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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
December 23, 2012
The Incarnation
John 1:1-18
Introduction
We are going to take a break from our study in Proverbs today in order to uphold the very good tradition of focusing on Christmas Sunday on a theme related to the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. This will also be the first sermon in a series on the Life of Christ that I will be continuing sometime in February after I have completed the current sermon series on the book of Proverbs. Please turn in your Bibles to the first chapter of the Gospel of John. We will be examining the first 18 verses in order to understand the significance and purpose of the events that took place in ancient Israel two millennia ago.
In popular culture, the birth of Jesus has been so romanticized with poets waxing eloquent about nearly anything and everything related to it, that the truth of those events and their actual significance are often lost. The message of Christmas has been so perverted by salesmen that unbelievers will even go into debt to give gifts to one another without knowing the reason for the exchange of gifts. You can actually use that to create an opportunity to declare the gospel. If you see a non-Christian getting or preparing a Christmas gift for someone else, or if you receive a Christmas gift from a non-Christian, after you have complemented them on their generosity, simply ask them why they are giving Christmas gifts? Be prepared for a quizzical look or some strange answers. You can then tell them about God’s gift of Jesus, who He is and what He did to offer them salvation from sin. Should they manage to say something about God giving Jesus as a gift to man, then ask them why that would be important enough to them that they would imitate it? You can then explain to them the significance of Jesus’ identity, His life, death and resurrection. If you are not sure about that yourself, then you need to read through the gospel of John because his very purpose in writing it is stated in John 20:31, “but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” That message starts at the beginning of time.
Before we read through John 1:1-18, let me quickly give you a little background on this gospel and how we will approach our text this morning. First, John is writing about 90 AD with an assumption that his readers would already be familiar with one or more of the other gospels. That is why he leaves out many things included in Matthew, Mark or Luke while also including many things not found in them. Second, he is writing to correct false teaching that was appearing that denied critical aspects of Jesus’ nature. In particular was the early gnostic heresy of Cerinthus that denied Jesus’ deity. John’s gospel account gives a clear presentation that Jesus is God in human flesh which is a critical truth for salvation from sin.
John sets the tone for the rest of his gospel account with a prologue that declares in a resounding manner the identity and work of Jesus. He is the divine revelation of the eternal God who entered into time and manifested Himself to the world. Most people reject Him, but some receive Him and are given eternal life. Jesus was attested to by John the Baptist, the apostles and the church. John backs up these claims of deity throughout the rest of the book.
As we examine these opening claims, I will be making some references that may be a bit technical in nature, or at least references to long ago forgotten grammar classes. This is necessary because there are many that have fallen into heresy by twisting these verses to match what they already believe instead of paying attention to what John actually wrote. We need to accurately understand what John has written if we are to know and believe the truth.
Follow along with me as I read John 1:1-18.
John 1:1 (NASB) 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 by 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 And 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 for a witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but [came] that he might bear witness of 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 beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John ^bore witness of 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 fulness 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 man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained [Him.]
The Word Revealed (1:1-5)
John begins by reaching back into eternity to establish the identity of this one revealed here as “the logos / logos,” “the Word.” Who is the “Word?” It is none other than Jesus Christ as shall been seen as we examine this passage in detail. Only Jesus fits all the declarations about the Word given here. There are those that spend much time musing that John is somehow making reference to the “logos” of Greek philosophy, especially that of Philo. If John is making any references to the Logos of Greek philosophy, it is only to correct them to the truth, for the Logos presented in these passages is nothing like the Logos of Greek philosophy. In addition, John is a Jew and writes from a Semetic point of view, not a Greek one. The concept of Logos, the Word, among the Jews is that of the God who creates by speaking and who reveals Himself through speech. Psalm 33:6, 9 – By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host . . . For he spoke, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. Hebrews 11:3, Through faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. Hebrews 1:1,2 – God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son . . .” Jesus Christ is the “Logos,” the Word, through whom God reveals Himself to man.
Nature: John establishes the nature of the Word in verses 1 & 2. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
In the first phrase of verse 1, John brings
out the eternal preexistence of the Word by using the imperfect verb tense to reach back into eternity past and refute the idea that the Word was created at the beginning. This is not good English, but we can bring out the definition of the verb and the meaning of the tense used here by translating it as “was continuing.” “In the beginning was continuing the Word.” We humans, being finite creatures, are bound by time. John brings us back to the edge of eternity past when God brings time into existence and states that the Word was already existing and continuing. The Word is eternal.
In the next phrase, John sets the eternal relationship of the Word with God. The emphasis of the verb tense can be brought out by translating it as “The Word was continually with God.” I must also point out that there are two Greek prepositions that are commonly translated as “with.” One of them (peri / peri) means “with” in the sense of alongside and around, the other one (pros / pros), which is used here, means “with” in the sense of facing and moving towards. Some have translated this as “face to face” in trying to bring out the meaning. We could translate the whole phrase as “The Word was continually face to face with God.” This describes the Word as being distinct from, but having intimacy and equality with God.
Jesus speaks of this intimacy and equality Himself in John 17:5, “And now, glorify Thou Me together with Thyself, Father, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.
The final phrase of verse 1 points out that the Word is eternally God. Again, we can emphasize the verb tense by translating it “and the Word was continuing as God.” This refuted the gnostic idea that Jesus was a man that took on aspects of deity at His baptism and then lost them prior to the crucifixion.
The Jehovah Witnesses try to back up their belief, which is really the ancient Arian heresy, that Jesus was not the true God, by translating this verse as “the Word was a God.” This is a perversion of the Greek grammar. Let me give you several reasons why this is a wrong translation. This is a bit technical, but please bear with me.
First, the phrase in Greek is qeoV hn o logoV (theos han ho logos). logoV / logos is the subject and qeoV / theos is the predicate. The predicate stands first for the sake of emphasis. The omission of the article before qeoV / theos was necessary to distinguish the subject and the predicate, and so it cannot be translated as indefinite – i.e. “a God.”
Second, in Greek, a noun may be definite even if there is no article used (anarthrous construction). Many factors can make the noun definite including, as the case is here with qeoV / theos, the use of a noun which is treated like a proper name. In such cases the use of the article emphasizes the identity while the lack of an article emphasizes character of essence. The grammatical construction here places emphasis that the Word was and continues to be of divine essence. This same truth is stated again in a different manner in verses 14 & 18. Jesus stated it plainly in John 14:9,10, “Have I been so long with you, and [yet] you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, ‘Show us the Father ‘? 10 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? Hebrews 1:3 states it this way, “He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature . . .”
Third, if the article had been used, the subject and predicate would be interchangeable without distinction. The Bible declares each member of the triune Godhead to be God in character and essence, yet each of them is distinct from the others. The Bible teaches that there is one eternal creator God who exists in three distinct persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If you will, the eternal God is a plural singular. This is why the Hebrew word for God, Elohim, which is a plural, is used as a singular in verses such as Deuteronomy 6:4 – “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God (plural compound: Elohanu), the Lord is one! This also explains the plural pronouns used of God such as in Genesis 1:26 – Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image . . .” God is speaking to other members of the Trinity. They make up the “us” and the “our.”
John 1:1 is an incredible theological statement given in very compact form. The Word was always existing. The Word was distinct from but in perfect fellowship with God. The Word was continuing as God in character and essence.
Verse 2 reinforces these declarations by combining the first two phrases and referencing the third by stating that outoV, this one, this Word (“He” -NASB; “The same” -KJV) was in the beginning with God. John’s opening declaration is that Jesus, the Word, exists from eternity past as a distinct person who is in intimate fellowship with the Father and is Himself in character and essence God.
If the Jehovah Witnesses were consistent in their translation method of the Word being a God, then in the rest of this passage, John would be sent from a God (6); those who received Christ would become children of a God (12); and no man has seen a God at any time (18). The Jesus of the Jehovah Witnesses is a lesser god. Their Jesus is not the eternal Word described here in John 1.
Creator (3). In verse 3, John demonstrates that this Word is God by attributing to Him all of creation. John states this from both the positive side viewed from the past and from the negative side viewed from the present.
First, “All things came into being by Him.” The Word is not a created being, but the Creator Himself. Colossians 1:16,17 states of Jesus, “For by Him all things were created, [both] in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities– all things have been created by Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Deity is demonstrated in that Scripture attributes these same actions to God, not only in Genesis, but also in Revelation 4 where “the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come” (vs. 8), is worthy to “receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created ” (vs 11).
Second, John states that “apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” This is a view from the present stated from the negative and so makes a greater emphasis. There is nothing that exists currently that was not created by Him – no exceptions.
All those who would seek to deny the deity of Jesus Christ must reject what John says here or be crushed under its simple, but powerful proclamation. Jesus is not a created being, but the creator.
Life (4) In verse 4 we find that in the Word was life and that this life was the light of men. The concept of life here is not just the physical, biological existence given to us by our Creator. All of God’s creatures have that. What is referred to here also includes the fulness of spiritual life. John will expand on this concept in Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus about being born again in chapter 3. Paul understood this concept and expressed
it in Ephesians 2 when he stated that we were dead in our transgressions, but God, by His grace, saved us and made us alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:5). True life, the fullness of life, spiritual life is only found in Jesus Christ. As He Himself said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Me.” In contrast to the secrecy of Gnosticism, the truth of spiritual life in Christ was available to all “And this life was the light of men.”
Light (5). John uses the analogy of light to describe that which belongs to God and darkness to describe that which opposes Him. As 1 John 1:5 states, “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” Darkness is the antithesis of light. The light of the gospel of life in Jesus Christ is shining to all including those still in the darkness of false religions, cults and vain philosophies. But those in such darkness do not comprehend what is before them and so they resist it. As Paul states in 2 Corinthians 4:4, “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
Like a police officer walking a beat in a dark alley with his flashlight, those who desire truth, righteousness and justice will welcome him, but those who do not want their evil deeds exposed will reject him and either hide or resist. So it is that the truth, righteousness and justice of the gospel is proclaimed throughout the earth bringing joy to those who want to know and love God, but meeting resistance and rejection by those who prefer their darkness to the light. Like cockroaches, they scatter back into their dark hiding places when the light is turned on. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not comprehend it.”
To summarize, the Word has eternally existed with God, has the attributes and essence of God as a distinct person within the triune Godhead, is the Creator of all things, is the source of life both physical and spiritual, and is light to men.
The Word Manifested (1:6-13)
In the next section, verses 6-13, John presents his first witnesses to the truth of his declaration that Jesus is the eternal Word, the life and the light.
The Witness of John (6-8)
6 There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came for a witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but [came] that he might bear witness of the light.
The word, “sent” in verse 6 has the same root as “apostle.” John the Baptizer was sent by God with authority to prepare the way for the Lord. We will examine John’s testimony and ministry in detail in a future sermon, but for now, just note that John was sent by God in fulfillment of the prophecy in Malachi 3:1. He was the messenger that would prepare the way for people to believe in the Messiah. There were those that thought John might be the Messiah, but he made it clear that he was not the Christ, but only “. . . a voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said” (John 1:23).
The Light in the World (9-13)
Verses 9-13 expands on Jesus being the light and the response people have to Him.
Revealed: In addition to John’s testimony, Jesus has continually revealed Himself to the world – verse 9. “There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.” The Lord has proclaimed Himself to man from Creation. Paul even points this fact out in Romans 1:19-20. The internal witness of man’s conscience and the external witness of Creation leave all men without excuse. There is a God and men are responsible to seek Him by following the light given to its source.
One aspect of this related to the story of Christmas is the sign of the star. It was visible to anyone that bothered to look for it, but apparently only the wise men from the east were looking for it and recognized its significance according to the prophecy of Numbers 24:17 (see Matthew 2:1-2)
Rejected: In verse 10, John points out again Jesus’ work in the Creation. However, this time the emphasis is more on the relationship that should be there because of that it rather than on His deity as Creator. “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.” All creation belongs to Him, yet the world did not know Him. The word “know” here is from ginwskw /ginosko, the knowledge of relationship. The world has intellectual knowledge of Christ – they know about Him, but they do not have a personal relationship with Him. The first step of rejection is willful ignorance. The light of Jesus is shining, but most people ignore it.
This was the reaction of the Jewish religious leaders when Herod, prodded by the request of the wise men, asked where the Messiah would be born. Those leaders knew all the relevant prophecies concerning the Messiah to give directions to the wise men, but they did not even have enough curiosity to go with them to see if their story was true.
This rejection is even more personal in nature in verse 11, “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.” God had chosen Israel out of all nations to be His special people (Ezekiel 20:5). They were to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:6) and proclaim Him to all the other nations. Jesus came in fulfillment of all the prophecies and through the lineage of David with a right to His throne. Yet, they would not receive Him. There were multitudes of people curious about Jesus, but the fickle mob cried out “crucify Him” under the prodding of the unrighteous religious leaders. Perhaps you can get a hint of what this means if you can imagine good, gracious and generous parents who are rejected by their children. They are not even welcome to come to their homes. Even today the vast majority of Jews continue in their unbelief and reject the Messiah.
Received: While most people either ignore or reject Jesus, there are the few that do accept Him and they receive a precious gift in return. 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.” Here is the universal offer to all mankind. To all those who will accept the Word who is the Life and the Light, which is further clarified here as believing on His name, there is a wonderful gift. They are given the right to become the children of God.
To believe on His name is to have faith in and trust all the truths about Him. In just the few verses we have already examined, that includes His eternity, His deity, His being the Creator, the source of life and His coming into the world to bring the light. And what is the name of the eternal Word? John does not even mention it until verse 17 that this is Jesus. That fact places emphasis that this idea of believing in His name is to have faith and trust in the person who is being identified and not some magical quality to the word used to designate the person being referenced. It is the person of Jesus, not the word “Jesus,” that can make someone a child of God.
John portrays salvation as being born into the family of God here and in John 3. Those who accept the truth that Jesus is the eternal Word who is deity, Creator, the life and the light, are given the authority, the right, to become (the root word here is begotten) children of God. They are born into God’s family. The birth takes place in a moment of time, but just as it takes time for a baby to grow and mature and take on the family characteristics, so it is that a new believer is born in a moment of time, but they will grow and mature to take on the qualities of godliness that now belong to them as children of God. The natural consequence of becoming a child
of God is living the Christian life of following and obeying Jesus.
But notice now how this birth occurs in verse 13, “who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” First, you do not become a child of God because of blood line. Your lineage does not save you. The children of Christian parents do not automatically become Christians. Second, you do not become a child of God because of your own will. The truth is that the will of every human is naturally against God for the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit (Galatians 5:17) and no one even seeks after God on their own (Romans 3:11). You do not become a child of God because someone else wants you to be a Christian. They may be praying diligently toward that end and doing all they can to persuade you, but no one can force another person to believe. Being born into God’s family is due to the will of God to work upon the individual by the power of the Holy Spirit to bring that person to conviction of sin resulting in repentance and enlightening them to understand and believe. The individual can only respond to that work of God in their life. As 1 Corinthians 1:30 states it, “by His doing you are in Christ Jesus.” No one can boast. All glory goes to God.
The Word Apprehended (1:14-18)
John gives further testimony to the truth of the nature and character of Jesus in verses 14-18
The Apostles (14), “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John has been alluding to this truth and now states it plainly. The Word became flesh. This one who is eternal, is God, is the Creator, is the life and the light became a physical human. This is the significance of Christmas. Immanuel has come – God is with us.
The “we” and “us” in this verse are those who lived with Jesus, especially the Apostles. As he states in 1 John 1:1, “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life.” The apostles were first hand witnesses. They heard Him. They saw Him. They touched Him. Peter, James and John were with Jesus at the Transfiguration when Jesus’ “face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light” (Matthew 17). John may be alluding to that, but the specific glory he speaks of here is that of grace and truth which reflects Jesus being the only begotten from the Father.
There are those that will argue that the term “only begotten” would mean that Jesus was created by the Father. However, we have already seen that Jesus is eternal, that He created all things and that He possesses the character and essence of God though He is a distinct person from the Father. Begotten is a term that speaks of eternal relationship of God the Son with God the Father.
Jesus was full of grace and truth that reflected the Father. His message was one of the Father’s unmerited favor to sinners and demonstrated in the miracles, His sermons and His atoning death. Jesus himself is the truth, the final reality. The Apostles were first hand witnesses to all these things.
John the Baptist (15). The witness of John the Baptist is given again in verse 15. This time the emphasis is upon Jesus having preeminence. “John bore witness of 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.'” Jesus was physically born six months after John, but Jesus exists before John because Jesus is the eternal Word.
The Church (16-18). In verses 16-18 John gives testimony of what he and all believers receive from Jesus. “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” What have you received from Jesus? It is grace upon grace. God’s unmerited favor is manifested upon us with each new grace piling up on the previous grace already received. There is no limit to God’s love or the grace and mercy He extends to His children.
As an example of what they have received, John reminds them in verse 17, “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.” John is not implying the Law was bad in any sense, only that it was not sufficient. The Law was given by God to Moses to point men to their sin, but the Law could not pardon them. The sacrifices were but shadows of what had to come in order to atone for man’s sin. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ fulfilling the law and becoming the final sacrifice so that grace could be extended.
John concludes his prologue in verse 18, “No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained [Him.]” Moses had the great privilege of speaking with God “face to face” and was even able to see the back of God’s glory according to Exodus 33, but even Moses could not see God in the fullness of His glory. No man has seen God in that sense at any time.
God is beyond mortal man. As Job 11:7,8 asks, “Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty? 8 “[They are] high as the heavens, what can you do? Deeper than Sheol, what can you know? The answer is, of course, that we cannot. God must be revealed to us, and that is what Jesus has done. Jesus, here called “the only begotten God,” which again testifies to His deity, is the only one that can reveal the Father to us. John describes Jesus’ intimacy with the Father as the one “who is in the bosom of the Father.” Jesus Christ has explained, or made known the Father to us. That is why Jesus could say to Philip in John 14:9 that “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” If you want to know God the Father, then you must do so though a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the eternal Word, the second person of the triune Godhead, the Creator of all things, the source of life and light who became a man that all who will believe in Him can become children of God.
Conclusions
There is a lot of deep theology in this passage of Scripture we examined this morning, and I only scratched the surface of a lot of it, but this is what Christmas is about. It is not about a romanticized scene of a baby in a manger with animals, shepherds and wise men gathered around. It is about Jesus taking on human flesh that He might redeem us and make it possible for you to be born into God’s family. John has made his declaration and backed it up with the testimony of others. The question that remains is what is your response to these truths? What do you believe about Jesus Christ?
There is nothing more important than your relationship with Jesus Christ. Only in Him is there is life. If you do not yet know Him; If you do not yet believe in His name, then take a step of faith and ask God to help you understand Him and start seeking Him. Hebrews 11:6 sates, “And without faith it is impossible to please [Him], for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and [that] He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”
If you are a believer, be diligent and do not let anything hinder you in your relationship with Christ. Do as Hebrews 12:1-2 commands, “. . . let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith . . .”
May this Christmas be one of great joy to you as you celebrate this great truth that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
KIDS CORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help. Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents
at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following: 1) Write down all the verses mentioned and look them up later. 2) Discuss with your parents the importance of Jesus becoming a man.
THINK ABOUT IT!
Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others. Why did John write this gospel? What does John try to do in the prologue (1:1-18)? Who is the “Word/Logos”? Why does John use that term? What is the importance of each of the three phrases in verse 1? Give at least three reasons that the Jehovah Witness’ translation of the end of verse 1 as “the Word was a God” is wrong and a heresy. What is the importance of verse 3? What heresy does this refute? How does verse 3 prove Jesus’ deity? What does “life” refer to in verse 4? What does “light” refer to in verse 5? Why can’t non-Christians understand Jesus? Why did God send John the Baptist? What are the responses people have to the light of Jesus? Why are all men without excuse in knowing there is a God to whom they are accountable? Why can’t a person become a child of God through blood line, self will or the will of another? How does a person become a child of God? Why is the testimony of the Apostles important? What is “grace upon grace” in verse 14? Can you give personal testimony to this “grace upon grace” in your own life? What are the differences between Moses and Jesus in revealing God? What do you believe about Jesus? Why? What is the significance of Christmas in light of John 1:1-18?
Sermon Notes – 12/23/2012
The Incarnation John 1:1-18
Introduction
John is writing about__________ and is correcting false teachings that denied aspects of Jesus’ nature
John 1:1-18 is the prologue to the book that declares ____________ identity and work
The Word Revealed (1:1-5)
“the logos / logos / Word” is not a reference to _____________ philosophical ideas
The ____________ in Semitic literature – Psalm 33:6,9; Hebrews 11:3; Hebrews 1:1,2
Nature (1:1-2)
Eternal ______________- imperfect verb tense – “In the beginning was continuing the Word.”
Eternal ______________with God – imperfect verb tense – “The Word was continually with God.”
“With” = pros / pros – ______& moving towards – “The Word was continually face to face with God”
John 17:5
Eternally __________ – imperfect verb tense – “and the Word was continuing as God”
Jehovah Witness translation error (The Word was a God)
The article identifies the subject (the logos / word) & its lack identifies the _________(theos / God)
A noun can be ________with an anarthrous (no article) construction – such as a proper name – theos
Emphasizes that the Word was & continues to be of the _________essence – John 14:9-10; Heb. 1:3
The grammatical construction _________________ God the Son from God the Father
God is a _____________ singular – Deuteronomy 6:4; Genesis 1:26
The JW’s are inconsistent in translating – John 1:6; 12 & 18. Their Jesus is a ______________god
Creator (1:3)
The Word created ____________ things: Colossians 1:16-17; Revelation 4:8,11
Nothing exists currently that was not _____________ by Him – no exceptions
Life (1:4)
The Word is the source of both physical and spiritual ____________ – Ephesians 2:5; John 14:6
Light (1:5)
1 John 1:5 – ________________ is the antithesis of light
2 Corinthians 4:4 – Those in darkness are ____________ to the light and so do not comprehend it
The Word Manifested (1:6-13)
The Witness of John (6-8)
God sent John the Baptist to prepare the way so that people would _________- Malachi 3:1; John 1:23
The Light in the World (9-13)
Revealed – vs. 9: Rom. 1:19-20 – ____________witness of conscience & external witness of creation
The star was a ________sign ignored by all but the wise men from the east (Matt. 2:1-2, Numb. 24:17)
Rejected – vs. 10: “know” is the knowledge of __________. Willful ignorance is first step of rejection
The Jewish religious leaders knew the __________about the coming of Messiah, but did not seek Him
Vs. 11 – God ______Israel to be His people (Ezekiel 20:5) & proclaim Him to the nations (Exod. 19:6)
Jesus came in ________________ of all the prophecies, but the nation still rejected Him
Received – vs. 12 – a universal ___________ to all mankind
To believe in His name is to have faith in and trust all the _______________ about the Word
It is the ___________ of Jesus, not the word “Jesus,” that can make someone a child of God.
You do not become a child of God by blood line, your own __________ or that of another human
You become a child of God due to the will of __________ working in you – 1 Corinthians 1:30
The Word Apprehended (1:14-18)
The Apostles (1:14) – the significance of Christmas is that the Word, eternal God, became human ______
The apostles were eye ______________ of Jesus’ identity and nature – 1 John 1:1; Matthew 17:1f
“Only begotten” refers to the eternal _____________of God the Son and God the Father – not creation
John the Baptist (1:15) – an emphasis on Jesus’ _____________. Born 6 months later, but existing prior
The Church (1:16-18) – God’s continuing grace piles upon _____________ already received
Vs. 17 – an example: the Law was insufficient, but grace & truth through Jesus is ________________
Vs. 18 – No man has seen the _____________of God’s glory & He is beyond mortal man – Job 11:7-8
To know God the Father, you must know _____________ – John 14:9
Conclusions
Step out in faith and ask God to _____________ you seek and understand Him – Hebrews 11:6
Be diligent in walking with and serving the ____________ – Hebrews 12:1-2
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