1 John 1:1-4 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked on… I. St. John was now AN OLD MAN IN A NEW WORLD. It was an age of busy thought and daring speculation. It had its realists, who held that Jesus was but a man, and Christianity but one of the religious movements of the last century. It had its dreamy idealists, who spiritualised away all the facts of Christianity. The age, in fact, called for a restatement of Christian truth. We too have our realists in art and literature — painters who strip the halo from Christ's brow, and set before us simply the man Jesus, the peasant saint of Galilee — authors who write "lives of Jesus" as the Son of Mary, but not of Christ the Son of the living God. We too have our idealists, who regard Christianity as a dream of man's spirit — a beautiful dream, yet capable of being improved, and so they wish, not to destroy, but to remake the Christ, to pull the Gospels to pieces, but only to put them together again after a better fashion. Here we have the last word of inspiration. The revelation that began in Genesis ends here. II. We have in our text THE SUBSTANCE OF THE GOSPEL — what it is in the last analysis. 1. It is something eternal — "that which was from the beginning." Christianity is not one of the religious movements of a recent age. It is not one of a class. It cannot be compared with other religions. Its sources are out of sight. It was manifested in time, but it was from the beginning. 2. It is something historical. "That which we have heard, that which we have seen [not in vision] with our eyes, that which we beheld, and our hands handled...declare we unto you." We do not announce fancies of our own. We bear witness to facts — to an eternal truth revealed in time. 3. It is something absolutely unique. "The word of life, the eternal life, which was with the Father." Christ approaches humanity. He comes not, as one of many, on a common errand of sympathy with sorrow. His mission is unique. He comes alone. He comes to give men life — eternal life — life as it was with the Father the very life of God Himself in its purest form. III. Again, we have THE END AIMED AT IN THE GOSPEL stated in its largest, fullest form. "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you also, that ye also may have fellowship with us." Men are to be saved for something as well as from something, and that is for the fellowship of holy spirits, the commonwealth of souls, the city of God. Truth says to all who possess it, "I am sacramental bread and wine; eat of me, drink of me, and pass me on to others." As every stream of water makes for the sea, every rill of truth is making for fellowship. The missionary spirit is often spoken of as something separate, peculiar to certain people. No! it is the spirit of all truth. Get Christ into men, and the Christ in them will straightway want to get into other men; for the great end for which every Christian truth is making, is fellowship — the perfect brotherhood of all souls. IV. Yes! But BROTHERHOOD CAN ONLY BE THROUGH FATHERHOOD. "And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ." Union is union with God. Cicero has said that there can be no friendship but between good men. Bad men may combine, but cannot unite. Their combination is a rope of sand. God only unites. "Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it." The hope of the world lies not in agitation, nor in revolution, nor in reformation, but in regeneration. V. COMMUNION WITH MEN MUST THEN BEGIN AS UNION WITH GOD. "And this is the message" — "God is light" — is holiness and love. Do you say, "It is a message that crushes"? Nay, it consoles too, it inspires. There is a gospel in it. The sun looking down at the green wheat blade, says, "You must be like me." But how? "By looking at me. I, by shining on you, will make you to be what I want you to be." God is light! If He is holiness without spot, He is also love without measure. He gives Himself away like the light. (J. M. Gibbon.) Parallel Verses KJV: 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; |
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