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1 John 1:1-3 ESV
(1) That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life--
(2) the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us--
(3) that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
Skeletal Structure:
Run On, John!
Before I begin with these three verses, I want to point out one crucial thing to interpreting them. They contain only one sentence. This is important because, if you don't understand the structure of the sentence, John will likely lose you within the first two verses. He keeps saying “that which this,” and, “that which that,” but he doesn't even mention the main verb until verse 3. So in order to understand what John is trying to communicate with the first sentence of this epistle we need to establish three things which make up the skeletal structure of the sentence: the subject, the main verb, and the direct object.1
Direct Object
I'm going to begin the way John does, with the direct object. The majority of this sentence (two thirds) is devoted to describing the substantive2 which receives the action of the main verb. This substantive is “that which was from the beginning... concerning the word of life.” Technically, the direct object is merely “that.” But because everything else in the first verse is describing “that,” I think it is fair to include its description in the discussion as we seek to determine what “that” is.
John tells us a lot of things about “that.” He tells us that it was from the beginning, that the apostles have heard, seen, looked upon and touched it, and that it is concerning the word of life. John seems to be on a roll, but all that John tells about “that” which is “concerning the word of life” in the first verse is then interrupted by a description of that life itself in the second verse. I use the term “interrupted” because John seems to pick right back up where he left off at the beginning of the third verse with “that which we have seen and heard”. But by no means is this interruption unimportant or trivial. The second verse is a crucial explanation of what (or who) this life is. From what is said about the life being with the Father and being manifested to the apostles, it is clear that this life is Jesus Christ.
Even though, technically, the parenthetical note in the second verse is not describing the direct object, I view it as being contained within the description of the direct object as it's purpose is to clarify the “life” that John mentions at the end of the first verse. With this in mind, I will treat both the first and second verses as a whole, both giving us information about the direct object, “that.”
In both the first and second verses John seems to be focusing both on the gospel and on the actual person of Jesus Christ. All the descriptions of “that” bring me to the conclusion that “that” is a term meant to include both the gospel message concerning Jesus Christ (the word of life), and Jesus Christ himself (whom the apostles had heard, seen, and even touched). It makes sense that John would blend the concepts of the gospel and of the person of Jesus Christ, as the gospel is concerning, summed up in, and realized fully in Jesus Christ, the life who was with the Father and manifested to the apostles. So the direct object of this sentence, “that,” seems to be these two concepts blended together, both the gospel about Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ himself.
Main Verb and Subject
As I mentioned previously, the third verse picks right back up with a repetition of “that which we have seen and heard.” John's purpose in this is to bring our attention back to “that” which he had been describing previously. Everything in the first two verses is bound up in that short phrase at the beginning of this third verse.
With our direct object firmly established in our minds we can start to notice a clear sentence structure here in the third verse. The main verb is the action which is done to the direct object. That being said, it is clear that the main verb is “proclaim.” That which John has been describing for the first two verses, namely the gospel and person of Jesus Christ, is being proclaimed by John and the rest of the apostles. Obviously the subject of the sentence is “we,” whom, as you can already see, I have interpreted to be John and the rest of the apostles.
Flesh and Features:
Flesh and Features
The basic idea is this: John, along with the rest of the apostles, proclaims the gospel concerning Jesus Christ to the recipients of his letter. So now that we have established and understand the basic sentence structure, we have a skeleton to which we need to add flesh and features.
Proclamation
The first thing I want to note is the main verb, “proclaim.” This translation of the Greek word, "apaggellomen", is spot on. It denotes information known by the subject being declared to those who assumedly would not know it otherwise. There is a sense of authority behind this proclamation. The apostles are not merely “sharing” their faith or presenting a viable option to those who are looking for something new. They are proclaiming good news about Jesus Christ with the very authority of God himself. The manner in which the apostles proclaim these truths about Jesus holds a valuable (and sorely needed) lesson for us concerning evangelism. In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus tells us that because all authority on heaven and on earth has been given to him, we are to make disciples of all nations baptizing them and teaching them to observe all of his commandments. Notice that it is his authority that gives reason for this commission. Jesus is the king of heaven and earth. We are Jesus' representatives on earth, commissioned to proclaim his good news to the nations. We ought to proclaim it boldly and with great authority, for it does not come from a weak but “loving” god, it comes from the sovereign God of all creation who has commissioned us to preach his good news of reconciliation to all men. We are often afraid of confrontation and conflict. With this mindset we seek comfort and avoid awkward situations at all costs, even if we have to disobey Christ. When we act in this way, we are living as though Jesus Christ is not enthroned as king. We are living as though this temporal world holds more sway than the decrees of an almighty God. Our lord and king Jesus Christ has redeemed us and given us a task. Let us zealously and boldly attend to it.
A God-Man is Hard to Find
John spends the majority of this first sentence describing the direct object (the content of the proclamation), and for good reason. He wants to make two things very clear, both that Jesus was manifested to the apostles and that he existed with the Father before that manifestation. These two truths clash with one another in such a way that perfectly showcases their profundity. That Jesus was manifested would not be profound were he not deity. And even the claim that Jesus is deity would not be profound if he is not, at the same time, a man. But for the eternal life who existed with the Father to be manifested to the apostles as a man whom they knew personally, that is something truly amazing. This is the content of the apostles' proclamation. They are proclaiming the good news concerning Jesus, the eternal life who was with God and was manifested to them.
Eternal Life
Why is Jesus referred to as the life? In John's New Testament writings, Jesus is the life (John 11:25; 14:6; 1 John 1:1-2; 5:20), has life in himself (John 1:4; 5:26), and is the one from whom we gain eternal life (John 3:15-16, 36; 4:14; 6:40, 47; 10:10, 28; 17:1-3; 20:31; 1 John 5:11-12).3 Life is bound up in the very being of Jesus so that it can be said of him that he is life, and he is the source of it for those who believe in him because life is contained within himself. These are the ways in which John relates Jesus to “life” throughout his writings in the New Testament and doubtlessly it is the way in which he is using it here.4
Purpose
John also gives us the reason for his proclaiming. The reason is very clearly sated, “so that you too may have fellowship with us.” Proclaiming the good news concerning Jesus Christ coming in the flesh as the eternal life manifested to the apostles brings fellowship between John's readers and the apostles. But John does not stop there. Human fellowship is not his only aim. The apostles' fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ, and that is John's aim for his readers. He wants them to share in fellowship with God.5
1 Most sentences are made up of three things: a subject, a main verb, and a direct object. If you are not familiar with these terms, here are a few quick definitions:
Subject: the noun in the sentence which does the action of the main verb.
Main Verb: the main action being done in the sentence.
Direct Object: the noun in the sentence which receives the action of the main verb.
2 A substantive is a noun or any word that functions as a noun.
3 All of the biblical references in the preceding sentence contain the Greek word, "zoa," or one of its forms.
4 I would encourage anyone who is interested in understanding these concepts more clearly to take the time to look up all the references I gave above. I know it will prove to be an incredibly encouraging study as you come to a full understanding of the clear teaching of John about Jesus Christ, eternal life, and the relationship between the two.
5 There seems to be a contrast in the third verse between John's readers and the group to which he belongs (the apostles). This is brought out by the usage of the rare Greek word, "haymeteros," which means “our” (the same basic meaning as its more common counterpart, "haymon"). "Haymeteros" seems to emphasize the uniqueness of the group to which John belongs (the apostles or possibly the Christian Jews) as opposed to the group to which he is writing (possibly Gentiles). This is not incredibly important now, but it may be later on in 1 John 2:2 where this rare word is used for the second time.
5 comments:
I had a couple thoughts as I was reading thru this. One was about the word "Proclamation."
I think most of what is called "evangelistic" in our country completely misses what this term means, if they understood it, there would be no conditions tied to the gospel, no pleadings or beggings like we see (nothing like Paul and the Corinthians), nor would there be a material use of so many things to make the gospel itself more attractive.......simple proclamation of genuine truth comes from a genuine faith from a genuine Christ.....these are what 99% of so-called evangelicals are missing in my mind.
Now I have a couple questions reguarding "the great commission."
Who first coined that phrase and why did they use it?
Who was the primary audience when Jesus spoke these words?
Did they fulfill His command, or does the obeying of the command go beyond possibly 11 men?
I dont mean to slow you putting down your thoughts on 1 John, but I would like to understand your assertions :-)
There's something very beautiful and still a little mysterious to me about the passage you referenced in John 17, verses 1-3 (especially vs. 3). The "life" that Jesus grants us is more than just the ability to believe that he is God. It's actually knowing him. I've thought a lot about what it means to "know" him in the past, and I still don't think I totally understand it's full meaning. But it's wonderfully exciting to my soul, and I think it contains lots of elements (such as recognizing his voice when his Spirit speaks to me, seeing events happening around me and knowing that he is directing them, and gradually being brought to the point where my goals and desires are more and more in line with his). But I think there's more to it than that. The word "know" seems to me to be packed with meaning. And it's not a knowledge that one can attain on his own by rigorous study (not that we shouldn't study Christ's Word, because that's how he teaches us about himself). This knowledge is something granted only to Christ's own, and it seems to be a knowledge that's ever growing. ("For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known."--I Cor. 13:12). Now that's something to look forward to!
Bryan,
Congratulations for being the first person to comment on my new blog! I assumed it was you because I recognized your writing style and saw that someone from Idaho had visited my blog about the same time that you had commented. In the future though, if you aren't opposed, I would prefer if you put your name in the "Nickname" field when you comment so that anyone who reads these comments can follow our conversation without confusion.
Concerning proclamation, I agree that many evangelicals misunderstand the good news and what it means to proclaim it. To those who misunderstand it, the good news is often seen as a mere opinion of man; they see it as something to be suggested and considered rather than something to be proclaimed. As you said, we have genuine truth to proclaim which comes from the genuine Christ who is lord and king over all creation.
Concerning “the great commission,” I did a bit of research to determine who actually coined that phrase and I wasn't able to come up with anything. Certainly, by the definition of “commission,” what Jesus said to his disciples in Matthew 28:18-20 would be considered as such. I would also affirm that this commission was a “great” one. For Jesus to tell these eleven ordinary men that they were to make disciples of all nations would have seemed “great” indeed. Perhaps, it would even seem too great for the disciples to accomplish, which is why Jesus gives them a good reason for obedience to the commission (that he was given all authority in heaven and on earth) and a promise (that he would be with them until the end of the age). All of this to say that I think the term, “the great commission,” is a very fitting and descriptive term for what Jesus tells his disciples in this text.
Now, on to your next question. Of course Jesus' primary audience when he said these things was the eleven disciples. Whether or not the commission is exclusively applicable to them or inclusive to all of Christianity is another matter. It is a possible interpretation, and preferable in my opinion, that the disciples were given this commission as representatives and leaders of the future church. They certainly did lead the church in obeying this commission, as the New Testament bears witness (especially the book of Acts), but I do not think their obedience negates future obedience. One example of someone who was not there when the eleven disciples heard the commission is the apostle Paul. Paul was not present when Jesus spoke these words, yet he spent himself zealously making all nations disciples. If this was the job of the eleven only, why was he also so committed to it?
The disciples are commanded, in Matthew 28:19 to make “all nations” disciples. This does not mean, “at least one person from every nation,” but instead the disciples (and we) are to continue making disciples until all nations are disciples of Christ. It seems to me that Jesus wasn't anticipating any complete fulfillment of his commission (in the sense that it would cease to exist and there would be no more commission to obey), rather he is giving the disciples, as the leaders of the future church, direction as to what the job of the Christian church is to be on earth. Also the term, “all nations,” is giving the disciples direction to preach the good news, not only to the Jews, but to the gentiles as well (something they most likely would not have done otherwise). Seeing the commission as something that had a definite fulfillment seems unrealistically rigid. There does not seem to be any indication that the disciples were going from nation to nation making sure that there were disciples in every one, so that once there were disciples in every single nation (that they knew of at least) they would stop making disciples (having fulfilled the commission). It seems consistent with the New Testament account, instead, to view them as going all over the world, proclaiming the gospel in order to make as many disciples as they possibly could, baptizing them and teaching them to observe what Jesus had commanded them.
In conclusion, the commission was given primarily to the eleven disciples as representatives and leaders of the church, but obedience to the commission was the job, not only of the disciples, but of the church as a whole.
I hope I have clarified my assertions well. I may have answered you with more than you wanted. The reason for it is that I think I saw where you were going with your questions and figured I would cut to the chase. The purpose of this blog is to teach each other concerning the true meaning and right application of scripture, so if you have anything more to say concerning “the great commission,” feel free to post it. I look forward to reading anything you write and knowing what you think about it.
I think that though Paul was not there when the other 11 disciples were prior to Jesus' ascension, it is clear in NT history that his specific call was the same will greater fruit amongst the gentiles....see 1 Cor. 3:10-15 with Rom. 16:25-27 and Col. 1:3-7a, 1:24-27.
I also asked because recently one of the elders from a local "church group" we attended made "the great commission" an issue of fellowship and even salvation....there is a breed of thinking along these lines developing amongst other evangelicals.
I certainly believe the apostles fulfilled laying the foundation of the body of Christ, we at present are a part of what has been built on that (John 17:20-21) thru true discipleship, not what is being propagated thru the "proper institutions" called the churches of our time. (nor the demonic emergent movement)
Anyway, I look forward to your further commentary, especially as you approach 1 John 2:2 and the subject of propitiation.....and the term "world" as used by John throughout his epistle (and gospel)......just thoughts from me anyway :-)
Bryan,
I respectfully insert my foot into my mouth. It seems that I got ahead of myself and argued against something you weren't even arguing for. I definitely agree with what you said about the apostles laying the foundation for the Church in their obedience to the great commission. I also agree that Paul was given the same task as the rest of the apostles. What I would not agree with is the assertion that Jesus' commission to the eleven disciples doesn't have application for us to proclaim the gospel. But it seems that I was attacking a staw man and not any assertion from you. I am curious to know, though, what you mean by making the great commission an issue of "fellowship," and "salvation." Do you mean that the elder of which you spoke was saying that in order to have true fellowship and even in order to be saved you have to be obeying the great commission? Anyway, thanks for your input, Bryan.
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