THE GREATEST PRIVILEGE!
Opening Prayer
Spirit of God, open my heart to receive what you have for me in Scripture today and inspire me to apply it in new ways to my walk of faith.
Read 1 JOHN 1:1–4
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
The Incarnation of the Word of Life
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. 4 We write this to make our[a] joy complete.
Footnotes
- 1 John 1:4 Some manuscripts your
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Take a moment to consider each of your senses. What can you see? Do you hear anything? What about smell? The physical is important, as well as the spiritual.In John’s time, some people struggled with the idea that Jesus had actually come in the flesh. They felt that this physical realm should be shunned, and that Jesus must have existed only in a higher spiritual realm. John wanted them to know that Jesus had literally and physically lived among them (vv. 2, 3). The disciples had seen him, heard his voice, and touched him. But John’s goal was not to show off his own experience. He wanted his readers to know they were invited to enjoy the greatest privilege.
The books of the New Testament are not a set of ancient myths. They are eyewitness accounts of actual history. That history tells of God’s Son, Jesus, coming to earth and becoming one of us. Why did Jesus come? There are two reasons: first, he came on a revelation mission. He came to let us discover what God is like as he showed the wonder of the relationship between God the Father and God the Son (v. 2). Secondly, he came on a relational mission. He came to invite us to join in the glorious fellowship of the Trinity (v. 3). The truth of that invitation is more real than anything we can see or touch today!
Apply
How does the coming of Jesus 2,000 years ago affect your life today?
Closing prayer
Jesus, thank you for coming to make salvation possible and for giving free access to the throne of heaven to all who have faith in you.
Book and Author Intros
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