Gospel of John Series,
John 1:1-5
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. The
same was in the beginning with God. All
things were made by him; and without him was not anything
made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the
light of men. And
the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended
it not” (John 1:1-5).
“Let’s
say a word of prayer, and we’re going to begin in John
chapter 1. ‘Lord,
as we now take this opportunity to look at your Word together,
we ask you Holy Spirit that you would be upon us, and that
you would open our eyes to these truths, and help us to have
a greater realization simply Jesus of who you are, as we
look at your Word. Certainly
the more we see you, the more we comprehend and understand
who you are and how you view us. So
much of the Christian experience is understanding and comprehending
that. That is life-changing, more and more as
we simply see you for who you are. And
I ask Holy Spirit again that you’d work in our minds
and our hearts so you’d be upon me as I share your
Word and upon all of us, in Jesus name we pray. Amen’
background information
John chapter 1, verses 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.” So,
the Gospel of John. Let’s
get a little bit of the background information out of our
way. Who wrote the gospel of John? I’m sure you can make a pretty good
guess at that, if you haven’t even studied it before. We’re
not told in these words here who it is that’s written
this gospel, but as you go on the authorship becomes clearer
and clearer, and that is, the apostle, the disciple John
is the author of this gospel. And that is something to consider, in
the sense that this man was with Jesus, so this man has
a tremendous resource of personal experience to write from,
a vast resource of knowledge and insight. He
was right there with Jesus, so he writes from that perspective,
from his own experience. And his perspective is also interesting
as we consider his view of Jesus, and his view of how Jesus
viewed him. As we go on we’ll see that he says
this several times, he uses this to describe himself, and
that is ‘as the disciple whom Jesus loved.’ That’s
how he saw himself, that’s how he notes himself in
this gospel, “I am the disciple whom Jesus loved.” That’s
a pretty good perspective to have of yourself. And
that gives us this perspective too, as we go through. Certainly that understanding had an impact
upon his life. I
would say it had a tremendous impact upon his life. Initially,
we know this in the gospel of Mark, Jesus named John and
his brother James “the sons of thunder”, that
is what they are initially named, and maybe they kept that
name from that point on. But
why were they called that? We
don’t know exactly, but we do know that literally
the words ‘sons of thunder’
can also be translated ‘sons of violent temper.’ And it’s possible that these guys
were hot-headed guys, these guys were strong, forceful guys. If that is the case, you do see some glimpses
of that in the gospel itself, and other gospels also, such
in Luke chapter 9. You
know, Jesus, you might remember, wasn’t welcome in
this one Samaritan village. What
was John’s response? He
says
“Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven, consume
them, just as Elijah did?” That’s
what this guy’s perspective was, it wasn’t very merciful to me,
it wasn’t very gracious at that point in time. ‘Let’s
nuke ‘em Lord’ is what he says, ‘this entire village.’ ‘They’re
not going to be nice to us, so let’s just blast ‘em and take care
of ‘em.’ Well Jesus
responds and says “You do not know what manner of spirit you’re
of.” ‘There’s a heart issue there,
John, there’s a spirit.’ So
maybe that’s why he and James were called “The sons of thunder.” Well,
as time goes on, though, this man becomes “the apostle of love.” That’s
what he begins to be known as from his writings, but also historically. We
know, we just studied Peter, Peter was the “apostle of hope”. Paul was “the apostle of faith”,
but John is
“the apostle of love.” So
here’s a man that says, you know, the one whom Jesus loved. But
also he’s later known as a man of love himself, a man that this word
love really is something that just describes his real perspective and his heart
toward life. There are also some
stories in early church history that tell us that love was really the life
and breath of this man John, the apostle John. We
know that John was the only disciple that wasn’t martyred, he lived to
about the age of 94, so he lived to be an old man. There
was a Roman emperor, Domician, who sought to kill John, in fact, he had him
boiled in oil. But in an amazing
way, God delivered John, and he actually survived being boiled in oil. So
in AD 95 we’re told historically that this Roman emperor had him exiled
to this rock out in the water called Patmos, and he was to live there. It
was there then that God gave him visions, visions that we now read about in
the book of Revelation. But after
Domician’s death John was then allowed to return to Ephesus in AD 97,
and he lived there until his death. But
during the final years of his life, we learned, this man was old, this man
was tired, yet this man had a real heart. And
he would go to various churches and speak. In
fact, he was so weak they’d carry him around on a stretcher. And being weak and not being able to say
much, he would say just a little bit. But
when he would go to these various places, man, people would break out in applause, ‘this
is the one that actually leaned on the breast of Jesus.’ And
the churches would just say,
‘Ah, what a privilege to have this man come and speak to us.’ So we have the privilege of actually studying
this gospel that he has written. But
the historian Eusibius tells us that it was his custom when he would go and
speak, he couldn’t say much, but he would say “Little children,
love one another”, you know, 1st John, “Little children,
love one another.” That’s what he would teach. And if anybody ever wondered or questioned,
he would repeat that phrase. Why
would he only say that and repeat that? He
would answer, “This is what the Lord commands you, and this if you do
it, is sufficient.” “Little children, love one another”,
he’d go to the next church, here comes John, they’re all excited,
packed house, it’s time to give the teaching, they’re waiting,
and he’d say “Little children, love one another.” And
that’s what he would teach. But it’s pretty significant. This
man had been touched by the love of God. [And did the early Judeo-Christian
churches in Asia Minor follow this teaching, as well as those in North Africa? Log
onto http://www.unityinchrist.com/LegacyOfLove.htm to
see for yourself.] We also
learn from different historians, Chrysostom, and Eusibius, that when he returned
from the Isle of Patmos, a young man that had originally been under his care
who he was working with had basically stumbled and been misled, and was then
even joined up with a band of robbers. But
from their account, this old man then went seeking for this younger person,
he even sought him in the mountains. And
through a fearless and faithful love, he took this young person and turned
his life around again and got him back on track. But
that’s a story we have from early church writings. So the apostle of love, the one who refers
to himself as “the one whom Jesus loved.” And
I believe there’s certainly a connection, and I believe it’s true
in your life, my life this morning. It’s
how it works for you and I.
Spirit of revival
There’s
something very powerful that takes place in me when I realize
more and more of the extent of how much Jesus loves me. There’s
something that happens in my life more and more as I understand
and I discern and I see how much God loves me that’s
really significant. You
and I, self esteem is not what we need. That’s not what we need. It isn’t even healthy to be thinking
so much about ourselves, and I think that’s part of
the problem in America, is we think too much about ourselves. We
think and are consumed with what we are or what we are not,
or we’re consumed with what we have or what we don’t
have, we’re thinking way too much about ourselves. So the problem isn’t self-esteem,
that’s not what we need. I
believe that’s also a significant issue in the Church,
in this culture, we think too much about ourselves. But
what we need to do is discern how much God loves us, and
see his love for you and I, and it’ll have an effect
on our lives. In
fact, I believe the more we do that, there’s a spirit
to revival, and that’s the spirit to revival. I’ve
been studying this a little bit myself, God has been speaking
to me. But when
you know you’re loved, and you sense and you understand
the love of God, you can’t help but love others. It
just fills you. It
moves you. It
effects you. And you’re driven. And you’re moved to love others. And that’s the best life you can
possibly live, is a life living for others, a life loving
others. In fact, that is revival. [Why? Because
others can’t help but respond to that love.] Isaiah
58, I was even there this week, considering that chapter. And I believe in America the reason we’re
not seeing a revival is because we don’t understand
the heart of revival, and it’s this expression of love. Just
as the apostle John used to say, “Little children,
love one another.” ‘Little children, love one another,
stop thinking so much about yourselves, and think about the
love of God, and learn that love of God, and then love others.’ Isaiah
58, verses 6-7 “Is
this not the fast that I have chosen?”, ‘all
your fasts, all your ceremonies, all your works really don’t
matter to me.’ “This
is what I want” he says, “to loose the bonds
of wickedness, to undo heavy burdens, to let the oppressed
go free, and that you break every yoke. Is
it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you
bring to your house the poor who are cast out. When you see the naked that you cover
him, and hide not yourself from your own flesh.” ‘Isn’t
that the fast I’m looking for, in Isaiah 58, that you
love the orphan, that you care for the widow?’ And
that’s a sacrificial love, that isn’t just a
little program in a church, that’s an individual love,
that’s a heart, that’s a spirit. And he says further (verse 8), “Then
your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing
shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall
go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rear-guard. Then
you shall call and the Lord will answer, you shall cry and
he will say ‘Here I am’.” Isaiah says ‘I will pour out revival
if you learn to love.’ That’s
what he says. If
you learn to love in a real heart of love, that is to love
the needy. Truly
to care and be burdened and to lay your life down sacrificially. And
I believe that’s why we don’t see revival in
the Church, because especially in America we’re not
seeing it is because we’re in this self-esteem culture
where we’re thinking so much about ourselves. But
John, this disciple who knew the love of God, then was known
as the apostle of love, he’d been really touched by
the love of God, he’d really comprehended and taken
hold of the love of God, and man, he couldn’t help
but love other people. In fact, that’s what he lived for. You know, the Lord’s really been
ministering to my heart about that. I’ve
even considered my own life more and more, ‘what does
it mean, Lord? What does it mean, from every area of
my life, from my finances to my time?—this loving other
people, I want that thrust, I want that spirit in my heart,
that Isaiah chapter 58 spirit. But I believe the Lord also wants us as
a church, to all the more consider the orphan, to consider
the widow, and to as a church even sacrificially to love
the needy. I’m
going to be talking more about that in the future. But there’s things we’ve talked
about in the past, if you’ve been around here long
enough, I’ve talked a lot about orphans and widows
and wondered what the Lord would have us do, and I think
not long into the future God is going to have us become part
of certain types of works, where we get the real blessing
of really putting clothes on somebody that doesn’t
have clothes, and taking an orphan and getting them into
a home, and doing those sorts of things. But
not just doing it as a little thing on the side, but saying
as a body of believers, as a church, we’re going to
sacrificially lay our lives down, and we’re going to
do this. Because
that is revival. Not
to do it in work, but to do it in spirit, to do it from the
heart. When the
love of God has been poured into your heart, you are somebody
who loves others. In
fact, 1st John, that is the litmus test. He
says,
“do you walk in the light or do you walk in darkness. If you walk in the light, you will love
your brother.” You will love
others. Well, this understanding of God’s
love for me, that understanding as it grows in my heart, will cause me to become
a more powerful vessel of his love towards others. So,
John the disciple whom Jesus loved, then therefore the apostle of love. And
we get the privilege of considering this as we go, as we study John, may it
be our prayer, Lord, help us to understand your love more. Help
us to not just understand the theology, help us to truly understand it in a
real experience, a practical way, you’re love for me. And as we do that, if we’ve done
it successfully, we’ll see it in our congregation, we’ll see the
fruit of it. We’ll see a greater compassion and
zeal for the gospel and for the lost. We’ll
see greater sacrificial giving and reaching the hurting and the needy people
around the world [not just within the local area of our own congregations,
is what he’s also getting at]. Maybe
we’ll even see revival, because that is how it works. That
is the heart of revival. [This
website features a special tiny orphanage in south India that up to the time
of this transcription has gotten very little assistance, either locally or
from abroad. See http://www.unityinchrist.com/evangelism/sisterchurches/BlessiOrphanHome.htm. Also, to learn of a very cool way many
hands can make the load light in the area of international evangelism and care-giving,
log onto http://www.unityinchrist.com/missionstatement.htm and
make a commitment to become a viable part of the $5 a week program. Doing this will contribute to bringing
worldwide revival.]
More about John’s background
Well, a few other
interesting things about John as we move on. We
can note about him he was the son of Zebedee [Matthew 4:21]
and Salome, he was a native of the Galilee area of Bethsaida. But
we are told he was also the youngest of the apostles. We know too he was also originally a disciple
of John the Baptist, but John said “this is the Christ,
go follow him”, so immediately John then followed Jesus
Christ. And there
is, in this sense, as you study his life, this man was loyal,
this man was passionate about following God. You
see it early on as a younger disciple, he was devoted, there
was a loyalty there, and because of that Jesus had a special
love for this zealous disciple, noted many times. But
again at the last supper, he was the man who was next to
Jesus, he was the man who actually leaned back on Jesus’ breast,
he was the one at the cross whom Jesus then said ‘Here’s
my Mom, you take care of my Mom.’ [and none of the other 11 disciples were
at the cross.] So
there was a special love even that Jesus had for John. And
John had this real loyalty. He
was the only one at the cross that we know of, so that man
was a loyal man. We also know he was part of this inner
circle, Peter, James and John. So
he had the privilege of seeing certain things, of witnessing
certain things, again the transfiguration of Jesus. He
was there. He
was there in the garden to see the agony of Jesus, so he
writes from that heart. But he was there at the cross, when he
writes about this crucifixion, as we get there, he’s
going to write about it from his own eyes, what he saw. Not
what he was told, but what he saw. He
was also at the tomb, one of the early ones at the tomb. After
the ascension he’s out preaching boldly, Acts chapter
4, though he was imprisoned, though he was scourged, though
he was threatened with death. And
then later we read from Paul’s words that this man,
as the Church got started, he was a pillar in the Church,
Galatians chapter 2 we’re told that. But
in AD 65 history tells us he moved to Ephesus, he labored
there in the gospel, spreading it throughout Asia Minor,
and for years after the death of Paul, this man used his
influence as an apostle, his personality and the respect
he had from others, he widely exerted that to get the gospel
message out. [Also
his disciple was Polycarp, who took over the reigns of the
early Church that was in Asia Minor, and after that, Polycarp’s
disciple Policrates. John
moving north to Ephesus in 65 AD brought Mary, Jesus’ mother,
out of harms way well in advance of 70AD when the Roman’s
destroyed the temple and Jerusalem. Judeo-Christianity
became centered in Asia Minor more and more after the first
and second Jewish-Roman Wars (70AD and 135AD). “Polycarp
(Ad70-156) was certainly a disciple of John”, p. 9, F.F.
Bruce, “the Gospel and Epistles of John”. F.F.
Bruce in his Introduction, page 13 says this about whom the
Gospel was originally written for and when. “But
within John’s general Hellenistic environment [Asia
Minor, Ephesus] can we think of one particular category of
reader that he might have in mind? Whom
are the arguments deployed in the great debate of his central
chapters designed to convince? These
general chapters are largely devoted to one sustained debate
between Jesus and the religious leaders of Jerusalem—a
debate which was carried on in the following decades between
the followers of Jesus and the synagogue authorities. The
destruction of the temple and the cessation of the sacrificial
worship in AD 70 made little difference to Jewish life in
the dispersion. The
debate between the disciples and the synagogue authorities
reached a critical stage around AD 90, when one of the prayers
in the synagogue service was reworded so as effectively to
exclude the followers of Jesus. It was probably against this background
that that Fourth Gospel was published, in order to bring
members of the synagogue congregations in that area of the
dispersion where the Evangelist and his associates lived
to faith in Jesus as the Messiah of Israel, the Son of God,
the Revealer of the Father. Among
members of synagogue congregations those most likely to be
impressed where perhaps Gentile God-fearers who regularly
attended services.” And these God-fearers F.F. Bruce is talking
about were considered to be more half-Jewish by their Gentile
neighbors than Gentile. The churches in Asia Minor under
and around John where not like what you’d imagine today,
they were more Jewish in customs and days of worship than
Gentile. To read
more about this era from 31-32AD to 325AD log onto http://www.unityinchrist.com/history2/index3.htm.] Man, you could say he had a privileged
life. But at
the same time, therefore, it’s a privilege for you
and I to study what he has written about his time with Jesus. So
the author is John. Who is his audience? That’s important to note when you
study the Gospels, different letters, who were they writing
to? Well he is writing to both Jew and to
Gentile. It’s
seems that is his audience [particularly modified by what
I quoted above and also that link going to a study on Early
Church History]. So
anybody who’s willing to read this is his audience. John often interprets the Jewish customs,
the Jewish words as he goes, as he refers to different things
about the Jewish way of life, he gives some more insights,
so somebody who is a non-Jew, a Gentile, will have more understanding. He
explains things. But
there’s also an emphasis to the Jews, because he doesn’t
just seek to show that Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament
prophecies, like Matthew, but he also talks about how Jesus
fulfilled the types, referring to Jesus, the Lamb of God,
Jesus, the Servant lifted up, things like that. He
shows that he’s also a fulfillment of all the types. So
he writes to the Jew, he writes to the Gentile [and this
as F.F. Bruce said, was the God-fearer Gentiles, who were
already attending in the synagogues of Asia Minor].
The purpose of John’s Gospel
What is his purpose
in writing? So
frequent, with all of the apostles who wrote, his purpose
is two-fold. One
is to counter heresy. Over
and over as we’ve studied in the Epistles, the writings
of the disciples, they want to deal with heretical teaching. So
he wants to deal with heresy. He
tries to help us see that teaching of Gnosticism, this goofy
teaching that Jesus was an emanation, that he wasn’t
really both spirit and body, that if you followed him there
wouldn’t be any footprints. Because
the Gnostics believed that the physical realm was evil, therefore
for God to become physical that [to them, the Gnostics] is
impossible. So he writes to confront that heresy,
but also the heresy of Arianism, that of denying the Deity
of Jesus Christ, putting him on the same level as man, as
so many of the cults do. So as we’ll see, right off from
the start he goes right for the that, and makes it real clear
that Jesus is God. And we’ll note that as we go on
this morning. But
secondly, and this is what makes it especially exciting for
us as a church, John is writing to demonstrate to his audience
that Jesus is the Son of God for a reason, and that is so
that his readers, his listeners will place their trust, will
place their faith in Jesus Christ, and as a result that they
will find life in his name. So maybe you’re here this morning
and you have never accepted Jesus Christ into your heart. Well if you can continue to come to these
studies, John will continue to share with you, explain to
you why Jesus is the Christ [Christ: Greek word of the Hebrew “Messiah”],
why he is the Son of God, why he is God, and why you need
to put your faith in him. That is his whole goal in writing. In fact, in John chapter 20, verse 31, he says “But these things are written that you may believe that Jesus is
the Christ [Messiah], the Son of God, and that by believing
you may have life in his name.” It’s
written that you’d believe that Jesus is the Son of
God. So, I challenge
you to sit down and read this Gospel if you can find the
time, read it even in one sitting, or a couple sittings. As you do, you will note this, this guy
is an evangelist. Repeatedly,
repeatedly, as we go through it, it will happen repeatedly,
the gospel, the gospel, the salvation, the salvation, a big
part of his message, a big part of what he’s trying
to convey. Great
opportunity to even bring some of your non-Christian friends
to church, because the gospel is just going to continue to
go out very simply as we study the gospel of John together.
“In the beginning was the
Word”
He writes about
AD 100, so it’s a good period of time after Jesus died
[and rose again], he’s in his low 90’s, this
is an old man, and he starts with these words, “In the beginning was the Word.” Now
that might remind you of another book that starts very similar,
and that is the book of Genesis chapter 1, “In the
beginning”, same three words right there at the start, “In
the beginning”. Starts
off similar, as Moses did in the book of Genesis. He begins “In the beginning” and
he goes on to talk about God and the existence of God, as
we saw in those verses. And we can note with that, that it’s
important to note, that the Bible never tries to prove the
existence of God. The
Bible never goes down and tries to debate, ‘Well, let’s
go with the atheists and try to prove philosophically the
existence of God.’ And
there’s reasons why the Bible doesn’t, the Bible
just says it’s a simple fact, it’s pretty evident,
look at the creation. In
fact, David says twice, it’s the fool that says there
is no God. So why are we even going to try to debate
for a moment there is no God, it’s only the fool that
says there is no God. It’s just clear, everything is in
order, it’s designed, there’s clearly an intelligent
design to the universe and everything we see on earth. So
right off John assumes ‘The entire Bible is true, there’s
a God, and let me tell you a little bit about this God.’ Creation
is the universal proof of the reality of God. [I
would like to add, that the proof of the Bible itself as
the very Word of God, is fulfilled prophecy. Even Yahweh in Isaiah repeatedly says
that his proofs are to be found in fulfilled prophecy, and
then he challenges the skeptic to try to prophecy future
events and make them come true. The very proof that Jesus is the Messiah
are to be found in Old Testament prophecies. See http://www.unityinchrist.com/prophecies/1stcoming.htm.] Louis Pasteur, this famous French chemist
said, “Posterity will some day laugh at the foolishness
of “modern”
materialistic philosophy. The
more I study nature, the more I’m amazed at the Creator.” So here is this great scientist, Louis
Pasteur, great scientist, and he says ‘Man, the more
I look at it, I’m absolutely amazed by Creator God.’ And
that’s the truth, that’s the simple truth. You
know, I was with my chiropractor this week, he’s trying
to fix my shoulder, and we got started right off, as we usually
do with my shoulder. He asked me what I thought about this
whole
“Pledge of Allegiance” thing. And
a lot of us have been talking about it this week, and I just responded the
same way, I said “It’s absolutely foolish, and I’m thankful
there’s a lot of people saying the same thing right now, that this is
absolutely absurd, ‘let’s take God out of everything’, as
if there is no God, let’s appease the few atheists that say there is
no God.” But that’s
absolutely foolish, why would we even listen to that argument, absolutely foolish. The
world makes it clear, our life, infinitely studying science out into the universe
or studying into the smallest of atoms says there’s a God. [see http://www.unityinchrist.com/dinosaurs/dinosaurs4.htm.] There’s a God, he’s real,
he exists, and we need to get to know him. You
know, as a nation, we aren’t learning very well, the more we take God
out of our nation, man, the more we just bear the fruit of it, and I’m
thankful that there are a lot of people that are standing up going ‘That’s
absurd! Take that word “God” out of
the Pledge? Let’s leave it in there. Come on! That’s
absurd! Loosen up a little bit.’ You
know, there’s a study, you’ve probably heard this, I’ve heard
this study a number of times, but there was a study by the police department
and the department of education in Fullerton, California. In
the 1940’s the seven leading problems in America’s public schools
were “Talking, chewing gum, making noise, running in the hallways, getting
out of place in line, wearing improper clothing, and not putting paper into
wastebaskets.” That was the society of America 50, 60
years ago, those were the big deal problems in the school. Not too long later [1963] we decided to
take God and prayer out of school, this same study now says 50 years later,
these are the seven big problems in our school systems: Drug abuse, alcohol
abuse, pregnancy, suicide, rape on campus, assault-burglary on campus, and
arson and bombings on campus.” That’s
where we’ve gone in taking God out of our nation. [Today,
just after I finished typing this out, I checked foxnews.com before logging
off, and this article appeared: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,304923,00.html . Of
course we’ve already had the Columbine shootings, and the shootings at
Virginia Tech, just to add weight to this little “study” in Fullerton,
California.] It’s the fool
that says there is no God, and if we listen to that foolishness and give into
that foolishness, we’re going to reap some real ugliness. John says “In the beginning was
the Word” and he goes on and makes it clear he’s speaking of God,
God exists, it’s self-evident, why do we even debate it? It’s
a foolish, it’s a silly debate. It’s
a waste of time.
The Word, Logos, who is he?
John then, as
you see, begins referring to the Word. The
Greek word there is Logos,
it literally means much more than just words, spoken
words, but that word also includes the thoughts and the reasoning
power behind the speaker. So
it’s much more significant than just that, literally
even in the Greek. Now there’s a little bit of history,
again, and John no doubt, he’s combating heresy, dealing
with the reasoning that is in society, some of the things
that are trying to creep into the Church, even today. But
in his day, the Greek’s had developed a philosophy
centered around the teachings of Plato which taught the following: 1)
that the Logos, they had this concept, that the Logos, the
Word, was the foundation of everything that exists on earth,
was the foundation of earth. 2)
the earth, Plato said, was simply a shadow of the reality,
the Logos, the Logos was the reality that existed somewhere
in the heavens. So earth was a shadow, a reflection of
that. So basically
this is how their reasoning worked. Behind
every physical thing there is first a thought. You
have a physical thing, but that thing first started as a
thought. So the beginning is the thought. Well the Jews then with their teacher
Philo took the concept a little bit further, and whereas
Plato said behind everything is this thought, this perfect
thought, this Logos, Philo stated that behind the thought
there must be a thinker. The
thought isn’t the beginning, if there is a thought,
there must be a thinker. So
the Jews took the philosophy a little bit further. So
that gives you a little bit of understanding too, why he’s
beginning this way in his time [100 AD], “In
the beginning was the Word, the Logos” But
what does he do when he introduces it the way he does? He
says Logos is not some clever philosophy, Logos is a person,
the beginning is a person, a living person, a reality, a
personality, and the beginning is this perfect person, God,
this perfect thinker. So
he takes that whole thought of that time and says ‘Here’s
the deal. Logos was in the beginning,’ and then as we go on you’ll see
he says
‘Logos was something much, much greater.’ We’ll
continue to see as we study John that he will make it very clear, this Word,
and we’ll see in these very verses, is Jesus Christ. The Logos, the Word is Jesus Christ. He notes that in his other writings too. 1st John chapter 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 concerning the
Word of life.” ‘We’ve
seen the Word of life.’ And then he writes about the Word in Revelation
chapter 19, verse 13, “He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and
his name is called the Word of God.” So
the Logos, the Word of God, Jesus Christ.
The Logos, Word, he’s eternal
What does John
say about the Word? What
does John say about Jesus Christ? Again,
the first thing he says
‘He was in the beginning.’ Jesus,
the Word, was in the beginning. Therefore
he’s saying he’s eternal, he’s eternal, he’s always
existed, and he always will exist. He’s
always existed, and he’s always going to exist. There
has never been a time where Jesus has not existed in all the history of all
things. There never will be a time where Jesus
doesn’t exist. In fact, Jesus
transcends time. He existed before
time began itself. So when it says “In
the beginning was the Word” that is the beginning of time. In the sense of that beginning was the
Word, he was then, he’s always existed, he’s eternal. Paul
teaches the same in Colossians chapter 1, and he says “He is before all
things.” So Jesus, the Jesus
that we talk about, the Jesus that we worship, he says the Logos is eternal. He was “in the beginning.” Now this isn’t true of you and I,
you and I have not always existed, we have a beginning, we have a start. I can go back and say ‘There is
my birth date, there is a time before where I didn’t exist, I didn’t
exist before 19xx, I didn’t exist at all, except a little bit of 19xx
in my mother’s womb.’ But I did not exist. I can go back to a time where I did not
exist. But that is not true of Jesus. Jesus has always existed. You reverse it, you just keep going and
going and going, he’s always been there. He’s
eternal. I’m thankful now
as a believer, because now I have Christ in my heart, I also am going to live
eternally from this point on [and if any of us die in Christ, we’re resurrected
as immortal beings at the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ, see http://www.unityinchrist.com/corinthians/cor15-16_2.htm],
that I’m going to live with him. He’s
always existed, he’s always going to exist, and now with Christ in my
heart, I’m told that I’m always going to be with him now….So
Jesus, he says, in the beginning, the Logos, this Jesus we worship, he’s
eternal, eternal in both directions, before and after today, he’s always
existed. There are those who teach false teaching
that say he was created, [these false teachers say] he’s like Michael
the archangel, created. The Bible
in John makes it real clear ‘In the beginning he’s always existed,
he is eternal.’
Just who is the Word, the Logos
in relation to God?
There’s
another significant point related to that, ‘he was
in the beginning, and he also was with God in the beginning.’ “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. The
same was in the beginning with God” (verses 1-2) Jesus
was with God. Here
in these words John is showing that in the sense with the
words “with God” is that God isn’t just
this Logos, this infinite thought, this infinite mind, but
God is a living person [being], that word “with” is
an intimate word. When
he says “with” there, he means a very intimate
communion, face to face companionship, equal, together, close
together in a very precious and intimate way. So
when he says “he was with God” he’s saying
that he’s not just referring to some thought, but two
persons, Jesus, with God. [Comment: The word for “God” in
Genesis 1-2 is Elohim, referred to as a uni-plural Hebrew
term for God by one theologian, and in Genesis 1 God states “Let us make man in our image.” The
one who walked with Abraham, the one who guided Israel and
Moses was Yahweh, who became Jesus of Nazareth. That
is where John is taking us in these verses. Jesus
himself told the Jews “Before Abraham, I am.” He
also told them he had spoken to Abraham. It
was Yahweh that had spoken to Abraham, so Jesus was telling
the Jews he was Yahweh. It
was then that the Jews sought to stone Jesus. John
isn’t revealing something new that Jesus hadn’t
already revealed to them. But he was countering a heresy that was
spreading among the new Christians that hadn’t known
Jesus personally and physically. So
even in the Old Testament we see God the Father and Jesus
revealed, although in a somewhat veiled terminology the Jews
have yet to understand.] He’s
infinite, but he also was in the beginning, he was with God. That tells us too he is a person, but
he is also distinct from God the Father, he’s distinctly
separate too, distinct in the sense of the Trinity. [The
Holy Spirit is also mentioned in Genesis 1, as moving upon
the water. Some Sabbatarian denominations don’t
believe in the Trinity doctrine, they believe the Holy Spirit
is the power of God. The Trinity doctrine was never developed
or spelled out by John or any of the 12 apostles. So
that makes it a secondary doctrine, although it does appear
to be true. See http://www.unityinchrist.com/TheHolySpirit.htm.] Jesus himself will later even share in
a prayer in John chapter 17, “and now O Father, glorify
me together with yourself, with the glory which I had with
you before the world was.” ‘I was with you, before,’ he
says, ‘now glorify me together with you in the same
way.’ Jesus
was with God, and I tell you, that’s the best place
you could possibly be. Right
there in the presence of God, with God, with God the Father. That
tells me about Jesus’ character too. God is a consuming fire. God is perfectly Holy, you can’t
be in the presence of God without also being holy. So
when he says “with God” that also says something
about his character. [The
Israelites knew no one could enter the holy of holies in
the temple or tabernacle and live when Yahweh’s presence
was within that space. Nadab
and Abihu entered the tabernacle with unauthorized fire and
were struck down with lightning. When
Solomon’s temple was being dedicated, and the presence
of Yahweh entered into it, his very presence with intense
smoke and light drove the attending Levitical priests out
of the temple. That
was the presence, in glorified state, of the very one who
became Jesus, Yeshua of Nazareth.] And
that also tells you and I then a bit about ourselves as we
study other parts of the Scriptures. I
mean, the reason that you and I cannot be in the presence
of God apart from Christ is that we’re not holy….In
Deuteronomy chapter 6, verse 4, we have “Hear O Israel,
the Lord our God, the Lord is One.” God
is one, but the word used for “One” there is
the word “echad,”
which in the Hebrew refers to a compound unity, like one
people, or one cluster of fruit. So
when it says “the Lord God is One”, it’s
one, but it’s in a sense of God is one, but he is three
persons, compound unity, meaning Triunity,
the Trinity.”
Comment: Shema
Yisrael Adonai Elohim Adonai echad, means: Hear, O
Israel, the Lord (Adonai] our God [Elohim], the Lord [Adonai]
is one [echad, one as in a group, or cluster]. Adonai
is another term for Yahweh. So
the Shema is actually saying, the Lord Jesus, our God,
[Elohim (God the Father and Jesus)], Lord Jesus [Adonai]
is one [echad: one as in one group].
Jesus created everything, the whole
physical universe, and earth along with it
“So, he
was with God, he was God, he is God, God the Father, God
the Son, God the Holy Spirit is what the Bible teaches. [And
if you read John 14 and 16, Jesus and the Father dwell within
believers by the Holy Spirit God places within believers. That
is how Jesus dwells within believers. Read
also Romans 8.] One,
together. I don’t know about you, I can’t
completely comprehend it, but how can I understand God, an
infinite God anyway? This is the truth, and this is what the
Bible teaches. That’s
why he can then say what he says in verse 3. He
was God, he was in the beginning with God “And
all things were made through him, and without him nothing
was made that was made”
(verse 3). He
was God, he is God, he’s the Creator God. That’s
what he says. Every
single thing below, everything above, all physical matter
of the earth, the solar system, the universe, everything
in the heavens, it all was made by Jesus. All things were made, it says, through
him. All things
were made through Jesus Christ. In
fact, he makes it clear. “Without
him” if he didn’t do it, there wouldn’t
be anything, is what he says right here. Right? “….without
him nothing was made that was made.” No
physical matter would exist if he hadn’t made it. If he hadn’t made anything, there
wouldn’t be anything around, except for him [and
God the Father and the Holy Spirit]. All things. All
matter. Everything,
God, Jesus Christ, everything was made through him. He
is the Creator God. Romans
chapter 11, verse 36, “For of him and through him
and to him are all things, and to him be glory forever.” Colossians
chapter 1, verses 16-17, “For by him are all things
were created that are in heaven and that are on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions, or
principalities or powers, all things were created through
him, and all things were created for him. And
he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” The verb, when it says all things were
made, there in John, is in the perfect tense, meaning it
is a completed act. So he deals with another philosophy that
goes around today. He
says all things are made, meaning everything’s
done, creation is done. There
isn’t any more creation going on. It’s
not a process that’s still moving and evolving. [Actually
the second law of thermodynamics says the physical creation
is actually devolving, going from higher to lower, decaying. Stars burn out, matter decays, things
wear out. It
is a law of physics that flies in the face of evolutionary
theory.] God
is certainly working, but the [physical] creation process
is done, it is a finished product. So
of course there’s a philosophy in teaching, false
teaching in our society that goes against these verses,
that he’s made everything and everything is done. So none of this silliness of evolution
is true. So,
all things were made through him, in the beginning he was,
he was with God, he is God, he’s made everything.
In Jesus was life
So
with that, he can then state “In
him was life, and the life was the light of men” (verse
4). In him, in the Logos was life, and
that life was the light of men. He
is the source of all life. He
is the source of all life physically. But
he’s also the source of all life spiritually, that
is abundant life. So that’s why he says “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” He’s the source of even spiritual
life. That means
that he can have a drastic effect upon a person’s life,
as John is also an example of that. Paul says in 1st Corinthians
8,
“Yet for us there is one God, the Father of whom are all things, and
we for him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, for whom are all things, and through
whom we live.” Through him
are all things, but through him we live. So
then Jesus will say in John chapter 11, verse 25, “I am the resurrection
and the life.” [i.e. believers look forward to the resurrection
to immortality at Jesus Christ’s 2nd coming, when Jesus will
resurrect all believers who have died, to immortal life, he will give us that life.] “He
who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live.” He
is he source of life. He is the
life, as John is saying right here at the beginning. He’s just making it very clear. Jesus is God, creator of everything, the
source of all life. Any other religion,
any other teaching, any other god, any other prophet of any other god is false. That’s
what the Bible teaches. Period. And
if I am truly a born-again Christian I cannot have any other choice. That’s
what it teaches, the Word of God. This
is the Logos, in the beginning, with God, is God, Creator of all things, the
source of all life, the light of all men. This
is Jesus Christ [Yeshua haMeshiach to our Messianic Jewish
brothers in Messiah]. So, a lot
of introductory Bible study. Not
a lot of practical application, yet.
“Whom dost thou trust?”
But there is
the question as we get started, if that is who he [Jesus]
is, what should it mean to me? If that is who Jesus is, in the beginning,
eternal, with God, was God, Creator of all things, in him
is life, the light of men. What
does that mean to me, or what should it mean to me? We’re
not here on Sunday mornings [or for Messianic believers and
Sabbatarian Church of God believers, on Saturday mornings]
to have some religious experience. We’re not here to gain some spiritual
aura or enlightenment. We’re
here because Jesus is God, he is life, he is light. He
is real, he is before and above all things. He
is the Creator, the Almighty God, the only source of hope
and life for us. He
is truly God. And the truth is, some day, as Christians
we will see him as he is. And
for those who are non-Christians [non-believers] they will
also stand one day before his throne, some day soon. So,
what does it mean to me? What
should it mean to me? How
should I be living if Jesus is God?---If Jesus is the Creator
of all things?---If Jesus is life? What should consume the passions of my
heart? In what
place of my life should he be? What
should I be placing all of my trust, all of my dependence,
all of my mind and heart and soul in? Where should I be placing that?---If he
is God and the Creator of all things, and in him is life
and he’s the source of life? I
got this in the email, Charles Spurgeon, I’ll read
it to you, “Now on whom does thou trust? Isaiah chapter 36, verse 5, Now on whom
dost thou trust? Reader
this is an important question, listen to the Christian’s
answer and see if it is truly yours. On whom dost thou trust? I trust as a Christian on the Triune God. |
