“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.” 2 Peter 1:20 – 2:1
Verse 1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
“That which was from the beginning” is referring to Jesus. The Greek word translated as “beginning” is “arche” and it means beginning, origin, the first person or thing in a series, and the leader. It is difficult and really impossible for the finite minds of mankind to fathom the beginning of anything, much less the fact that Jesus was in existence before the world and the universe were created. So since no one was alive to see the beginning, the fact needs to be accepted by faith. Jesus was and is also the beginning of the Church. He instituted the New Covenant and did away with the Old Covenant and was the first man of flesh to rise from the dead and stay that way in a resurrected body. Lazarus and other Bible people were raised from the dead, only to die again and be buried. But Jesus was the first person to leave this Earth with his body. This is the “hope” that is talked about in the New Testament books, the hope of resurrecting from the dead and being with the LORD for eternity.
The apostle John relays the fact that he was an eyewitness to the ministry of Jesus. He and his fellow disciples heard Jesus, saw Him, touched Him, and saw Him rise into Heaven. John calls Jesus the “Word of life” as Scripture teaches that all that is in this world was spoken into existence by Jesus, that He holds the very breath of everyone in His hands, and that by following His words or commandments, forgiveness of sins, salvation and eternal life are available to all believers.
Verse 2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
Jesus was in existence before coming to Earth in the body of a little baby. John refers to Him as “that eternal life”. His eternal being was made visible or made known to His followers so that they could bear witness to the fact that there is eternal life because Jesus was in eternity with the Father before making Himself known to the people of Judah where He traveled and ministered.
Verse 3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
Notice that Jesus Christ is referred to as a “that” in the verses above rather than as “he” or “him”, etc. The Greek word translated as “that” is “ho” and it appears in Matthew 1:20. “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.” Why is Jesus called a “that”? Possibly because He was/is both man and God at the same time and eternal in nature and substance. You decide.
Verse 4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
Application: Believers should have joy in their lives because the destroying weight of sin is taken away by the shed blood of Jesus, because they are saved from sin, death and Hell, and because of the promise of eternal life through their relationship and faith in the LORD Jesus Christ. If joy is lacking, something is wrong and the believer needs to take a serious look at his/her relationship with Jesus and at his/her fellowship with God’s people.
Verse 5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
The verses above constitute the introduction by the apostle John to the believers he is writing to. This verse states the purpose of the letter. It was to declare, announce, or make known that God is light. The Greek word translated as “light” is “phos” and it means a fire, a lamp or torch, brightness, and metaphorically it means truth and knowledge with spiritual purity. Jesus is referred to as the light of the world. “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12 “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:5
The Greek word translated as “darkness” is “skotia” and it means lack of light, and metaphorically it means ignorance of divine things and wickedness.
Verse 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
Application: Many people claim to be Christians, but their walk (attitude, actions, language, etc.) is contrary to the things of the LORD. According to the apostle John, if a person engages in wickedness and lacks Biblical knowledge or truth, they are lying. Their claim to be followers of Jesus is false.
Verse 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
The Greek word translated as “walk” is “peripateo” and it means to walk, to make one’s way, to progress or to pass one’s life. In order to have fellowship with other believers and with God, a person has to walk righteously through this life every minute of every day. The believer is to fashion himself/herself with the help of the Holy Ghost/Spirit into the character of Jesus Christ. A believer can only be a Christian if he/she is like Christ, which is the meaning of the word.
Verse 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Romans 3:23 The word “all” means everyone who has ever lived or who will live in the future has sinned. The only exception was the LORD Jesus Christ who was/is without sin. The reason Christ Jesus had to die for the sins of the world is because no one is without sin. To claim to be without sin means that Jesus’ death wasn’t necessary. This is blasphemy and a lie from Satan.
Verse 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
As the believer becomes more and more like Jesus, sin will become less and less in the believer’s life. Should the believer commit a sin, repenting of it and asking God’s forgiveness cleanses the sin away.
Verse 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1)
In the book of Titus, Paul states, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;” Titus 1:2 God cannot lie. Only mankind engages in lying. To deny that there is a sin nature (a natural propensity to sin) and to state that a person has no sin is to make what God says a lie and this is blasphemy. Liars cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven. “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8