In a court of law, one of the most powerful and compelling elements in a criminal trial can be the testimony of an eyewitness. The decision of a jury and judge of whether to convict or acquit a defendant can hinge on the single testimony of what a credible first-person eyewitness heard, saw, or even touched. Verifiable eyewitness testimony can provide both irrefutable and convincing proofs. The Apostle John in his gospel, his three letters (1 John, 2 John, 3 John), and in his Revelation, is one of many other first-person eyewitnesses. In the opening four verses of the first of his three letters, John qualifies himself as an eyewitness to what he has heard with his ears, seen with his eyes, and touched with his hands. To re-emphasize his qualification as an eyewitness, he more pointedly repeats in verse two what he has already stated in verse one. Senses like hearing, seeing, and touching inform the mind. Beginning in the first verse, John’s testimony is to “that which was from the beginning”, reminds us of both Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1. Referring to the “Word of life” as that which he heard, saw, and touched reminds the reader of what John states in his Gospel in 1:14, “the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 86
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