Untitled Sermon (4)

John 1:1–18 ESV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word 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 any thing 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. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 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. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

John: Lesson 1

John’s Prologue

John 1:1-18

Lesson Questions

First Day: Read Introduction Notes.

The notes and lecture fortify the truth of the passage for understanding and application to daily life.

1.    How did the notes help prepare you to study John’s Gospel? What truth stood out to you?

2.    In what ways did the lecture help you understand the significance of John’s Gospel? How will you apply what you learned?

Second Day: Read John 1:1-5.

John introduces Jesus Christ, the eternal Word.

BSF Engage

What do you do when you have big news to deliver? Do you wait for the right moment and gently lead up to the big reveal? Or do you burst forth with words you simply cannot hold back? The Holy Spirit led the apostle John to wait decades before recording what God taught him about Jesus. Every experience, sign, and expression of love resonated with John. The truth about Jesus built up within him like water behind a dam. After years of thinking, evaluating, and listening to God’s voice, John could not wait any longer to tell us what we most needed to know. When John’s words about Jesus began to flow, they exploded with passionate, God-breathed force.

John’s Gospel opens with 18 solemn and awe-inspiring verses. Each power-packed phrase contains infinite truth that can scarcely be housed in human terms. We dive into John’s book by first lifting our eyes to heaven and back in time. In profound yet simple language, John exalts Christ and calls us to believe in Him. The glory of Almighty God brilliantly shone into our world when God’s Son became a man. Jesus Christ is God—the only source of eternal life and light. May this passage and this book deepen our love for Jesus Christ, the eternal God who took on human flesh to redeem sinners.

BSF re introduction:

John’s prologue erupts like the incredible overture of a grand symphony. He introduces all his major themes in breathtaking style. He captures our attention with magnificent language and astounding truth. Who is Jesus? John tells us in no uncertain terms. From his opening revelation to the end of his book, John calls us to believe in Jesus.

BSF notes re The Structure of John’s Prologue

John utilized an intentional structure to organize the monumental truths he communicated in the prologue. He employed a style known as “chiasm” or inverse parallelism (A-B-C-D-C-B-A form) as illustrated below.1

A. The Identity and Mission of the Word – 1:1-5

B. The Testimony of John the Baptist to the Word – 1:6-8

C. The Incarnation of the Word – 1:9-10a 

D. The Response to the Word – 1:10b-13

C. The Incarnation of the Word – 1:14

B. The Testimony of John the Baptist to the Word – 1:15

A. The Identity and Mission of the Word – 1:16-18

1. Strauss, Mark. Four Portraits, One Jesus: A Survey of Jesus and the Gospels. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Academic, 2007, 2020

BSF Hold Fast:

John’s prologue opens his Gospel and introduces all his major themes. John proclaims Jesus as the eternal Word who has always existed in indisputable equality and intimacy with God. In rich and profound language, John affirms Jesus’s preexistence and participation in creation. He heralds Jesus as the only source of life and light available to humankind. John lauds Jesus’s incarnation—that the Savior of the world took on human flesh to shine inextinguishable light into a world shrouded in darkness. The Creator of the world chose to make His dwelling among us. God reached to us through His Son to rescue us from death and darkness.

John’s opening words not only exalt Christ but also realistically record humanity’s response to the incarnate Creator. Jesus came into the world He created and walked among people He loved. The very people Jesus came to save rejected Him. Yet some received Christ and believed in Him; they were miraculously raised to life by God as His own children. John the Baptist and John the apostle together testify to the superiority and wonder of Jesus. The eternal Son, who shares the closest relationship possible with the Father, has revealed Himself to us. Believers exist within the realm of God’s grace as grateful recipients of the truth and grace Jesus provides.

3.    From John 1:1, give three phrases about “the Word” that describe Jesus. Tell why each phrase is important.

In Greek philosophy, the Logos [Greek for Word] was “reason” or “logic” as an abstract force that brought order and harmony to the universe. But in John’s writings, such qualities of the Logos are gathered in the person of Christ.1

1 Sproul, R. C. (Ed.). (2015). The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (p. 1851). Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust.

The Word was “in the beginning”, was “with God”, and “was God”.

That the Word is said to be present “in the beginning” is saying that Christ was present with God before creation, meaning that he pre-existed creation. This is further evident from John 1:3 that adds that Christ was not just present but that he actually participated in creation - all things were made through Christ and that without him not any thing made was made.

That the Word is said to be “with God” indicates that there is a distinction of persons within the Godhead.

That the Word is said to be “God” hits the apex in that it expressly affirms the Word is God and not himself a creation of God.

There is no definite article (“the”) in the Greek before “God,” so the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation reads, “The Word was a god.” But sentences of this form in Greek (two nouns joined by a form of the verb “to be”) normally placed the article only before the subject of the sentence, regardless of word order. So the traditional translation, “The Word was God,” is to be preferred.1

1 Cabal, T., Brand, C. O., Clendenen, E. R., Copan, P., Moreland, J. P., & Powell, D. (2007). The Apologetics Study Bible: Real Questions, Straight Answers, Stronger Faith (p. 1570). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

BSF re The Deity of Christ – John 1:1-5

Jesus Is Eternal God – 1:1

John earnestly wants us to know that Jesus is no mere man. With beautiful artistry, John affirms Jesus’s deity before he tells us one thing Jesus said or did on earth. In these opening verses, John did not mention Jesus’s name but referred to Jesus with the Greek word Logos, translated here as “the Word.” This term occurs four times in these 18 verses—three times in the first verse and again in verse 14. The word Logos incorporates far more layers of meaning than can be easily captured in a single word. In ancient Greek mythology, Logos indicated the “First Cause”—an intelligent, divine, but unknown power behind the universe. In Judaism, God’s “Word” represents the dynamic power of His will. He speaks and it is done. Psalm 33:6 reads, “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.” John fittingly used “the Word” that signified ultimate wisdom to describe the superior glory of God the Son.

“In the Beginning Was the Word” – 1:1a

John opens his Gospel with the same majestic words that launch Genesis 1—“In the beginning.” John’s revelation of Jesus does not begin with a manger in Bethlehem but in eternity past. Before the world was created or time began, the Word “was.” This amazingly simple yet utterly weighty phrase relates Jesus’s eternal pre-existence. God’s Son did not come into being when He came to earth. Like His Father, Jesus has always existed.

“The Word Was with God” – 1:1b

The truth John reveals about Jesus continues to expand. He exposes the intimate, eternal relationship between the Son and the Father. “With God” suggests the fellowship of two distinct eternal persons. This amazing phrase gazes into the mystery of the Trinity—the separate yet unified Persons within the Godhead. In His preincarnate state, Jesus enjoyed unbroken, intimate communion with His Father. This fact magnifies the wonder that Jesus left the splendors of heaven to come to earth and be made in human likeness.1

“The Word Was God” – 1:1c

Before the end of his first verse, John pulls out all the stops to indisputably claim that Jesus was fully God. John intended every word of his Gospel to be read considering this life-changing fact. Jesus shares all His Father’s attributes, possessing the same nature or essence. To know Christ as Savior means believing He is fully God. Jesus’s deeds and words are the very deeds and words of God Himself—nothing less. Colossians 1:15 declares, “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”

1. Human likeness: Philippians 2:7

4.    How do the following passages help you understand what John 1:3 teaches about Jesus’s relationship to God, to creation, and to spiritual life and light?

John 1:3 specifies that all things were made through the Word and that without him was not any thing made that was made.

Genesis 1:1 - In starting his gospel with the words “in the beginning”, John is clearly linking his gospel to the original creation by echoing the words of Genesis 1:1. In so doing, John is signaling that Christ’s appearance in history initiates a new creation.

Colossians 1:15-17 - Paul tells us about Christ’s relationship to God - that Christ (the Word) was the image of the invisible God. We might think that when Paul tells us that Christ is was the first born of all creation that he is telling us that Christ was God’s first creation. However, Paul is instead telling us about Christ’s relationship to God:

the firstborn of all creation. Paul is not saying that the Son was the first created being (v. 17 note). In the OT, a firstborn son was the principal heir of an estate (Deut. 21:17; cf. Ex. 4:22) and the term is used metaphorically to express the preeminence of David and his dynasty among the kings of the nations (Ps. 89:27). Used of Christ, the term “firstborn” ascribes to Him supremacy, honor, and dignity—He is the greater David and the Father’s principal heir. Christ is especially loved by His Father (v. 13), and all things were created in Him, by Him, and for Him (vv. 16, 17).1

1 Sproul, R. C. (Ed.). (2015). The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (p. 2123). Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust.

Hebrews 1:1-3 - Paul (who I believe wrote Hebrews) is telling us that before Christ God spoke through His prophets but when Christ came He spoke to us by His Son. That Paul writes that Christ was His Son, tells us about Christ’s relationship to God. Paul goes on to tell us that Christ is not only a son but that Christ is the appointed heir of all things. That we might think that Christ was a part of God’s initial creation, Paul goes on to write that Christ is the very radiance of the glory of God, and the exact imprint of his nature. Since God is eternal, it could not be said that Christ was God’s radiance and exact imprint and also be created. Rather, that Christ is God’s radiance and exact imprint means that Christ to is eternal.

Paul goes on to write what Christ did relative to creation: Christ created the world and Christ upholds the universe by the word of his power.

BSF notes re Jesus Is Creator God – 1:2-3

Jesus was with God “in the beginning”—a full participant with His Father when all things were created.2 More than a casual observer, Jesus, the eternal Word, was the agent of creation. With purposeful clarity, John states this truth both positively and negatively in verse 3: “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” Countless galaxies in the farthest reaches of the universe, the smallest subatomic particles, and the human body all reflect creation’s vast intricacies. Christ’s creative wisdom can be seen all around us.3 Jesus was involved in creating everything that has being. In Jewish thinking, if Jesus was Creator, then He was shown to be divine.

God’s Son remains so central to creation that even today He sustains all things by His powerful word. Without Him, everything would fly apart.4 Every electron and every planet maintain their orbits because of Jesus’s sovereign control. He set the earth on its axis, tilted at the right angle and distance from the sun to sustain life. Even our individual lives depend on His sustaining grace.

2. Jesus’s partnership in creation: Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2

3. Christ’s wisdom in creation: Psalms 8; 139:13-16

4. Jesus, the Sustainer of creation: Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3

5.    a.  Explain what the words “light” and “darkness” mean in John 1:4-5. (See also John 3:19-21; 8:12; 12:46 and 1 John 1:5-6.)

From John 1:4-5 as well as the other cited verses, it is apparent that John intends to contrast light and darkness. From John 1:4-5, Christ is light and he overcomes darkness and the darkness cannot overcome the light. In John 8:12, we read that one of Jesus’ I AM statements involves him equating himself to light. From John 3:19-21, we learn that people have knowledge of the light through Christ and that people respond to that knowledge by either loving it or hating it. Evil people hat the light because it exposes their evil. But those who do what is true come to the light. In John 12:46, we read how we can leave the darkness - by believing in Christ. 1 John 1:5-6 provides a diagnostic for us - we may say that we have fellowship with Christ but if we walk in darkness, we really don’t have fellowship with Christ.

More broadly in re to light and darkness:

In Scripture “light” and “darkness” are very familiar symbols. Intellectually, “light” refers to biblical truth while “darkness” refers to error or falsehood (cf. Ps. 119:105; Prov. 6:23). Morally, “light” refers to holiness or purity (1 John 1:5) while “darkness” refers to sin or wrongdoing (3:19; 12:35, 46; Rom. 13:11–14; 1 Thess. 5:4–7; 1 John 1:6; 2:8–11). “Darkness” has special significance in relationship to Satan (and his demonic cohorts) who rules the present spiritually dark world (1 John 5:19) as the “prince of the power of the air” promoting spiritual darkness and rebellion against God (Eph. 2:2). John uses the term “darkness” 14 times (8 in the gospel and 6 in 1 John) out of its 17 occurrences in the NT, making it almost an exclusive Johannine word. In John, “light” and “life” have their special significance in relationship to Jesus Christ, the Word (v. 9; 9:5; 1 John 1:5–7; 5:12, 20).1

1 MacArthur, J., Jr. (Ed.). (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 1573). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.

BSF notes re Jesus, the Light that Darkness Cannot Extinguish – 1:5

John often teaches truth through contrast. God’s light shines on all humankind and cannot be overcome by sin’s darkness. Adam and Eve’s choice to distrust and disobey God broke humanity’s fellowship and union with Him.8 The darkness of sin resulted in spiritual and physical death.9 From that moment on, all people have walked in spiritual darkness, gripped by death and the fear of death.10

Throughout all time, God’s light “shines” into the darkness—describing the present continuous action of Jesus Christ, the Word. The light of God’s glory shining through Christ overcomes darkness.11 The Greek word used here for “overcome” can also mean “understand.” Many see this as a play on words to communicate that darkness can neither overcome nor comprehend the light—two important themes in John’s Gospel. God’s victorious light and life prevail. The light within those who find life in Christ is greater than the darkness around them.12 When believers shine God’s light into the dark world, they reflect His light, which is set ablaze within them.13

8. Broken fellowship: Genesis 3

9. Spiritual and physical death: Romans 5:12; 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-3

10. Death’s grip: John 8:24; Hebrews 2:14-15

11. Overcoming spiritual darkness: Matthew 4:16; John 3:19-21; 12:46; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Ephesians 5:8; 1 Peter 2:9; 1 John 1:5-7; 2:8

12. Light overcomes darkness: 1 John 4:4

13. Shining lights for God: Matthew 5:14-16

b.  What examples of light and darkness do you see in the world today?

When I think of darkness in our world today, I cannot help but think of the sexual revolution that began in the 1960s and the fruit of that movement that we are experiencing today with not only sex, but now also homosexuality, transgenderism and sexual identity. As dark as those things are, I am amazed at how this darkness has spread to children. Usually, children were protected from things that we consider only appropriate for consenting adults. But now the sexual revolution has reached down to our children. Jesus pronounced a woe on any who would cause little children to stumble and those who advance this movement or don’t fight against it will be guilty of this woe.

In contrast, when I think of light in our world today, I cannot help but think about how the LORD has graciously provided a way for children to be protected from the darkness and to be in the light. I particularly think of the classical Christian school movement that the LORD has blessed us with. Beyond just educating our children, the LORD has recovered for us a way of educating our kids whereby the the Word shines on everything in creation so that by the HS, children may be in awe of all that God is and has done through Christ. This is light that darkness cannot overcome.

Third Day: Read John 1:6-8, 15.

Jesus’s forerunner called all to believe in Jesus, the Light.

Note: These verses refer to John the Baptist, not the apostle John who wrote this Gospel.

6.    a.  What was the aim and life work of John the Baptist?

John the Baptist came to bear witness about the light so that all might believe through him.

BSF notes re The Forerunner of Christ – John 1:6-8

John shifts his focus from the eternal God to a faithful man God used to point to His Son. Because the Gospel writer John does not refer to himself by name, we know that the John to which this verse refers is John the Baptist. God sent John the Baptist to prepare the world for the incarnate Word, Jesus Christ. This trustworthy servant had one mission—to testify about the light of Christ so that people would believe in Him.

John the Baptist’s ministry was not about himself; he humbly and consistently exalted Jesus. In the same way, your highest calling is to point people to Jesus. John the Baptist remains an important focus throughout the first chapter of John’s Gospel. John speaks of him again in verse 15 and in verses 19-36—the focus of next week’s lesson.

b.  How would you describe the primary purpose and focus of your life?

My purpose is the same as John the Baptist. Stated differently, the Westminster Small Catechism, answer 1, answers this question well: Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him for ever. That communicates a broad aim but it includes knowing Christ, having faith in Christ, loving the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind, and loving others as yourself. It involves loving others enough that you desire the very best for them, which is for them to have faith in Christ, which, like John the Baptist, means bearing witness to others about Christ.

Having stated that as my primary purpose and focus, I can say that I have faith in Christ and I love the Lord. I must admit I fail to love him with all my heart, soul and mind and I fail to love others enough to be bear witness to others about Christ. For this, I must repent, believe the gospel, and trust that Christ paid for my sins. That, in turn, should well up in my heart such gratitude, through the power of the HS, that I cannot help but love Christ more and bear witness about him to others.

7.    a.  From verse 15, what three phrases did John the Baptist use to describe Jesus and what does each mean?

John the Baptist said that Jesus “comes after me”, “ranks before me”, “because he was before me.”

The phrase “comes after me” most likely refers to the order of John the Baptist’s ministry relative to Jesus’ ministry. I think that because the context of John 1:15 includes John 1:6 which indicates that John the Baptist’s ministry had the aim of bearing witness about Jesus, the light. So, the before and after reference in John 1:15, I think has as its object John the Baptist’s and Jesus’ ministries, not necessarily their age, although, since John the Baptist was conceived shortly before Jesus, it could also include that.

The phrase “ranks before me” is explained in part in John 1:8 when it is written that John the Baptist was not the light but that he came to bear witness about the light. That is, Jesus was superior to John the Baptist in being the light that shines in darkness (v5), the true light (v9), the one who gives the right to become the children of God (v12).

The phrase “because he was before me” would normally be understood to refer to someone who is older than John the Baptist or one who took a certain position, perhaps in ministry, before John the Baptist. But since John the Baptist proclaimed that Jesus’ comes after him, this cannot be what John the Baptist intends. In the context of John 1:1-3, this phrase clearly is intended to refer to Jesus existing “in the beginning” (v1), when “all things were made through him (v2). In other words, this phrase is a cryptic way of referring to Jesus’ deity.

b.  What significant truth about Jesus was John the Baptist affirming with these words?

John the Baptist was proclaiming (as part of his ministry as a herald to bear witness to Jesus) that Jesus was God (came before me, ranks before me) and that his ministry was to come after John the Baptist’s ministry.

BSF notes re The Testimony of John the Baptist – 1:15

Jesus’s forerunner proclaimed Jesus’s infinite superiority. He declared that Jesus came after him in time but surpassed him in every way because “he was before me.” With this statement, John the Baptist affirmed Jesus’s preexistence and deity.

Fourth Day: Read John 1:9-13.

Jesus shined God’s true light into the world.

8.    a.  How did most people respond to their Creator when He came into the world?

In verse 10, we read that the creator of the world (cf verse 3) came into the world but the world did not know him.

BSF notes re The Reception of Christ – John 1:9-13

The True Light Shines – 1:9

The infinite Son of God entered our world in human flesh. “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.” This verse presents the amazing truth of Jesus’s incarnation. Jesus became a man to bring the only source of true light into a dark world. 

Christ Rejected – 1:10-11

The Creator Was Unrecognized – 1:10

This verse presents a rather astonishing fact. The Creator entered the world He made, and the people He created did not recognize Him! Almost 80 times in his Gospel, John uses the term “world” to indicate the sphere of human life in which people choose to live apart from God. Those who refuse to believe in Jesus Christ prove they love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.14 Whether through conscious rebellion or unconscious repression of truth, ignoring or rejecting Jesus brings serious consequences.15

14. Loving darkness: John 3:19-20

15. Rejecting and repressing truth: Romans 1:18-23

b.  Who were Christ’s “own” who did not receive Him? (See also Deuteronomy 7:6; John 19:15; and Romans 3:1-2; 9:4-5.)

In verse 11, we read that he came to his own people but even they did not receive him. These that are called his own were the decedents of Abraham to whom God revealed himself in a special way and had a special relationship with.

Deut 7:6 indicates that the descendants of Abraham were a people holy to the LORD.

John 19:15 indicates the ultimate rejection of Christ when the Jewish leaders called for Christ to be crucified, rejecting Him as their king, and acknowledging Caesar as their king instead.

Rom 3:1-2 indicates that God blessed the Jews with His oracles, which is His word, the OT.

Rom 9:4-5 indicates that God blessed the Jews with adoption, glory, covenants, the law, worship, and the promises.

BSF notes re Jesus was Rejected by His Own – 1:11

Jesus came unto His “own” who did not receive Him. In one sense, everything Jesus encountered on earth was truly His “own.” The dust and grass through which He walked and the people to whom He talked were all His own creation. However, more specifically, the people of Israel failed to accept Jesus. The nation God entrusted with His revelation of truth failed to receive the promised Messiah they awaited.16

Israel’s rejection represents the human majority in every age who choose to live in alienation from their Maker. God created people with the unique capacity to know and worship Him. As a plant turns to sunlight, we were designed to turn to God. To reject God’s light and choose darkness signifies the greatest tragedy imaginable.

16. Jesus rejected: Isaiah 53:3

c.   Give examples of reasons and ways people reject Christ today.

The ultimate reason that people reject Christ is because they were born under Adam’s curse. Because of this, all are born dead in their trespasses and sin. They have no ability at all to believe, love or trust in Christ. The most prominent example of ways people reject Christ today in my view is simply ignoring Him. This may seem to be a relatively polite way of rejecting Christ but in reality, it is just as severe as any other way of rejecting him. This is apparent if we imagine what it would be like if someone walked into a room and paid attention to every one else in the room but ignored us. This would be offensive to us. So it is with those who reject Christ by ignoring him.

9.    According to verse 12, how do people gain the “right” to become God’s children?

10. Put each phrase from verse 13 into your own words. (See also John 3:3-8; 6:63; Romans 1:16; 10:17; Ephesians 2:1-10; and 1 Peter 1:23.)

John 3:3-8 indicates that unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

John 6:63 indicates that the flesh does nothing to help give life but that it is all of the Spirit.

Rom 1:16 indicates that the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.

Rom 10:17 indicates that faith comes from hearing the word of Christ.

Eph 2:1-10 indicates that we were dead in our trespasses and sin but that because of God’s love and mercy and grace he made us alive together with Christ. It is by grace we have been saved, through faith.

1 Peter 1:23 indicates that we have been made alive through the living and abiding word of God.

“born not of natural descent”

ESV: were born not of blood.

We were not born again because of being born Jewish.

“nor of human decision”

ESV: nor of the will of the flesh

We were not born again because we in and of ourselves believed.

“or a husband’s will”

ESV: nor of the will of man

We were not born again because our parents desired it.

“born of God”

ESV: but of God

We were born again by God alone and not by anything we or others did.

BSF notes re Christ Received – 1:12-13

By God’s grace and to His glory, not everyone rejected Christ. The remainder of John’s prologue describes the blessings and benefits of turning to Christ. Faith in Christ never rises from a manmade resolution or an emotional impulse. John uses two verbs to describe personal commitment to God through true faith in Christ.

Receiving Christ and Believing in Him – 1:12

True believers “receive” Christ—they come to Jesus on His terms, not their own. Christ’s saving work need not be validated by human agreement or acceptance. Instead, true believers receive and surrender themselves to the undeniable, light-infusing, and life-transforming truth of all Christ is and what He has declared. This means to receive Christ into your inner being as Lord, King, and Savior from sin, including your specific sins.

To “believe” in Christ represents a deliberate commitment to everything Jesus claims as absolutely and eternally true. An individual agrees with this truth and commits to live based on this belief. Saving faith in Christ includes personal appropriation of His atoning sacrifice and resurrection life. A believer grows to understand all Jesus is and His rightful claim on their life by walking with Him and yielding to His truth.

Becoming Children of God – 1:13

John wants us to recognize that our salvation is not a human work. To be adopted as God’s child represents God’s supernatural, life-giving work on behalf of the believer. All who receive Christ are reborn by God to be His own children [RM note: This is at best confusing and at worst erroneous. We are born again by God and then we receive Christ. To say that if we receive Him we are reborn would be inconsistent with John 1:12-13 that indicates that we were not born of the will of man. Receiving as used by BSF here is a verb that involves an act of the will. Therefore the BSF notes are inconsistent with scripture.] God creates eternal life within a person who receives Christ by faith.17

John employs three negative phrases to help us understand the miracle of life in Christ. God’s children are not born of “natural descent”—salvation is not inherited through a physical family. No one becomes a believer through a “human decision”—mere intellectual or emotional determination. Neither does a “husband’s will” bring salvation—a decision to receive Christ cannot be made for someone else. New birth brings life from God because He chooses to give it and sent His Son, Jesus, to make it possible. [RM note: This is again at best confusing and at worst inconsistent with scripture. Jesus did not make salvation possible but rather he made it certain.] Have you experienced this miracle?

17. New life: John 3:6; 2 Corinthians 5:17-18

11. How can you know for sure you are God’s child?

From the verses above, we can know for sure we are God’s child if we see fruit of being born again. Belief in the truth claims of Christ is the first fruit of being born again. Other fruit of being born again is we love Him as he has revealed Himself in His Word. Other fruit is that we want to obey His word and in fact do obey His word and repent when we don’t. Since our love for God and our obedience to God’s commands varies, our assurance of salvation varies. The goal of the Christian is to keep our affections high for God. To accomplish this, the LORD has given us the HS and His Word. We do well to stay in His Word regularly to allow the HS to work through His Word because that will keep our affections high for God, that will fuel our love for Him, that will lead us to obey out of gratitude and give us assurance of being a child of God.

Fifth Day: Read John 1:14, 16-18.

Jesus came to earth in the flesh.

12. Read verse 14 carefully and write, phrase by phrase, what John is saying about Jesus and what each phrase means.

The Word became flesh: John here refers to Jesus becoming incarnate, which means he was a man. Since John 1:1-3 established that the Word was God, we would be right to conclude that Jesus was the God-man, being fully God and fully man.

Dwelt among us: John here refers to Jesus living not in the flesh in heaven (which he does now as the God-man) but living in the flesh on earth.

We have seen his glory: John appears to be referring to the transfiguration which he was a witness along with Peter and James. More broadly, to have seen Jesus at any time during his life or even reading the accounts of his life are a way of seeing his glory.

Glory as of the only Son from the Father: John is here describing the extent of Jesus’ glory. Jesus did not just receive glory as a Greek athlete would when he won a competition or receive glory as Caesar would receive glory. Jesus’ glory was superior to that - Jesus was the very Son of God the Father.

Full of grace and truth: John is here describing Jesus attributes - what he said was true and in fact he was truth. Also, Jesus gave grace and in fact was grace.

BSF notes The Incarnation of Christ – John 1:14-18

The Word Became Flesh – 1:14

This verse represents a pivotal statement of majestic beauty as John returns to the language that opened his prologue. A glorious expression captures the mysterious union of eternal God with humanity: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” The Greek verb translated “made his dwelling” relates to the noun used in the Greek Old Testament to refer to Israel’s tabernacle. If John has this imagery in mind, the sentence could be rendered, “The Word … pitched His tent among us.”

There is much to amaze us within this glorious truth. The infinite, eternal God made Himself subject to time and space. The invisible God became visible on earth. Jesus’s incarnation did not limit or negate His deity. In the ultimate expression of sacrificial love, Jesus took on flesh to be able to die.18 Equipped to understand our struggles,19 Jesus provided an example of reverent and obedient submission to His Father.20

John himself witnessed God’s very glory in the man Jesus Christ, especially at the transfiguration.21 Jesus uniquely revealed and expressed His Father’s glory—the fullness of His divine nature of grace and truth. 

18. Able to die: Hebrews 2:9, 14-15

19. Jesus understands: Hebrews 4:14-16

20. Jesus’s example: Hebrews 5:7-9

21. Seeing God’s glory: Matthew 17:1-9; Luke 9:28-36

13. John’s personal testimony about Jesus is woven into verses 16-18.

a.  What did John acknowledge in verse 16? Say this in your own words.

We have been given abundant and overflowing grace from Christ the God-man.

b.  How have you personally experienced God’s inexhaustible grace?

I would say the main way I have experienced God’s inexhaustible grace is by the forgiveness of all my sins. When I was a new Christian, I thought mostly of having my sins that I committed before I was a Christian forgiven. Now, I have been a Christian for longer than I have not been a Christian (I am assuming here that I was not saved until my late 20s) and I think more about the sins I have committed since I became a Christian. I am far more ashamed of my sins that I have committed since I became a Christian That God has not struck me dead for the commission of these sins is a grace and every day he lets me live another day is evidence of his inexhaustible grace.

BSF Apply It

Immeasurably profound truth flows throughout John’s prologue. We read of “the Word” who existed before time began and through whom everything was created. Simple words such as “life” and “light” capture immense concepts. The God of eternity, who surpasses us in every possible way, became a man to save us. How do we respond to this? Should we shudder in amazement or remain frozen in breathless wonder? Does such truth answer some questions but raise more? God’s infinite character and mysterious ways expand and challenge our limited understanding. How has pondering and probing this magnificent text stirred your thoughts toward your relationship with or love for Jesus? Have you received Jesus for who He declares Himself to be? Do you believe in Him and commit your life to His cause? Words can hardly express the wonder that God makes sinners His own children. John’s awe-inspiring thoughts are written for us and demand a response.

The apostle John presents Jesus as God’s Son. In his quiet and unassuming way, John testifies to Jesus’s glory, to the truth he had embraced, and to the grace he had experienced. As an eyewitness to Jesus’s magnificent radiance, John verifies that Jesus was God’s one and only Son. He also expresses that “we”—speaking for believers—have received “grace in place of grace already given.” John experienced God’s endless stream of undeserved grace flowing into his life. When God extends grace to us, He is acting according to His nature. He delights to show us favor. How has God poured grace upon grace into your life? Do you recognize the strength and purpose God gives you for each new day? When God convicts you of sin or gives you strength to obey Him, can you acknowledge His gracious investment in you? Constant awareness of God’s inexhaustible grace prepares us to notice God’s purposeful work in our lives. How have you seen God’s grace today? Our needs know no limit, but praise be to God— His grace abounds!

c.   Explain each thought below from verses 17-18. Which point speaks to you most powerfully?

      “The law was given through Moses”

This is referring to the 10 commandments as well as the many other laws that are mostly recorded in Deuteronomy.

      “Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ”

In contrast to the law, Jesus Christ gave us grace and truth. Christ gave us grace because instead of getting justice and wrath, which is what we deserve, we got through Him eternal life, which is what we do not deserve.

      God’s “one and only Son, who is himself God … has made him known”

John is saying that Jesus Christ the Son of God had made God, has made God known to us.

BSF notes re The Glory of Christ – 1:16-18

The final three verses of John’s prologue continue to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ. We hear John’s humble personal testimony woven unobtrusively into these words as his primary focus remains on Jesus. John wrote, “Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.” The humble Gospel writer personally experienced relentless waves of God’s inexhaustible grace. To the believer, God’s steadfast provision of grace operates like the life sustaining supply of oxygen inhaled into our lungs with each breath. God continues to pour out undeserved blessings onto believers from His infinite storehouse of eternal riches. 

God gave the Law for human life through Moses, but sinful humans could not keep God’s righteous standard. Much needed grace and truth came through Christ Jesus. Christ fulfilled the truth to which all Old Testament symbolism and ceremonies pointed.22

John concludes his prologue with the glorious reminder that God reveals Himself through His Son. Jesus came to make His Father known. Jesus left heaven’s glories to walk on earth and make a way for us to know God. Jesus Himself said in John 14:9, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” Jesus Christ is God—the only source of eternal life and light. John wants us to know Jesus and believe in Him.

22. Law’s fulfillment: Matthew 5:17; Colossians 2:16-17; Hebrews 10:1-18

14. What have you learned about God the Father by knowing God the Son?

I learned through the law that I have failed to keep God’s law and that justice demands that I receive eternal punishment. But I have learned from God’s Son that he satisfied the punishment I justly deserve and He has clothed me with His own righteousness such that I can stand before God forever.

BSF Apply It:

Much about God remains unknowable to us. Human minds and language cannot capture the boundless realities about God that will amaze believers for all eternity. So how can you know God today—as you await heaven’s perfection? John tells us, “Look at Jesus!” When Jesus came to earth, He showed us what His Father is like. Jesus displayed God’s character and heart. He demonstrated God’s authority and power. He modeled God’s compassion for broken and needy people. Jesus loved people in ways that changed them forever. We live in a world where people attempt to define God on their own terms. This year, we have an opportunity to better grasp who God is as we gaze intently at His Son. Ask God to expand your thoughts about Him. Seek to grow in worship and wonder of who Jesus is and what He has done for you. 2 Corinthians 4:6 says: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” Will you ask God to shine His light on you this year?

Sixth Day: Review John 1:1-18.

Jesus Christ is God—the only source of eternal life and light.

15. What truth about Jesus stands out to you in John’s majestic prologue?

That Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man.

BSF Doctrine: Jesus Christ—Son of God and Son of Man

The Doctrine of God the Son

Jesus Christ is God’s Son—the second Person of the eternal, divine Trinity. As John’s prologue affirms, Jesus, the eternal Word, is fully God and has always existed. From eternity past, God the Son enjoyed complete union and communion with His Father. At the point in time God determined, He sent His Son into the world to redeem humanity from their sinful state. Jesus humbled Himself and came to earth as an obedient servant—dying on a cross to save sinners. Because Jesus is fully divine, He could offer the perfect sacrifice God required and bear sin’s penalty for an infinite number of people. God has given Jesus a name above every name and promises that every knee will one day bow before His Son.1

Jesus will return to earth to take His people to glory and bring final judgment to the world.2 To many people, Jesus Christ is a familiar name perceived to wield little impact on their daily lives. Some are comfortable with the idea of “God” but shrink away from the message and mission of His Son, Jesus. Failure to recognize Jesus as God means forfeiting the greatest gift offered to humanity. There is no true and lasting hope to be found without receiving the gift of salvation Jesus came to provide. The truth about Jesus cannot be avoided forever. One day every tongue will confess who Jesus is—even those who deny or ignore Him now.

Life changes forever when you understand who Jesus is and how deeply He loves you. Worship flows when you recognize that Jesus left heaven’s glories, not for a faceless humanity—He did this for you.3 John’s awestruck words about Jesus resonate deeply, not merely as lofty truth, but as a transforming reality rising from eternity past to change your present and future. Your response to Jesus matters. One day you will join every human ever born in offering Jesus the adoration He rightfully deserves. In humility and gratitude, you assume heaven’s posture now, adoring Christ and seeking to honor Him in this life. Jesus, God’s own Son, died for you. Human words cannot fully express that wonder. Serving and following Jesus becomes your greatest joy and privilege.

1. Jesus humbled and exalted: Philippians 2:5-11

2. Coming glory and judgment: Matthew 16:27; 26:64; Acts 1:10-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11; Titus 2:11-14

3. Jesus’s humble sacrifice: Philippians 2:5-11

John 1:1–18 ESV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word 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 any thing 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. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 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. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

HOMILETICS

CONTENT

1:1 In the beginning was Word. Word was with God. Word was God. All things made through him.

1:4 In him was life and light to men. The light shines, darkness has not overcome it.

1:6 John (the Baptist, hereinafter JtB) was sent from God, to bear witness about light (=Word), so that all might believe through him. JtB not = the light.

1:9 While true light (=Word) gives light to all and light was in world, world did not know him. He came to his own people, they did not receive him.

1:12 But those who received and believed in his name, he gave them right to become children of God, born not of blood, will of flesh, nor will of man, but born of God.

1:14a The Word became flesh, dwelt among us.

1:14b We have seen glory of the only Son from Father. Son is full of grace and truth.

1:15 JtB bore witness about him: He comes after me, ranks before me, because he was before me.

1:17 The law was given thru Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (=Word, =light).

1:18 No one ever seen the only God. He who is at the Father’s side (=Christ) has made him known.

DIVISIONS

A. Christ is fully God as the Second Person of the Trinity, John 1:1-5

B. John the Baptist as a continuation of the Old Testament prophets proclaimed Christ as God, John 1:6-8, 15

C. Through Christ God Willed some to be Children of God, John 1:9-13

D. Christ became God Incarnate who gave us Abundant Grace and made God known to Us, John 1:14-18

SUBJECT SENTENCE

The Word, Jesus Christ, is God Incarnate who Dwelt Among Us, John 1:1-18

AIM

CATL that:

A. Jesus Christ is himself God and therefore creator of all things including life, he came into the darkness to overcome darkness and reveal the light,

B. John the Baptist as a continuation of the Old Testament prophets bore witness to Jesus Christ being God so that all might believe through him,

C. Jesus Christ the creator of the world who:

1 came into the world and enlightened all men

2 was rejected by the world and even his own people because of the curse of Adam’s sin on all humanity,

3 by God’s will some received Him and were made adopted children of God,

D.

1 Jesus Christ the Son of God accomplished this by himself taking on flesh and dwelling among us,

2 we all violated the law given through Moses and deserve eternal punishment,

3 we have received grace in place of grace through the fullness of Jesus Christ,

4 through Jesus Christ we know God.

PRINCIPLES

A. Jesus Christ was fully God as the second person of the Trinity.

B. John the Baptist as a continuation of the Old Testament prophets bore witness that Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man.

C. By God’s will alone men believe in Jesus Christ and are made His adopted children.

D. Because of Jesus Christ, the God-man, we have received grace upon grace and know God.

APPLICATIONS

A. Who do you admire the most in the realm of sports, history, politics, or music? John intends to give you reasons to supremely admire Jesus Christ? How does the truth that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man cause you to have supreme admiration for Him?

B. John the Baptist as a continuation of the Old Testament prophets bore witness that Jesus Christ was fully God and fully. How does the bearing witness of the Old Testament prophets to Jesus Christ as being fully God and fully man lead you to be more confident in the person of Jesus Christ.

C. No man believes in Jesus Christ except by the will of God. How does this truth that you did not contribute to our salvation lead you to glorify God more than you would if you believed you played a role in your salvation?

D. Jesus Christ the eternal God-man has pour out grace upon grace upon you and made God known to you. How does this truth lead you to have such gratitude that you desire to live in a manner worthy of what Jesus Christ has done for you?