1John 1:1-2 The Word we see

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Pictures from 1John
The Tree of Light and its Outward Testimony

Thy Breath, O Lamb, as Rushing Wind
melody

Thy Breath, O Lamb, as rushing wind,
Descendeth from above.
Its righteous workings to extend
Through vessels washed in blood.

As water rains o'er barren earth,
Its visage to reclaim,
So words of life in man return,
To manifest Thy name.

That in our heart this Trinity
Of Water, Blood and Breath,
Might testify a mystery
To souls undone by death.

That in Thee is eternal life
Thou givest all who come
By simple faith, and through Thee find
The promised Three in One.

'Tis by these treasures, love is sown
That Thee in me unfurl;
A witness so the lost might know
God's mercy for this world.

Lo, God's Right Hand through nature frail
Doth tend benighted ground.
Its light and life will victory hail
By fruit and golden crowns.

Words: 2016 by Stephen Popovich
Music: Azmon 1828 by Carl G. Glaser

The Word We See

1John 1:1-2
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, concerning the Word of life-- the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us

The eternal Word of God
Jesus repeats throughout John's gospel that He was not speaking by His own initiative but the words that the Father gave Him to speak (Jn.1:1-2).

From the beginning
Jesus created the universe by His words, and thus was accomplishing the works of the Father much like a builder accomplishes the works of the architect (Jn.1:3, Heb.11:3).

Word becomes flesh
Jesus not only spoke the words of the Father but also personified, or "manifested", those words (Jn.1:14)

Life through His word
When an unbeliever receives the gospel of Jesus by faith, he is both washed by the blood and born by the Spirit through that word (Jn.1:12).

Sent to bear witness
Jesus sends us to offer eternal life to others by manifesting God's words; speaking and living them, just as He did (Jn.1:6-8, Jn.20:20-21).

As water rains o'er barren earth,
Its visage to reclaim,
So words of life in man returns,
To manifest Thy name.

He is Holy

1John 1:5
This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

The light that exposes darkness
The words of Jesus proceed from the heart of the Father. Those who dwell in darkness do not comprehend that light and are often hostile to it (Jn.8:42-47) because it condemns their evil deeds that stem from the darkness of the words they follow (Jn.3:19).

Be ye holy, for I am holy
The way of God is holy because He is holy (1Pet.1:15-16).

God is love, and He is also holy. His light contains no darkness. If anyone preaches love but condones, tolerates or promotes sin or a sinful lifestyle, that message does not come from God because the light of God's words will shine through those born of that light (Jn. 8:30-32).

Lo, God's Right Hand through nature frail
Doth tend benighted ground.
Its light and life will victory hail
By fruit and golden crowns.

Jesus Saves

1John 4:14
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.

Sent to save
God's words of eternal life concern the death, resurrection and ascension to heaven of His Son sent as Savior of the world. (Jn.17:8)

Keys to the kingdom
Only believers have been given the authority and responsibility to offer the keys of the gospel to those on the outside of God's kingdom. The book of Revelation tells us that the angels will also be given that authority as we near the end of time. But for now, those who do not hear the gospel from a believer remain bound in their sins; inside their perishing flesh] (Rom.10:13-15).

Thy breath, O Lamb, as rushing wind,
Descendeth from above,
Its righteous workings to extend
Through vessels washed in blood.

The Light of God's Life

1John 4:15
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

To abide
From the Greek word, meno, which means, dwell, remain, continue; can be in reference to time or a place

Evidence of entrance from utterance
The simple gospel truth received by faith gives spiritual rebirth and then flows up out of the mouth (Rom.10:8-10)---giving evidence of our new creation (1Jn,2:27, 2Jn.1:9), so that others might believe and be born again by that same truth (Jn.3:5-8).

The abiding Spirit
God abiding in us through the Holy Spirit is John's description of eternal life (1Jn.3:24, Jn.14:16-17, 1Jn.2:27). As John reveals in this letter, as well as chapter 15 of his gospel, when we receive the gospel by faith, God takes up dwelling in us through the life of the Holy Spirit who quickens us to dwell in God's word, which in turn allows God to dwell more fully in us by the fruits of the Spirit as we trust and obey.

The Light of God's Love

1John 4:16
And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

To Abide
From the Greek word meno meaning, "dwell", "remain", "continue"; can be in reference to time or a place.

That which we believe and know
The totality of God's word is summed up as "love" (Gal.5:13-14). Any knowledge that fails to apprehend love falls short of the utmost knowledge of God because God is love (1Cor.8:1-3).

Abiding in love and God
God gives us his word, not as merely a literary work, but a place for our hearts and minds to dwell (Jn.15:10,12). It is the expression of his very heart. God does not call us to a fellowship of watered down love suitable for fallen man, but the perfect love of God (Matt.5:48).

The light of God's love
In verse fifteen we saw that the tongue gives outward evidence of the life giving truth of the gospel of Christ in us. In verse sixteen we see additional outward evidence by the love of God in us. The former highlights the gate of the Way, and the latter, the continuing road of the Way (1Jn.3:23).

'Tis by these treasures, love is sown
To be in me unfurled
A witness so that others know
God's mercy toward this world.

The Testimony of the Trinity
(Water, Blood and Spirit (wind or breath)

1John 5:6-12
(6)This is He who came by water and blood--Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth.
Water is symbolic of God's word (Is.55:10-12, Eph.5:26) and blood is symbolic of the death of Christ (Lk.22:20, Heb.9:14). Together they represent the two-fold ministry for which Jesus came; to proclaim the Word of God and to be the sacrificial Lamb of God for the sins of the world (Rev.19:13). The confirming miracles of the Spirit were bearing witness to the truth that Jesus spoke (Matt.12:28, Lk.4:14, Jn.3:24).

(7)For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.
Many bible scholars say that this verse was not part of the original manuscripts. However, it does not diminish the truth that each member of the Trinity bore witness to the truth of Jesus; the Father at the baptism (Lk.3:22), transfiguration (Matt.17:5) and death of Jesus (Matt.27:51-54), the Spirit through the various miracles (Rom.15:19, Heb.2:4) as well as Old Testament prophecy (Jn.5:39) and Jesus as the Word Made Flesh (Jn.6:29).

(8)And there are three that bear witness on earth the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.
The Three continue to bear witness on earth concerning the gospel of Jesus Christ; each with their unique contributions to salvation, symbolically portrayed as the earthly elements of water, blood and wind; Water is the word of the Father, the Spirit (pneuma---wind) is the Holy Spirit and blood represents the atoning death of Jesus. All three are offered to fallen man by and through Jesus Christ (Jn.7:16, 8:26, 20:22,16:7-15, Rom.6:3-5, Lk.22:19-20).

(9)If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son.
In Deuteronomy 17:6, God says it takes two or three witnesses to establish truth among men. How much more is truth settled when the testimony of Jesus is confirmed by His Father in heaven (Jn.8:13-18).

(10)He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. (11)And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.(12)He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
When the Water of the words of Christ is received in the heart of sinners (Jn.4:10,13-14), their sinful heart is swallowed up in the cleansing blood of Christ (1Jn.1:7,Rev.1:5) and infused with the life of the Spirit (Jn.6:63). The message that was once on the outside knocking to come in (Rev.3:20) is now inside the heart flowing out in a message (Ja.3:11-18, Phil.2:15-16) and a walk of new life (Gal.5:16-25). Those who reject the seed of salvation also reject the life born of that seed and so remain in their sins under the wrath of God (Jn.3:36).

That in our heart this Trinity
Of Water, Blood and Breath
Might testify a mystery
To souls undone by death.

That in Thee is eternal life
Thou givest all who come
By simple faith, and in Thee find
The promised Three in One.

words by Steve Popovich �2013
music by William Croft 1708 (St Anne)