Introduction, The Incarnate Word

1 [I am writing about] what existed from the beginning, what ^[a]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 [the One who existed even before the beginning of the world, Christ]— ² and the Life [an aspect of His being] was manifested, and we have seen [it as eyewitnesses] and testify and declare to you [the Life], the eternal Life who was [already existing] with the Father and was [actually] made visible to us [His followers]— ³ what we have seen and heard we also proclaim to you, so that you too may have fellowship [as partners] with us. And indeed our fellowship [which is a distinguishing mark of born-again believers] is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. ⁴ We are writing these things to you so that our joy [in seeing you included] may be made complete [by having you share in the joy of salvation].

God Is Light

⁵ This is the message [of God’s promised revelation] which we have heard from Him and now announce to you, that God is Light [He is holy, His message is truthful, He is perfect in righteousness], and in Him there is no darkness at all [no sin, no wickedness, no imperfection].

The Fact of Christ’s Resurrection

15 Now brothers and sisters, let me remind you [once again] of the good news [of salvation] which I preached to you, which you welcomed and accepted and on which you stand [by faith]. ² By this faith you are saved [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose], if you hold firmly to the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain [just superficially and without complete commitment].

³ For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to [that which] the Scriptures [foretold],^{(A) 4} and that He was buried, and that He was [bodily] raised on the third day according to [that which] the Scriptures [foretold],^{(B) 5} and that He appeared to Cephas (Peter), then to the ^[a]Twelve. ⁶ After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, the majority of whom are still alive, but some have fallen asleep [in death]. ⁷ Then He was seen by James, then by all the apostles, ⁸ and last of all, as to one ^[b]untimely (prematurely, traumatically) born, He appeared to me also.^{(C) 9} For I am the least [worthy] of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I [at one time] fiercely oppressed and violently persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the [remarkable] grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not without effect. In fact, I worked harder than all of the apostles, though it was not I, but the grace of God [His unmerited favor and blessing which was] with me.