1 John 1:2 (KJV)

Passage

(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

Nearby Context

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 our hands have handled, of the Word of life;

1 John 1:2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

1 John 1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

1 John 1:4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "life", "manifested", "seen", "bear", "witness", "shew", and "eternal". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "life" and "manifested", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "That which was from the beginning which..." into verse 3's "That which we have seen and heard...", so "life" and "manifested" belong inside that flow. In 1 John context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "life" and "manifested" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.