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Lesson 3 - 1 John 1:1...which we have seen with our own eyes...
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Lesson 3 - 1 John 1:1...which we have seen with our own eyes...

Eyes of Faith

Welcome back to our verse-by-verse Bible study of 1 John. Last lesson we focused on how God wants you to hear Him, obey Him, continue in His word till the end, and be an overcomer. In this lesson, we are going to learn about seeing Jesus with the eyes of faith.

1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have gazed upon and touched with our own hands—this is the Word of life.

Let’s focus on:

which we have seen with our own eyes

John and the disciples and many others were eyewitnesses of Jesus. Jesus didn’t just appear once and to one person only in a vision, He appeared to many people, many times, and over many years. He was physically on the earth from birth until He was taken up into Heaven after the resurrection.

There are five books of the Bible that document the time when Jesus was physically on the earth. These are Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and the beginning of Acts.

Even though you can't see Jesus with your own eyes, as the people did in the Gospels, you can see Him with the eyes of faith. When you see Jesus, you see God, because Jesus is God.

Here are three ways that you can see Jesus with the eyes of faith.

  1. You can see Jesus by reading the Bible. The Bible documents eyewitness accounts of Jesus while he was here on earth.

  2. You can see God through creation all around you. The Bible says that the heavens proclaim the glory of God and that His eternal power and divine nature can be seen in His workmanship. (Romans 1:20) Spend time looking at the beauty in creation every day and appreciate God’s power.

  3. You can see Jesus in other believers and in yourself because when people believe in Jesus, He lives in them.

Even though you can’t physically see Jesus today, one day, you will see Jesus in Heaven.

Let’s take a look at some verses that show you that there are many eyewitness accounts of Jesus, that you can see God in creation, that you can see Jesus in other believers, and that one day you will see Jesus face to face.

We read in Luke 1:1-4 how the Apostle Luke carefully investigated everything he had heard from the initial eyewitnesses of Jesus and compiled his findings into an orderly account of the life of Jesus.


Luke 1:1-4 Many have undertaken to compose an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by the initial eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 Therefore, having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.


We read in Acts 10:39-41 that the Apostle Peter claimed that He and the disciples were eyewitnesses of all that Jesus did.


Acts 10:39-41 We are witnesses of all that He did, both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. And although they put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree, 40 God raised Him up on the third day and caused Him to be seen— 41 not by all the people, but by the witnesses God had chosen beforehand, by us who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.


We read in 2 Peter 1:16-18 where Peter proclaims that they did not follow cleverly devised fables, but were eyewitnesses of Jesus.

2 Peter 1:16-18 For we did not follow cleverly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”18 And we ourselves heard this voice from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.

We read in Romans 1:20 that we can see God’s invisible qualities through His creation.

Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse.

In Psalm 19:1 we read that the heavens declare the glory of God. When you are looking at a beautiful sunset, you are seeing the work of God’s hands.

Psalm 19:1 …The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

In John 20:29 Jesus says that you will be blessed when you believe in Him, even though you can’t see Him in person.

John 20:29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

In Colossians 1:27 we read about how Christ lives in people. That means when you see people that believe in Jesus, you are able to see Jesus, because He lives in them.

Colossians 1:27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

In Revelation 22:1-4 we read about how one day we will see Jesus face to face.

Revelation 22:1-4 Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the main street of the city. On either side of the river stood a tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit and yielding a fresh crop for each month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be within the city, and His servants will worship Him. 4 They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night in the city, and they will have no need for the light of a lamp or of the sun. For the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever.

In conclusion, Jesus was seen while He was physically on earth. There were many eyewitnesses of Jesus over many years. This is documented in the Bible.

Even though you can’t see Jesus physically with your own eyes, you can see Jesus with the eyes of faith.

You can see Jesus with the eyes of faith by reading the eyewitness accounts of Jesus in the Bible, seeing Jesus in creation, seeing Jesus in other believers, and trusting that one day that you will see Jesus face to face in Heaven.

If Hope Bible School blesses you, please share it with others.  If you have any prayer requests, please share them in the comments. Thank you and God bless you.

~ Jeff M Newman

VERSE BY VERSE BIBLE STUDY LESSONS (See all)

Lesson 8 - Lesson 8 -1 John 1:2...we have seen it and testified to it... (Share Your Testimony)

Lesson 7 - 1 John 1:2 And this is the life that was revealed... (Eternal Life Revealed)

Lesson 6 - 1 John 1:1...this is the Word of life. (The Message of Eternal Life)

Lesson 5 - 1 John 1:1...and touched with our own hands...(Touching Jesus by Faith)

Lesson 4 - 1 John 1:1...which we have gazed upon... (Gaze Upon Jesus)

Lesson 3 - 1 John 1:1...which we have seen with our own eyes... (Eyes of Faith)

Lesson 2 - 1 John 1:1…which we have heard… (Hear and Obey God)

Lesson 1 - 1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning (Jesus is Eternal)

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