John 1:1-18 - God the Son

John 1:1-18
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
6 There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.
9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John *testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’” 16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

Message: God the Son

Time: While John does not admit to have written this gospel, there is ample evidence from others that he did. It was most likely written in Ephesus around 85-95 AD and is the fourth gospel. John provides a Jesus more clearly as the Son of God. John cites Jesus' seven "I Am" statements, mentions many miracles of Jesus, signifying Him as God's Son. He is the Son of Man and atoned for our sins and the Son of God with eternal implications in rising from the dead.

What the Lord is Saying:

This book opens up not with the story of the nativity scene. Like the Book of Mark, Jesus comes on the scene immediately, but John also takes us back to creation showing that Jesus is not a created one, but was in the beginning as creator and in the beginning with God. This is a text that some beliefs have changed the meaning of as it clearly shows Jesus as God (the Word was God) while those beliefs make it to read Jesus was a god.

John came to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus to get people ready in the belief that Jesus is the Light, sent from God, to witness of Him. It was true that some received Him and some did not. But to receive Him meant that they to would be children of God.

While the Law was duty and keeping commandments, Jesus was about grace and truth. The biblical narrative has always been about redemption. God has redeemed His people. They walk away or turn away and He brings them back. He restores His relationship with them. But, not all believe.

Jesus is God and there are many other examples of this throughout the scripture and gospel writings. For example, Mark 2:1-12 records Jesus claiming the authority to forgive sins. Even in Jude 5, Jesus saved a people out of the land of Egypt. The Old Testament attributes this to Yahweh but Jude attributes it to Jesus. He was God and was with God. While coming to live and walk the earth alongside us Jesus came to redeem and save people. God is still in the work of redemption.

Promise: Only those with hardened hearts ill deny that the Bible reveals Jesus as the Lord God Almighty, worthy of all our love and worship.

Prayer: O God, thank you for redeeming mankind, for continually bridging the gap. Our effort to come to You remain efforts but our attempts our always not sufficient, but you came to earth and saved us. I receive You and want to always receive You. Forgive me when I get to prideful and too concerned with my own name and ways and don't receive You. Thank you for bearing my sin and saving me. Thank you for being the light for all the world. I pray that people would continue to seek You and desire to know you. Help me to communicate that love to others in as many ways as I can.



Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with January being about the doctrine of God.