1 John 1:1-4
The Word of Life
Read the passage
1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have gazed upon and touched with our own hands—this is the Word of life.
2And this is the life that was revealed; we have seen it and testified to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us.
3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And this fellowship of ours is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.
4We write these things so that our joy may be complete.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
The letter begins with what the witnesses heard, saw with their eyes, looked upon, and touched with their hands. The subject is the Word of life. The writer does not present Jesus as a vague spiritual influence. He speaks about a life revealed in a way the witnesses could encounter.
That life was with the Father and was revealed to the witnesses. They have seen it, testified to it, and proclaim it as eternal life. Their message has a source outside their own imagination. They are reporting what they received and experienced.
The purpose of the proclamation is fellowship. The readers are invited into fellowship with the witnesses, and that fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. Christian fellowship is more than liking the same people or sharing a social identity. It is participation in a relationship grounded in the apostolic message about Jesus.
The writer says these things so that joy may be complete. Joy does not come from keeping truth private. It grows as people receive the message and share life with God and His people.
This opening matters for families because it joins faith to reality. Children will have questions about whether Christianity is only a feeling or a family custom. The letter answers by pointing to a message about a person who was seen, heard, and touched.
How We Know
John 1:1-5 identifies the Word as with God and as the source of life and light. Luke 24:36-43 records the risen Jesus showing His hands and feet and eating before the disciples. 1 John presents its proclamation as the testimony of witnesses to the revealed Word of life.
Questions
1 What had the witnesses heard, seen, and touched?
AnswerTheir testimony is firsthand: they heard Jesus, saw Him, and touched the One revealed as the Word of life.
2 What was revealed to the witnesses?
AnswerThe eternal life that was with the Father was revealed in Jesus, so the witnesses could proclaim what they had received rather than a theory they had invented.
3 Why did they proclaim what they had seen and heard?
AnswerThey proclaimed what they had seen and heard so others could share fellowship with the witnesses, the Father, and His Son Jesus Christ.
4 Why did they write these things?
AnswerThey wrote so that their joy would be complete as others entered the fellowship created by the truth about Jesus.
What This Means for Us
When someone asks why your family believes in Jesus, begin with the witnesses’ testimony about Him. Read what they report and welcome questions about it.
Share that message with someone who wants to understand your faith. The invitation is to know the Father and His Son together, not merely to adopt your household’s customs.
Prayer
Father, thank You for revealing eternal life in Jesus Christ. Give us fellowship grounded in truth, joy in sharing the good news, and confidence that our faith rests on the apostolic testimony. Amen.