v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v- v-v

Jesus,
My Savior
“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched
with our hands, concerning the Word of Life—and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the
eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us—what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that
you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ . . .”
(1 John 1:1– 4).
After the sin of the first couple in the Garden even some of his physical strength from him.
of Eden and God’s execution of His judgment It robbed him of his peace and put emptiness
against their sin, the human race began its jour- in his heart. It spilled over into his family,
ney through the maze of life’s difficulties and bringing confusion to it and rendering it dys-
hardships that resulted from His judgment. In functional. Community, regional, and national
the wisdom and righteousness of God, curses tragedies appeared throughout different parts
fell upon the serpent and the ground, upon of the earth, so that the landscape of people
woman through Eve, and upon man through was torn asunder by accidents, murders, theft,
Adam. When God meted out sin’s punishments, war, and hatred.
the world immediately bowed and trembled The spiritual death that came into the world
under its weight, changing into a broken place, because of sin, the death we all have experi-
beautiful in places and at times, but afflicted enced, stands behind all other problems. It
by the curses of sin. All succeeding genera- has manifested itself in four great calamities
tions would confront the presence of sin and that each man has had to wrestle with: guilt,
experience its guilt because of their personal estrangement from God, turmoil of spirit, and
transgressions. Every human being would in an inability to walk with God and worship Him.
one way or another be touched and tormented Man’s sin has brought him into condemnation
by disease, deterioration, and death. Nature, before God, removed him from God’s fellow-
as most people would name it, became violent; ship, destroyed his tranquility, and corrupted
and the physical earth became more reluctant his mind so that he cannot worship properly
to give forth a harvest to its cultivation. the God who made him. On his own, without
Following God’s judgment of sin, the family divine help, man is lost and unable to rescue
which we have come to call humanity became himself. From the fall in the garden to this
the most needy group of living creatures on this present time, in the quietness of our souls, we
planet. Spiritual tragedies grew and multiplied. must acknowledge that the only hope we have
Every responsible human being succumbed to is for God to reach out with His hand of grace
temptation, sinned, and descended into “spiri- and provide a way for our salvation.
tual death.” That spiritual demise came regard- Being separated from God, filled with fear,
less of where he lived, regardless of his culture, and unable to walk with God and worship Him,
and regardless of his intellectual acumen. He we simply have to look to God, who has sent us
had died in sin and could not resurrect himself. a Redeemer. In 1 John 1:1–4, John the apostle said
He was lost, and he could not find himself. that God took care of our dilemma by sending
Spiritual death had attendant effects that Jesus. In fact, he said that God gloriously ad-
showed up in every area of life. Difficulties dressed all of the needs that broken men have.
perplexed and disturbed his spirit and pulled What, then, has Jesus done for us?
 First, He has saved us from sin. God sent Je- who worship Him must worship in spirit and
sus as our Savior to bring us eternal life. John truth” (John 4:24).
said, “What was from the beginning, what we Third, Jesus has saved us from sorrow. God sent
have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, His Son to bring us enduring joy. John further
what we have looked at and touched with our wrote, “These things we write, so that our joy
hands, concerning the Word of Life—and the may be made complete” (1 John 1:4). Some
life was manifested, and we have seen and tes- manuscripts have “your joy,” and some have
tify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which “our joy.” The weight of the evidence seems to
was with the Father and was manifested to us” be in favor of “our joy.” John was describing the
(1 John 1:1, 2). joy the apostles would have if those to whom
We can refer to Jesus in various ways: He is he wrote would also become the recipients of
our Teacher, our Example, and our Friend. He eternal life, even as they were. Whether it is
is our Door, our Light, our Water of Life, our the joy of the apostles or ours, it is the joy of
Bread, and our Path. However, John wrapped salvation of which John wrote. This joy can
up all of these metaphors, combined all the only be received through the eternal life that
great attributes of Jesus, and put them into two Christ imparts. Whether we are rejoicing over
words—“eternal life.” According to him, the someone’s being saved or whether someone
person who has Jesus has life eternal. All the who has been saved is rejoicing over his or
afflictions brought by sin—guilt, shame, debili- her own salvation, the joy in both cases is the
tation, and condemnation—are dealt with when joy that rises up from the salvation that Jesus
Jesus imparts eternal life to a sinful soul. brought.
Second, He has saved us from separation from This brief statement from John makes us
God. He sent Jesus to bring us divine fellowship. think of the quality and the magnitude of the
John also said, “What we have seen and heard joy of salvation. It is the highest type of joy, for
we proclaim to you also, so that you too may it abides regardless of the circumstances, regard-
have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellow- less of the pain we experience, and regardless
ship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus of what might happen to the world. Further,
Christ” (1 John 1:3). The apostles entered into it is so all-pervasive that it not only fills our
this fellowship, and now through their word, hearts with its qualities, but it also sends out
we can enter into it with them and be one with its aroma to all who love God and long for the
God the Father and Jesus the Son. world to be saved.
One crippling devastation that comes from Christ, in His coming to the earth, in His
sin is its destruction of our fellowship with God. dying for us at the cross, met every affliction
Sinners cannot walk with Him. By sinning, we that our sin has brought upon us—our guilt,
enter into darkness and live in it. John said that separation from God, lack of peace, and inabil-
God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. ity to walk with God and worship Him. Jesus,
He wrote, “If we say that we have fellowship therefore, is our Savior. He is our initial Savior,
with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie for He has saved us from our past sins; He is
and do not practice the truth” (1 John 1:6). our continual Savior, for He keeps us saved
Because of the coming of our Savior, ac- by washing us daily from our sin; and He is
cording to John, we now have fellowship with our ultimate Savior, for He will take us to the
the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. This Father at some point in the future and lead us
fact implies that Jesus has not only saved us, into the eternal kingdom. He is the Word of
but He also keeps us saved. As we walk in Life, the truth about life; He is Eternal Life, the
the Light, we are continually cleansed, which salvation for life; and He is the Joy of Life, the
results in our continued fellowship with God, true and abiding happiness in life.
Jesus, and everyone who is walking in the light Eddie Cloer
(1 John 1:7).
As those who are standing in God’s grace, v- v- v- v- v
we can worship God sincerely, truthfully, and
properly. Jesus said, “God is spirit, and those Are we not glad that Jesus came and the angel
had to say, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for
to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has He will save His people from their sins”? (Matthew
been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will 1:20, 21).