies as

the consequence our rejection of His word and will revealed in the law

and Gospel as a whole; for these throughout rest on the fact

that we have sinned, and have sin.