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The Word, the Life, and the Light

September 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Worth was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” - John 1:1-5

In this passage John uses three different names to refer to Jesus: the Word, the Life, and the Light. Now it’s easy to see why John would use ‘Life’ and ‘Light’ to describe Jesus because those are terms that Jesus used to describe Himself! But why did John use the word ‘Word’ to describe Jesus? We’ll attempt to answer that a little later.

The first thing we encounter in John’s gospel is that “In the beginning was the Word.” When we see these words, they should make us think of another portion of Scripture. What other book of the Bible begins, “In the beginning…”? Genesis. Genesis begins, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” I think that John uses those words in his gospel to make us think back to the beginning, to creation. John wants us to see that the Word was present in the beginning, in creation. It is important for us to note here how we know that this ‘Word’ that John is talking about, is indeed Jesus. If you skip down to John 1:14 we get a clear picture, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The Word is Jesus.

As we move forward in this passage John tells us that, “the Word was with God.” Here, John shows that there is distinctness between Jesus and God the Father. While the word ‘Trinity’ is never used in Scripture it is passages like these that reveal the truths behind the doctrine of the Trinity. We see that Jesus has a relationship with God the Father.

Then John makes a bold statement and says, “and the Word was God.” John tells us that Jesus is God! As Christians this is a very important thing for us to know and believe. Jesus is God!

Right before we get to verse 3, John emphasizes that Jesus was in the beginning with God. This sets up what he is going to talk about next. Here is where I will attempt to help us understand why John uses the word ‘Word’.

In verse 3 John says, “All things were made through him.” Let’s think back to Genesis. How did God create? By speaking, He spoke things into creation. Well, when we speak, what comes out of our mouths? Words. Words come out of our mouths. So if, “all things were made through him (Jesus),” wouldn’t it make sense for John to call Jesus the ‘Word’? God spoke words, and His Word (Jesus) carried out the action of creation. Christ is the vessel through whom God created.

John continues in verse 3 by saying, “and without him was not anything made that was made.” So without Christ… nothing was created. We see this in Colossians 1:16, “For by him (Jesus) all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him.” Also in Hebrews 1:2, “but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.”

These passages help us to understand that Christ created the world. The entire Trinity had a part in creation, but Jesus is the one who actually physically created. I believe that this explanation for why John calls Jesus the ‘Word’ is faithful to Scripture and also helps us to understand his purpose better.

Then we look at verse 4 which begins, “In him was life.” When we look at this verse, we need to examine what kind of life was he talking about? I think the main focus and intention of the author is to help us understand that eternal and spiritual life is found in Christ. This works in perfect unison with the author’s written purpose in 20:31. Also in John 14:6 Jesus refers to himself as the life, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…”  However, I think it is reasonable for us to think that John may have been referencing physical life as well. Although that is not the main point of this verse. Jesus was the creator, he is the originator of physical life. So in him was spiritual life and in him was physical life.

Verse 4 concludes, “and the life was the light of men.” Then verse 5 continues talking about the light, “The light sines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” In this verse we see the illustration of light and dark that is used so many times in Scripture. Darkness represents sin, death, Satan, lies, deceit, etc. and Light represents holiness, truth, Christ, salvation, etc.

When Jesus was crucified, the religious leaders thought that they had won. They thought that they had rid the world of someone who was blaspheming the name of God and that they would go back to waiting on their messiah. They were wrong. They symbolize the darkness. John tells us that the Light shines in the darkness and the darkness HAS NOT overcome it. I believe that John is referencing the resurrection here. Darkness – sin and death, has not overcome Christ. He has defeated sin and death in his resurrection which is an AMAZING truth.

When we look at all these things, it is important for us to remember John’s purpose for writing this book found in 20:31,

 

“But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and by believing you may have life in his name.”

 

I think that John gives us a lot to chew on in this passage. He makes the claim that Jesus is God, he tells us that Christ created the world, and he tells us that Christ has defeated the darkness. John starts off his gospel very strong. He is accomplishing his purpose right from the beginning.

 

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The Gospel of John

September 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” – John 20:30-31

Of the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), John is the only one of them to explicitly state his purpose for writing. We find that purpose in John 20:31, “but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Everything that John wrote in his gospel, he wrote so that we would believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died on the cross for our sins, and that if we believe in Him we can have eternal life. John’s purpose is simple, it is the heart of the gospel. He didn’t spend time talking about Jesus’ genealogy or His birth. John doesn’t record Jesus’ parables or exorcisms. You won’t find the accounts of Jesus’ baptism, temptation, or transfiguration either. These were not John’s focus.

John does however tell us the story of Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding at Cana. He records conversations that Jesus had with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman. While the other gospels focus on Jesus instituting the Lord’s Supper (at the Last Supper), John focuses on Jesus washing the disciples’ feet.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the Synoptic Gospels. The word ‘synoptic’ comes from two Greek words; ‘syn’ meaning together and ‘optic’ meaning seen. The reason they are called the Synoptic Gospels is because they have a lot in common with one another. There are different debates as to which was written first, but ultimately they are very similar.

John on the other hand is not one of the Synoptic Gospels. 90% of the Gospel of John is unique to his book. John makes his focus clear in 20:31. He wants us to know who Jesus is and the significance of believing in Him.

As we work through the Gospel of John this year, that will be our focus. We will use John’s stated purpose in 20:31 to interpret and understand the rest of his gospel. John Piper says, “Do unto the author as you would have him do unto you,” when speaking of interpreting Scripture. If John’s purpose for writing was for us to know Jesus, then that is how we are going to study it.

I am very excited to teach through this book as I study it and learn myself!

 

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John Series

September 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment

This school year and probably next school year we will be going through the Gospel of John. I am excited to get things rolling with this series as this book is a Gospel-centered book. John states his purpose for writing his gospel in 20:31,

“but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

So naturally, our focus in this series will be on the Gospel. Here are a few different things that we will be using in this series to enrich our time in John.

  • Gospel Focus
    • As we study each passage in John, we will continually look to his purpose for writing the book, so that we can know who Jesus is and believe in Him.
  • Testimonies
    • Our leaders will all have a chance to share their testimonies. This is in an effort to help us get to know them better, as well as an opportunity to hear their stories. It is important for us to share how we came to know Jesus and how God is working in our lives.
    • Also any student who has a desire to share their testimony would be welcomed. I would love to talk through your testimony with you and help you share it with your peers.
  • Small Groups
    • When we begin small groups the primary focus for awhile will be on building relationships. I want our leaders to bond and get to know the students that they have in their group.
    • Part of this will be helping students to develop and be comfortable articulating their testimonies. It is important for us to be able to share our faith and to share how God is working in our lives
  • Videos
    • From time to time I will show an “I Am Second” video. These videos can be found online at www.iamsecond.com
    • These are videos of people who have some very dramatic and compelling testimonies. One thing I will talk about is how your testimony doesn’t have to be dramatic to be amazing. Even if you were never addicted to drugs, sex, or alcohol, your story is still amazing because God saved you!

So this will be the focus of our series in John. I hope you are all ready and excited to learn more about Jesus.

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“Christology” – God the Son

July 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man contained in one person, and he will be so forever. Jesus was born of a virgin, Mary and He was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:20). Because of this “immaculate conception”, it allowed Christ to be fully man and fully God. Also, Christ was able to be born without a sinful nature because he was conceived by the Holy Spirit and because He did not have an earthly biological father (Luke 1:35). Jesus lived a perfect life without sin (1 Pet. 2:22). Jesus resisted temptation so that he would be worthy to be the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world.

 “The atonement is the work Christ did in his life and death to earn our salvation” (Grudem). Because a penalty was required for our sins, Jesus lived a perfect life in order to be able to take that penalty for us. Christ was the substitutionary atonement for sinners. Jesus endured a brutal death on the cross. He humbled himself and accepted this willingly (Phil. 2:6-8). The cross is the means by which God provided salvation. The cross is now a symbol of God’s intense love for mankind.

 After Jesus’ death, he remained in the grave for three days. On the third day, he rose from the dead. When Jesus rose from the dead, he conquered death. He did not simply come back to life in human terms; 1 Corinthians 15:20 and 23 tells us that he was the “first fruits” of a new kind of life (Grudem). When he raised from the dead, he received his resurrection body that someday we will have also. The resurrection of Christ makes our regeneration possible (1 Peter 1:3). Romans 4:25 tells us that Christ was raised for our justification. When Christ was raised, God approved of Christ’s work and through him we are justified.

 Jesus was on earth for forty days after his resurrection. After those forty days, he ascended into heaven. It is important to understand that heaven is an actual, physical, and tangible place. It is not some mystical dimension. Jesus ascended to heaven and is sitting at the right hand of God the Father. Jesus said that he would prepare a place for us and that he would return to take us there.

 Christ as Prophet

As prophet, Christ reveals God to us and speaks God’s words to us. In Deuteronomy 18:15-18, Moses predicts that God will raise up another prophet after himself from Israel and he will prophesy on behalf of the Father. Jesus is indeed this prophet as various other Scriptures attest (John 6:14; Acts 3:22-24).

 However, although Christ is indeed the prophet whom Moses predicted, he is also much greater than any of the Old Testament prophets. He is greater in two ways.

 First, Jesus is the one about whom the prophecies in the Old Testament were made. We see in Luke 24:27, Jesus walking with two disciples on the road to Emmaus, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”

 Second, Jesus was not merely a messenger of revelation from God, but was himself the source of revelation from God. Jesus spoke authoritatively the words of God. He didn’t need to say, “Thus says the Lord.” He spoke divinely, “But I say unto you” (Matt 5:22)(Grudem).

 Christ as Priest

In the Old Testament priests were appointed by God to offer sacrifices. They also offered prayers and praise to God on behalf of the people (Grudem). This was their role in the sanctification of the people. In the New Testament Jesus becomes our great High Priest. He functions as our High Priest in a few ways.

 First, Jesus offered a perfect sacrifice for sin. Jesus did not offer a bull or a lamb (Heb. 10:4). Instead Jesus offered himself (Heb. 9:26). Jesus was the final sacrifice. No more sacrifices were required after this one. Jesus was both the priest who offered the sacrifice and the sacrifice itself.

Second, Jesus continually brings us near to God. The Old Testament priests were in the business of coming into the presence of God to pray for their people. As our High Priest, Jesus continuously leads us into the presence of God so that we no longer have a need of a temple, or a special priesthood to stand between us and God (Heb. 6:19-20).  Jesus has opened for us the way of access to God so that we can continually “draw near” into God’s very presence without fear but with “confidence” and in “full assurance of faith” (Heb. 10:19-22).

 Third, Jesus continually prays for us. Hebrews 7:25 says, “He is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

 Christ as King

Jesus refused any attempt by people to try to make him an earthly king with military and political power (John 6:15). Jesus made it clear that his kingship was not of this world, much to the disappointment of Israel (John 18:36). Christ’s kingship will be fully recognized at his second coming when he will reign over all the earth and he will be acknowledged as “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev. 19:16) and every knee shall bow to him (Phil. 2:10).

 

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