1 John 1:2 (and the life was revealed, and we have seen, and testify, and declare to you the life, the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was revealed to us).
1 John 3:3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us. Yes, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ. – World English.
That was from beginning, which we have heard, what we have seen to the eyes of us, which we viewed, and the hands of us felt, about the Logos of Life, and the life was manifested, and we have seen and we hearing witness and we are reported back to you the life everlasting which was with the Father and it was manifested to us, — which we have seen and we have heard, we are reporting back also to you, in order that you sharing, you may be having with us: the sharing with our Father and the Son of him, Jesus Christ. — 1 John 1:1,2, Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible translation.
“That which was from the beginning.” It is often assumed that by “the beginning”, John was writing about the same “beginning” that he wrote of in John 1:1. This is evidently done because of what they imagine and assume that concerning the "beginning" in John 1:1 is referring, that is, that Jesus had existed from eternity past. We have discussed the beginning of John 1:1 elsewhere, and have shown that contextually it is referring, not the to beginning of all creation, nor even the beginning of the creation of the material universe, but rather the "beginning" of the world of mankind upon the planet earth. We highly doubt that the beginning in 1 John 1:1 refers to the "beginning' in John 1:1, since in 1 John 2:7, John again refers to “from the beginning”, but in the latter verse it should be obvious that the commandment those to whom John wrote had “from the beginning” is not speaking about their existence in the beginning before the world of mankind was made through Jesus. -- John 1:10; 17:5.
1 John 2:7 - Brothers, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. -- World English
Likewise in 1 John 1:1-3, the “beginning” evidently is referring to the time period of when Jesus was yet in the days of his flesh (Hebrews 5:7), since John speaks of seeing the Logos with his eyes, and handling him with his hands (John 1:14); likewise, it was while Jesus was in the days of his flesh that he gave his commandments. -- John 13:34,35; 15:12,17/
1 John 1:1,2 expresses in different words basically the same thing John spoke of elsewhere in his Gospel. In the human Jesus was life, a life in himself given to him by his God (John 1:4; 5:26; 6:57), a life which brought to light life and incorruptibility (1 Timothy 1:10). The first man, Adam, was created incorrupt, upright (straight) (Ecclesiastes 7:29), but he was corruptible since it was possible for him to disobey (Genesis 2:16,17), and rather than proving himself incorruptible, Adam disobeyed, and thus fell short of the glory of God. (Genesis 3:6) Thus, through Adam's disobedience, all mankind have under subjection to vanity and a bondage of corruption ever since (Ecclesiastes 1:2,13,14; Romans 5:12-19; 8:20-22), from which they cannot make themselves straight (justified). (Ecclesiastes 1:15; 7:13; Acts 13:39; Romans 3:20) While man under the present sun of vanity (Ecclesiastes 1:14; 2:11) could not provide a new creation that is not crooked (Ecclesiastes 1:10), God could do so, which he did by preparing a body of flesh and blood for his son (Hebrews 10:5) that is not under the bondage of corruption that is upon the whole creation (the world of mankind). Unlike Adam, who also had life in himself given to him by God yet gave up that life in disobedience, Jesus never disobeyed, and retained the right to that human life for eternity, but which life he willingly sacrificed for all who are dying due to Adam’s disobedience. — John 12:47,48; Romans 5:12-19; 1 Corinthians 15:21,22; 1 Timothy 2:5,6; Hebrews 10:10; 1 John 2:2.
As a result of Jesus’ sacrifice of his rights to eternal human life, he became the means of such life to those who are dying in Adam, so that those who figuratively eat of his flesh and drink of his blood in faith may also be accounted, reckoned, imputed, as having been justified, having life in themselves as human sons of God, awaiting an actual placement as sons in the resurrection. — John 6:53; Romans 4:3-24; 6:11.
Some seem to imagine that 1 John 1:1 reads “that which was from eternity”, and from that read that Jesus had an eternal past. However, the Hebrew word for “beginning” does not mean eternity, nor is there any scriptural reason to imagine such an idea as related to what John wrote.
The life -- the eternal life which was with the Father -- was revealed to us through Jesus, while Jesus was in the days of his flesh. The word “with” here is from the Greek word often transliterated as “pros” (Strong’s #4314). It is the same word that is usually translated “with” in John 1:1. The word does not mean exactly the same as “with” in the sense as we often use that word in English, but it does express an intimate relationship. “The life” spoken in 1 John 1:2, however, is not the “life” that Jesus had when he was in celestial glory before the world of mankind was made through him. (John 1:10; 17:5; 1 Corinthians 15:40) John did not see the life Jesus had before he became flesh -- a life in celestial glory (1 Corinthians 15:39-4) -- while Jesus was in the days of his flesh, since Jesus did not possess that glory at that time. John did see the glory of terrestrial life, a little lower than the angels, as Adam could have had it if Adam had remained obedient. (Psalm 8:5; Hebrews 5:7-9) While Jesus was in the days of his flesh, “in him was life” (John 1:4), and it was that glory that John saw, felt and touched. (John 1:14) Adam’s life, before he sinned, was “with God”, in intimate relationship with God, but that relationship became severed through sin. After his sin, Adam fell short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and that fallen condition spread to all men through Adam; the effects of what Adam did are reversed in the life of Jesus. Jesus never disobeyed, and had the right to everlasting life in him as a human, but he gave up that life in sacrifice to redeem what had been lost through Adam. — Romans 5:12-19; 1 Corinthians 15:21,22; 1 Timothy 2:5,6.
The scripture states, "Our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ." (John 1:3, World English) Some read into this that John was saying that the Father and his Son are equal to each other, and that they are therefore two persons of the one triune God. For the oneness believers, we suppose they might read into this that it speaking of two aspects or manifestations of the "one God." Actually, there is no scriptural reason for assuming that the Son is equal to his Father, and certainly nothing in this that gives anyone reason to imagine and assume that Jesus and his Father are two persons of a triune God, or that the Son is the one God who is his Father. -- 1 Corinthians 8:6.
Now with regards “the Father” and the word “God”. In 1 John 1:5, the word “God” is used, but does it refer to a triune God, or is Jesus included as being "God"? It should be obvious that “God” in 1 John 1:5 identifies only person, and that is “the Father”, since 1 John 1:7 identifies Jesus Christ as the Son of this “God”. Thus, Jesus Christ is distinguished from "God" and is not being spoken of as a person of “God” or any other way as being "God", but is, in fact, being excluded from being the “God” that is referred to by John.
What is not found in John 1:1-3 is any thought that the "one God" of whom are all (1 Corinthians 8:6) is more than one person, nor is there any thought presented that would mean that Jesus is the "one God" of whom are all.
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1 John 5:11
One, referring to 1 John 5:11 asks: "How can eternal life be in the Son if he is not eternal life, with no beginning and was not created?"
Since there is no scripture that says that in order have eternal life in him that one has to be not created, the question throws up a false premise, and then argues based on the false premise. But what 1 John 5:11 actually saying?
1 John 5:11 reads:
Since there is no scripture that says that in order have eternal life in him that one has to be not created, the question throws up a false premise, and then argues based on the false premise. But what 1 John 5:11 actually saying?
1 John 5:11 reads:
And the witness is this, that God gave unto us eternal life (does God give to believers life "from everlasting past to everlasting future?] , and this life [that believers have received from God] is in [Strong's #1722, by means of, through] his Son. -- American Standard Version.
and this is the testimony, that life age-during did God give to us, and this -- the life -- is in [Strong's #1722] His Son -- Young's Literal.
John 3:14 - And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up;
John 3:15 - that whosoever believeth may in him have eternal life.
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through [Strong's #1722] Jesus Christ our Lord. -- Romans 6:23, King James Version.
This scripture should be viewed in harmony with Romans 6:23 as well as 1 Corinthians 8:6 and many other scriptures that reveal that Jesus is God's instrument in giving life. God is the giver of life, and Jesus is the instrument by which the life is given. "God" in 1 John 5:11 is identified as only one person, and "his Son" is distinguished from being "God". This is simply and easy to understand, but most trinitarians, desiring to see "trinity" in this verse, will present a lot of reasoning based on the acceptance of the trinity by which, according to their reasoning, Jesus here is being presented as being the alleged uncreated second person of their imagined triune God. That eternal life here does not mean uncreated life is apparent in the fact that God gives this life to believers. Is God giving uncreated life to believers? This life is given from God through Jesus, in harmony with the princple set forth in 1 Corinthians 8:6.
John wrote that this life is "in" his Son. The Greek word "EN" (Strong's #1722) could refer to life inside the Son, but since this iis referring the life that God gives to believers, it certainly isn't referring to an uncreated life, not unless you wish to believe and every believer becomes uncreated upon being giving this life. The Greek often transliterated as EN (Strong's #1722) often is used in the Bible to denote instrumentality, and this is obeviously the meaning as John uses it in this verse.
Regardless, there is definitely nothing in 1 John 5:11 that presents the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as being three persons, or that presents Jesus as being a person of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. All such has to imagined and assumed, added to and read into what John wrote
Regardless, there is definitely nothing in 1 John 5:11 that presents the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as being three persons, or that presents Jesus as being a person of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. All such has to imagined and assumed, added to and read into what John wrote
By Ronald R. Day, Sr.
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