The Gospel IRL: Real Life (1 John 1:1-4)

It’s getting harder and harder to tell what’s real from what’s not. The question, “What is real?” isn’t a new one.

As best we can tell, John wrote this letter because Christians in the house churches he was overseeing near the ancient city of Ephesus were in crisis, the church dividing into rival factions with different ideas about what was real about the Christian faith. 

And one of the most important questions centered on the reality of Jesus. Was Jesus really human or was he God? John refused to pick between these two realities about Jesus. John adamantly doubles down on his conviction that Jesus was a real human being and that Jesus was really God.

John insists that every person who puts their faith in Jesus is swept into a connection with God that is real. As real as what we can see, as real as what we can touch. Christian faith is not just doing ethical things, and it’s not just believing correct things, it’s also experiencing real connection with God.