Transcript.

How Should We Regard Jesus Christ?  (John 1: 1-18)

How Should We Regard Jesus Christ?

Is He to be admired as the best of men, or is He to be worshipped as the Son of God? 

Should we consider Him the greatest prophet who ever lived, or is He the Messiah, the promised Savior of the world? 

And what difference does it make? Does my attitude toward Jesus Christ really matter? Will my belief about Him affect life or, for that matter, determine my destiny?

To the average person, the answer might be no. After all, they might think, what does my attitude toward any historical figure really matter. Socrates, Julius Caesar, Napoleon, or even Jesus Christ.

Does my opinion of any of these people really make any difference? They might think their opinion toward any individual, can affect anything, neither history nor their life or their future destiny.

Some would even say we should be discussing more critical issues with all the pressing problems that exist in the world? Maybe we should spend our time talking about poverty and prejudice or the more economically minded might say the rates of inflation and unemployment.

There are more personal, pressing problems that we face as individuals, not the least of which could be health or even loneliness. So why should we spend our time talking about an ancient Jew who lived in another time, in another place, and spoke another language?

These are some of the questions that I believe the Gospel of John attempts to answer for us. 

John gives us his own introduction to the book, and in that introduction, he gives us, at least in seed form, the answer that he will fully develops as the book progresses.

Today, I'd like for us to look at the prologue to the Gospel of John, the first 18 verses?

Before we read it, let me say there is a sense in which John’ gospel is an intriguing book. It tells one story right after another; it records things Jesus said that are fascinating, to say the least. But there is one section in John that is more than even that, it is deeply profound. 

It is stuffed full of meaning, and that's the first 18 verses. 

The rest of the book will be like a story; but this opening section is really something quite different. 

I want you to understand that this is some of the most profound material in all of the Bible. As a matter of fact, A.T. Robertson, the famous Greek scholar, said of the prologue of the Gospel of John is, I quote "The profoundest piece of literature in print." I don't know that "profoundest" is a word, but if someone like that can use it, I guess I can quote him.

And that my friends is what we are going to look at today, in TBPDP….

Let me begin by suggesting that these 18 verses can be divided into three parts. John begins by giving us what I'm going to call a revelation—that's in the first five verses. 

Then he gives us a response to that revelation—that takes us from verses 6 to 13. 

Then, in verses 14 to 18, he gives us the result of that response to the revelation. So let's begin by looking at the revelation in the first five verses of John. He starts out by saying...

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

(John 1: 1-5)

"In the beginning"—when we see that phrase, we might straight away think of Genesis 1:1. John starts his gospel like Moses started his first book, but there's a difference. Moses starts at the beginning of all things and moves forward into time, while John starts at the beginning of creation and moves backward into eternity. 

John says, "In the beginning was the Word," emphasizing the eternal existence of the Word. This idea is repeated in verses 1 through 3, where John will reveal what or who the Word is.

The Greek word for "Word" is "logos," which on a superficial level means the expression of thought. 

There are two aspects to this term. Greek philosophers emphasized the thought part, viewing "logos" as the all-encompassing reason or mind behind the universe. 

However, Jews emphasized the expression part, seeing "logos" as the manifestation of God himself. 

John is using "logos" in both senses but saying, in verse 1: "The Word was God." In verse 14, he states also will state, "The Word became flesh," and in verse 18, he declares, "No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, has declared Him."

The whole point of these verses is the revelation of God through the Word. In verse 1, "the Word was in the beginning" and "the Word was with God." The Greek word for "with" here implies communion, not just presence, indicating that the Word was in a personal relationship with God. 

This shows that the Word, as used here is not just an abstract concept but a person in communion with God. 

Finally, John will state, "The Word was God," identifying the Word as divine.

This phrase has been attacked by some, especially by those who claim it should be translated as "the Word was a god" due to the absence of an article in the Greek text. However, in Greek, leaving out the article was a literally attempt to emphasizes the quality of something. Therefore, the verse literally says, "the Word was deity." John is declaring the pre-existence, personality, and deity of the Word.

John, in what we will see is his typical style, will emphasizes his point through repetition. In verse 2, he reiterates that "the same was in the beginning with God," reinforcing the declaration in verse 1. This repetition is a technique John uses throughout his gospel to ensure clarity. 

Moving to verse 3, John states, "All things were made by him," and to emphasize this further, he adds, "and without him was not anything made that was made." This means that every creation, from the smallest insect to the largest tree, involved Him.

These opening verses provide a revelation of Jesus Christ, because referring to Him as "the Word," signified that He is the manifestation of God. 

Just like in the book of Revelation where we see Jesus called, “the Alpha and Omega”, He is the entire alphabet and the creator of every word formed from that alphabet. Thus, Jesus Christ is the Word, and He is the living God.

Notice, John also describes Him as "life" in verse 4. This life is not mere existence but conscious, dynamic existence—vitality and growth. John indicates that "in him was life," meaning that all forms of life stem from Him. 

He continues with, "In him was life, and the life was the light of men." Here, "light" signifies holiness and revelation. 1 John 1:5 explains this: "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all," meaning God is holy and without sin. 

When John calls Jesus "light," he highlights His holiness and His role in revealing God to humanity.

Verse 5 states, "And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." This means in spite of this, the world did not understand this but still could not resist or extinguish  the light. 

People did not grasp who Jesus was, nor could they defeat Him, as evidenced by His resurrection after crucifixion.

In these first five verses, John reveals Jesus Christ as. The Living Word, life, and light. 

The next 8 verse will then describe the response to this revelation. This part of the passage answers the "So what?" question I asked at the start. What difference does it make who Jesus Christ is? 

He says in verse six….

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

(John 1: 6-13)

Here we now see John the Baptist's role in testifying about Jesus Christ. John the Baptist was the first to reveal Jesus when he tells us: "There was a man sent from God whose name was John." At first glance, this seems straightforward, but a deeper look reveals a contrast. John emphasizes that while Jesus Christ is divine, John the Baptist is merely a man.

He continues, "The man came to bear witness to the Light, so that all men through him might believe." 

So Jesus is the Word, and John is the witness.

John the Baptist's mission was to point people to Jesus, to bear witness of the light. John was not the light himself but a vessel through which the light shined.

Verse 9 reiterates that Jesus is "the true Light, which lights every man that cometh into the world." John shifts the focus back to Jesus, emphasizing that He is the genuine light, unlike any other which is merely artificial.

He then underscores that Jesus came to enlighten everyone. This was radical at the time because of exclusivism of the Jews who saw Gentiles as unworthy.

Greeks as well believed knowledge was reserved for the elite, and Romans considered any non-Romans barbaric. But John states that Jesus is for everyone—educated and uneducated, wise and unwise, Jew and Gentile, male and female. Jesus is the Savior of the world, meant for everyone.

John the Baptist's testimony, not everyone believed. Verse 10 says, "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not." The Creator of the world was unrecognized by His own creation. 

Even more specifically, verse 11 highlights that He came to Israel, His chosen people, but even they did not receive Him: "He came unto his own, and his own did not receive him." This rejection underscores the world's failure to recognize and accept Jesus despite His true identity and mission.

The key word here is "receive." There are two Greek words that can be translated as "receive": one means simply to take or accept, while the other means to welcome. The latter is used here, indicating that the Jews did not welcome Jesus. Despite centuries of preparation, prophecies, and messianic expectations, when the Messiah finally arrived, instead of a warm reception, they metaphorically slammed the door in His face.

So moving from a general statement about the world rejecting Him there is then a specific focus on Israel, in verse 11, but then in verse 12 John then addresses the individual: "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the power (or authority) to become the sons of God, even to those who believe in His name."

Here, John highlights that some did respond positively by believing in Jesus' name. Believing in His name means recognizing Him as God, the Light of the world, and the Light of men. 

And to those who believed, Jesus gave the authority to become children of God. This concept of faith, introduced here, will be expanded throughout John's gospel.

Verse 13 clarifies what this new birth is not: "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." 

Those who choose to believe, meaning those who trust Jesus Christ, are born of God. They become God's children and receive eternal life. This new birth is not of blood, indicating it is not inherited or passed down through family lineage. It is not of the will of the flesh, meaning it is not achieved through personal effort. Nor is it of the will of man, suggesting it cannot be granted by another person, such as a preacher or priest. 

Instead, becoming a child of God requires a personal response of faith in Jesus Christ, leading to a spiritual rebirth and the indwelling life of God.

This is not something that your parents can do for you, nor something you can achieve by yourself or have someone else do for you. This is a personal action you must take. 

While you might rely on others for many things in your life, some actions are personal. It says you must personally respond to Jesus Christ and trust Him as your Savior.

The good news is, if you do, you are born of God. 

This passage tells us that Jesus Christ was revealed to the world, and those who respond in faith are born into the family of God. But this is something you must personally do and once you do it, you are born of God. 

Trusting Christ is not an act of any personal merit; it is a response to what He has done for you. He died for you, and now you must trust Him. When you trust Him, He does the rest—you become a child of God.

There's one more aspect this passage reveals, beyond the new birth: the result of this faith. In verses 14 to 18, John will tells us about the blessings that come from believing in Jesus Christ. 

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and[b] is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

(John 1: 14-18)

The result of faith is not only to be born into the family of God but also to be blessed. 

This blessing is part of the new life that comes from trusting in Jesus, bringing both a new birth and the ongoing blessing of a relationship with God. 

When it says again in verse 14, "And the Word became flesh," it immediately brings us back to verse one where the Word was identified as God. Now, God has taken on human form. The Word, fully divine, also took on flesh and blood, with all the human limitations of time and space, including fatigue, hunger, and susceptibility to suffering. 

This verse highlights the incredible reality that God became a human being and dwelled among us.

The term "dwelt" here means "tabernacled" or "pitched His tent." 

God set up His tent among us, echoing the Old Testament tabernacle where God's presence resided among the Israelites. 

John is emphasizing Jesus’ deity, using the word "glory" to refer to the divine presence. This again ties back to the Old Testament when God revealed His glory to Moses, described as "full of goodness and truth."

John asserts that the apostles witnessed God's glory manifested in Jesus. They saw God become man. John and the apostles experienced His divine presence firsthand. John the Baptist also bore witness to Jesus' divinity, proclaiming, "This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’”

John contrasts the law given through Moses with the grace and truth that came through Jesus Christ. The law, given by Moses, showed God's standards, but Jesus brought something extra, grace and truth.

An offer of a way to meet those standards of God but through sacrificial love. John emphasizes the extent of this saying, "Of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace." This phrase suggests an unending supply of grace, like an well that keeps replenishing.

John concludes this section by noting, "No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him." Jesus Christ has made God known to us, providing a personal knowledge of God.

You see, it makes all the difference in the world knowing who Jesus is. He is no mere man, not even the best or greatest man who ever lived; He is the Son of God. He is the Messiah, the promised Messiah of the Old Testament, the Savior of the world. 

It cannot be said any better than, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God, and the Word became flesh." And when you trust in Him, you are born of God and blessed by Him.

Consider this: God dwelt among us. But even though God was with us 2000 years ago, people did not recognize of acknowledge Him.

The metaphor here discibes people as being in the dark, like someone in a dark cave or in the cellar of a house with the light out.

Imagine being both deaf and in darkness—they cannot hear God or see Jesus.

But when Jesus speaks, ears are opened, and people hear. Jesus is the light of the world, showing us where to go and how to move. Throughout this gospel Jesus will be declared as the resurrection and the life.

What we all need is a proper perspective of the world we live in. Yes, poverty is a problem and needs to be addressed. Prejudice and unemployment are also important issues and as Christian we are called to be o0n the forefront of wherever there is suffering or injustice.

But John in his gospel asks us to look deeper and sees a more serious issue: spiritual deafness and blindness. Without Jesus, people cannot truly hear or even see God's truth.

John tells us that Jesus Christ is for everyone. He offers life and hope to all. 

James Irwin the Apollo 15 astronaut spoke about the awe of walking on the moon and seeing the Earth from that vantage point. It was magnificent. Yet, he also said that the experience of knowing Christ surpasses even that incredible journey.

Walking on the moon was a great accomplishment, particularly in technology. This morning, we are using technology for you and I to connect through the Bible across the world.

Technology has made possible many great human achievements. 

But because God himself once walked on this earth, we can have a knowledge of our origins and an assurance of our destiny. 

We can know God personally, we can walk in His light, we can experience His grace, and we can have the life and Spirit of God himself within us, because in the person of Jesus, we have life in His name.