We will begin our study of the Gospels in John, chapter 1. Before telling us of Christ and His life, John opens, in his first 18 verses, by declaring just who and what Jesus is. Compare verse 1 of John’s Gospel with Gen 1:1 and note the similarities. Verse 1 tells us that the Word was there at the beginning. He was with God and He was God. So, who is the Word? We can easily find the answer to that in verse 14 of our text.
The Word, according to verse 14, is the Son of God. He was made flesh and became human and dwelt among us, yet He was with God at the beginning and He was God. He has all the glory of God and He is full of grace and truth. These verses suggest to us that He did not only come as the messenger of God’s Word, but He is also, in fact, the incarnation of that Word, bringing God’s truth to us directly and in person (Rev 19:13). He is not merely teacher or prophet, He is Divine… a member of the Trinity.
We know that God is a collective noun, representing more than one person, much like the words team, group, family, or class. When we use the word God, we are referring to a Triune group of Beings known as the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All three were present at the Creation. We see the Father, in Gen 1:1, and the Holy Spirit in Gen 1:2. Now, here in John 1:1, we are told that Jesus was present at the Creation also. The Bible sometimes shows us examples of the Three speaking among themselves and one good example of that is there in Gen 1:26 where they are seen discussing what and how things should be done. And Jesus was there (Heb 1:2).
Continuing on in verses 2-3, we see that Jesus took part in creating everything that was created (I Cor 8:6). There was nothing made that Jesus was not a part of creating. John is making a strong statement here in the introduction to his Gospel. Not only is Jesus the Son of God and the Living Messenger of God’s Word, but He is also God Himself. He is Triune and Eternal (John 17:5). And He is all-powerful (Omnipotent). Whatever God does, Jesus does. The three are always in agreement.
Read verses 4-5. As God, Jesus is the Giver of Life (I John 1:2). We see here that the life that is in Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness. In the Bible, we will often see ‘Light’ representing the saving work of Jesus and ‘darkness’ representing sin and the work of the adversary. Jesus, the Light, shines out for sinful mankind, but here in the darkness, mankind has difficulty comprehending it. As we attempt to spread the Light (Gospel), we are often overcome by the strength of man’s sinful nature which naturally resists Salvation. This is the quintessential struggle between good and evil which created a need for a Savior in the first place (Rom 5:12-19).
Verses 6-8 tell us of a man named John. This is not the John who wrote this Gospel but is rather speaking of John the Baptist who came to be a witness to this Light, a messenger to tell the world that the Messiah had come. John the Baptist was not the Light but was only a witness to the Light (John 8:12). His ministry was to point to Jesus as the Messiah.
Verses 9-13 tell us John the Baptist’s message. The Light was coming into the world. He was already here. Even though Jesus had been there at the beginning and created the world, the world didn’t recognize Him when He came. He came to His own people, the Jews, and they rejected Him. But to those who did receive Him, He gave them the power to be born again, adopted into God’s eternal family as children of God (Gal 4:4-5). This opportunity to become the sons of God is available to all, not just the Jews (Heb 10:10).
We see here, in verse 13, the first reference to being born again into God’s family and this verse is clear that it is not speaking of a natural, physical birth. That is NOT how we become God’s children. Why is this important? We must look again at the relationship concerning Jesus and Adam (I Cor 15:21-22). It is important to understand this concept of being born of God, not of flesh and blood. We are saved by our faith (Eph 2:8). This is how Jesus did it… miraculously. His birth was not a natural conception and birth. He was born of a virgin, supernaturally, and came and lived a sinless life, that He might be the propitiation for us (Isa 7:14, Rom 3:25). He is God. Eph 2:5-8.
Read John the Baptist’s testimony in verses 15-18. He reiterates that Jesus is the One who will come. He is God but has been made flesh and blood. And even though no one has seen the Father, man has now seen the Son, in the flesh, who is Himself God and who has, in fact, seen God Himself (John 6:46). We also are told here that Moses brought us the Law (condemnation of sin), but Jesus brought grace and truth (salvation).
The Bible tells us that all have sinned and come short of God’s expectations (Rom 3:23). It also tells us that the punishment we deserve for this sin is death (Rom 6:23) but God gives us a free gift of salvation. How do we receive that gift? We are saved by the grace of God, through our faith (Eph 2:8, Rom 10:9-10, Acts 26:18). We must come to Him by faith, confess our sins, and ask Him for forgiveness (Eph 1:7). We know that if we ask for that forgiveness, He will give it (I John 1:9). If you have never reached a place in your life where you confessed your sins to God, seeking His forgiveness, and seeking to henceforth live a life of faith in Him, you should do that now, to secure your salvation and establish a lifelong personal relationship with a mighty and amazing God (John 5:24-26). God’s grace is free and available to all.
Responding to God: Praise God that He loved us enough to send His Son, Jesus, to die for us. Thank Him for having had a plan for our salvation from the very beginning and thank Him for the redemptive work of His Son. Praise Him for the power and majesty that are His name. Thank Him for life and all good gifts and ask Him to guide you in seeking a closer relationship with Him. Commit to Him, in prayer, to establish a closer relationship through regular Bible Study and prayer.
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