This is a short story but it packs an enormous message.
George Voss had a massive stroke while only in his 40’s. He now lives in a nursing home, confined to his bed for life, he is unable to use his arms, hands, legs or feet. He cannot feed himself or even lift his head without assistance. His vision is greatly impaired, and he struggles to communicate.
Many people in George’s condition would be consumed by self-pity and despair. But by God’s grace he has chosen to be a blessing instead.
From his nursing home bedroom, George has become a missionary who has provided goats for needy families in Zambia for the last seven years. He began asking friends and relatives to purchase a goat for $25. The goats are given to Zambian grandmothers raising children whose parents died from AIDS.
George is passionate about his mission. Any visitor who shows up in George’s room is a prospect. “People come through the door,” he said, “I pray for them, and they give me money for goats.”
Chad McCallum, director of mobilization for The Wesleyan Church’s Global Partners, recently met George and bought a goat. Chad said, “I was privileged to be in the presence of one who had a great purpose in life, even in the face of great challenge. George’s love for Jesus and for people was crystal clear.”
Today, pictures of grateful grandmothers, children, and their goats cover the walls of George’s room. His “herd” of goats has grown to over a thousand.
I hope you have been thinking: “What would I have done if I was George?” But that is not possible nor necessary. There are other things that make it difficult for us to become a physically active part of such a ministry. Yet, that is no excuse. We read in God’s Word where it says, “Whoever is generous to those in need lends to the Lord, and He will repay them for their giving.”[1] It doesn’t say how much or how often. Having a heart that is willing to do something is all God’s asks for.
Our Lord Jesus put it another way, He said, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”[2] Then our Master stated, “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”[3] This does not specify that giving must be in the form of money, but it includes time, effort, ideas, planning, and directing.
But the Apostle John put it most strongly. He let it be known that if anyone has something to offer and sees their fellowman in need, yet closes their heart against them, how can God’s love be living in them?[4] God will only ask of us what He knows we are able to give. He doesn’t count giving by quantity, but by quality. One spoken word, one act of kindness, one helping hand can make a big difference on someone else’s life. It isn’t George who owns those thousand goats, that’s God’s property. That’s why our heavenly Father is using them to let George’s light shine a continent away from his bed in the nursing home. – Dr. Robert R Seyda
Caius, Presbyter of Rome (circa 230-296 AD), speaks about how John’s fellow-disciples and bishops pleaded with the Apostle to write a Gospel. So, John said to them, “Fast with me for the space of three days, and let each of us share whatever God brings to our remembrance.” On the same night, the Spirit told the Apostle Andrew that John should narrate everything in his name as they called them to mind. Caius says that no matter what they read in other Gospels; they found no difference in the faith of believers. That’s because everything harmonizes under one majestic Spirit, which concerns the Lord’s nativity, His passion, His resurrection, His conversation with His disciples, and His twofold advent – the first in the humiliation of rejection, which is now past, and the second in the glory of royal power, which is yet in the future.
What struck Caius as marvelous is that John remembers these different things so consistently in his Epistles, saying, “What we have seen with our eyes, and heard with our ears, and our hands have handled, that have we written.” In doing so, he professes not only to be an eye-witness but also the hearer. Besides that, the historian of all the wondrous facts concerning the Lord in their order.[1] And early church scholar Hilary of Arles (401-440 AD) notes that our communion in the unity of our faith here on earth is the start of our eternal fellowship with God in heaven.[2]
Andreas Osiander (600-700) has an interesting perspective on what John says about seeing the Living Word in human flesh. Still, it was not just the Living Word, it was also Eternal Life who appeared to them, so they are witnesses that it existed. We all gain from this proclamation, says Andreas, the right to share this experience with others. The one who joins our community also has a bond with the Father and the Son, Jesus the Anointed One. And since we share in the same companionship down here, we will all rejoice together, in that we are united with God eternally.[3]
Bede the Venerable (672-735), an English Benedictine monk, demonstrates to us what degree interpretation of God’s Work changed from the earlier scholars. He tells us that the Apostle John shows quite clearly that those who want to have fellowship with God must, first of all, be joined to the church and there learn that faith and blessed with its sacraments, which the disciples indeed received during the time of the Anointed One being here on earth. Nor do those who believe the Apostle’s testimony belong any less to the Lord than those who put their trust in Him when they heard Him preaching in the flesh, although there might be some distinction in the quality of the works of faith which they perform.[4]
It is disconcerting that the words “grace,” “faith,” “the Cross,” and “the Anointed One alone” the source of salvation were no longer prominent in medieval preaching. It certainly set the stage for the debacle in the Roman Catholic Church during the ensuing middle-ages. This Gospel message revived in the 1500-1600 AD Protestant Reformation era and continued into the 1700-1800 AD Wesleyan Revival period. Then again, the Pentecostal preachers of the late 1800s and early 1900s focused the spotlight on these critical factors in the message of salvation. Sadly, these doctrines have fallen out of fashion in modern-day preaching. May God, through His Spirit, bring them back to prominence once again to the glory of His Son.
Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) responds to the question of whether or not the Anointed One should have demonstrated His Resurrection’s truth by proofs other than appearing to the disciples? Some say that it would seem that the Anointed One did not need to verify the validity of His Resurrection by showing Himself to the disciples. So, what is the answer?
Aquinas recalls Ambrose the Bishop of Milan (340-397), said, “Away with arguments, where faith is required.”[5] Faith alone is necessary regarding the Resurrection. Therefore, proofs and testimonies are out of place here. On the contrary, says Aquinas, we are told by Luke that the Anointed One appeared to His disciples “for forty days by many proofs, speaking of the Kingdom of God.”[6]
Aquinas goes on to say that the word “proof” is susceptible to a twofold meaning. Sometimes, it is employed to designate any sort “of reason in confirmation of what is a matter of doubt.” Sometimes, it means a sensible sign used to manifest the truth. Looking at the word “proof” in the first sense, if the Anointed One did demonstrate His resurrection to the disciples by proofs, such argumentative explanations would be grounded on principles. With these principles being unknown by the disciples, what could be demonstrated to them? Nothing can be understood if there is nothing to know.
And if they were aware of such principles, says Aquinas, they would not go beyond human reason. Consequently, it would not be sufficient for establishing faith in the Resurrection, which is beyond human logic. We must assume principles which are relevant to the outcome, according to the Apostle Peter.[7] But it was from the authority of the Sacred Scriptures that He proved to them the truth of His Resurrection, which source is the basis of faith when Jesus said: “All things must be fulfilled concerning Me, written in the Law, the prophets, and the Psalms.”[8][9]
Walter Hilton (1340-1395) says that we are to consistently believe this image John’s words form in our conscience as a witness for the full forsaking of sin and a proper surrendering of our will to holy living through Faith. Paul has these words of encouragement: The unbiassed live by faith.[10] That is, those that are made right with God by faith in the work of the Anointed One on the cross will find it to be sufficient for salvation and also to heavenly peace. As Paul says: Being justified by faith, we have peace with God.[11] We that are made righteous and reformed through faith in the Anointed One have peace and accord made between God and us, notwithstanding our bodies’ sinful tendencies. For though this reforming is internal, and is not visible in this life, nevertheless whosoever steadfastly believes it, and is careful to shape their life accordingly, and does not turn again to deadly sin, surely when the hour of death comes and the soul departs, they will find that what the Scriptures say is true.
How may a person find out whether they have a reformed soul, asks Hilton? If you want to know if your soul is transformed into the image of God or not, you may resolve that by searching your conscience and finding out what your will wants, that will tell you what your main goals in life are. If it turns away from all manner of deadly sin, you will not end up unwittingly or unwilfully breaking God’s commandments. Anything you may have done inappropriately in the past that is contrary to His bidding, you must humbly confess and repent with the full intention of never doing it again. Then, says Hilton, by faith, your soul will be reformed to the likeness of God.[12]
James Arminius (1560-1609) sees here a beneficial promise. For the good of the Church, God placed it in union with the Anointed One. An indwelling of the Spirit is promised, which is not in danger of termination by the restrictions of one’s lifespan but will continue forever. When this short life ends, it will resume in heaven. About this, the Apostle says, “It is my desire to finish this life to one day be with the Anointed One.” the Anointed One says, “Father, I want those You gave me to be with me where I am going to be.”[13] Here is the Gospel’s goal, says John, “That our fellowship may be with the Father and the Son” in which everlasting communion exists. In another place, he gives the same reason in these words, “But these are written, that you might believe that Jesus is the Anointed One: and that, believing, you might have life through His name.”[14][15]
Arminius goes on to note that it says, “The Son dearest of the Father.”[16] In other words, those made aware of the intimate knowledge of His secrets, John “have declared,” that by openly manifesting the Word existing with the Father, “Has been seen and heard.”[17] But it is irreverent to suppose that these things relate only to being informed. No! “The things which the apostles saw and heard they have declared,” that the Church “might have communion with the Father and the Son.” But excellence is placed in this communion. The wisdom which the apostles received through the revelation of the Holy Spirit, who “searches the deep things of God,” has been declared by them “in words which the same Holy Spirit teaches.”[18] But this wisdom belongs to those who are filled and full of the Holy Spirit.[19]
[1] Fragments of Caius, Canon Muratorianus, Against the Heresy of Artemon: The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 5, p. 1219
[2] Hilary of Arles: On 1-3 John, Bray, G. (Ed.), op. cit., p. 168
[3] Andreas: Bray, G. (Ed.), op. cit., 1-3 John, p. 168
[4] Bede the Venerable: Bray, G. (Ed.), op. cit., 1-3 John, p. 168
[5] Ambrose, De Fide Ad Gratianum Augustum Libri Quinque, (Exposition of the Christian Faith), Bk. I, Ch. XIII, §84
[9] Thomas Aquinas: Summa Theologica, Vol. 5, The Treatise on the Incarnation, The Third Part, Question 55, Of the Manifestation of the Resurrection, pp. 746-748
Paul W. Hoon (1910-2000) says that the invitation of the Gospel is to start living the everlasting life now. The Greek adjective alōnios meaning, “without end, never to cease, everlasting” is John’s way of saying what the other Gospel writers do when they use such phrases as “enter into the kingdom of heaven,” “being saved,” “inheriting everlasting life.” And in the Apostle Paul’s writings, it is expressed as being “in [Christ] the Anointed One.”
We should not let the adjective “everlasting” mislead us. It does not mean a future life, but as constant and characteristic as the life the Anointed One lived. Hoon goes on to say that everlasting life is not some future immortality promising the richest gifts Christianity has to offer. It defines the true measure of quality rather than quantity.[1] In other words, what we already have in the Anointed One will continue after death in a pure, expanded, when we join our Lord in eternity in a more glorious fashion since we leave all the sorrows of the flesh behind.
Daniel C. Snaddon (1915-2009) states that most commentators believe that the “L” in life should be capitalized, making Life to mean the Lord. He was manifested or revealed. “Eternal Life” is a title given to the Anointed One. John says, “He was with the Father, but was “manifested to us.”[2] We see this in the New Life Translation: “Christ Who is Life was shown to us.”
Warren W. Wiersbe (1929-2019), American pastor, Bible teacher, conference speaker, and prolific writer of Christian Literature and theological works, reminds us that real life is not a playground but a battleground.[3] For the Apostle John, it went from just hearing about Jesus to meeting Him and experiencing a personal encounter with Him. It was not something John discovered reading a book nor listening to stories about the Prophet from Galilee. John met Jesus face to face; He watched Him live and studied His words and actions. No one could convince John that Jesus was not real. But it was not the Apostles’ physical nearness to Jesus the Anointed One that made him and his fellow disciples what they were. It was their spiritual nearness.
So, John does not have any advantage over a person today who believes and asks Jesus for forgiveness. The Apostles committed themselves to Him as their Savior and their Lord. Jesus the Anointed One was real and exciting to John and his colleagues because they trusted Him. By having confidence in the Anointed One, they received the promise of everlasting life. The same principle applies to us today.[4] As we see in John’s testimony, Jesus came to be a mediator. But not as Moses, who was given the Law and passed it on to the Israelites, but to be the One through whom God and humanity find familiarity with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As Stephen S. Smalley (1931-2018) explains it: “Christian fellowship is not the sentimental and superficial attachment of a random collection of individuals, but the profoundly mutual relationship of those who remain ‘in Christ’ and therefore belong to each other.”[5]
D. Edmond Hiebert (1928-1995) points out that the phrase, “We have seen” declares that this incarnate Life was the object of intelligible, abiding perception on the part of the Apostles. They perceived His true identity, again viewed as having an ongoing impact. It further connects their experience with a double present activity because John witnessed what he was proclaiming to his readers. It all involves “communication” in that it involves communicating the infallible truth.[6]
Current Bible scholar Bruce B. Barton (1954-) also addresses how and why John wrote this marvelous letter. He says that at the beginning of 2nd and 3rd John, this author identified himself as “the elder.” This title probably pointed to John’s position as the oldest living apostle and chief leader among the churches in the Roman province of Asia (otherwise known as Asia Minor). Also, since John was the oldest to survive, they called him an elder because of his status. It is made clear in First John by the way he addressed the believers as his “dear children.”[7]
However, some scholars think this “elder” refers to a different John based on a quotation from Papias, Bishop of Hierapolis in Asia Minor (A.D. 100–140). Papias’ comment, transmitted through Eusebius via Irenaeus, says: “If anywhere one came my way who had been a follower of the elders, I would inquire about the words of the elders—what Andrew and Peter had said, or what Thomas or James or John or Matthew or any other of the Lord’s disciples had said; and I would inquire about the things which Aristion and the elder John, the Lord’s disciples, say.” Several significant commentators have argued for an elder or presbyter John in Asia Minor, who was different from the apostle John. However, Irenaeus, in “Against Heresies and the Muratorian Fragment” (both from the end of the second century), assigns First John to the Apostle John.
Later, Burton points out that in Hebrew, “the word” was an agent of creation,[8] the source of God’s message to His people through the prophets,[9] God’s Law, and His standard of holiness.[10] The Greeks used “the word” to refer to a person’s thoughts or reason for a person’s speech expressing their opinions. Here we can see an illustration of the written Law and the Living Word.
As a Greek philosophical term, logos was the rational principle governing the universe. For both Jews and Greeks, the term logos signified beginnings. Jesus the Anointed One, the logos, is from the beginning because He is God.[11] John’s use of logos is a good title for God’s Son, who, with the Father and the Spirit, created the universe and then came to earth to be the perfect expression of the Godhead to humanity. Jesus, the logos, reveals God’s mind to human beings. Jesus the Anointed One, the logos, is the image of the invisible God,[12] the express image of God’s substance,[13] the revealer of God, and the reality of God.[14]
Karen H. Jobes (1968-) notes that John reiterates that “we have seen” (perfect tense) and “testify” (present tense) to the Life that appeared. Not only did John see the Life; not only does he give witness to it, but he proclaims that testimony to his readers, specifically that “the eternal Life, which was with the Father … has appeared to us” in the person of Jesus the Anointed One.[15]
Bruce G. Schuchard makes an excellent point by noting that many saw Jesus while He was here on earth. Many were eyewitnesses. However, only a few of the eyewitnesses of the life and times of Jesus later became disciples of the cross. Only a few became His eyewitnesses so that others might know that their seeing Him was neither visionary nor imaginary. They saw Him with their own eyes. They handled Him, the flesh-and-blood Son of God, with their own hands.[16] It is apparent that although Jesus died on behalf of every human being, only those who choose to believe in Him will inherit everlasting life. We wish we could win the whole world today for the Anointed One, but if the Son of God did not see the world as a whole come to Him then, we should not be surprised if many of them do not follow Him today.
1:3a That’s why John can now tell those he is writing to, “We are speaking to you about what we have seen and heard because we want you to have solidarity with us. The fellowship we share is with God the Father and His Son Jesus the Anointed One.
EXPOSITION
Was this some new idea that the Apostle John thought up on his own? Did he have some momentary astounding revelation? I doubt it. He was echoing the words of the Psalmist said a thousand years earlier: “His chosen one replies, ‘I will reveal the everlasting purposes of God, for the Lord has said to me, “You are my Son. It is your Coronation Day. Today I am giving you your glory.’”[17] Furthermore, John was doing what the Psalmist promised to do: “I will tell my people about you. I will praise you in the great assembly.”[18] So John says, I have seen the One who is KING of kings and LORD of lords. But even more, John heard the Master Himself say to His Father in heaven, “I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”[19]
So, what was John’s purpose in sharing his testimony to those in the churches to whom he was writing? He makes it very clear to join him in fellowship to enjoy the communion they will share with God, the Father, and His Son, the Anointed One. While John primarily wrote to the congregations, the Apostle Paul’s message for the Gentile worshippers at Ephesus was the same. It is the church the Apostle John pastored up until his death. He told them this secret truth: by hearing the Good News, those not Jews will share with the Jews in God’s blessings for His people. They are part of the same body, and they share in the promises God made through the Anointed One, Jesus.[20]
[1] Hoon, Paul W., The Interpreter’s Bible, op. cit., p. 219
[2] Snaddon, Daniel C., First John, op. cit. loc. cit.
[3] Wiersbe, Warren W: Be Real (1 John): Turning from Hypocrisy to Truth (The BE Series Commentary) David C Cook. Kindle Edition, p. 19
1:2: John continues, we saw Him ourselves, so now we can tell others about Him!
EXPOSITION
Here, John follows the commission given by Jesus to him and the others: “You will tell people about me too because you have been with me from the beginning.”[1] Then John goes on, … So now I want to tell you about Him. The One that was shown to us eternally existed with God the Father. John can confidently base this on what was said about Jesus: “The only one who has ascended ever into heaven is the one who first came down from heaven—the Son of man.”[2] And I’m sure John could not forget what Jesus said that he heard with his ears: “I know Him because I am from Him. He is the one who sent me.”[3] Therefore, Jesus was able to pray: “And this is eternal life: that people can know You, the only true God, and that they can know the Savior, the Son of man, the One You sent.”[4]
COMMENTARY
John James Lias (1834-1923) disagrees with the KJV’s rendition of this verse (repeated in the NIV), where it reads: “For the Life was manifested, and we have seen it.” Lias says that the word “it” should not be here.[5] The New English Translation agrees by rendering it: “And the Life was revealed, and we testify and announce to you. . .” John saw more than an “it,” he saw a person in the flesh, he heard Jesus speak, and he sat beside in at the last supper. However, it is possible to use “it” when referring to “the Life” as a regular noun instead of a proper noun; it is permissible. From my perspective, John spoke about Life as a Living Life in the person of Jesus the Anointed One.
John Owen (1616-1683) reports an inexpressible delight between the Father and the Son in John’s exaltation. “I was,” he says, “daily His delight, always rejoicing before Him.”[6] But this delight of the Father and Son is not predicated on any perfection of virtues in each person. They are the object of God’s salvation plan for the whole world by Him, who is His power and wisdom unto that end. This counsel of peace was initially between Yahweh and the Branch,[7] or the Father and the Son — He was to be incarnate. Because of that, He was “foreordained before the foundation of the world.”[8] Namely, to be a Savior and a Deliverer, by whom all God’s plans became a reality. It was done by His will, agreeing with the Father’s will.
And such a foundation, says Owen, was laid down for the salvation of the Church. It resulted from the counsels of God — between the Father and the Son – in which it is said, “everlasting life was promised before the world was formed.”[9]Although God gave His promise to Abraham after Adam’s fall, yet there was much preparation of grace and everlasting life in these counsels of God. His unchangeable purpose of communicating them to us came with the promise of God’s faithfulness. “God, that cannot lie promised before the world began.”[10] There was everlasting life with the Father – that is, in His counsel treasured up in the Anointed One, and in Him afterward manifested in us. And, to show the stability of this purpose and counsel of God made infallible by His actual promise and becoming effective through “grace,” is said to be “given to us in the Anointed One Jesus before the world began.”[11][12]
Puritan preacher and scholar Nathanael Hardy (1618-1670) makes this astute comment: We need not look for a Preface in John’s epistle since it not only begins with an inauguration, but an introduction that has no starting part; a text to which a Prologue would be needless, because it is a preface, and yet such an introduction as may be called a book. In reference to this epistle, it is a volume well worth our most earnest study and examination.[13]
Johann Huther says that everything the believer possesses in the Anointed One is not mentioned here in the opening. It is only of the Anointed One Himself; and, besides, to the Apostle John not merely a subjective, but also an objective conception is proved by later in 5:11. It is more significant since the relative twofold clause contains a confirmation of all that the Apostle John has said up until now. In other words, we cannot have a single virtue, attribute, or characteristic of the Anointed One apart from having all of Him in our lives. You cannot have the “Life of Jesus” without the “Love of Jesus.”[14]
Erich Haupt (1841-1926), a German Lutheran theologian, gives us a somewhat academic insight into what John says in verse two. He explains that here John talks about this Logos of Life but adds no more information on who or what it is. Instead, he talks about how he, and the other Apostles, were able to hear, see, and touch the source of that Life. However, in His Gospel, John is quite clear about where the Logos of Life came from and His divine origin. It would be one thing if the Apostle John were expressing his thoughts or speculations about the subject, but what he says comes as a direct message from God through His anointing Spirit.
It is true that in John’s Gospel, the Apostle depicts the influences and energies of the Logos, says Haupt, but it is in such a manner as to exhibit His person in richer light and define that person more precisely. The critical factor that both writings display this Logos of Life in human form. For becoming human was, in fact, the only means of the manifestation, and a medium which had no eternal extension; for, when the Lord glorified Himself, He remained indeed a man. The flesh, whose lusts are a weakness, was penetrated and swallowed up by the power of the Spirit that pervaded it. In John’s Epistle, the subject is the life-giving energy of the Lord. Here the first verse indicates that it was seen explicitly in the risen Savior, who was no longer “flesh and blood” but “appeared” to be so by all witnesses. As such, “appeared” is the most adequate and relevant expression.[15]
Frederick B. Meyer (1847-1929) says that as the aged Apostle began to write, he recalled his first happy experiences with the Savior. He heard the voice, saw the person, touched the very body in which Deity had His home. It was too marvelous a bliss to be enjoyed alone, and John tells us that we may enter into the same close partnership with the Father and the Son. But no impurity or insincerity is permissible to those who enter that fellowship. Our one aim should be to maintain such a walk with God that the union with God may be unimpaired. If there are still sins of ignorance, the blood of Jesus will continue to remove them. Sin differs from sins, as the root of the fruit. God does not only forgive, but He also cleanses. He is faithful to His promises and just to His Son. Notice the “ifs” of these verses;[16] they are the building blocks of the blessed life.[17]
Greville P. Lewis (1891-1976) asks the question, “Who are these eye-witnesses referred to as ‘we’ here in verse two?”[18] The same John, the last living Apostle of the original twelve,[19] wrote the fourth Gospel and wrote this letter. Besides the twelve, there were the women – Martha, Mary, Mary Magdalene, and others. Also, Jesus had many acquaintances such as Lazarus, Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, the owners of the colt, and the Upper Room, in addition to the seventy-two He sent out as missionaries. Let’s not forget the 120 who were in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost. Then there were the thousands that Jesus fed, healed, and raised from the dead.
Lewis is not bashful in saying that modern preachers and teachers, like the Apostle John and his colleagues, must respond to the Anointed One’s call to be His witnesses in our age.[20] Our job is not to air our opinions or give good advice from the pulpit, let alone convince people that we are brilliant preachers! Trying cleverly to preach to impress our audience and declare the Anointed One as extraordinarily loving must not be our primary goal. Our task is to be witnesses to the Anointed One and His Gospel resulting from our experiences. It is a way to convince our listeners that this Messiah is the living Savior of all humanity.[21] Let the words of Charles Wesley (1707-1788) in his hymn, “Thy faithfulness, Lord each moment we find,”[22] become ours:
[12] Owen, John: Christologia, A Declaration of the Glorious Mystery of the Person of Christ, Ch. 4, pp. 71-72
[13] Hardy, N., The First General Epistle of St. John the Apostle, Unfolded and applied, James Nichol; James Nisbet and Co.; G. Herbert, Edinburgh; 1865,pp. 16–17
[14] Luther, Johann: Handbook on Epistles of John, op. cit., p. 476
[15] Haupt, Erich: The First Epistle of St. John: A Contribution to Biblical Theology, (W. B. Pope, Trans.) T&T Clark Edinburgh, 1879, pp. 12–13
English Anglican Bible scholar John Trapp (1601-1669) asks, “What is surer than sight?”[1] And seeing the Messiah was denied many kings and prophets.[2] Having seen the Anointed One in the flesh was one of the three things that St. Augustine wished, yet Paul set no such high price upon it than his spiritual sight.[3] But, as he says here, the Apostle John was one of the blessed ones given that honor and privilege.[4] Yet, says John, we will not be left out because one day, we will all see Him as He is.[5]
John Owen (1616-1683) was by common consent the most significant Puritan theologian of his day. Many would bracket him with Jonathan Edwards as one of the greatest Reformed theologians of all time. What the Apostle John said here was the Apostles’ testimony concerning the Anointed One when He dwelt among them in the days of His incarnation. They saw “His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”[6] Divine magnificence was manifest in Him, and in Him, they saw the splendor of the Father. So, the same Apostle witnesses again, who recorded this testimony: “For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us.”[7] In the Son incarnate, eternal life initially in and with the Father was demonstrated in us.[8]
Anglican Biblical scholar and theologian Bishop Brooke Foss Westcott (1825-1901) speaks of “life” in the present and the future. It is already; spoken of as “everlasting life” to distinguish it from everyday life, life in the sense of time under which humans exist and succeed. Proof of such life phenomena may be “death.”[9] But “everlasting life” is beyond the limitations of time: it belongs to the being of God and finds its fulfillment in the transforming vision of the Son seen as He is.[10] For us now, therefore, it is spoken of as both present and future. The “life everlasting” is essentially present, so far as it is the potential present completion in humanity.[11] Possession of life becomes a matter of actual knowledge in light of the ever-present fear of death.[12] However, this thought of the current reality of’ his version of eternal life is characteristic of John and peculiar to him.[13][14]
Philip Mauro (1859-1952) points out that the incarnate Word and the written Word are both “living.” Of the many declarations which the Bible makes concerning the Word of God, none is more significant, and indeed none is of greater importance to dying humanity, than the statement that the Word of God is a LIVING WORD. In Philippians, we have the expression, “The Word of Life.”[15] The same phrase occurs here in verse one. It is used of Jesus the Anointed One, the Incarnate Word,[16] whereas in Philippians, speaks of the Written Word.
As referred to in Scripture, says Mauro, the Written Word and the Incarnate Word are not always clearly distinguished. Bible writers say the same things of the Written and Incarnate Word and the same characteristics. The fundamental resemblance lies in the fact that each is the revealer or visible expression of the Invisible God. As the written or spoken Word expresses, to communicate to another, the invisible and inaccessible thought, so Jesus the Anointed One as the Incarnate Word, and the Holy Scriptures as the Written Word, express and share knowledge of the invisible and inaccessible God. “He that has seen Me has seen the Father.” “Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me.”[17][18]
Rudolf Bultmann (1883-1976) says that John is speaking here of the Anointed One in a prophetic sense. Therefore, the pre-existent Logos is not what John speaks of here, but its “manifestation” and “incarnation.” It was the object of what was heard, seen, and touched, and thus the origin of the message John brought. Everything the Apostles witnessed while they were with the Messiah was not the Logos uncovered but manifested in human form.[19]
Think of it this way, Bultmann says, when it says in Genesis, “And God said,” that was the Logos – the Word. Even though the Word started creating the universe, it’s hard to see “the Word” unless it is made visible. It would be like John saying, “You remember at the beginning when God said, “Let there be light?” well, I proclaim to you that we’ve seen that Word and that Light in the flesh. He is Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of the Living God!
Ian Howard Marshall (1914-2015) put it this way: Here, we have the incredible potential of Christian thought: “He who existed from limitless eternity has entered time and space and taken up residence here on earth.”[20] He goes on to say: Through a historical event, God channeled His life to us, an event that John says is verified by people who saw it.[21] Another Bible commentator adds a thought for us to consider. Although the Christian message is the means of bringing everlasting life, it was of supreme importance to the writer to clarify beyond all possibility of misunderstanding that God revealed the life to which it bears witness in the historical person of Jesus. It is why he now includes this slightly misplaced parenthesis, which interrupts his line of thought. Its very awkwardness calls attention to its importance: The life God gives He revealed historically in Jesus.[22]
We are not to just observe that life. God meant it as a way of our joining in union with Him in everyday life.As Donald W. Burdick (1917-1996) puts it: “He is not only the living Word, the source of life, but He is life itself.”[23]For instance, if someone asks you, “May I hitch a ride with you for lunch?” The answer, “Sure, Jesus only takes up one seat, so I have plenty of room for you.” Question: “Are you going to the game tonight?” Answer: “You know, Jesus and I haven’t talked that over yet, but as soon as we do, I’ll let you know.” Question: “Do you plan to stay late tonight and get some more work done?” Answer: “Yes, I plan to stay, but I won’t be alone.” “Oh, who’s staying with you?” “My best friend. His name is Jesus.” Are you getting the point now? I hope so! After all, didn’t Jesus say: “I came to give life, a life that is fuller than just existing.”[24]
Dutch Bible scholar Simon J. Kistemaker (1930-2017), Professor of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary, takes issue with many translators who do not consider the literal Greek in the opening clause that reads, “And the Life appeared.” He points out that this conjunction conveys an affirmative intent we can translate as “indeed.” The Amplified Bible renders the verse as follows: “And the Life [an aspect of His being] was manifested.” Furthermore, John also wants to emphasize the meaning of “life,” so he placed the article “the” in front of the word “Life.” In other words, Jesus was not just “life,” but He was “the Life.”[25]
American Reformed Christian theologian James Montgomery Boice (1938-2000) notes that the most crucial thing John says in these opening verses is that Christianity is Christ. Without the Anointed One, there would be no Christianity, for Christianity began by God’s revelation of Himself in Jesus and continues by the authoritative testimony of the Apostles and others to that revelation. So, it stands to reason that without the Anointed One, there would be no Christianity in the world today.[26]
Ravi Zacharias (1946-2020), an Indian-born Canadian-American Christian defender, tells us that Paul Tillich, the noted existentialist theologian, traveled to Asia to hold conferences with various Buddhist thinkers. He was studying the significance of religious leaders to the movements they had engendered. Tillich asked a simple question. “What if by some fluke, the Buddha had never lived and turned out to be some fabrication? What would be the implications for Buddhism?” Mind you, Tillich was concerned with the indispensability of the Buddha – not his authenticity.
The scholars did not hesitate to answer. If the Buddha was a myth, they said it did not matter at all. Why? Because we judge Buddhism as an abstract philosophy—as a system of living. Whether its concepts originated with the Buddha is irrelevant. As an idea, I think the Buddha himself would have concurred. Knowing that his death was imminent, he implored his followers not to focus on him but to remember his teachings. Not his life, but his way of life was to be attended to and propagated. Could we treat Christianity the same way? Absolutely not! No Christ, no Christianity.
[4] John Trapp: A Commentary or Exposition upon all the Epistles and the Revelation of John the Divine, Printed by John Bellamy at the Sign of the three golden Lions in Cornhill, 1647, p. 465
[25] Simon J. Kistemaker: New Testament Commentary, Exposition of the Epistle of James and the Epistles of John, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, p. 236
[26] James Montgomery Boice: The Epistles of John. An Expositional Commentary, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI, 1979, p. 21
English Anglican Bible scholar John Trapp (1601-1669) asks, “What is surer than sight?”[1] And seeing the Messiah was denied many kings and prophets.[2] Having seen the Anointed One in the flesh was one of the three things that St. Augustine wished, yet Paul set no such high price upon it than his spiritual sight.[3] But, as he says here, the Apostle John was one of the blessed ones given that honor and privilege.[4] Yet, says John, we will not be left out because one day, we will all see Him as He is.[5]
John Owen (1616-1683) was by common consent the most significant Puritan theologian of his day. Many would bracket him with Jonathan Edwards as one of the greatest Reformed theologians of all time. What the Apostle John said here was the Apostles’ testimony concerning the Anointed One when He dwelt among them in the days of His incarnation. They saw “His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”[6] Divine magnificence was manifest in Him, and in Him, they saw the splendor of the Father. So, the same Apostle witnesses again, who recorded this testimony: “For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us.”[7] In the Son incarnate, eternal life initially in and with the Father was demonstrated in us.[8]
Anglican Biblical scholar and theologian Bishop Brooke Foss Westcott (1825-1901) speaks of “life” in the present and the future. It is already; spoken of as “everlasting life” to distinguish it from everyday life, life in the sense of time under which humans exist and succeed. Proof of such life phenomena may be “death.”[9] But “everlasting life” is beyond the limitations of time: it belongs to the being of God and finds its fulfillment in the transforming vision of the Son seen as He is.[10] For us now, therefore, it is spoken of as both present and future. The “life everlasting” is essentially present, so far as it is the potential present completion in humanity.[11] Possession of life becomes a matter of actual knowledge in light of the ever-present fear of death.[12] However, this thought of the current reality of’ his version of eternal life is characteristic of John and peculiar to him.[13][14]
Philip Mauro (1859-1952) points out that the incarnate Word and the written Word are both “living.” Of the many declarations which the Bible makes concerning the Word of God, none is more significant, and indeed none is of greater importance to dying humanity, than the statement that the Word of God is a LIVING WORD. In Philippians, we have the expression, “The Word of Life.”[15] The same phrase occurs here in verse one. It is used of Jesus the Anointed One, the Incarnate Word,[16] whereas in Philippians, speaks of the Written Word.
As referred to in Scripture, says Mauro, the Written Word and the Incarnate Word are not always clearly distinguished. Bible writers say the same things of the Written and Incarnate Word and the same characteristics. The fundamental resemblance lies in the fact that each is the revealer or visible expression of the Invisible God. As the written or spoken Word expresses, to communicate to another, the invisible and inaccessible thought, so Jesus the Anointed One as the Incarnate Word, and the Holy Scriptures as the Written Word, express and share knowledge of the invisible and inaccessible God. “He that has seen Me has seen the Father.” “Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me.”[17][18]
Rudolf Bultmann (1883-1976) says that John is speaking here of the Anointed One in a prophetic sense. Therefore, the pre-existent Logos is not what John speaks of here, but its “manifestation” and “incarnation.” It was the object of what was heard, seen, and touched, and thus the origin of the message John brought. Everything the Apostles witnessed while they were with the Messiah was not the Logos uncovered but manifested in human form.[19]
Think of it this way, Bultmann says, when it says in Genesis, “And God said,” that was the Logos – the Word. Even though the Word started creating the universe, it’s hard to see “the Word” unless it is made visible. It would be like John saying, “You remember at the beginning when God said, “Let there be light?” well, I proclaim to you that we’ve seen that Word and that Light in the flesh. He is Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of the Living God!
Ian Howard Marshall (1914-2015) put it this way: Here, we have the incredible potential of Christian thought: “He who existed from limitless eternity has entered time and space and taken up residence here on earth.”[20] He goes on to say: Through a historical event, God channeled His life to us, an event that John says is verified by people who saw it.[21] Another Bible commentator adds a thought for us to consider. Although the Christian message is the means of bringing everlasting life, it was of supreme importance to the writer to clarify beyond all possibility of misunderstanding that God revealed the life to which it bears witness in the historical person of Jesus. It is why he now includes this slightly misplaced parenthesis, which interrupts his line of thought. Its very awkwardness calls attention to its importance: The life God gives He revealed historically in Jesus.[22]
We are not to just observe that life. God meant it as a way of our joining in union with Him in everyday life.As Donald W. Burdick (1917-1996) puts it: “He is not only the living Word, the source of life, but He is life itself.”[23]For instance, if someone asks you, “May I hitch a ride with you for lunch?” The answer, “Sure, Jesus only takes up one seat, so I have plenty of room for you.” Question: “Are you going to the game tonight?” Answer: “You know, Jesus and I haven’t talked that over yet, but as soon as we do, I’ll let you know.” Question: “Do you plan to stay late tonight and get some more work done?” Answer: “Yes, I plan to stay, but I won’t be alone.” “Oh, who’s staying with you?” “My best friend. His name is Jesus.” Are you getting the point now? I hope so! After all, didn’t Jesus say: “I came to give life, a life that is fuller than just existing.”[24]
Dutch Bible scholar Simon J. Kistemaker (1930-2017), Professor of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary, takes issue with many translators who do not consider the literal Greek in the opening clause that reads, “And the Life appeared.” He points out that this conjunction conveys an affirmative intent we can translate as “indeed.” The Amplified Bible renders the verse as follows: “And the Life [an aspect of His being] was manifested.” Furthermore, John also wants to emphasize the meaning of “life,” so he placed the article “the” in front of the word “Life.” In other words, Jesus was not just “life,” but He was “the Life.”[25]
American Reformed Christian theologian James Montgomery Boice (1938-2000) notes that the most crucial thing John says in these opening verses is that Christianity is Christ. Without the Anointed One, there would be no Christianity, for Christianity began by God’s revelation of Himself in Jesus and continues by the authoritative testimony of the Apostles and others to that revelation. So, it stands to reason that without the Anointed One, there would be no Christianity in the world today.[26]
Ravi Zacharias (1946-2020), an Indian-born Canadian-American Christian defender, tells us that Paul Tillich, the noted existentialist theologian, traveled to Asia to hold conferences with various Buddhist thinkers. He was studying the significance of religious leaders to the movements they had engendered. Tillich asked a simple question. “What if by some fluke, the Buddha had never lived and turned out to be some fabrication? What would be the implications for Buddhism?” Mind you, Tillich was concerned with the indispensability of the Buddha – not his authenticity.
The scholars did not hesitate to answer. If the Buddha was a myth, they said it did not matter at all. Why? Because we judge Buddhism as an abstract philosophy—as a system of living. Whether its concepts originated with the Buddha is irrelevant. As an idea, I think the Buddha himself would have concurred. Knowing that his death was imminent, he implored his followers not to focus on him but to remember his teachings. Not his life, but his way of life was to be attended to and propagated. Could we treat Christianity the same way? Absolutely not! No Christ, no Christianity.
[4] John Trapp: A Commentary or Exposition upon all the Epistles and the Revelation of John the Divine, Printed by John Bellamy at the Sign of the three golden Lions in Cornhill, 1647, p. 465
[25] Simon J. Kistemaker: New Testament Commentary, Exposition of the Epistle of James and the Epistles of John, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, p. 236
[26] James Montgomery Boice: The Epistles of John. An Expositional Commentary, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI, 1979, p. 21
Another current Bible scholar John W. (Jack) Carter (1951-),[1] sees the Apostle John defending the preeminence of his Gospel as opposed to a so-called “good news” that the church was hearing from the false preachers. Noting his relationship with the truth, John makes it clear that his theology is derived from first-hand knowledge of Jesus the Anointed One and was taught by Him directly. Unlike the heretics creating chaos in the church by preaching a message of their creation, John can prove that he bases his true-faith presentation upon a personal relationship with Jesus. He heard, saw, observed, and touched Jesus.
John reminds the church that Jesus is not a myth. He is one who could be engaged in a face-to-face conversation.[2] Greville Priestley Lewis (1891-1976) already said that for John to have any credibility to make such claims about “The Word,” he must be an “eye-witness.” As in any court of law, when calling a witness, they are to “declare” not what somebody else told them, but what they heard and saw for themselves. Otherwise, it is considered hearsay.[3]
David Jackman (1973) says that John’s mention of “from the beginning” is not from creation, but the incarnation what John focused on because it was of his most significant interest. There is also a subtle suggestion that John is saying that He, who is the incarnation, was there at creation. The Word that spoke everything into existence is now the Living eternal Word in human form. There can be no separation between the two. There has never been a time when the Word was not, nor will there ever be a time when the Word is not. They converged at just the right moment in time, foreordained by the Father.[4]
The idea of the logos in Greek thought harks back at least to the 6th-century BC when philosopher Heraclitus discerned in the cosmic process a logos like that of humans’ reasoning power. Later, the Stoic philosophers who followed the thinker Zeno of Citium (4th–3rd century BC), defining the logos as an active rational and spiritual principle that permeated all reality. They called the logos providence, nature, god, and the universe’s soul, composed of many influential logoi (plural) in the universal logos. Philo Judaeus (Philo of Alexandria), a 1st-century AD Jewish philosopher, taught that the logos was the intermediary between God and the cosmos, being both the agent of creation and the agent through which the human mind can apprehend and comprehend God. According to Philo and the Middle Platonists (philosophers who interpreted in religious terms the teachings of Plato), the logos was both inherent in the world and, at the same time, the transcendent divine mind.
It is as if John said to everyone, “This Logos you have been talking about and writing about for centuries – well, we have heard Him, seen Him, studied Him, and touched Him. Now, let me now tell you about Him.” I like the way Guzik puts it: What John wrote of is not the beginning of this world, nor is it the beginning of creation. It is the beginning revealed in Genesis 1 and John 1:1. Before there was anything, this beginning existed, to begin with when all that existed was God and in God.[5]
1:2a John says it this way, Yes, the One who is the Life was shown to us …
EXPOSITION
It appears that John did not want any reader of his letter to entertain any doubts that he didn’t know who he was talking about. And as far as Jesus is the Anointed One who revealed spiritual life, John remembers what he said in his Gospel: “Eternal life is in him, and this life gives light to all mankind.”[6] And our Lord made that truth personally known to Martha, the sister of Lazarus when He assured her that “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in Me will have life even if they die.”[7]
The Apostle Paul told Timothy that it is quite true that the way to live a godly life is not an easy matter. The answer lies in the Anointed One, who came to earth as a human, was proven spotless and pure in His spirit, served by angels, preached among the nations, accepted by people everywhere, and received up again to His glory in heaven.[8] And later, Paul wrote Timothy and told him, and now the coming of our Savior, the Anointed One, Jesus, is revealed to us. He destroyed death and showed us the way to have life. Yes, through the Good News, Jesus showed us the way to have life everlasting.[9] The same is true of those who talk about being a Christian because, as an infant, they were baptized, went to church, and participated in all the church’s rites, rituals, and ceremonies. However, true believers can talk about a personal relationship as a result of what they heard, experienced, and felt in their hearts.
But Jesus telling others about His mission was not enough. He told His disciples that after He sent the Comforter – the Holy Spirit, He would also be a witness to who Jesus was. However, they must also go out and testify that they were with Him from the beginning and are His witnesses. Jesus was no secret agent who was supposed to remain undercover during His mission here on earth. In that case, He would have died mysteriously in some underground dungeon, not openly on a cross not too far from Jerusalem’s market square.[10] To back up his first letter to the elders among the scattered Messianic Jews, Peter told them that he also was an elder and a witness to the Anointed One’s sufferings and will share in His glory when He again is revealed to the whole world.[11]
COMMENTARY
Clement of Alexandria (150-216) tells us about the manifestation to signify that the Eternal Life always existed, without beginning.[12] And Andreas (600-700) feels that John says this regarding the close union of the Word with the flesh. Or perhaps he says this concerning the resurrection, considering how it was made known to the apostles by Thomas’s action. That proved that Christ rose again with the same flesh in which he was crucified.[13]
That’s why Didymus the Blind (313-398) noted an essential difference between seeing and contemplating. What a person sees can be shared with others, which is not always possible with things we envision in our minds. There are many things foreseen by our imagination but cannot be expressed in words because they are indescribably formed in our vision. In this verse, let us note that those who are bearing witness are not validating the life of Jesus but making themselves more believable by their witnessing.[14]
James Arminius (1560-1609), theologian and minister of the Dutch Reformed Church, opposed the strict Calvinist teaching on predestination. So, in response, he fashioned a theological system known later as “Arminianism.” Arminius received a theological professorship at Leiden, Germany, which he held until his death. For Arminius, the Apostle John’s theology offers God in Christ as an object of our sight and knowledge. It shines with such clearness, splendor, and plainness that we can behold Him as in a mirror. Thus, by the glory of the Lord, we are transformed by the Spirit into the same image from glory to glory.[15]
In comparison with this brightness and glory, which was so unmatched and surpassing, says Arminius, the Law itself is said not to have been either bright or glorious: For it “had no glory in this respect, there was an even brighter glory.”[16] It is true because that glory is “the wisdom of God kept secret from the beginning of the world.”[17] This great mystery is overwhelming and unfathomable, yet, exhibited in the Anointed One, Jesus. He was “made manifest” with such brilliant clearness that we saw God in human form.[18] It was for no other reason than it could never have happened without Him becoming a human. His incarnation had one purpose. As John says, “that the eternal life with the Father, and the Word of Life from the beginning with God, might be heard with our ears, seen with our eyes, and handled with our hands.”[19]
[1] University professor (retired). University of Memphis, State University of New York, UNC Charlotte and Publisher & Editor, American Journal of Biblical Theology
[2] Carter, Dr. John W. (Jack). 1,2,3, John & Jude: Holding to the Truth in Love (The Disciple’s Bible Commentary Book 48) (pp. 8-9). The American Journal of Biblical Theology. Hayesville, NC. Kindle Edition.
[3] Lewis, Greville P., Epworth Preacher’s Commentaries, The Johannine Epistles, The Epworth Press, London, 1961, p. 10
Have you ever heard someone respond to the question, “Why hasn’t this mess been cleaned up?” by saying, “That’s not my responsibility.” Responsibility is taking ownership of your behavior and the consequences of that behavior. Until you accept responsibility for your actions or failures, it’ll be very difficult for you to develop self-respect or even have the respect of others.
Psychologist Elizabeth Wagele says that responsibility means feeling it’s your duty to deal with what comes up, being accountable, and/or being able to act independently and make decisions without authorization. There are both moral and personal responsibilities.
Responsibility is having common sense, authority, leadership, and maturity; being reliable, trustworthy, dependable, and answerable. But we don’t all express our ability to be responsible in the same way. Wagele then points out how some people respond to their responsibilities and how it relates to others. For instance, there are Perfectionist who sometimes feel overly-responsible for their own or others’ behavior. This type includes a desire to improve self and others (to be good learners and teachers) and to worry about how things are going. Often these types of people are hard to get along with.
Then there are Achievers who often feel responsible for getting ahead in the world and for leading others to get things done. Their responsibility includes presenting a favorable image that will enhance others’ respect for them. But they can easily become Dreamers who feel responsible to themselves for honoring and expressing feelings and values and for finding beauty in life. If they slip up on their responsibilities, they are likely to feel ashamed.
Included in this list are Observers. They often have high ideals but are not as likely as most other types to push their ideals on others. They feel responsible to themselves, and sometimes to others, for determining what’s logical. Some psychologists define responsibility as being in the spell of the superego. They are joined by Questioners who keep looking for all the dangers in life. They look for bad things that might happen and try to avoid mishaps. Being loyal to others is one way of ensuring their own safety. Some explain that their security is built around responsibility. They realize the security within them is a gift of freedom for them and the people in their life.
And then there are Adventurers who often feel responsible for assuring the right conditions in which they live and play. Many feel responsible from a young age for staying happy themselves and for making other people happy. Right next to them are Asserters who feel responsible for enforcing rules and for standing up for they believe is truth and justice. They use their considerable strength to inform and protect others.
And then there are the Peace Seekers who feel a personal responsibility for promoting inclusion and fairness. They may have grown up with strict parents and considered responsibility an unknowable and undoable obligation. Eventually they realize they were taking responsibility for others as a matter of honor – but not for themselves. When they realized maturity meant taking responsibility for themselves, there was no going back.
You may be trying to identify yourself in this group. You may be like psychologist Jennifer Hamady who was always intrigued by the word ‘responsibility’ and how often it gets confused with blame, which of course implies that someone or something is at fault for a given situation. And it always has a judgmental flavor to it; no one opens up their arms and says, ‘bring on the blame!’ Quite the contrary… while many love to give it, they’re dislike getting it and will do almost anything to keep the hot potato of fault as far away from themselves as possible.
Responsibility, on the other hand, is something vastly more powerful, as well as empowering. As the language suggests, it is a ‘response–ability:’ the capability to choose our response in every moment to all that is going on around us. A choosing that allows us to claim ownership of the circumstances of our lives, and thereby, to contribute to making them better.
Then psychologist Robert J. Burrows talks about the delusion, “I am not responsible.” He says that such a lack of understanding cripples a substantial portion of the human population in ways that work against the possibility of achieving worthwhile outcomes for themselves, other individuals, communities and the world as a whole. So why does this happen and how does it manifest?
In essence, says Burrows, if a person is frightened by the circumstances of others or a particular set of events, their fear will often unconsciously delude them into believing and behaving as if they bear no responsibility for playing a part in addressing the problem. This fear works particularly easily when the person or people concerned believe that the problem is too far away for them to be responsible, or when the events occur outside their neighborhood. But it can also be expressed when the problem is close by, even in their home or at work.
Finally, DeAara Lewis, a freelance communications strategist and video/print journalist asks, have you ever gotten into an argument with someone and the error in their actions were as clear as night and day, but yet they would not admit any responsibility? They made excuses or had a reason for everything they did, no matter who they violated in the process. Or it was never their fault, it is ALWAYS somebody else. Most of their relationships are chaotic. They glorify and then quickly demonize someone and have a strong case of grandiose delusions. In psychotherapy, this is often labeled as Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NARC). One of the main characteristics is the unwillingness of them to see the part they play in conflict or take responsibility for their actions. Most of us know someone like this or perhaps have done this ourselves.
Taking responsibility is very tough because often times an abundance of shame comes with that. Who wants to be the culprit or the reason someone else is hurt or some conflict is going on? It’s easy to point the finger at others, it is tougher to point the finger back at ourselves. This is something we all struggle with – people who cannot see their part in a conflict. It burns me up, says Lewis, and sends me into a rage and I have to work through this. You don’t have to like it, but you can’t control them or their behavior. And if other people choose to believe this person without further investigation, there really isn’t much you can do about that either. However, you can take some lessons. Now you know these people are easily persuaded, probably meddle in gossip, and you’ll do better to stay away from them.
But what does the Word of God say about responsibility? Jesus told an excellent story that dealt with responsibility. Be like house servants waiting for their master to come back from his honeymoon, said the Master, awake and ready to open the door when he arrives and knocks. Lucky the servants whom the master finds on watch! He’ll put on an apron, sit them at the table, and serve them a meal, sharing his wedding feast with them. It doesn’t matter what time of the night he arrives; they’re awake – and so blessed!
Peter said, “Master, are you telling this story just for us? Or is it for everybody?” The Master said, “Let me ask you: What makes a manager dependable? It’s someone full of common sense that the master puts in charge of his staff to feed them well and on time? He is a blessed man if when the master shows up, he’s doing his job. But if he says to himself, ‘The master is certainly taking his time,’ begins maltreating the servants and maids, throws parties for his friends, and gets drunk, the master will walk in when he least expects it, give him the beating of his life, and put him back in the kitchen peeling potatoes.
The servant who knows what his master wants and ignores it, or disrespectfully does whatever he pleases, will be thoroughly punished. But if he does a poor job through ignorance, he’ll get off with a slap on the hand. Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities! That’s why the Apostle Paul said that while you are helping others, don’t forget to take responsibility for your own actions.[1] In another place, Paul says that if you plant a seed you must take responsibility for watering it.[2]
So, even though something happens because someone did not take their responsibilities seriously that can be detrimental to you and those around you, don’t brush it off by saying, “That’s not my responsibility.” Be like the medical doctor who was a passenger on a flight when a serious health problem developed with one of the passengers and the stewardess was asking if there was anybody who could help. If you have the talent and ability to do the job, take responsibility. There will be many who will thank you for standing up and taking responsibility for the outcome. – Dr. Robert R Seyda
Have you ever heard someone respond to the question, “Why hasn’t this mess been cleaned up?” by saying, “That’s not my responsibility.” Responsibility is taking ownership of your behavior and the consequences of that behavior. Until you accept responsibility for your actions or failures, it’ll be very difficult for you to develop self-respect or even have the respect of others.
Psychologist Elizabeth Wagele says that responsibility means feeling it’s your duty to deal with what comes up, being accountable, and/or being able to act independently and make decisions without authorization. There are both moral and personal responsibilities.
Responsibility is having common sense, authority, leadership, and maturity; being reliable, trustworthy, dependable, and answerable. But we don’t all express our ability to be responsible in the same way. Wagele then points out how some people respond to their responsibilities and how it relates to others. For instance, there are Perfectionist who sometimes feel overly-responsible for their own or others’ behavior. This type includes a desire to improve self and others (to be good learners and teachers) and to worry about how things are going. Often these types of people are hard to get along with.
Then there are Achievers who often feel responsible for getting ahead in the world and for leading others to get things done. Their responsibility includes presenting a favorable image that will enhance others’ respect for them. But they can easily become Dreamers who feel responsible to themselves for honoring and expressing feelings and values and for finding beauty in life. If they slip up on their responsibilities, they are likely to feel ashamed.
Included in this list are Observers. They often have high ideals but are not as likely as most other types to push their ideals on others. They feel responsible to themselves, and sometimes to others, for determining what’s logical. Some psychologists define responsibility as being in the spell of the superego. They are joined by Questioners who keep looking for all the dangers in life. They look for bad things that might happen and try to avoid mishaps. Being loyal to others is one way of ensuring their own safety. Some explain that their security is built around responsibility. They realize the security within them is a gift of freedom for them and the people in their life.
And then there are Adventurers who often feel responsible for assuring the right conditions in which they live and play. Many feel responsible from a young age for staying happy themselves and for making other people happy. Right next to them are Asserters who feel responsible for enforcing rules and for standing up for they believe is truth and justice. They use their considerable strength to inform and protect others.
And then there are the Peace Seekers who feel a personal responsibility for promoting inclusion and fairness. They may have grown up with strict parents and considered responsibility an unknowable and undoable obligation. Eventually they realize they were taking responsibility for others as a matter of honor – but not for themselves. When they realized maturity meant taking responsibility for themselves, there was no going back.
You may be trying to identify yourself in this group. You may be like psychologist Jennifer Hamady who was always intrigued by the word ‘responsibility’ and how often it gets confused with blame, which of course implies that someone or something is at fault for a given situation. And it always has a judgmental flavor to it; no one opens up their arms and says, ‘bring on the blame!’ Quite the contrary… while many love to give it, they’re dislike getting it and will do almost anything to keep the hot potato of fault as far away from themselves as possible.
Responsibility, on the other hand, is something vastly more powerful, as well as empowering. As the language suggests, it is a ‘response–ability:’ the capability to choose our response in every moment to all that is going on around us. A choosing that allows us to claim ownership of the circumstances of our lives, and thereby, to contribute to making them better.
Then psychologist Robert J. Burrows talks about the delusion, “I am not responsible.” He says that such a lack of understanding cripples a substantial portion of the human population in ways that work against the possibility of achieving worthwhile outcomes for themselves, other individuals, communities and the world as a whole. So why does this happen and how does it manifest?
In essence, says Burrows, if a person is frightened by the circumstances of others or a particular set of events, their fear will often unconsciously delude them into believing and behaving as if they bear no responsibility for playing a part in addressing the problem. This fear works particularly easily when the person or people concerned believe that the problem is too far away for them to be responsible, or when the events occur outside their neighborhood. But it can also be expressed when the problem is close by, even in their home or at work.
Finally, DeAara Lewis, a freelance communications strategist and video/print journalist asks, have you ever gotten into an argument with someone and the error in their actions were as clear as night and day, but yet they would not admit any responsibility? They made excuses or had a reason for everything they did, no matter who they violated in the process. Or it was never their fault, it is ALWAYS somebody else. Most of their relationships are chaotic. They glorify and then quickly demonize someone and have a strong case of grandiose delusions. In psychotherapy, this is often labeled as Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NARC). One of the main characteristics is the unwillingness of them to see the part they play in conflict or take responsibility for their actions. Most of us know someone like this or perhaps have done this ourselves.
Taking responsibility is very tough because often times an abundance of shame comes with that. Who wants to be the culprit or the reason someone else is hurt or some conflict is going on? It’s easy to point the finger at others, it is tougher to point the finger back at ourselves. This is something we all struggle with – people who cannot see their part in a conflict. It burns me up, says Lewis, and sends me into a rage and I have to work through this. You don’t have to like it, but you can’t control them or their behavior. And if other people choose to believe this person without further investigation, there really isn’t much you can do about that either. However, you can take some lessons. Now you know these people are easily persuaded, probably meddle in gossip, and you’ll do better to stay away from them.
But what does the Word of God say about responsibility? Jesus told an excellent story that dealt with responsibility. Be like house servants waiting for their master to come back from his honeymoon, said the Master, awake and ready to open the door when he arrives and knocks. Lucky the servants whom the master finds on watch! He’ll put on an apron, sit them at the table, and serve them a meal, sharing his wedding feast with them. It doesn’t matter what time of the night he arrives; they’re awake – and so blessed!
Peter said, “Master, are you telling this story just for us? Or is it for everybody?” The Master said, “Let me ask you: What makes a manager dependable? It’s someone full of common sense that the master puts in charge of his staff to feed them well and on time? He is a blessed man if when the master shows up, he’s doing his job. But if he says to himself, ‘The master is certainly taking his time,’ begins maltreating the servants and maids, throws parties for his friends, and gets drunk, the master will walk in when he least expects it, give him the beating of his life, and put him back in the kitchen peeling potatoes.
The servant who knows what his master wants and ignores it, or disrespectfully does whatever he pleases, will be thoroughly punished. But if he does a poor job through ignorance, he’ll get off with a slap on the hand. Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities! That’s why the Apostle Paul said that while you are helping others, don’t forget to take responsibility for your own actions.[1] In another place, Paul says that if you plant a seed you must take responsibility for watering it.[2]
So, even though something happens because someone did not take their responsibilities seriously that can be detrimental to you and those around you, don’t brush it off by saying, “That’s not my responsibility.” Be like the medical doctor who was a passenger on a flight when a serious health problem developed with one of the passengers and the stewardess was asking if there was anybody who could help. If you have the talent and ability to do the job, take responsibility. There will be many who will thank you for standing up and taking responsibility for the outcome. – Dr. Robert R Seyda
My heart and mind filled with compassion, questions, and disgust as I read about this struggle. But that is what life offers us somethings in order to learn more about how God deals with things. It may not be a world you are familiar with, but it is out there. And we cannot help those who need rescuing if we ignore them because theirs is not a pretty story. Read this with compassion.
Jane’s father was a violent alcoholic. One night, in a drunken rage, he raped her mother. When he found she was pregnant, he beat her and threw her down a flight of stairs, attempting to end the pregnancy.
After Jane (not her real name) was born, she became a living reminder to her mother of her alcoholic father’s abuse. Jane lived in constant fear of her mother’s tongue-lashings, and beatings were common. But the abuse didn’t stop there.
When Jane was just three, an uncle, a great-aunt, a cousin, and even a man who made friends with her in the school park sexually abused her. When she was seven, her mother married a pedophile. Over the next five years, Jane suffered raped hundreds of times in what should have been her bed’s safety. She learned to dissociate, to disconnect from herself. It was the only way she could cope.
Jane tried to go on and leave it all behind. But years later, married and with her children, it overwhelmed her. She couldn’t sleep because of flashbacks. Vivid memories crashed in without warning. Any loud noise sent terror flowing through her. She felt hollow inside.
Jane asked some hard questions along the way. Why did God let this happen? Why didn’t He stop it when she begged for protection? Would she ever be able to live a normal life without the flashbacks and terror? “I was angry and depressed. Then I became suicidal,” she admitted. “I realized if I wanted to live to see my children grow up, I needed help.” That admission started her on a long road to healing.
So she sought out a Christian counselor to help her. During one session, she asked what she thought the word “protection” meant. She told him: being kept from harm and not having her worth as a person shattered from the earliest moments of her existence. The counselor told her to try looking at protection through God’s eyes. “God doesn’t protect us by shielding us from pain,” he said. “He protects by keeping the pain from destroying us. And because of His sovereignty, He takes the worst things and eventually uses them for good.”
In healing, she had to do two things. First, she had to teach herself to think differently. She kept track of negative thoughts and worked to replace them with positive ones. She tried to follow Romans 12:2: “. . . let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think (NLT).” The second step was much harder. She needed to forgive those who abused her. She resisted, thinking, “Isn’t forgiving the same as saying the abuse was no big deal? It was a big deal! It hurt me!”
But bitterness was destroying her from the inside and affected those she loved most. She had to give it up. She didn’t want to forgive, but she started at first by asking God to help her become willing to think about forgiveness. It took her a long time.
With God’s help, she experienced a renewal of her mind and spirit. “Today,” she says, “I can honestly say I have forgiven those who hurt me. I don’t know why these things happened. But I know that God is good. He was with me through the worst of times and has brought more healing than I dreamed possible. Now He’s using what I endured and what I have learned to help others.”
Sadly, people have to go through such torture. It would make anyone question whether or not God cared. I’m sure Joseph felt the same way when his brothers sold him into slavery. And what about David when the killer King Saul hounded him? And look at Daniel thrown into the lion’s den. And look at what Jesus and then His disciples went through being martyred for their faith. If you ever read Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, it will send chills down your spine.
I remember reading in 2014 what a Carmelite missionary priest said that during an attack on a mission station in Africa near the border with Chad, where members of the rebel group, Seleka sexually assaulted two religious sisters, originally from Europe, and a voluntary helper. Fr. Gazzera said: “One of the rebels who invaded the mission station held his gun to the head of one of the Sisters and forced her to undress. The other Sister and the voluntary helper were also sexually molested.”
Terrible isn’t it! But what does God say through His Word? Jesus knew what His disciples were going to face once He ascended back into heaven. So, He told them, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”[1] And the Apostle Peter made it known that “After we have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”[2] And the Apostle James tells us to “Count it all joy, my brothers and sister, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”[3]
Furthermore, the Apostle Paul urges us to, “Keep an open mind when we suffer, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”[4] And he goes on to share that he “Consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”[5] Also, remember that “For those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”[6] Besides, Paul warns that “All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”[7]
But in his vision, the Apostle John declares that “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, because what’s past is past and will bother us no more.”[8] Think about it; this body will not follow us to heaven; we will receive a new body and a new mind free from all these hurtful memories. Nothing will gain entrance into heaven that can hurt us or make us sad. That’s God’s promise, so we must live and hold onto that guarantee. – Dr. Robert R Seyda
Down an Unfamiliar Road 