READINGS IN JOHN'S FIRST EPISTLE - 1 JOHN 1 AND 2
READINGS IN JOHN’S FIRST EPISTLE - 1 JOHN 1 AND 2
In suggesting John’s epistle, it was thought that we might see something of life as it works out in the family of God, and of what that life is as first seen in Christ. It says, “The eternal life which was with the Father” 1 John 1:2; this life was with the father. It does not refer to what was prior to incarnation, but what is seen in the Lord on earth. “Father” supposes a family. In John’s gospel it says, “As many as received him, to them gave he the right to be children of God ... who have been born, not of blood nor of flesh’s will nor of man’s will, but of God”, John 1:12, 13. That, stated at the outset, indicates what John had in view, and the apostle, in speaking here of the life as with the Father, would impress upon us the kind of life that is to mark the family. Think of this life, as with the Father and yet come within the range of the apostles! John says, “Which we have seen with our eyes; that which we contemplated, and our hands handled” 1 John 1:1; then, “And the life has been manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and report to you the eternal life, which was with the Father, and has been manifested to us”. 1 John 1:2. It was with the Father, but manifested, so as to be reported of by competent witnesses; thus those who have part in it may see the nature of it.
I think “that which was from the beginning” 1 John 1:1 is emphasised to preserve the life from human admixture. Everything is to be tested by that which was from the beginning. The family is what the saints are here as loving Christ. Two things are stated of it by John: those who form it receive Christ, and they are called children of God: “See what love the Father has given to us, that we should be called the children of God”, 1 John 3:1. The life is said to be [p. 91] manifested; it came within the range of competent witnesses. In his gospel John uses the expression: “an only-begotten with a father” John 1:14; it is a figure brought in to emphasise the place the Lord had. All would understand the peculiar place; an only one would have with a father.
This eternal life takes concrete form in the Son. The expression here is not like John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word”, but “That which was from the beginning”, namely, eternal life. It is the thing he is dealing with, as taking perfect form in Christ; in One seen with their eyes, contemplated, and handled with their hands — to show how real it was. It was not a passing thing but abiding. It was life brought within the range of men, manifested in everyday circumstances. There is progress in the way the apostles apprehended it. First heard, then seen, then contemplated, then handled, “concerning the word of life”. 1 John 1:1. The dignity of the Lord’s Person is guarded elsewhere, but what the Holy Spirit would impress upon us here is the life. In Christ it was brought within the range of men in the most practical way.
“The word of life” 1 John 1:1 would be the thing in expression, and it was verified in the most complete way. It is reported here by the apostle John, who had an unique place in the testimony. He brings it near to the saints, so that the life may be known in its practical bearing amongst us. As an example of handling it, John certainly was in close and intimate physical relation with Christ at the last Supper. His word here is that he handled life. He says, “We have seen, and bear witness, and report to you”. 1 John 1:2. Light comes to us by way of report. After the Lord rose from the dead, He said, “Handle me and see” Luke 24:39. He was a real Man after, as before His death. But the testimony here refers to what the apostles saw from the beginning. In John 15:27, where the witness of the Spirit comes in, the Lord said,
“[p. 92] Ye too hear witness, because ye are with me from the beginning”. They had been with the Lord for that intent. John shows us in this epistle the great features of that life which was “from the beginning”, and which was “with the Father”. 1 John 1:2.
What a depth of meaning this passage gives to the truth of the incarnation of Christ; He manifested to the apostles a life which was with the Father. The truth of incarnation is presented in a very condensed way by John. In his gospel “The Word became flesh, and dwelt amongst us”, John 1:14 but here he is going to address the children, and to speak to them of life. There is consideration for us: “My children, these things I write to you”. 1 John 2:1. The report is brought to us by one who was with the Lord, whom “Jesus loved”. Things have to be broken up for the children; it is not on the wide platform of the gospel, which has every one in view, but he is speaking to the family. It is never your Father, but the Father, because there are other families. With one or two exceptions it is always so in John’s writings.
John addresses us first as “my children”, 1 John 2:1, then as God’s children 1 John 3:1. Before he reaches the full truth of God’s children, he breaks up the truth, as it were, by placing the family in grades, and then speaks to each grade, so as to bring home a special feature of it to each one. He says, in principle, in chapter 1, I am going to speak to you about a thing with which I have been occupied myself with the greatest delight, and I want you to be occupied with it so that it may be your delight: “that ye also may have fellowship with us and our fellowship is indeed with the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ”. 1 John 1:3. There is a difference between “fellowship with us”, and “fellowship with one another”. He is aiming at the establishment of the family, so that fellowship with one another brings us in on mutual ground. In the Canticles it says, “I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey”, Song of Songs 5:1.
“Honeycomb” is a reference to mutuality. The way in which fellowship is introduced is very interesting. The fellowship which the apostles had was special, as they had been companions with the Lord: “Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations”, Luke 22:28. Obviously we could not come in on that line, but they established a link of relationship with those they addressed, and they in their turn established links, so that the chain comes through unbroken. The fellowship now is “with one another”. And He further says, “These things write we to you that your joy may be full”. 1 John 1:4.
As the family of God we ought to know our great place and portion. Perhaps we have the light of the family, but the life of it is the thing that should characterise us. John presents these things with a definite end in view “That your joy may be full”. 1 John 1:4. He was well aware of the good times the apostles had, especially after the Holy Spirit came down. No doubt they enjoyed things whilst the Lord was amongst them, but after the Holy Spirit came the things He spoke and did would have their true place with them, and they with John would pass on what they had heard and seen that our joy might be full. He is here not only dealing with things spoken, though including them, but of what came out in the Lord’s ways; it was the life manifested.
Paul does not treat of this side of the truth; he was not with the Lord on earth. He knew Christ as He is in heaven and develops the truth in connection with Him there. In the future those who were with the Lord in the days of His flesh will have that which is peculiar to themselves; Luke 22: 29, 30. It is interesting to note in this connection that Paul had been fifteen days with Peter in Jerusalem and no doubt would he greatly affected by what Peter would communicate to him of the Lord’s life on earth; Galatians 1:18. This epistle does not contemplate us as [p. 94] out of the world but in it, and the ministry of John was intended that we might enjoy this life notwithstanding. It is to be enjoyed in our relations one with another. Hence the need of walking in the light, as God is in the light, that we may have fellowship one with another. The meetings of the saints should be thus marked, hence the enjoyment of brotherly confidence and love. “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren”. 1 John 3:14. This life was manifested to the disciples; it was there in spite of the contrary scene through which He passed. It was what He was as with the Father.
In regard to ourselves, we could not enjoy this life as in the wilderness since it belongs to the land; it is known and enjoyed amongst the saints. It is something that we have as come together; the deep satisfaction and joy of holy spiritual life instead of the terrible corruption and moral death that exist in the world. He does not take us out of the world; in fact the Lord prays definitely that we should not be taken out of the world, but kept from the evil. Thus, although actually in the world, we have and may enjoy this eternal life which is in God’s Son. This life is incorruptible, and it is a wonderful thing to experience, filling us, as it does, with holy, spiritual joy.
“That which was with the Father” 1 John 1:2 refers to the Lord’s life here; to what was seen in Him in the days of His flesh. God had promised it and now it had taken form in a Man on earth. It could not be limited to the three years, or so, of the Lord’s ministry, for who would undertake to say that in any part of the Lord’s life here eternal life was not manifested? John says, “The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us”, John 1: 14. This includes His life from the manger to the cross. As a matter of actual witness by the apostles, it was from the time they followed Him. That manner and expression of life [p. 95] had never been on earth before to be contemplated, it was the eternal life which was with the Father. As a boy He said to His parents, “Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” Luke 2: 49. So that whilst the apostles could only witness what they saw, it does not infer that it was not there before they saw it. If we were more in the good of this life, we should have great joy in contemplating its perfection in Christ, and this is what the Spirit of God has in view; that we might know the blessedness of the life that belongs to us. The prayers of the Lord Jesus, which the apostles heard, would be expressions of the life which was with the Father, but there were many things besides in which the life was expressed Our enjoyment of this life is specially realised when together. There are many opportunities of fellowship and the thing is to have what belongs to the family distinctly before us; it should not be mixed with what is natural. There is, of course, the natural side, and that is not wrong, but the thing is to keep the life that belongs to the family of God free. Take Bethany as an example. The Lord went there after His entry into Jerusalem and spent the night. It was a spot that was congenial to Him, and where He would be free. So as to fellowship it does not mean simply keeping separate, although implying it, but that we have part in the life that belongs to the family of God. There are those who have not part in it. As Peter said to Simon in Acts 8:21, “Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter”. We have the thing in belonging to the family, and however intimate our unconverted relatives may be with us, we have to say to them, “You have no part or lot in this matter”. Fellowship is in the light, and it does not admit of what is merely of nature.
The fellowship of the apostles was with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ, and John had in his mind the full joy of the saints through his report of [p. 96] this life. If we had seen John he would have told us what he and all the apostles enjoyed; he would convey the blessedness of it to any Christian company that they might share in the fulness of joy. What the apostles reported was light, rendering us independent of man and the world; as the light becomes effective in us it makes us full of joy. The breakdown of the professing thing does not come into view here, but what John would establish is right family relationships so that the saints could be happy together in this life. You want to get the thing that was from the beginning; to see the life in Him. They asked Him, “Where dwellest thou?” and He said to them, “Come and see ... and they abode with him that day”. John 1:38,39. That gives an idea of the thing. Before you get joy to the full you must first have the objective. Chapter 1 of our epistle is largely objective. The mariner looks up to take his bearings from heaven; he also makes soundings; the latter corresponds with the introspection which this epistle contemplates. It is “in him” first. This chapter is clearly what is “in him”; it is what was seen objectively by competent witnesses, and particularly by one whom Jesus loved. He sets it forth, first in Christ, then in the saints: “which thing is true in him and in you”. 1 John 2:8. So, “If ye know that he is righteous, know that every one who practises righteousness is begotten of him”. 1 John 2:29. But the first thing is to know that He is righteous. In the end of the epistle it says, “He is the true God and eternal life”. 1 John 5:20. You do not begin with the truth of His Person, but with what He expressed, because what is in John’s mind is to bring the children in to the present good of eternal life.
The end of the epistle is written in the present tense and from the viewpoint of His death and resurrection: “This is he that came by water and blood”. 1 John 5:6. We are in the circumstances in which He was. His wonderful life was seen while He was in [p. 97] these same circumstances here; hence the apostle brings it so near to us. “That which we have seen and heard we report to you”. 1 John 1:2. The saints were to be brought into the life. Then there is the message — he had something special from God. “And this is the message which we have heard from him, and declare to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all”. 1 John 1:5. It is not now a question of John’s own feelings, but of the message. The first thing the children have to learn is “that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all”. 1 John 1:5. In speaking to them he is aiming at this, that there is no darkness in God, and there must be none in us. We can understand why the first thing recorded of God in Genesis 1:3, in bringing order into the creation, is that He said, “Let there be light”, and He divided the light from the darkness, because He is light. It is not God is love in chapter 1 of our epistle, but He is light. A brother gets up to speak to the saints, and if full of love, as John was, he impresses the saints that he loves them; that is, “These things write we to you”. 1 John 1:4. Now he says, I come to my message; that is a serious thing. John had a message, and he gives it. Is there any darkness in God? None. Then we may ask Is there any darkness in us? The message is very brief, but how full it is! Darkness is anything of the flesh; or any reservation we may have as the result of making provision for the flesh. Saul spared Agag. “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin”, 1 John 1:7, from all that is of darkness. The expression, “God is light”, 1 John 1:5 is that as revealed He exposes everything. “That which makes everything manifest is light”, Ephesians 5:13. “God is love” 1 John 4:16 is a question of His nature. Light is God in relation to what Satan brought in; everything is exposed by the light. The revelation of God’s attributes is necessary, sin having come in. Light is relative.
It is a most important thing for the saints to know,
[p. 98] that there should be no part dark. Some one said that light exposes, but love removes what is exposed. A son should be perfectly at home; the expression, “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin”, 1 John 1:7 ensures this. It is to the end that the saints should be perfectly restful in the presence of the light. We have fellowship with one another as we walk in the light, and the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin — it does not say sins, but sin. The presence of sin does not disturb you; you are quite restful in the knowledge of what the blood does. It is not only what we have done that is in question, but also what is in us. The blood meets this so that there is no reservation with God or with each other. In regard to anything that has happened, provision is made for that: “He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins” 1 John 1:9 and “if any one sin, we have a patron with the Father”. 1 John 2:1. John writes so that there should be no disturbing elements. The Patron with the Father is looking after our every interest to the end that we may not be affected and disturbed by the presence of sin. I am not to be disturbed by it, because He has died. Where there is confession, there is forgiveness, and this results in transparency.