Some have suggested that the “we” of this passage may conform to the royal “we” as John writes of himself and a personal application. In simple terms, some suggest that the “we” refers specifically and solely to John; however, considering the eyewitness accounts of other New Testament writers, it seems more plausible that John is including those who have testified earlier. Written as one of the last books of the Bible, John offers a message of surety and unity based upon the veracity of the eyewitness accounts concerning our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Written from Ephesus around A.D. 90, this and his other two shorter, personal epistles are given to us as his seal on the accounts offered by the apostles and other early Christians.
What they reported was not hearsay. John is reporting that which was “from the beginning,” not something that had its beginning, but something which was already there when the beginning began. It compares to John 1.1, where our Savior is identified as the Word and “was in the beginning with God” because He was (did not become) God. The reference goes back beyond the Christian dispensation, beyond the Incarnation, to the eternal purpose of God in Christ (John 3.16). Throughout history and into eternity past, our Lord and Savior “was.”
To that John gives witness. He was declaring (giving testimony) to that which he personally knew and believed. He, along with others whom had testified, had “heard” it with his own ears. To John, nothing was neither second hand nor idle gossip. I enjoy reading commentaries (I’ve even published a few), where we find the testimony of others whom have studied God’s Word and have offered their interpretations of various passages of Scripture. No matter how reliable those commentators are, they are no replacement for the written Word of God because those who wrote are first-hand hearers of what they recorded.
John gives witness to the fact that, beyond hearing, he and his associates “saw” those things of what they wrote. They didn’t need to read a newspaper or hear the Evening News in order to understand the Transfiguration of our Lord – they saw it. They didn’t depend upon some source which was removed by hundreds of years to write of the ministry of Christ – they saw it with their own eyes.
John declares what they had “looked upon” – personally examined while they held the evidence in their own hands. Under the pangs of death, these writers recorded the Truth about God and His plan for salvation. Their records were up close and personal – words that changed their lives – verified words that, when believed, can bring the believers into a close personal relationship with God and with other believers. All of this so that “your joy may be full.” (I John 1.4ff)