1 John 1:1-3
1 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. 2 The 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. 3 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.

In this set of verses, which reads very similarly to the opening verses of the Gospel of John, much of Christian doctrine is explained and shared in brief, but in a joyful manner.

For one, John characterizes the Word of life as “eternal,” having always existed, and having become flesh in the form of Jesus Christ. Second, he characterizes Jesus as this Word of life, because He personally lived for a time on earth, brought the hope of salvation to us through His death and resurrection, and is sovereign over life itself. Thirdly, he introduces the living disciples as “witnesses” to Jesus’ life, ministry, and teachings, and invites the readers into joyful “fellowship” with them.

It’s important to know at this point that this small New Testament book was written primarily to battle early Gnosticism. Gnostics taught a few strange, not-quite-Christian ideas, among them the following:

• Spirit is good, flesh is evil;
• Because flesh is “evil,” Jesus was never really made flesh;
• Jesus was actually two different people–human Jesus and spiritual Christ, which separated right before crucifixion.

These ideas are considered heresies by the church today, since they do not actually reflect the teachings of Scripture. First, flesh is quite susceptible to sin, but not inherently evil, not even according to God. Second, Jesus was indeed made flesh, according to Luke 2 (Jesus’ birth story, which definitively involves the Virgin Mary, a human woman, in His birth). Third, where is the Scriptural evidence that Jesus was actually considered two separate entities, when from the beginning He called Himself “Son of Man” just as much as “Son of God?”

In this little book, John sought to correct these “kinda-sorta-not Christian” ideas; however, he also demonstrates a peaceful, celebratory style of witnessing that is little seen in today’s world. Today, many Christian churches are known for preaching messages of “fire and brimstone,” talking more about the damnation of sinners and burning judgment. This turns off many people who might otherwise want to learn about Jesus–all they hear is how much their sin is sending them to hell, and they’re NOT hearing what makes Christian living so much better.

If we all could witness to others as John is doing here, sharing the joy and life of Christ (as well as true doctrine) with others instead of sharing tales of damnation and judgment, then I think we might have more listeners. We need to be able to share what makes living in Jesus’ light a much more awesome and wonderful existence. I’m not saying we lie and pretend there’s no punishment for unbelievers, but shouldn’t people should know how much better life is with the Savior first?