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.
– 1 John 1:1-2 (NIV)
1 John 1:1
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John is testifying from a first person, eye witness experience. No one had to tell him about Jesus and who He was. John knew Jesus because he walked with him for three years. This is a powerful truth that we often overlook in our defense of the Christian faith. We have written testimony by people who were there with Jesus.
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John offers three evidential ways that he experienced Jesus. He heard Him, He saw Him, He had touched Him.
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John uses the reference here, the “Word of life.” If you read another of Johns works, his gospel account—The Book of John, in particularly John 1:1-14, you will see that this is a reference to Jesus.
1 John 1:2
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John provides testimony that the Word of life had appeared. Based on the previous verse, the life appeared in a way that could be heard, seen, and touched. The only logical explanation is that the Word of life had appeared as a person. A indispensable Christian doctrine is that Jesus is both God and man.
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In verse 1:1 John uses the language, “this we proclaim,” and in verse 1:2 “and we testify to it.” John feels compelled to share what he knows about the world of life.
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John is testifying that Jesus has been in existence since the beginning of creation. Not only that, but that He was with the Father before His appearance. This takes us back to the book of Genesis, chapter 1 where we read that God created everything. Jesus was present in heaven as part of the Trinity when the words of creation were spoken. This emphasizes the divine nature of Jesus as John also introduced the physical, human nature of Jesus in verse 1:1.
Summary of John 1:1-2
John opens this letter with his credentials—he is an eye witness. He was there beside Jesus in the flesh, so everything that follows should be seen through that lens. He is able to provide first hand testimony to what he saw and what he experienced in the 3 years he followed Jesus.
Jesus is eternal—He existed with God since before life on Earth began. Jesus temporarily laid aside His place in heaven to come dwell among men. John shared in this temporary experience and felt compelled to pass on what he knew to others.