Daily Bread – December 12, 2022 (The Second Day – Genesis 1:6-8) 1 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 have felt with our hands have felt of the Word of Life. The Eternal One The opening statement of the First Epistle of John is similar to the Gospel of John, and reaches back to the words of Genesis 1:1. Jesus was the One that was there at the ‘arche’ (“the beginning”). “That which was from the beginning” does not refer to God’s beginning, but to the beginning of Creation and its redemption. The beginning more specifically refers to the time before the creation of the world. John refers to Jesus as the Eternal Word Who was there at the beginning when the Heavens and the Earth were created. Yet, more importantly, He is the Eternal One Who has no beginning. John avoids using the Name of Jesus, which is the Name given to the Word of Life at His incarnation – thus further emphasizing He is the Eternal One Who has no beginning. He is the Life from which all life was derived. The first occurrence of ‘arche’ in the Septuagint is in Genesis 1:1 – its Hebrew counterpart is ‘resheet,’ which is the first word of the Bible in Genesis 1:1. Blessings, Pastor Mark Spitsbergen