DEVOTION – DAY 268

1 John 1:1-3 “Reliable Testimony”

 

1 John 1:1-3 “That 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. The life appeared, we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.”

 

John was the son of Zebedee. He was a fisherman and possibly cousin to Jesus because his mother, Salome was a sister of Mary. Here in 1 John 1:1-3, he wrote that he was an eyewitness to Jesus. He had been with Jesus. He had seen Him, he had touched Him. After such careful examination, John concluded that: 1) Jesus has always existed – that was what “from the beginning” meant. Jesus is divine and He is eternal. 2) Jesus is fully God and fully human – because John could see and touch Him. 3) In v2 “the life appeared” meant that Jesus is the Living One, the One who has life in Himself. He is the source of life and He is sovereign over life. John was convinced that Jesus Christ had all these attributes and he wanted to testify to everyone so that they could follow the Lord. Because John was closely associated with Jesus Christ, his testimony is trustworthy.

 

Today, people also rely on testimonies. If a restaurant has multiple “likes” and rated well on sites like TripAdvisor and so on, others looking for new places to eat will follow these food reviews and go to the restaurant. On Facebook, if a church has many “likes”, it will attract others to follow it. Similarly, if a book is reviewed favorably by Oprah Winfrey on her talk show, the sale of that book will rise significantly as many of her fans think her recommendations are reliable. These are just some examples of how people rely on testimonies.

 

Since people today do rely on testimonies, it is sad that many reject the many testimonies found in the Bible that declared that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior. Some people even go as far as to say that Jesus never existed, that He is a myth. If that was the case, why does the Bible have so many testimonies declaring His divine status? Some of the testimonies were written by people who did not know each other. Some were written years apart. These testimonies must be true. The reason why people reject it is because of their hardened hearts. Also, people refuse to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior because if they did, they would have to follow Him and do as He says in His Word.

 

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we continue to pray for hearts to be open to the gospel message. We humbly ask that the Holy Spirit continue to draw unbelievers to the saving grace in the gospel. We pray this in worthy name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Questions

  1. What are some reasons you know why people reject the truth that is in the Bible? Discuss.
  2. John’s testimony about Jesus is true. Have you believed in it? Have you called upon Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?
  3. Just as in a court of law, if a testimony given is true, a response is required. John’s testimony about Jesus is true. How should you respond to it? How must you follow and obey Him?