Page 70 - General Epistles (James through Jude) Textbook

from the beginning, which John called both the Word of Life and Life is now
being called eternal life. How does John know that it appeared?

Notice that John is one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ who had eaten
and evangelized together with Jesus Christ. Further, he is one of the disciples
that Jesus loved and predicted how he was going to die (see John 20:2; 21:18-
19). John was also one of those three disciples (Peter and James) that Jesus
took during his transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36) and in the Garden of
Gethsemane (Matt. 26:37). So, John witnessed the appearance of the Eternal Life (Jesus Himself)
because he did a lot of things with Him. Not only is Jesus “that which was from the beginning,” the
“Word of Life,” but He is the Eternal Life. Hence the reason why John continued to proclaim Him. Notice
that he repeats the word “proclaim” three times in the space of 4 verses. That is crucial to anybody who
wants to be in fellowship with God the Father and God the Son. Remember also that John does not
change who he was proclaiming. He (and possibly others) continued to proclaim what they saw and
heard. Not only did they need to proclaim the Eternal Life in order for the children of Israel to come to
be in the fellowship with God the Father and God the Son (see Rom. 10:11-17), but also the Gentiles and
everyone else. If this would happen among John’s readers, it was going to make their joy complete (cf. 2
John 4; 3 John 4).

Fellowship with God the Father and God the Son (1 John 1:5—2:28).

Confirmation of Fellowship with God the Father and God the Son (1 John 1:5—2:11).
John addresses his audience with the message he had heard from the Eternal Life (Jesus Christ). God is
light and in Him there is no darkness. Do you remember these terms? Have you read them somewhere?
Somewhere, apostle John says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it”
(John 1:5 [NIV]). In God, there is truth, goodness, and holiness (light). In God, you cannot find anything
that is false and evil (darkness). Literally, what benefits are found in lights? If there is darkness in the
house at night, you cannot see where you are going, where you are stepping, and you cannot see
everyone and the danger that is coming straight at you nor see danger lying ahead of you. If there is
light in the house at night, you can see everyone and know where you are going and stepping. You can
see danger if it is coming at you or it is ahead of you. In which case, light is good and darkness is bad.

So, if anyone claims to have fellowship with God the Father and yet walk (or live) in darkness (in false
and evil), he/she is a liar and does not live out the truth. Therefore, this person should not consider
himself/herself as being in fellowship with God the Father. But if someone walks (live) in the light, that is
he/she is living in accordance with the demands of the truth, in the goodness that God the Father
entails, and in holiness in accordance with God’s commands, this person has fellowship with God the
Father. Now the term “walk” is in present continuous tense. This is important and differentiate those
who are in fellowship with God the Father and God the Son. So, if we claim to have fellowship with God
the Father and yet we continue to live in the darkness (that is, in falsehood and evil), we are not in the
fellowship with God the Father. This is the first confirmation that one is in fellowship with God the
Father and God the Son. If we claim to have fellowship with God the Father and yet we continue to live in
the light (that is, living according to the demands of the truth, in goodness that God entails, and in
holiness as commanded by God the Father, then we are in fellowship with God (vv5-7).

The second confirmation that one is in the fellowship with God the Father and God the Son is the
resilient confession of sins (vv8—2:2). If one claims to be without sin, he/she deceives him/her self

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