Introduction & John 1:1,2,

 

The Gospel According to

John

Introduction & John 1:1,2,

The gospel of John is believed to be pen by John late in the first century, and it main theme, to inspire faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. It is quite difficult for me to understand things outside of time, I like you am a time critters, I understand being born, and the important things that happen between that and death, but eternity is hard to get my arms around.  The book of Ecclesiastes is believed to be penned by Solomon, a very wise man and in Chapter 3:11, we find this; “He has made everything beautiful in it time.  He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from the beginning to the end.”  I’ve personally have come to this understanding, God is big, real big, bigger than my ability to grasp, and the great prophet Isaiah shared this information with us in Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.  As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” 

John 1:1,2, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”  This beginning John is making reference to happen outside of time in what we refer to as eternity.  This Word was not only in the beginning with God, but it was God and we understand that God has no beginning or end. He had no mother or father; Isaiah had this to say about God, “Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is he everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. (Isaiah 40:28)

This word that was with God and is God has been searched for since the fall of man, we have the account of Moses asking God to show him His glory in Exodus 33:20, and this was the answer; “But, he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see my face and live.”  Now that sound like we have a problem, and before we go there I believe it is important to have a better understanding of this “Unseen God.”  He give us a window into His heart in Exodus 34: 6,7, “The Lord passed before him (Moses) and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”  But God the Father lives in an unapproachable light and mankind as been fearful as a whole to seek Him, and that is why He sent the Word.

In John 1:18 we begin to understand that Jesus is the Word, that Jesus is God!  “No one has ever seen God, but God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.”  In Paul letter to the church of Colossae he wanted them to understand the preeminence of Christ, and in what we call the first chapter looking at verses 15-16, “He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and in visible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him.” 

For the first time mankind has a God who took on flesh who can be seen, touched and believed on or rejected, this is the apostle John account of God taking on flesh:  “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life – the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us – that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:1-3)

Jesus, the Word, the Creator, the Eternal God, the giver of life, now an for eternity, who has a plan for your life, and it is a good plan, but to participate in that plan requires all to come by faith, to except the grace of God, and that means bringing not one thing of yourself to His plan.  Romans 10:9, is the only plan God has put into play for mankind to come into a personal relationship with Himself, it not a simple plan as many have said, it requires death to all that you have put trust in and to move that trust to the Word, to Jesus the Christ.  “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice