In John 1:1-3, Jesus is identified as being the eternal Word, who was in the beginning with God, and who is God in the flesh, John 1:1-2. John’s message is to convince men and women that Jesus is divine, John 20:30-31.
John presents Jesus as the Word of God, as the light from God, and as the only way to have eternal life with God. He begins by showing us that Jesus is the eternal Word. In the beginning, was the Word, John 1:1.
In John 6:68, Jesus spoke some hard things to His disciples. Some of those disciples then decided to walk with Him no more. Jesus is the eternal Word, and the words He speaks give eternal life. We must have access to the teaching of God through Jesus and His disciples before we can go to Heaven, John 7:17. Jesus, as the eternal Word, shows us the power of His message.
John tells us that Jesus existed before creation. ‘In the beginning, was the Word,’ John 1:1. In Greek, the word ‘was’ means literally ‘already was.’ It is not as though the beginning arrives and then Jesus arrives, too. In the beginning, the Word of God, Jesus, ‘already was.’ Jesus, as God, has always existed, Psalm 90:2.
In Genesis 1:26, God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.’ In Genesis 2:7, we read, ‘The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.’ The ‘Us’ used to describe God is the plural personal pronoun. Who is the ‘Us’? It is Jesus the Son, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit.
Colossians 1:15 shows us that Jesus was God’s agent in creation. All things were made by Him. God created all things through Jesus, His Son. In Revelation 5:5, we learn that He is the root and offspring of David. How can He be both the root and the offspring? As the root, He is the Creator of all life. As the offspring, Jesus was born to Joseph and Mary, who was of the seed of David. Christ existed before creation.
John affirms his absolute conviction concerning the deity of Jesus. In John 1:19-20:29, he presents the evidence which compelled him to that conviction. Only John describes Jesus as the Logos, John 1:1 / John 1:14 / 1 John 1:1-2 / Revelation 19:13. The apostle is saying, ‘Jesus is the complete and perfect expression of deity,’ John 14:19. John is responding to Gnostic errors, which greatly threatened the church.
Gnosticism was widespread when John wrote his Gospel and letters, and the Gnostics spoke much about ‘the Logos’, their ‘Logos’, but it was much less than God, a mere emanation of deity. John asserts that ‘the Logos was God’, John 1:1.
John is also responding to pagan ideas about God. Pagans applied the term ‘apatheia’, from which we get the word ‘apathy’ towards God. They thought of God as totally indifferent to man. John stresses not only Jesus’ absolute deity but also His true humanity, John 1:14.
He portrays a God totally involved in human life. John rebuts Gnostic error by showing that Jesus is not a created being, not an archangel or lesser god, but that He is Deity, John 1:3 / John 10:30-33 / Colossians 2:9. He rebuts pagan error by showing that God is passionately concerned about man actually became man, ‘the word of God became a human being and lived among us’, John 1:14.
The combination of ‘thought’ and ‘word’, between which the Greeks didn’t make the distinction we do. Therefore, logos is never merely an utterance but a concept message, John 8:43.
In Hebrew thought, once a word is spoken, it has a kind of existence of its own, Isaiah 55:10-11. Once ‘the word of the Lord’ has been spoken, its effects continue. The ‘Word of God’ is the self-revelation of God to men, the essence of His being rather than mere sounds, John 5:37-38.
John appears to use ‘logos’ to denote the eternal truth revealed to men by God, previously, in the Old Testament, now in Jesus, John 1:17. Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that Jesus was the first being created by Jehovah. John refutes this idea by insisting that He existed before all created things, John 1:3 / John 8:58. The beginning is the earliest possibly conceived moment.
However, one sees the start of it all, if indeed such a start occurred, that is what this term refers to. The word, ‘was’, John 1:1-3, emphasises that the Word was in existence before the earliest conceivable moment. He was the origin and source of all things, Revelation 3:14.
The word ‘Word’ expresses the idea that God and the Word are not separate beings, but of the same essence, together with the Spirit. The Logos was not a new concept to the Jews or Greeks. To the Jew, the ‘Word of the Lord’ is God creating and revealing, Genesis 1 / Psalm 33.
The Gentiles, however, understood this Logos to be the Divine Creator and Sustainer of the universe. Speaking of Jesus, Paul writes, ‘Who, being in the very nature of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped’, Philippians 2:6.
Christ did not have to grab at being God as He was (and IS) God. Colossians 2:9 reiterates this by saying, ‘For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.’ Jesus is God, as John 1:2 shows us. ‘He was in the beginning with God.’ The Gospel of John presents Jesus as being divine.
In John 10:30, Jesus said, ‘My Father and I are one.’ They are one in purpose, one in nature, and one in person. Both are God. Both have the goal and mindset of saving mankind. Christ humbled Himself and died a death on the cross.
Jesus did not consider it robbery to give up His equality with God, Philippians 2:5-7. He gave that up, came to Earth, and lived as a man. Yes, He was still God. But He also took a human form upon Himself and became the incarnate Son of God. This proved that He is God.
When Thomas saw the nail prints in Jesus’ hand and the hole in His side, he said, ‘My Lord and my God!’ John 20:28. Christians are looking for the glorious hope and appearance of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Titus 2:11-14. Of course, one of the most powerful passages is Hebrews 1:7-11, where God said to the Son, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever.’ God the Father called the Son ‘God,’ thus proving that Jesus is divine.
We must understand that belief in Christ is the only way that people can have eternal life, John 1:12. We must believe in Jesus, but there is an important point here. Believing in Jesus does not automatically make a person a child of God. It gives the right to become a child of God, John 1:12-13. Believing puts us in the arena of those who can become children of God by doing what He says.
Belief alone will not save us, but it gives us the right to become what we are not. We are not children of God at the point of belief alone. The only time that the phrase ‘faith only,’ ‘faith alone’ occurs in the Bible is when God said that we are not justified by faith alone, James 2:24.
In Jesus’ day, people called Him ‘Lord,’ but they were not doing what He said, Matthew 7:21. This is why He asked, ‘Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but do not do the things I have said?’ Luke 6:46. Jesus is the author of salvation ‘to all those who obey Him,’ Hebrews 5:8-9.
We must commit to Jesus and do all He says we must do to become children of God. Belief gives us the ability to become that which we are not yet. We are not children of God at the point of God, but we can become such if we submit to Christ’s will and continue to obey Him.
Jesus is presented as being ‘the Lamb of God.’ John the baptiser sees Jesus approaching, and then says, ‘Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,’ John 1:29. In Revelation 5, there is a bittersweet scene. John has a scroll that will unleash the wrath of God on the ungodly heathens who are persecuting Christians. But there is a problem.
No one can open the scroll, which causes John to weep bitterly. Then the Lamb whose throat was cut appears, Revelation 5:6. He had been prepared ‘before the foundation of the world,’ Revelation 13:8. Jesus came forth to unleash God’s power, anger, and wrath against people. Because of the great sacrifice that Jesus made, God’s plan was unfolded.
Without the blood that comes from a sacrifice, there can be no forgiveness, 1 Peter 1:17-20. Hebrews 9:22 tells us that without the shedding of blood, there can be no remission of sins. Hebrews 10:3-4 adds to that by saying that the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sins.
Hebrews 10:12 answers this question when it says, ‘this Man, Jesus, after He had offered one sacrifice for sin forever, sat down at the right hand of God.’ Jesus, therefore, is seen as the beautiful sacrifice Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
John says that ‘He was with God in the beginning’, John 1:2, which further explains the previous one. It ensures no misunderstanding and provides a link between creation and ‘He’, that is, the redemptive one. The Word and God were completely unified before time. The eternity of the Logos, ‘In the beginning was the Logos.’ The deity of the Logos, ‘the Logos was God.’
The word ‘God’, ‘Theos’, generally refers to the Father, but John insists that ‘Theos’ applies to Jesus. He stresses the characteristics of deity evidence in Jesus. He said deity is an eternity of existence, John 8:58 / John 17:5. Deity is Omniscience, John 6:61-64 / John 11:14. Deity is Omnipotence, powerful over nature, disease, death, John 2:1-11 / John 5:1-9 / John 11:38.
John also says, ‘through Him, ‘the Logos,’ all things were made, without Him nothing was made that has been made,’ John 1:3 / Colossians 1:13-17. Look again at what it says, ‘without him was not anything made’.
Gnostics spoke of many being lesser than God, mediating the creative activity of the supreme God.’ Some today claim that Jesus, before He came into the world, was a created being. John refutes both heresies.
The words, ‘all things’, John 1:3, ‘pavta’, which literally translated would refer to the infinite detail of creation. The words ‘were made’ in this case refer to the whole of creation, with emphasis on ‘whole’. It’s interesting to compare this verse with Genesis 1:1, which states, ‘In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.’
John states that Jesus is the creator, while Moses believes God was. This seems to be a contradiction and leaves the following possibilities. Moses in Genesis is wrong, John in his account is wrong, or Jesus and God are one and the same.
It would seem apparent, after studying the two passages given earlier, Philippians 2:6, and Colossians 2:9, that the third option is the only viable one. Jesus is the ‘prototype’ of mankind and all creation.
Everything was created in His perfect image, not a physical but an emotional image, the character, the real you the soul of man, 1 Thessalonians 5:23. Hebrews 1:2, gives a demonstration of creation through Jesus and or Jesus, ‘but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.’ See also 1 Corinthians 8:6 and Matthew 28:18-20.
Luke 10:19 presents Christ as capable of creating all things. Matthew 26:53 implies that Christ had the power available to Him if he had twelve legions of angels, that’s seventy-two thousand, ‘through him’, the Logos was not a created being, Genesis 1:1 / Colossians 1:15-17 / Hebrews 1:1-8.
The word ‘life’ occurs thirty-six times in the Gospel, eleven times prefaced by ‘eternal’, John 1:4. But most often ‘life’ in this book refers to eternal life, John 6:51 / John 10:18. Note the past tense, ‘in him was life’. His life brought all created beings and things into existence, John 1:4.
This is distinguished from mere earthly existence, John 4:14 / John 6:27. It involves two parts: quantitative, eternal life, John 5:28-29 / John 11:25-26, and then qualitative, life in the present, John 3:36 / John 5:24-25 / John 6:47 John 6:54 / John 10:10 / John 11:25-26.
Jesus is the source of life, John 1:4 / John 3:16 / John 11:25 / John 14:6 / John 20:31. Several words are used in Greek for the English word ‘life’.
1. Pauche, referring to the animal or physical life of our bodies, the type we share with all living creatures.
2. Bios, referring to the physical existence, but on a higher level than ‘Pauche’. The word biology is derived from this word. The meaning can refer to the physical processes, such as digestion, etc.
3. Zoe, Zoology is derived from this word. It originally referred to the lower form among man and the animals, being primarily concerned with inward processes.
Later at the time, this was penned, it referred to the meaning of life, the emotional and spiritual inward characteristics of life. This is the word used here in its highest possible elevation, the relationship between God and man. Luke used the word in his gospel in relevance to Lazarus, Luke 16:25.
John uses ‘Zoe’ instead of ‘Bios’ to emphasise the intricate, deep meaning of life. He uses this term thirty-five times in his writings to give life a special uplifting shade when in reference to life as a child of God. As agents of creation, all life came through Christ, is sustained by Him, and is responsible to him.
The word ‘light’ is very interesting. The following is necessary to perceive light: an origin of light, something the light can emanate from, and an organ to detect that light. The ‘light’ is a synonym for ‘truth’, John 3:19. Just as Jesus is the source of spiritual life, so He is the source of all spiritual guidance, John 1:9 / John 8:12. The inextinguishable light, John 1:5.
John paints a picture of Christ being the emanator of the light, and the spiritual desire, the organ of perception. The light of Jesus is past, present, and future. The Logos is the provider of our life and light. John says, ‘The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it’, John 1:5.
Jesus has already been identified as the light. A new character, namely darkness, has now been introduced. This has been used symbolically to depict the following,
1. Moral sin.
2. Affliction, disease, problems, famine, etc.
3. The thought of punishment.
4. Physical and Spiritual death.
5. Groping in darkness.
The darkness has thus been identified as the life taker, the power behind badness, Satan. Light in darkness can always be seen. Perhaps it may not be recognised, but it can be seen. His influence is in the sinful world, but that darkness has never overcome or understood it; the light is always there, regardless of people’s attitudes towards it.
Likewise, Jesus and all the goodness He represents in a world of badness is visible and doing all it can, that is, shining, in an attempt to make itself understood, John 1:5. The word ‘understood’, ‘katalambano’ refers to comprehension.
This may have been the better word to have used; in fact, many translators have used it. It means to comprehend, grasp, seize or take possession of, John 1:10, the world knew him not, John 1:11, received him not.
In the battle between light and dark, good and evil, the light will win, as all the darkness in the universe is not enough to put out one iota of light. The word ‘overcome’, John 1:5, literally means, ‘to lay hold of’; it can mean either ‘comprehend’ or ‘overpower’. Both ideas are true. A sin-darkened world did not grasp the light and the truth Jesus brought.
Also, the world could not overpower the light of truth in Jesus. John depicts an ongoing conflict between light and darkness, John 12:35 / John 3:19 / John 8:12. The verse is somehow terribly sad. Although a victory for light is inevitable, the losses on that road are frightening. That light tries so hard, but the darkness just cannot grasp it.
In John 1:1-5, we see the relationship of the ‘Word’. John had five things in mind when he used the word ‘Word’.
1. God expressed.
2. The real personal God, that is one in essence and Spirit, and yet a distinct personality.
3. That which reveals the hidden God.
4. The visible image of God, as in Hebrews 1:1-3.
5. The Word is the concept of reality.
John 1:14 deals with the humanity of Jesus. The nature of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. By this, we mean His inner characteristics. Jesus as a man. The term ‘anthropos’ refers to man in general and does not specify sex, thus mankind.
The term ‘anthropos’ is also used in John 8:40 / 1 Corinthians 15:21, and Romans 5:15. Remember that Jesus, as we know Him, didn’t exist as Jesus in the past; it’s only when the Word became flesh that He became Jesus, John 1:14.
The word ‘aner’ does specify the sex of the person. This word can also refer to husband, and this makes it obvious that Christ is a man, John 1:30 / Acts 2:22. Notice that nobody calls him this except Christ Himself just before his death.
Only Stephen uses this name after His resurrection, Acts 7:56. When Jesus calls Himself the Son of man, the Greek term ‘anthropos’ is always used. This is used even though Christ was the son of a woman with no masculine interference.
The words ‘became flesh’ literally mean putting on flesh for a short time. John 1:14 and Philippians 2:5-11 are best used together, 1 John 4:2. When He ascended, He didn’t lose His humanity. Philippians 2:5-7 tells us that Christ didn’t have human characteristics before He came to earth.
In Acts 17:30-31, the word for man is ‘aner’, indicating our judge is a man. It is interesting to see that in 1 Timothy 2:5, our mediator is man, using the Greek word ‘anthropos’, Jesus Christ. Jesus was subject to all human needs, processes, and temptations while on the earth. He was thirsty, hungry, tired, etc.
Reasons why Jesus had to become a man are as follows.
1. That we might know God, 1 Timothy 3:16 / John 14:9, ‘He who has seen me has seen the Father’.
2. To take away sin, 1 John 3:5 / Luke 19:10, ‘For the Son of Man came to seek and save that which was lost.’
3. To destroy the works of the devil, Hebrews 2:14, ‘he might destroy Him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil.’
4. To prepare us to be His people, Titus 2:11-14, ‘to purify for himself a people that are His very own.’
Jesus is two natures in one person. Firstly, He is not two persons in one body; secondly, He does not have two personalities or two wills, such as a spiritual and fleshly will. The human spirit is the offspring of God, Genesis 1:26, ‘Let us make man in our own image, in our likeness.’ This gives or suggests an intellect, an emotional ability, and the ability to account for ourselves. Acts 17:29 and Hebrews 12:9 are also useful in this regard.
Philippians 2:7 tells us, ‘Jesus, made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.’ Like us, Jesus depended on the power of the Holy Spirit, Matthew 12:28 / Acts 1:2 / Mark 1:2. Jesus was led by the Spirit. The divine and the human work together. It was not an either-or situation. It was God feeling compassion, etc.
There was a unified personality. Romans 8:32 tells us He was delivered to be crucified. Hebrews 5:8 tells us the Son learned obedience by suffering. Romans 1:4 tells us, the Son was raised from the dead. If we were to deceive ourselves into speaking of a dual personality, then we are forced to attribute the different characteristics of Jesus to one or the other personality.
There is a necessity for both the divine and the human. To help in understanding this, we can look at the nature of man, 1 Thessalonians 5:23. Man’s body dies, but man’s soul lives on, and the Spirit survives death. So, Jesus died physically on the cross, but that aspect of Him which is God cannot die.
Jesus came to provide a mediator, 1 Timothy 2:5. A Mediator is equally related and understanding of both sides of a dispute. To give value to His death and to shed His blood, if He were all human, He could not atone for sin; if He were all divine, then there would be no relationship to sin. We couldn’t have a merciful and faithful high priest, Hebrews 2:15 / Hebrews 4:15 / Hebrews 7:25. To be merciful, he needs an understanding of man’s sin.
Now notice the word ‘dwelt’ in John 1:14. This means to pitch a tent, a verb found only here and in Revelation 7:15 / Revelation 12:12 / Revelation 13:6 / Revelation 21:3. This is probably an allusion to the tabernacle and the temple, God’s presence manifested there, Exodus 40:34-35 / 1 Kings 8:10 / Colossians 2:9.
The word ‘beheld’ or ‘seen’, John 1:14, means to view attentively, to contemplate. John and others had watched Jesus attentively when He was among friends and enemies, those who loved and those who hated Him, those who had observed Him living, dying, and living again. As a result, they had been forced to conclude that he was ‘the only Son from the Father’, John 1:14.
The word ‘glory’, John 1:14, ‘doxa’, means His own, not borrowed or reflected. In Old Testament times, this indicated beauty, the majesty or splendour of God, or the saints. or the kingdom. The words ‘only begotten’, John 1:14, ‘monogenes’ are used five times by John to describe Jesus and Isaac in relation to Abraham, Hebrews 11:17.
Jesus is God’s unique Son. This came to mean and means one of a father, one of a kind or the only one like it. The word ‘monogenes’ is used in relation to Jesus as the only son. There is none like Him. God gave us the only Son he had, John 1:12-14; we are children of God as opposed to the Son of God.
He is the Son eternally, back, and forward. We are sons by faith. He is a Son by nature, but we are sons by our choice, God’s grace and adoption, Galatians 3:26 / Romans 8:15-17.
The relationship of Jesus to God. Jesus is the one and only representative of God, John 3:16. Jesus and God are eternally united, John 1:18. Jesus is a great and most valuable gift to God to man, John 3:16.
Jesus is the object of our faith. He is the Son of God, John 3:18. Jesus is the object of God’s love. Sent His Son to us, indicative of His love for us, 1 John 4:9. The word ‘Grace’, ‘charis’ and ‘truth’, ‘alethenos’, John 1:14, are corresponding Hebrew terms that mean, unfailing love and faithfulness, John 1:17.