May 11 - The Message from a Witness

Read 1 John 1 (don't worry...it's short!)

Context: This letter is strongly believed to be from John, son of Zebedee, disciple of Christ. Since it isn't addressed to a specific group, it was most likely a letter that was circulated among the early churches. He wrote the letter to expose false teachers and to give believers assurance of salvation (NIV Study Bible).

Text:
1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4We write this to make our[a] joy complete.

5This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[b] sin.
8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. (NIV)
Footnotes:
1 John 1:4 Some manuscripts your
1 John 1:7 Or every
Taken from www.biblegateway.com

This passage pretty well sums up the ministry of Christ! I appreciate how John shows us his qualifications in the beginning...he reminds us that we are reading the words of an eyewitness to the glory of God. Wouldn't you have loved to sit at his feet as he remembered those three turbulent years? Those really were the 'good old days'.