The Manifested Word

August 17, 2025|The Manifested Word|1 John 1:1-4

JD Cutler

Click here for the sermon audio

 This morning we begin our look at the letter of 1st John, written by the Apostle John, author of the gospel of John, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John, as well as the book of Revelation. 

Anytime we begin a new book or you begin to read a new book in the New Testament, we need to remember that everything written in the New Testament, everything inspired by the Holy Spirit, preserved, and delivered to us has a purpose. Sometimes we are told the purpose of the writing and sometimes it is implied. For instance John tells us in his gospel why he wrote it and why he included what he included.

John 20:30-31 (ESV) 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Now, that doesn’t preclude the inspiration of the Spirit that inspired John to write it, certainly the inspiration of scripture extends to divine purpose impressed on the hearts and minds of the authors of the New Testament. 

In 1 John, John makes a similar statement. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. 

This statement revolves around the idea that those to whom he is writing (that he refers to as my little children and beloved) will receive what he is writing and having been convinced of the truth, they will be brought into the fellowship of the Father and the Son through the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit and those who have been brought in will be assured of their position in Christ. 

This is more clearly stated towards the end of his letter. 1 John 5:13 (ESV) 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

That is what will complete the joy of the apostles John represents. Knowing that his hearers are in the faith and that they know they are in the faith. 

While John’s letter is not written in a straightforward manner like the apostle Paul’s letters, and is notoriously difficult to outline, if you understand his purpose in writing, you begin to see how it all fits together.

In our study of John we will encounter many themes over and over again, as John circles back to previously stated ideas, expounding, clarifying, and applying them. John is going to proclaim eternal life through proclaiming the details and implications of the central event in history as a chosen eyewitness. The incarnation of Christ. 

He writes and proclaims from a place of fellowship with God and Christ and invites his hearers to evaluate whether they are a part of that fellowship or not through a series of what we might call tests including the doctrinal test, the moral test, and the love test.

This unfolds as he addresses various themes such as; who God is, what he has done, what being a Christian is and is not, the result of our union with Christ, and evidences that we have truly been united with Christ. 

The question is naturally, why did the Apostle feel it necessary to write this, what is the reason he wants to ensure his hearers know they are in Christ?

The answer is that false teachers have crept in, just as the Bible had warned would happen.

John is writing towards the end of his life, probably somewhere around 90AD. Following the destruction of the temple in 70AD and the clear break between Christians and Judaism, the church was growing and was spreading out across the world. But just like we see in earlier letters, there are always threats to the church, some external and some internal. While John doesn’t do like Paul often does and state the argument that is being argued against, there is an implied dialectical principle in which John is continuously seeking to oppose viewpoints that are contrary to the truth.

The one that gets the most attention is an early form of Docetism (/dōˈsēdizəm/) The idea that Jesus only appeared to be in the flesh. The word comes from the greek word ‘appear’ because the main idea in this heretical thinking is that Jesus only appeared to be in the flesh.

You can immediately see how even in the opening prologue of his letter he begins laying the foundation for the rejection of anything like this thinking as true or right or Christian. 

Against this backdrop John writes this letter, beginning with a simple, straightforward, but theologically rich prologue. This is what we want to focus on this morning. 

If you haven’t already, open your books to 1st John chapter 1, verse 1. Let’s read the first four verses together this morning. 

1 John 1:1–4 ESV

¹ That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— ² the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— ³ that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴ And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

Even in this opening statement, John’s concern is clear. He wants his audience to know that they can have fellowship with the manifested word of life and they can have assurance of that fellowship because they can trust the eyewitness testimony of the apostles who have fellowship with God. From these opening verses this morning I want us to ask three questions. Questions intended to help us know whether we have fellowship with the manifested word of life or not. The first question is…

I. DO I BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE ETERNAL SON OF GOD?

John makes a series of assertions concerning the word of life. That which was from the beginning, which was with the Father, who is the Son of the Father, who is Jesus Christ, or Jesus the Christ.If that opening sentence sounds familiar, it is because John draws on some of the same ideas that he did in the opening of his gospel. 

John 1:1–14 ESV

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. ⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. ⁹ The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. ¹² But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. ¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Which of course echoes Genesis 1:1 “1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” 

The Bible declares that Jesus Christ is the Word, the true light, the word of life, the only Son when it says the word became flesh, that he came into the world that was made through him.Those are not empty titles but declarations of divinity. The son was with the Father in the beginning, he was with God and he was God. 

Contrary to many other religious thoughts, we unashamedly declare that there was not a time the son was made, there was never a time he was not the son, we also declare that he is not a god, he is god, he is an eternal member of the triune Godhead. One in essence, three in person. Jesus is not simply an expression of God as modalism teaches. Neither does Jesus make up one third of God as tritheism says. 

That yes, there was a unique time that the eternal son robed himself in flesh and walked among us, but he did not become the son through the incarnation. 

One of the great lies told in our culture today is that Jesus never claimed to be God. Yet with just a brief examination of scripture we can see that he certainly did.

You can reject the validity of the claim that Jesus makes that he is God, but you cannot reject that he made the claim.

One, he identifies himself as the Lord of the Sabbath in Mark 2:28 “28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.””  Who can be over the Sabbath except the one who created it?

He claims to have authority to forgive sins (Mark 2:1–12) 5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’?…” Which Jesus does and the man is completely healed, indicating that he can in fact do both.

In John 8:58 “58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”” clearly claiming the very name God used when he told Moses what is name was.  

Two, he accepted worship, which we see throughout the bible that not even angels do.

In John 20:28 “28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”” which Jesus receives without correction or adjustment. 

Three, scripture ascribes terms and titles to Jesus that are clearly titles of deity.

Philippians 2:9–11 “9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

James 2:1 “1 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.”

Colossians 1:15–20 “15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” 

You can reject the validity of the claim that Jesus makes that he is God, but you cannot reject that he made the claim. One of the first truths concerning Jesus that required an ecumenical effort to publicly refute was a rejection of Christ’s divinity. 

As far back as 325 in answer to the Arian heresy, the council of Nicea met and declared that Jesus is begotten, not made, and that his divine nature is of the same essence with the Father. That is the ‘being’ of Christ is the being of God. He is not merely similar to Deity, but He is Deity.  After forming that initial creed which was later amended in 381 to further clarify certain doctrinal distinctions , we get these words from that first council. 

But as for those who say, There was when He was not, and, Before being born He was not, and that He came into existence out of nothing, or who assert that the Son of God is of a different hypostasis or substance, or created, or is subject to alteration or change– these the Catholic and apostolic Church anathematizes. Anathematizes is a transliteration of a Greek word that means cursed or delivered over for destruction.

It is essentially the church saying that this person is not one of us, they do not belong to us, they do not belong to God. The do not share fellowship with us. Which is exactly the implication John makes here.If someone rejects the divinity of Christ they do not have fellowship with us and therefore do not have fellowship with God. 

I realize this is probably not a problem for any of us here today, the idea that Jesus is the eternal son of God, but make no mistake there are those in the world that reject this and we should make sure we do not do anything that would imply or suggest that we share fellowship with them as Christians.  

Why is this so important?

Without the divinity of Christ, the sacrifice of Christ would not possibly be able to atone for the sins of the world as John declares in chapter 2 when he says he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

If Christ is not God, we are still in our sins and we can have no fellowship with God. 

The second question is the one that addresses the situation that the recipients of John’s letter were facing. It is…

II. DO I BELIEVE THAT CHRIST WAS MANIFESTED IN THE FLESH?

I will remind you that Docetism (/dōˈsēdizəm/) is the false teaching that seems to be creeping into the church here in the days of John’s letter. The idea that Christ only appeared as though he was in the flesh. This is tied closely to another early false teaching in the church known as Gnosticism that said that all matter was evil, leading them to conclude that God could not have entered the created world, so if Jesus was divine, he could not have been human. 

John clearly speaks against this in his opening sentences. In terms of evidence, he builds a case laying evidence upon evidence, building in intensity.

We have heard (hearing is good evidence) , we have seen with our eyes (seeing is good clear evidence), we have looked at (better still, this was no quick glance but a deliberate gazing), and finally, our hands have touched (handled personally).

Let’s walk through what he says.

which we have heard- John heard Jesus teach and speak, including all the references we looked at when Jesus clearly claimed divinity. He heard him teach like no one ever had before, over and over again. He heard Jesus command the waves to be still, A little girl to raise from death, and Lazarus to come forth from the tomb.

which we have seen with our eyes- He saw the son of man walk on water, multiply loaves and fish, heal the blind, but he also saw him eat and sleep. He traveled with him for three years. If anyone could testify to his human nature, it was one of his closest disciples.

which we looked upon- this verb either implies looked closely, or looked diligently. Either way, John assures his readers that he spent time thinking about what he was seeing, that he saw both the great power in Christ and the weakness of his flesh as he was nailed to the cross.

have touched with our hands- John is described in the Lord’s supper as leaning his head on Jesus during the supper. Surely, man times over John had opportunity working alongside, living alongside Jesus to interact him in physical ways. John’s emphasis is that as an eyewitness, he can testify clearly and accurately that Jesus Christ was manifested in the flesh.

Perhaps he has in mind the encounter with Jesus post resurrection that we find in the gospel of Luke. 

36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate before them.

This was his calling as an apostle to proclaim what he had seen, to be a witness.

When the disciples replaced Judas after his betrayal and suicide, what did Peter say was a prerequisite for the one who would take his office?

Acts 1:21-22 (ESV) 21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection

Someone who had heard, seen, looked upon, handled; so that they could be a witness with the other apostles to his resurrection. That not only was Christ manifested in the flesh, but that he died and rose again in the flesh. 

After a parenthetical verse 2, John picks back up his though from verse 1 in verse 3. ¹ That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— ³ that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you,

In the Greek, that which we have seen and heard form a Hendiadys (henˈdīədəs), which is greek for ‘one by means of two’, meaning one idea by means of two words.  In essence John sums up the idea of being an eyewitness and everything that contains into one thought, Jesus Christ was manifested in the flesh, I am a witness, that is what I am proclaiming to you.A testimony, he says, by which we too may have fellowship with them and with the Father and Son. 

There can be no fellowship with God apart from a belief that Jesus Christ was manifested in the flesh.

Just as there have been those who denied the divinity of Christ, there have been those who have denied the humanity of Christ. John absolutely leaves no room for that in his prologue.

Later, he is even more clear. 1 John 4:2-3 (ESV) 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.If you do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh you are not from God. 

There can be no fellowship with God apart from a belief that Jesus Christ was manifested in the flesh. We throw the word fellowship around all the time in the church world, don’t we? What does John mean that we may have fellowship with the Father and the Son?

The Greek word translated fellowship here is koinōnia (koy-nohn-ee'-ah).

It represents a relational intimacy or a participation in something. What is interesting here is John is not looking back to the fellowship he had with Christ when he was on the earth. As one of the three closest disciples, he certainly had fellowship with Jesus, but he doesn’t say, indeed our fellowship was with Christ, but that our fellowship is indeed with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. Although he appeals to his fellowship during Jesus’ life as his eyewitness evidence, he appeals to his ongoing fellowship with Christ as a present reality, shareable not only by him but all those that believe in Christ through his proclamation. 

Christ’s flesh is what makes this fellowship truly beautiful.

The author of Hebrews reminds us of the beauty of the incarnation when he says…Hebrews 4:14-15 (ESV) 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.And again in…Hebrews 9:11-14 (ESV) 11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.and again in…Hebrews 10:5-10 (ESV) 5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; 6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. 7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’” 8 When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

These are just a few of the places the author of Hebrews talks about the sacrificial nature of Christ’s offering, using terms like body and blood.

If Christ did not come in the flesh, there was no sacrifice made for sin.

Just like his divinity, his humanity is necessary for the atonement of sins.

If Jesus was not divine, his sacrifice would not be able to atone for the sins of the world, and if Jesus was not human, his sacrifice would not be a sacrifice.

The perfect, sinless, savior is the only one who could satisfy such a sacrifice and it is why he is the only way to the Father. 

III. DO I BELIEVE THAT CHRIST IS TRUTHFULLY REPRESENTED THROUGH EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS?

For John’s readers this was the question. Do they receive John’s proclamation of what he had seen and heard?If so, they will have fellowship with him and consequently with both the Father and the Son. No, John does not have an inflated sense of self, he is simply applying what his Lord told him over and over again.

When Christ sent out his 12 apostles he said.

Matthew 10:40 (ESV) 40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.

When Christ sent out the 72 disciples he said.

Luke 10:16 (ESV) 16 “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

At the last supper, after he washed their feet he said.

John 13:20 (ESV) 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”

Are you seeing the common theme?

In the familiar passage of the great commission, the language is different but the thought is the same.

Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV) “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

What we know about Christ today, we know because faithful men who were sent in his name proclaimed the good news of the kingdom, in some cases their proteges and partners recording what they proclaimed, and in some cases, like John, he wrote what he had seen and heard.

How can we be sure that we have fellowship with Jesus?

We receive the words of those that he sent in his name. 

We cannot claim to have fellowship with Christ if we reject those whom he sent. 

There has always been those who claim to know Jesus but reject his word, but I feel like it is even more prevalent today.

People who claim to know Jesus, to belong to Jesus and yet do not believe what the Bible says. Johns prologue reminds us that a rejection of the words of his messengers, recorded for us in this collection of books is a rejection of him.

We cannot claim to have fellowship with Christ if we reject those whom he sent. 

On the other hand, according to John, when we believe the message of this book, when we receive it as true then we not only have fellowship with those that belong to Christ, we have fellowship with Christ, and through our fellowship with Christ, we have fellowship with the Father. 

Again, I realize that this is probably not a problem for many of us here today, we accept that this book is true, that it is trustworthy and authoritative in our lives. But I wonder if we have really considered deeply what we are missing by not regularly engaging with it in study and prayer?

If we know Jesus through those he sent and those he sent wrote down, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, what God desired for us to know, why do we act like we can experience the fulness of the Christian life and barely scratch the surface of this book?

If fellowship with Christ, relational intimacy, is a result of receiving his words through his messengers, why do we look for it in so many other places?

Modern Christianity tells us we need an emotional experience to find intimacy with Christ.

Christian mysticism says we need rituals and rites to find intimacy with Christ.

Easy believism tells us all we need is a one time prayer to find intimacy with Christ.

John says we find intimacy with Christ through receiving his words through his messengers.

Not only fellowship, but John says joy. 

As we wrap up this morning having begun looking at this wonderful book of 1st John, even in his prologue we see John’s desire is for us to know whether we have fellowship with Christ or not. 1 John has been summed up by some as a ‘series of tests by which we can know if we are in Christ- beliefs and attitudes that authenticate one’s claim to be a Christian.’

If so, the prologue serves as a wonderful introduction of that purpose by calling us to ask ourselves whether we have fellowship with Christ or not.

We have looked at three simple questions this morning in order to help us answer that important question.

Do I believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal son of God?

Do I believe that Christ was manifested in the flesh?

Do I believe that Christ is truthfully represented through eyewitness accounts?

If you believe that Jesus is the eternal son of God who was manifested in the flesh and that according to eyewitness accounts, he lived a sinless life, died a sinner’s death to be the propitiation for sin, was buried, resurrected and ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the father, and you have responded to the Bible’s call to repent and believe, then you can be confident that you indeed have fellowship with the Father and the Son. A fellowship that will grow deeper still as we dig deeper into the written word concerning the living word. 

On the chance that there is someone here today that has never heard these truths placed together like this. That Jesus was fully God and fully man, who according to this word, died for the sins of those who believe and who declares whoever believes in him will have everlasting life. Then let me encourage you to not stop here this morning. Find someone you know is a Christian and ask them to tell you more. Or get your bible, if you don’t have one, see me before you leave and I will get you one, and start reading the Gospel of John.

See for yourself what Christ has done for you. 

May God bless the proclamation of his written word concerning the living word so that all of our joy may be complete.

Let us pray.