“That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we saw, and our hands touched, concerning the Word of life.”

1 John 1:1

Straight away John deals with the poison of the Gnostic ideology which was infiltrating the church of Jesus Christ. Jesus was a real man and John knew Him and spoke with Him and touched Him, before and after the resurrection. The Gnostics sought to so spiritualise Jesus, that he was not fully human and therefore not someone who can identify with us or be our Saviour. This book is to counteract that theory and show Jesus and what He taught as cogent for a real and hurting world.

The Lord Jesus took twelve men to follow Him around and be witnesses to His work, His grace and His glory. They did not always understand at the time, but they were emboldened as the Holy Spirit gave them holy boldness to speak and live for God. So also we can have this boldness and be witnesses to the love and life-changing power of God.

The disciples saw the real Jesus and we have the miracles and His character recorded for us in the gospels. The disciples touched the very Son of God, existent from before the beginning of the world, and shared His bread and drink. They lived up close to Him and saw the working of His hands and motivation of His perfect mind. They saw and touched the very Word of life, the embodiment of the Word of God recorded for us in the Holy Scripture.

That Holy Word was from the beginning, the Creator of the ends of the earth. Straight away, John leaves us in no doubt as to the credentials of this Jesus of Nazareth. He is the Holy God and Lord of all, yet fully human and worthy to be our Saviour.