The Gospel of John
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Sunday, March 16, 2008
John 1:1-5
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
Who is Jesus? These verses clearly teach us that He is God. Here, in these verses, “The Word” refers to Jesus. In context, John 1:14 affirms this point: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Also, in 1 John 1:1-2 and Revelation 19:13 Jesus is referred to as “The Word of Life” and “The Word of God”. He is God’s communication to humanity. Someone once said that He is the A to the Z and everything in-between.
Regarding Jesus, John 1:1 clearly teaches us that He is God: “And the Word was God”. This truth is an essential teaching in the Christian faith. There is no room for differences on this point. If Jesus isn’t God, then He can’t save us from bondage to sin and eternal punishment in Hell. If Jesus isn’t God, then His death was in vain, as well as the testimonies about Him in the Bible invalid. Jesus, however, is God! Here, in John 1:2-5, the author presents the evidence to His deity. First, He is the Creator of all things (John 1:3). Genesis 1:1 tells us that “God” created the heavens and the earth. Here, John tells us that Jesus is the Creator of all things. A honest observation of our universe leads us to conclude that we live in a world covered with the fingerprints of a Creator/Designer. The well-known Scientist Albert Einstein wrote: “Everyone who is seriously interested in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the universe—a spirit vastly superior to man, and one in the face of which our modest powers must feel humble.” The conclusion is that Jesus is God.
Second, Jesus is the source of all life (John 1:4-5). Only God has life in and of Himself. He is not dependant on another for His existence. Also, He is the source of life for everything existing. Humanity exists because God exists (not the other way around). In Genesis 2, we discover that God breathed into man’s nostrils and he became a living being. God breathed both spiritual and physical life into man. Sin, however, killed humanity. Spiritually, man died. As a result, physical death followed.
The Good News is that Jesus breathes life into dead souls. The moment a sinner starts believing in Jesus as his Savior, Jesus breathes spiritual life into that person. He forgives all his sins, and re-connects Him with God. Also, being made alive spiritually by Christ to God, we have the assurance that Jesus will give life to our physical bodies at His second coming. Who is the source and giver of life? God is. Who does John tell us is the source and giver of life? The answer is clear; the answer is “Jesus”.
Let this be the thought for meditation today. Jesus is God. Therefore, trust, worship, and serve Him as such.
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Monday, March 17, 2008
John 1:6-8
“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light”
Here, in these verses, we are introduced to John the Baptist. John was God’s messenger who announced the coming of God’s Messiah. The Old Testament prophets, Isaiah and Malachi, predicted his coming, and, here, in John 1:6-7, the prophecies are fulfilled.
The objective of John’s ministry and message was to point people to Jesus. He was spent by God in the proclamation and exaltation of Jesus Christ. What a tremendous call! When people heard him speak and watched him minister, their ears and minds and hearts were directed to the truth about God’s Messiah, Jesus. His message was, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). His joy was the fame of Christ, and that people trusted in Him for salvation. He was in every sense of the words, a “Jesus guy”. Question: Is this true about your life? Does your life attract people to Jesus?
John is an example for us. His whole life, identity, and legacy were found in Jesus. He said, “He must increase, and I must decrease” (John 3:30). All he wanted for his life was to attract people to Jesus…and it did. If we have the same passion for the exaltation of Christ, our lives will point people to the beautiful glory and infinite worth of Christ as well. Let’s spend time loving Jesus, and we’ll attract others to Him. God bless you today.
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Wednesday, March 19, 2008
John 1:9
“The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.”
Jesus is the “True Light”. He is in contrast to all the false lights in the world. There are many people and religious movements in the world that claim to be the light that will lead men and women into spiritual enlightenment. They all, however, prove to be false lights leading humanity to eternal destruction. For this reason, it’s imperative that we make sure that the source of light we are embracing is the True Light.
Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). The credibility of Jesus’ claim is validated by His life, death, and resurrection from the dead. A honest investigation of His life–all that He is; all that He said; all that He did–will affirm that only He can claim to be the “True Light”.
As the True Light, Jesus “enlightens everyone”. The truth about Jesus shines in this dark world, yet people must decide what to do with the light they see. When people reject the light, the problem is not with the light, but rather, the condition of the human heart. The same light shines, and people respond to it different ways. One person rejects it; the other person embraces it. The issue is the condition of the heart. Think of it this way: imagine two bowls on a backyard table. One is made of wax, the other of clay. When the sunlight shines down on both bowls, one softens and the other hardens. Same light, but different results. The softening and hardening is dependant on the kind of material the bowls were made of. The same is true with the human heart. If you are sincere in knowing the truth about God when His light shines into your mind and heart, you will understand it, and embrace Christ, the “True Light”. If you, however, listen to the truth about Jesus with a anti-Christ bias, your heart will harden, and in the end, the only result will be God’s judgment. The issue for rejecting Christ is not “lack of evidence”, but rather that the human will that has been “twisted and tweaked” by sin and the love for it. John 3:18-21 puts it this way: “There is no judgment awaiting those who trust him. But those who do not trust him have already been judged for not believing in the only Son of God. Their judgment is based on this fact: The light from heaven came into the world, but they loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. They hate the light because they want to sin in the darkness. They stay away from the light for fear their sins will be exposed and they will be punished. But those who do what is right come to the light gladly, so everyone can see that they are doing what God wants.”
As the True Light, Jesus shines forth the truth and life to everyone who will believe in Him. What are you waiting for? Are the things holding you back from Jesus really legitimate reasons for not trusting in Him as your Savior from sin and hell. He is shining forth His light into your mind and heart right now. My prayer for you is that your heart will melt in His presence, and that you will embrace Him by faith, and experience God’s forgiveness and the assurance of eternal life. Look to Jesus, and start following Him right now.
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Friday, April 11, 2008
John 1:10-13
“He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become the children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who trust and receive Jesus as their Savior, and those who don’t. Here, in John 1:10-13, John makes the contrast between the two groups. First, in verse 10, John speaks of the world in general, then in verse 11, a nation specific. In verse 10, John reminds us that Jesus is God the Creator, and He made the world and everything in it. Yet, the general created population of humanity did not recognize Him when He came to earth. Rather than understand His true identity, the world simply regarded Him as either a “good” teacher” or a “religious prophet” or a “crazy man” or a “blasphemer” and continue to worship and serve their pagan idols and deities. In verse 11, we see that the nation of Israel went a step further…”they rejected Him”. They of all people should have recognized and received Jesus since their Old Testament Bible had been predicting His coming since Genesis 3:15. There are over 300 clear predictions about the coming of Jesus in the Old Testament. Yet, because of the hardness of their hearts, the Jews rejected Him, and continued to live in spiritual darkness.
Verses 12-13, however, turns a corner. Here in these verses John referred to a remnant in Israel that DID recognize and receive Jesus as Savior. These were brought in a living relationship with God through faith in Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, not “man”. The new birth is a miracle; a supernatural work of God. Here, we learn that “believing is receiving”. The moment a sinner “trusts in; receives” Jesus as his personal Savior, he is born again, and becomes a child of God.
Are you a child of God? Have you experienced the miracle of the new birth? I encourage you to start believing in Jesus today as your Savior. He is God, and the only means of salvation.
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