What Is Real Love? A Guide to 1 JohnSample

1 John 1:1-4

To start things off, we are going to read the opening passage John wrote to introduce this letter. After that, we are going to answer some basic Bible study questions, and then break this passage of Scripture down one piece at a time to help us discover what John wants us to know and how we are meant to respond to it.

Let’s read.

1 We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. 2 This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy. 1 John 1:1-4 NLT

Now, let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, thank you for making the truth of your Word available to us. Show us what you want us to see. Tell us what you want us to hear. And help us take these truths and put them into practice. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Before we start exploring this passage of Scripture, we’re going to zoom out and answer a few questions about the book of 1 John. Those questions are: Who’s the author? Who’s the audience? What’s the point?

Why those questions? Because the Bible is God’s Word for us, but it wasn’t originally written to us. The Bible is a collection of writings, written by dozens of authors, over the course of generations, all inspired by the Holy Spirit to lead us to Jesus and show us how to become more like Jesus. Learning the context of who wrote it, who they wrote it to, and why they wrote it is one of the best ways to figure out how to apply it to our lives today. Which brings us to those three questions:

1. Who’s the author? The letter of 1 John was written by, you guessed it, a guy named John. Specifically, John the Apostle, who was one of the original twelve disciples of Jesus and an eyewitness of the resurrection. During the early years of the Church, John was an influential leader and pastor. Later in his life, in an effort to pass on the things he saw and learned, he wrote five books that made their way into our Bibles today: The Gospel According to John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and the book of Revelation.
2. Who’s the audience? This letter was written to a group of Christians in the middle of a really challenging situation. A number of them had abandoned the Jesus way of life that was taught to them. They couldn’t match up the countercultural claims of Christianity with the conventional “wisdom” of their culture. So, instead of living faithfully to Jesus as people of love, they disobeyed God, disregarded the needs of the people around them, and deserted their community altogether. And the whole time, they claimed to know God and be a part of His family. This left the rest of the community hurt and confused about what it meant to be a Christian.
3. What’s the point? John is writing this letter to comfort these hurting and confused Christians by restoring their confidence in the truth of the Gospel and teaching them what it means to live as members of God’s family.

Which brings us the opening paragraph of John’s letter. In the first verse he writes:

We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. 1 John 1:1 NLT

John wants us to know that Jesus isn’t an ordinary person. He’s God in human form and He has existed from the beginning. This isn’t just a rumor he heard from his neighbor’s, cousin’s, best friend’s, grandma’s, AC Repair guy. John is convinced of this truth because he saw Jesus with his own eyes, heard Him with his own ears, and touched Him with his own hands. But John doesn’t say “I saw him,” he says, “we saw him…” Because John is just one of many people who witnessed the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the Word of life.

This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. 1 John 1:2 NLT

Here, John tells us that Jesus is life itself. And not just life, but eternal life. John’s not just making up metaphors to sound clever. He’s repeating what he heard Jesus say on the night He was arrested, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3 NIV

Don’t miss this. Eternal life isn’t just something we experience after we die. Eternal life is available to us now. Because eternal life is life with Jesus.

We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:3 NLT

Once again, John tells us that this isn’t just the latest piece of juicy gossip making its way around the neighborhood. It’s real, it’s true, and it changed everything for the better. That’s why it’s called good news. Now, our relationship with God the Father and God the Son can be repaired. When we put our trust in Jesus, we become a part of His family. A fellowship of love with God and other believers.

We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy. 1 John 1:4 NLT

John wants us to experience real joy, because there is nothing better than life with Jesus. As human beings we are hardwired for love. Woven into our DNA is a deep desire for belonging. That desire was placed there by God Himself when He created us in His image. Nothing other than the love of God will ever fully satisfy that desire and bring us true joy. And that’s exactly what John wants for us.

Application: So, what now? How are we to respond to this message? Take a few minutes to write down the answers to these three questions: 1. Do you really believe that Christianity is true? 2. If so, has it actually changed you? 3. In what ways?