How does 1 John 1:2 connect with John 1:14 about the Word becoming flesh? The Heartbeat of 1 John 1:2 “The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us.” (1 John 1:2) Seeing, Touching, Proclaiming the Manifested Life • John speaks as an eyewitness. He isn’t sharing ideas but describing a Person he physically encountered (cf. 1 John 1:1, “which we have looked at and our hands have touched”). • “The life” refers to the eternal, self-existent life of God Himself—now made visible. • “Was with the Father” affirms the pre-existence and deity of Christ. • “Revealed to us” underscores manifestation: God stepped into history, into real space and time. John 1:14—The Same Miracle in Different Words “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) 1 John 1:2 and John 1:14 form two lenses focusing on one reality: 1. Incarnation: • 1 John 1:2—“The life appeared.” • John 1:14—“The Word became flesh.” Different phrases, same truth: the eternal Son entered the physical world. 2. Eyewitness testimony: • 1 John 1:2—“We have seen it and testify.” • John 1:14—“We have seen His glory.” Both stress real, historical observation. 3. Pre-existence with the Father: • 1 John 1:2—“That was with the Father.” • John 1:14—“The One and Only Son from the Father.” 4. Revelation of God’s nature: • 1 John 1:2—“Eternal life… revealed to us.” • John 1:14—“Full of grace and truth,” the very character of God displayed. Shared Themes and Key Phrases Manifested / Appeared / Revealed • In Greek, phaneroō (“appeared” in 1 John 1:2) and ginomai (“became” in John 1:14) both emphasize something previously unseen now openly displayed. Eternal Life = The Word • John equates the Person of Jesus with the life of God. To know Him is to share that life (John 17:3). Glory and Fellowship • The apostles’ encounter with Christ’s glory leads directly to fellowship with God and with one another (1 John 1:3). Additional Passages that Echo the Connection • John 1:1—“In the beginning was the Word… was God.” Eternal pre-existence affirmed. • John 1:18—“The one and only Son… has made Him known.” Revelation completed in Christ. • Colossians 2:9—“In Christ all the fullness of the Deity dwells bodily.” The fullness is bodily, not symbolic. • Hebrews 1:1-3—The Son is “the radiance of God’s glory.” Incarnation reveals what prophets only foreshadowed. • 1 Timothy 3:16—“He appeared in the flesh.” Same vocabulary of manifestation. • 2 Peter 1:16—“We were eyewitnesses of His majesty.” Apostolic testimony unified. Why the Link Matters for Us Today • Assurance: Because the life was seen, touched, and proclaimed, faith rests on historical fact, not myth. • Access: The eternal life “with the Father” is now offered to us through the visible, risen Christ. • Fellowship: Shared belief in the incarnate Word binds believers into genuine community (1 John 1:3-4). • Confidence in Scripture: Two books, same author, same Spirit, reinforcing one doctrine—Jesus is fully God, fully man, the manifested life. |
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