That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we saw, and our hands touched, concerning the Word of life
from the beginning: What beginning? It is the same beginning we read about in Genesis 1 and John 1. It reaches back to the creation and to eternity past. Jesus had no beginning but was "in" and "from" the beginning. Since He was in the beginning, He has always been; and because He is from the beginning, He will always be. He uses the same language in chapter two, verses 13 and 14. Jesus is from eternity to eternity. This passage declares in no uncertain terms the divinity of Christ and deals a direct blow to the false views of the Gnostics. "That which was from the beginning" is the One John and others heard, saw, and touched.