|
The Eternal and Divine Power of Jesus Christ John 1:1-5 November 30, 2003
It has been said that these first verses of John’s Gospel were “worthy to be written in letters of gold.” These are the verses we are going to be studying the next three weeks as we find ourselves in the Christmas season. Having just concluded a study on 1 John, I thought it would be helpful and encouraging to briefly look at John’s introduction to his Gospel. We are familiar with his style and his thinking by now, so let’s take a look at the first 18 verses of his Gospel together over the next three weeks, and as we do, try to focus our hearts and our minds on the Lord Jesus Christ and His eternal glory and power. Before we look at this opening section, let me briefly introduce this Gospel to you. Why did the Apostle John take the trouble to write his Gospel? It was the fourth Gospel written, and it seems probable that John had seen and was familiar with Matthew, Mark, and Luke when he wrote this Gospel. It is notably different than Matthew, Mark, and Luke in that it covers many things those Gospels do not cover, such as the wedding in Cana, the Samartian woman’s conversion, along with the rest of her town, Jesus washing of the disciples’ feet at the Last Supper, Jesus high priestly prayer before His betrayal and arrest, and there are also post-resurrection appearances and accounts we do not find in the other Gospels. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the Synoptic Gospels. They basically cover the same material, with some variation, but they each have their own perspective and purpose. They are in harmony with one another, but they were written for different purposes, to different people, and by different human authors, so we find some peculiarities in each one, but one could argue that the three synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, are relatively similar in their content. John, however, reveals some events, conversations, and miracles that the other writers did not recount. His Gospel is notably different than the others in its progression, flow, and tone, and it allows us to see more of the Savior we know and love. The Gospel of John is in one way a companion to his first letter. If you remember, his first letter was written so that you may know that you have eternal life (1 Jhn 5:13). He was writing to people who already believed in Jesus Christ in his epistle. The Gospel of John is the evangelistic companion to 1 John. In John 20:31 John tells us why he wrote his Gospel. He writes, But these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. In this Gospel John is writing to persuade people to have faith in Jesus Christ so that they may have eternal life. In 1 John he wrote to people who already believed so that they would have assurance that their faith was real, authentic, saving faith. Because of John’s different purpose in this Gospel we find a much more detailed description of Jesus Christ in the Gospel than we do in the letter. The person and work of Jesus Christ is the focus of this Gospel, and it is presented so that we might fully trust Him for our eternal salvation. The question that John deals with at the beginning is, “Who is Jesus Christ?” By the time John wrote this letter there were already heretical teachings threatening the purity of the church, and so it was essential that he write a detailed account explaining exactly who Jesus Christ is in no uncertain terms. The first 18 verses of this Gospel form a summary of who Jesus Christ is, what He offers to those who would believe in Him, and what He accomplished by coming into this world as a man. John outlines the glory of Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh who dwelt among us. This morning we are just going to look at verses 1-5. These verses reveal the glory of Jesus Christ to us by showing us His eternal, divine power. John 1:1-5 show us the glory of Christ revealed in His eternal, divine power. The Apostle gives us seven ways this power can be seen in Jesus Christ. There are seven proofs John gives us of the eternal and divine power of Jesus Christ.
#1 – His Eternal Existence (v. 1)
The first proof that John gives of the eternal and divine power of Jesus Christ is His eternal existence. His eternal existence. He writes in verse 1, In the beginning was the Word. When you hear those words, perhaps it reminds you of another book of the Bible that starts with In the beginning. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Gen 1:1). The Apostle uses the phrase from Genesis 1:1 to take us all the way back to the creation story, and he tells us that in the beginning was the Word. The whole point of him saying in the beginning is to draw our minds to the creation account. John’s Gospel doesn’t begin with the birth of Christ; rather, it begins in the beginning of creation. What does John want us to know about the beginning? He says, in the beginning was the Word. What does he mean by Word? Well, it’s clear from verse 14 that the Word is a clear reference to Jesus Christ. In verse 14 John writes, And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. That can only mean that the Word is Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Son of God. The Word of which John speaks represents Jesus. But why does he call Jesus the Word? There have been various reasons given as to why John employs this title for the Son of God. Some relate it back to Greek philosophy. According to F. F. Bruce, Greek philosophy saw the Word as being “the principle which imposes form on the material world and constitutes the rational soul of man.” It was sometimes equated with logic or order or reason. Thus, some might read this as saying, “In the beginning was logic,” or, “In the beginning was “rationality.” This does not seem to be the best solution or best understanding of this title. The Apostle John was not dependent upon Greek philosophy for his writing, and it would seem strange for a Christian Jew to borrow from pagan religions to describe the true God. It is more fitting to understand the use of the Word in light of the Old Testament revelation. F. F. Bruce comments, “The ‘word of God’ in the Old Testament denotes God in action, especially in creation, revelation, and deliverance.” This means that the Word of God is the means God uses to carry out His activities. He operates and works through His Word. This can be seen in many places in the Old Testament. In the creation account we read over and over again, And God said. The result is always that what God said occurred exactly as He spoke it. It was the Word of God that created the heavens and the earth. Psalm 33:6 backs up this claim, where the Psalmist writes, By the word of the Lord the heavens were made. It was the very Word of God that created the universe! We also see the Word of God pictured as a messenger to the prophets in the Old Testament. Perhaps the most vivid illustration of this can be found in Ezekiel chapters 1 through 3. In Ezekiel 1:2-3 we read, On the fifth of the month in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s exile, the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest. The word of the Lord came to Ezekiel at this time, and after Ezekiel tells us this, he goes on to describe the word of the Lord coming to him in the following chapters. In verse 28 of chapter one we read, As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. Ezekiel saw the appearance of the glory of the Lord, and if you read these chapters you will undoubtedly find that this vision is one of Christ. Ezekiel saw Jesus Christ in His pre-incarnate form, and at the beginning, before the Christ comes to him with a message, we are told that the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest. Jesus Christ is that word. Jesus Christ is the One who carries out the purposes and the activities of God the Father. This accords with Jesus’ own claims in the Gospel of John. In John 4:34 we read, Jesus said to them [the disciples], “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.” Jesus was sent by the Father to carry out the Father’s work. He carried out in action the purposes of the Father. We see this again in John 5:36. Jesus said, For the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish – the very works that I do – testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me. The Father committed the work to the Son, and the Son was not doing His own works or His own will, but the will of the Father. He is the One who carries out the divine will and the divine purposes. Again, in John 6:38 we read Jesus saying, For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. Jesus executes the will of the Father. The Word is the instrument God uses to carry out His divine purpose and plan, and Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is that Word. When John says in 1:1, In the beginning was the Word, what He means is that in the very beginning, at Genesis 1:1, the Word of God, Jesus Christ, existed. The word was explicitly means that at the beginning Jesus Christ already existed. He was not created or made at creation or right before creation. To say that is heresy. Rather, when you read Genesis 1:1, Jesus Christ is there already. He existed before anything was created. That is to say, Jesus Christ existed before creation in eternity. He is eternal. He existed before time, which means He existed in eternity past, which means He had no beginning. He always was the Word of God before anything was created. This is an accordance with the prophecies about the Messiah, especially from Micah 5:2. Micah 5:2 says, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity. The Messiah who was to be born in Bethlehem was from the days of eternity. That means He has always existed. Before there was time the Christ existed. This is the first proof of the eternal and divine power of Jesus Christ – He is eternal. He never began. He never will end. He is who He is.
#2 – His Fellowship with the Father (v. 1)
The second proof of the eternal and divine
power of Jesus Christ is His fellowship with the Father. His fellowship with the
Father. John writes, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God. Literally, that means that the Word was toward God, which has
the idea of face to face contact and fellowship. Jesus Christ was with God. Why
does John include that?
#3 – His Deity (v. 1)
But John does not stop at this. He goes further and adds, And the Word was God. Now, this has caused much discussion. What does it mean that the Word was God? Those who deny the deity of our Lord would suggest that the Greek should be rendered, “And the Word was a god.” They suggest this translation because there is no article in Greek before the word God, thus causing it to mean “a god” rather than “the God.” However, this is a poor understanding of the Greek language. The fact that an article is missing from the word God in the Greek occurs for two reasons. The first reason is to show that the Word partakes in all that makes God who He is. The Word shares in the nature of God. All of the qualities and attributes essential to God being God are found in the Word. The Word is in fact God. Whenever a word in Greek appears without the article, the idea is that of quality or attribute. So here the Apostle intends to show that the Word has all of the qualities and attributes of God. He has the very essence of God. The second reason the article is missing is because God is not only one Person, but He is three Persons. God is the Triune God. The Apostle leaves off the article because he intends to show that the Word is not the entire Trinity, but He is one Member of it. If the Apostle had said, “And the Word was the God,” his meaning would have been that the Word was the only member of the trinity; therefore, to maintain that Jesus Christ is truly God, and yet the Father and the Spirit are also truly God, the Apostle says it in this way. Now, none of this grammar is apparent in the English translation, but I tell you these things because there are those who will claim to use Greek who will come to this verse and tell you that it should be rendered, “The word was a god.” If you don’t know Greek, you might be at a loss to defend your faith at this point in this verse. But now you have the reasons why John has written it this way: 1) to show that Jesus Christ possesses all the divine attributes and qualities and is therefore truly God, and 2) to show that God is not limited to the Son, but God is triune – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Thus, the third proof of the eternal and divine power of Jesus Christ is His deity. He is truly God.
#4 – His Eternal Fellowship with the Father (v. 2)
The Apostle gives his fourth proof in verse 2. He writes, He was in the beginning with God. This may seem like repetition, but the Apostle has a certain intent here, and that is to show that Jesus Christ’s fellowship with the Father has been eternal. There was never a time when Jesus Christ was not with God. As long as God has existed, which is for all eternity, Jesus Christ has been with Him. The Word has existed alongside God forever and ever, and will continue to do so into eternity. This eternal fellowship that Jesus has had with the Father demonstrates His divine and eternal power. The fact that He has been with the Father, or toward the Father, from eternity past, is abundant proof that the baby born in Bethlehem possessed eternal and divine power.
#5 – His Creative Power (v. 3)
Fifthly, look at verse 3. There the Apostle writes, All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. The fifth proof of His eternal and divine power is His creative power. We read in Genesis 1:1, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and the Apostle here tells us that all things came into being through Him. Through Jesus Christ all things were made. All things were created by Him. This accords with other Scriptures. Colossians 1:16 says, For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible. And then Paul goes on to say at the end of the verse, All things have been created through Him and for Him. The writer of Hebrews puts it like this in 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, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. It was through the Son that God the Father made the world. Jesus Christ was co-Creator with the Father. He was the agent who carried out the Father’s will to create a universe for His own name’s sake. By the Word all things came into being and apart from the Word nothing came into being that has come into being. Jesus Christ is the One through whom and by whom the worlds were made, and they were made for Him as well. Nothing exists that Jesus didn’t create. He is the Creator of all things, and it is this creative power, which belongs to God and God alone, that explicitly shows Jesus’ eternal and divine power, and that overflows to His glory.
#6 – His Light Giving Life (v. 4)
The Apostle adds a sixth proof to demonstrate that Jesus is the One who possess all divine power and glory when he says, In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. This is a complex statement that has been taken many different ways. To understand it we must take it in two parts. First, let’s look at the first half: In Him was life. What does this mean? I believe the Apostle is still dealing with the beginning because he continues to use this same verb, was. This verb brings us back to the thought of verses 1 and 2. In Him was life. Now, this is not to say that life is on longer in Jesus Christ, but the Apostle is commenting on the created order of things. All of life in all of creation gathered its source from Jesus Christ. He was the fountain of life. Life was found in Him. This goes along with the fact that He created everything. As the Creator, He gave all things life. What this also means is that Jesus Christ, the Word of God, is absolute reality. He Himself is life. True, ultimate life exists in Him. There is no one but God who is absolute, independent reality. You and I are contingent beings. We are contingent on God sustaining our lives. God could, in an instant, end our existence forever if He so desired. We have no life in ourselves. All of our existence for all of eternity is dependent upon God. But God’s existence is not dependent upon anything but Himself. He exists necessarily. He cannot not exist. He must exist. He has life in Himself. He is the definition of life. This is what Jesus meant when, in John 5:26, He said, For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself. The Son is not dependent upon any for life. He has life in Himself! No human being can claim that. No animal can claim that. All that exists in creation is contingent and dependent reality, but God is absolute and independent reality, and the Word has life in Himself. He possesses life in and of Himself and is therefore the fountain of it. That is what John means when he says, In Him was life. He goes on and adds, and the life was the light of men. What does that mean? I think it means this: the life that exists in God is light-giving life. The life that exists in Jesus Christ is the kind of life that gives light. If you have the life of God, the life that God gives, you will have light. The Psalmist put it like this in Psalm 36:9. He wrote, For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light. All life flows from God, and it is when we are in this life that we are in His light, and His light is the light of men. In John 8:12 Jesus called it the light of life. It is the light which life produces. What is this light? The light is the knowledge of the truth. It is a righteous and holy understanding. It is reality as God sees it. When we live in God and we abide in Him we have the light of life, and when we have this light we have the mind of Christ. We understand the world as God understands it. We see things in relationship to God and His glory rather than centered around ourselves. Before sin entered the world Adam and Eve had this life that comes from God. When sin came, they died, and they no longer lived in this light. Just as life brings light, so death brings darkness. Even though everyone who is physically alive has life of some sort, we know that everyone who is physically alive and cut off from Christ is spiritually dead. They do not have life. They are dead in trespasses and sin. The only ones who have life are those who have the Son. He who has the Son has the life. He who does not have the Son does not have the life (1 Jhn 5:12). This life that is the light of men was in Christ. It eternally existed in Him. He has the light-giving life in Himself, and He always has had real life existing in Himself. The fact that Jesus Christ is the fountain and source of real, light-giving life is further proof that He has eternal and divine power. One of the ways Jesus’ power is made plain to us is by the fact that He has in Himself life that gives the light of truth to those who will receive it.
#7 – His Triumph Over Darkness (v. 5)
The seventh and final proof that John gives of Jesus’ eternal and divine power is His triumph over darkness. Look at verse 5. The Apostle writes, The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. Now, the note in the NAS Bible says that an alternate translation of comprehend is overpower, and I think that overpower is the correct understanding of this verb. The idea is to overtake something. So the verse better reads, The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overpower it. What is the Apostle saying? He is saying two things. First, he is saying that the Light is continuously shining in the darkness. This light that comes from the Word is a present reality in our universe. It is an ongoing brilliant ray that is visible to all. Our world is filled with darkness, and men love darkness rather than light, yet men are without excuse because the light shines in the darkness. In the midst of this dark world there is evidence of the truth of God everywhere. Why is it that men do not receive the light? Why is it that people willingly walk around in utter darkness when they see the true light shining? Jesus explained why in John 3:19-20. He said, This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. The light shone bright enough, but men loved darkness rather than light. The light was not missing in any of its brilliance, and it is not missing any of its glory today. The reason that men do not receive the light is because they are evil doers, and light exposes them for what they are. Nevertheless, though men may reject the light, it shines in the darkness. The Light presently and continually is shining in this world of sin and death. Secondly, the Apostle is saying that this light could not be quenched by the darkness. If you are reading carefully, you’ll notice that the Apostle changes tenses in our English version from present to past tense. The light presently shines, and the darkness in the past did not overpower it. What does that mean? I think that the Apostle is saying this: Jesus Christ is the true Light, and He came into this world. Men manifested their hatred for the light of truth by crucifying the Lord of Glory, yet even though they tried to overpower the light, they could not. Jesus Christ was raised from the dead and conquered sin and death and hell, and the darkness did not overpower Him! It is because of this victory that the Apostle can say that the light presently shines. Jesus Christ is risen and alive! He came into this world as a baby, and He lived a sinless life. Then He died on the cross, and the world and the devil and all the forces of hell tried to snuff out the Light of God’s glorious truth found in Jesus, but they could not. He rose victorious, and the darkness did not overpower Him! It could not put out the light. The light shines on with even greater brilliance now that Jesus has overcome death and sin. Jesus proved that He has all divine and eternal power when He overcame darkness, when He triumphed over sin, Satan, and death. Could there by any greater proof that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who deserves your absolute allegiance and trust than this – that the darkness did not overpower Him? Who else in all the universe could so stand in the place of sinners and overpower the darkness rather than be overpowered by it? Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world who came, and He died, and He rose, and the darkness did not overpower Him! It could not, and the light is shining even today if you will see it. Oh, that we would realize the majesty and wonder and glory of our precious Savior, Jesus Christ! He is eternal, He has fellowship with God, He is truly God, His fellowship with God has been eternal, He created all things, He has the light-giving life, and He shines in the darkness and was not overpowered by it. Let me just close with a word of application. How much have you thought about the splendor and the majesty of Jesus Christ this week? As you see all the Christmas decorations going up everywhere, let them point your mind to Jesus Christ, the One who possesses divine and eternal power. The world will not recognize Jesus at Christmas. That is not surprising, but this December allow your mind to meditate on Him. Think about all of His attributes as you think of Him lying in the manger as a helpless infant. Think about His glorious power as you think about the shepherds that saw Him on the night of His birth. Think about His eternal riches when you think about the magi coming with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Think about His infinite love when you think about Mary treasuring all of these events in her heart. Take some time this month to think about Jesus Christ. Read through the Gospels and just walk with Him and His disciples. Read about Him teaching the crowds, healing the sick, showing compassion to the poor, rebuking the religious hypocrites, and casting out demons and unclean spirits. Just allow your heart to love Him more during this season. Knowing and loving Jesus Christ is what Christianity is all about, and if you truly know Him, you will certainly love Him. Oh, that we would be a people who loved the Lord Jesus Christ in truth because we knew Him personally and we had close, intimate fellowship with Him! That we would be made into His image by our time spent with Him, and that our hearts would be inflamed by His glory and His majesty and His mighty power! Realize this Christmas who it is that you are celebrating! Don’t get caught up in the world’s view of Christmas, but allow your heart to take this time to treasure Christ more, and to draw ever closer to Him, and to love Him with all that you are. He is the eternal Word of God who has given us life and light. May we bask in His life and in His light more with each passing day. Let’s pray. [Home page] [ ]
|