1 John 1:1-4 - the Word of Life

1:1

There are similarities in the introduction to the start of John’s gospel. He speaks about the Word, and stresses that the word was from the beginning, i.e.  the Word is eternal, also it is the Word of life. John also stresses his personal experience of the Word, i.e. that which we have seen, looked at and touched.

1:2

The Gnostics may have had grand sounding theories, but John, and others, had direct personal experience of the Word. The Word came from the Father, note how much stress is put on this in John’s gospel.

1:3.4

John and the apostles proclaimed what they had seen, and his hearers could have the same fellowship, they were not some special select group, their fellowship was with the Father and the Son. And they were delighted to share this good news. The gnostic types presented themselves as somehow set apart.