Bible Study on 1John 1, verses 1 to 4, the Word of life

 

John was the youngest of the Apostles and survived all of them. He penned a gospel account, these letters, and the book we call Revelation.

1John 1:1 ¶  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, of the Word of life; 2  (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 3  That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4  And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

The apostle John here gives a summary of his experience with Christ as God walked on the earth in the form of a man. From John’s Gospel

John 1:1 ¶  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2  The same was in the beginning with God. 3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 ¶  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

The Targums were translations and commentaries on the Hebrew Bible from Hebrew into Aramaic, the language of the common man in first century Judea and environs. They present to us an understanding of their understanding of the scriptures as they even changed the text itself at times to reinforce their beliefs in what the text meant. Several verses in the Old Testament where God is mentioned it is added that it is the Word of God that is being referred to. The Word of God even visits mankind in the form of a human repeatedly in the Old Testament, also called the angel or appearance of the LORD, Jehovah. A study of the Targum referencing the concept of “The Divine Word” will show you this. John makes it very clear that Jesus Christ is that second part of the Godhead, The Divine Word, and whereas God the Father is invisible to us the Word of God walked in flesh as in the Garden of Eden before the Fall. The Jews know all about this theological concept, this Theophany, but denied that Jesus’ and His apostles’ claim that He was that divine Word was true.