a different perspective

John must have been a very extraodinary man, very different from the other disciples.

His gospel – his book at the beginning of the New Testament – is a very different perspective on Jesus' life.

His book, Revelation – the last book in the New Testament - certainly could be described as different – whew!

Here at the beginning of this book he lets people know that Jesus was a very real person.

He says that he, John, touched Him.

Iow, Jesus was a very real person.

Notice too that John does NOT say that Jesus has ability to show us where life & eternity lies.

John says that Jesus IS life itself & eternal life.

And then John goes on to express the very essence of Jesus in a way that is very different from any other expression from any other new Testament writer.

Read it, slowly, & then read it again.

1 John 1

1 We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning,

whom we have heard and seen.

We saw him with our own eyes

and touched him with our own hands.

He is the Word of life.

2 This one who is life itself was revealed to us,

and we have seen him.

And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life.

He was with the Father,

and then he was revealed to us.

3 We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us.

And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

4 We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy.*

5 This is the message we heard from Jesus* and now declare to you:

God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.

6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness;

we are not practicing the truth.

7 But if we are living in the light,

as God is in the light,

then we have fellowship with each other,

and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

  8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.

9 But if we confess our sins to him,

he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins

and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

10 If we claim we have not sinned,

we are calling God a liar

and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.