1 John 4:14

And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father hath sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

And we ... This might be an epistolary, or editorial "we," for the apostle John, or, as Smith thought, "a reference to John and the rest of the apostles who were eyewitnesses."[39] The words "bear witness" indicate that the latter meaning is the true one. As Plummer said, "The language of this verse would be strained and unreal in one who had not seen Christ in the flesh."[40]

A tremendous weight of Christian truth is concentrated in this verse.

The Father sent the Son ... The entire story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is here reduced to one line.

To be the Saviour of the world ... The world's being lost in sin is implied; otherwise no Saviour would have been required. Many do not seem to realize that they are lost without Christ. It is wrong to think of being saved, as if it meant, merely, to go to heaven when one dies. People are lost now; they need redemption now; We (all people) need salvation from ourselves, from our habits, our temptations, anxieties, fears, frustrations and uncertainties. One does not have to wait until he dies to be lost; every man without Christ is already lost. Only in the world's Saviour can human life be endowed with that purpose, significance and vitality, without which, human life tends to wretchedness and misery. In Christ all is changed. Life in him is so exceedingly rich that John called it "eternal life," thus naming it after the ultimate reward which is the central hope of that life, and the great motivator of it here and now.

[39] David Smith, op. cit., p. 192.

[40] A. Plummer, op. cit., p. 104.