I John 1: 1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
John had walked with Jesus Christ as one of His apostles. He had listened as Christ taught the people. John had seen the miracles. John was there when Christ was shackled, beaten, and condemned by the crowd. John stood before the cross and watched His Messiah die while the earth turned suddenly dark. Then, John saw the resurrected Christ as He appeared again to the apostles. Therefore John begins this letter by reminding his readers that he had seen the Word of life which was Christ. He had seen the truth of the eternal life which Christ had secured to all who would believe in Him through Christ’s conquering death by His resurrection. John wanted to tell the world that the only way to have fullness of joy is in a relationship with God, bought and paid for through the blood of Jesus Christ. God is light and the glory of His righteousness shines deep into the hearts of man and displays the sin which prevents a relationship between a just and righteous God with sinful mankind. Christ had paid the price for that sin on a cross so that all who would believe could be justified, declared righteous by Christ imputing His righteousness. Only through this means can man find the fullness of joy that only comes by a relationship with God. The only one who can fill man’s heart with real joy is God–man’s creator. John was a witness who was willing to be imprisoned and die for the truth He had seen. He continued to proclaim the truth he had witnessed and seen first hand. Do you know Christ?
What great joy to sing–In Christ Alone. "No guilt in life, No fear in death–this is the power of Christ in me."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZYpjBeM0To