The Uniqueness Of The Eternal Word
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[SLIDE 1] Introduction
If you have your Bible, then please turn to John 1:14-18
14 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. 15 (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.’ ”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
Illustration
Biblical Theology
Context
Well, we have spent four Sundays walking through John 1:1-18.
This section of the gospel is known as John’s prologue.
It was John’s way of providing a general overview of what would take place in the entire gospel.
By way of reminder, John has introduced us to this divine figure called “The Word” in verses 1-2.
We know later in John’s gospel that this Word is referring to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is also God, the 2nd Person of the Trinity.
The Word is the transcendent God who has eternally coexisted with God the Father unto eternity before the creation of the world.
And then John continues to describe the Word is also the Creator of the universe in verses 3-5.
And that all things came into existence through Jesus Christ.
And that in Jesus Christ, the source of true light and life is found in Him.
John would introduce to us another man named John, who is known as John the Baptist in verses 6-8.
In this gospel, if you remember, John the Baptist played the role of being a witness for Jesus Christ so that all might believe in Jesus through John’s testimony.
In verses 9-12, John tells us that there will always be those who will respond to the Word in two ways:
You can receive Him as your Lord and Saviour.
OR, you can reject Him.
We have to come the final portion in verses 14-18.
During Christmas Eve, I have expounded verse 14 quite extensively.
We remember that this eternal Word / God the Son who have existed for all eternity chose to assume the human nature or to become flesh.
God made Himself known in the person of Jesus Christ.
And we and the rest of historic churches confess and believe that Jesus is fully God and fully Man.
So, as we unfold the ending of John’s prologue, we’re going to learn about the uniqueness of the eternal word.
[SLIDE 2] The Main Point that I want you to remember in this message is this: Jesus is the one and only unique Son of God.
Exposition
Now, I want to return to verse 14 to highlight a line that I did not cover in-depth from my previous message.
[SLIDE 3] John says in verse 14 that the Word became flesh is the glory of the only Son from the Father.
There is a single Greek word that I think is important, and that is “monogenes.”
In my ESV, that word would be translated as “only.”
Your NIV may say, “one and only.”
I like the older Bible translation of this word, “the only BEGOTTEN.”
This word is repeated in the famous John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son...”
We don’t use the word, “begotten,” that much but if you grew up with the KJV, then you may be familiar with that word.
This word, “begotten,” is used here in verse 14 and also in verse 18...
The ONLY God.
Perhaps, a better translation is this: “the only begotten God” or “the only begotten (Son), who is God.”
Now, I think it is important to retrieve the word, “begotten,” back into our English translations because it helps us to understand the historic doctrine of the Trinity, particularly the relationship between God the Father and God the Son.
Now, I’ll try my best to keep this explanation simple and brief, but you will have to put on your thinking cap.
Once a churchman told his pastor "sir, your sermons go over my head." The pastor simply told him "brother, lift up your head."
What exactly does, “monogenes” or “begotten” mean?
You'll be hard-pressed to find the historical definition using a current dictionary because it defines 'begotten' or 'beget' as 'to procreate or generate (offspring).’
Without any historical understanding and meaning to the word, “begotten,” one can easily come to the conclusion that God the Son was a created being.
In the 4th century, there was a presbyter and priest named Arius who denied the deity of Jesus Christ, and believed that He was a created being.
Arius was condemned for heresy.
But, he got a name for his teaching known as Arianism, which declared that Christ is not truly divine but a created being.
There are many modern teachings of Arianism in our day, such as the Jehovah Witnesses, Mormonism, Unitarianism, and many religions.
However, the word, “monogenes,” or “begotten” does not imply or mean that Jesus was created by God.
During the 4th century, there was a creed that was written by the Council of Nicea known as the Nicene Creed.
It is a comphrensive explanation to the doctrine of the Trinity that is held by historic orthodox Christians.
The Nicene Creed affirms this truth about the Son: He was begotten, not made.
Also, Jesus being the begotten Son does not mean Jesus the FORGOTTEN Son.
[SLIDE 4] What the word, “begotten,” essential conveys is that Jesus was the one and the only unique Son from the Father. But how?
Now, all of you have been begotten by your parents (whether you like them or not).
The truth is that you came forth from your parents in a sense that you carried their DNA.
That is what you makes you unique.
Of course, this illustration falls short because you are a created being and God the Son is not, but I hope you get the sense of what begotten means.
The Father begets the Son.
The Son is eternally begotten (generated) from the Father’s essence.
The Son did not become the begotten Son when He was born in this world.
The Son did not become begotten when He was baptized by John.
The Son was eternally begotten (generated) from the Father before the foundation of the world.
[SLIDE 5] By generated, the historical meaning is that the Son came forth from the Father’s divine essence.
Just as the child (created) shares his / her DNA with the parents, so the Son (uncreated) shares in the same divine essence and substance as the Father.
The fancy word is called consubstantial, but that word may have just flew over your head...
That is what makes the Son the only unique Son from the Father.
If you want to do more study on the doctrine of the Trinity, you can google “The Eternal Generation Of The Son.”
Now, why is this important for you to know?
Jesus the only begotten Son distinguishes Himself from those who are born children of God in verses 12-13.
While believers are children of God, we are only adopted children of God.
But, Jesus is the one and only unique Son of God who alone can save sinners.
Theologian Matthew Barrett says this, “it is only because Jesus is the eternally begotten Son that he is able and qualified to descend into the deep depths of this God-forsaken world, be born as a babe in a manger, and ascend back to his Father with a host of newborn sons in his wake.”
In other words, the Son of God became the Son of Man so that the sons of men may become sons of God.
John will explain that because Jesus is the one and only unique Son of God:
[SLIDE 6] 1. HE IS GREATER THAN ALL THE PROPHETS (v.15)
John, the author, briefly brings John the Baptist back into the prologue.
We remember that he was mentioned back in John 1:6-8
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
If you remember, John the Baptist was the final prophet under the Old Covenant.
In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, he is the one who preached a message of repentance and baptism.
We remember in verses 6-8 that John is NOT the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
But, in this verse, there is no mention of “Light” theme.
But, there is a mention of bearing witness.
What is the reason for the author to talk about John the Baptist in this section?
What I think the author might be doing is to reinforce the idea of the preeminence of Jesus Christ as the unique Son of God.
And John the Baptist declares and testifies His greatness.
John would say something similar in John 1:29-31
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”
Jesus began His public ministry after John’s public ministry, but John declares that Jesus ranks and came before him.
If you know the relationship between Jesus and John, they’re actually cousins.
John was older than Jesus by about 6 months. You can read the account in Luke 1-2.
In the ancient culture, it was viewed that the older one would be more important than the younger one, but this situation is reversed.
John testifies that Jesus is mightier and greater than he.
John the Baptist is making the point that Jesus is preeminent.
The author uses John’s witness to testify the truth of who Christ is.
Jesus is the Eternal Word who was begotten for eternity, which is why John the Baptist says that Jesus ranks before him because he was before him.
John acknowledges that He is greater than him even though he’s older than Jesus.
Many people during that time viewed highly of John the Baptist, but John points them to Jesus because He is greater than all the prophets and the final prophet like John himself combined.
Because Jesus is the one and only unique Son of God:
First, He is greater than all the prophets.
[SLIDE 7] Second, He is the source of greater grace (v.16-17).
John begins with the word, “for.”
It can also be translated as “because.”
That’s how we know that this verse is connected with the previous verse when following John’s logic.
Based on John the Baptist’s testimony to the superiority and preimminence of Jesus as the unique Son of God...
John the author also testifies, along with the testimony of those who have received Christ, the superiority and fullness of His grace.
This word, “grace,” is mentioned again and it is repeated 4 times in this passage:
Verse 14
Twice in this verse
and again in verse 17.
Just a fun little fact I want to share with you: The only time John talks about grace is in his prologue.
He never uses that word again for the entire gospel.
John says that “grace upon grace.”
Grace upon grace can be understood as the emphasis of the superabundance of grace found in Christ.
That’s a possible way of reading this text.
And that is a theologically accurate way of understanding the grace of Jesus.
But, I want to suggest an alternative reading.
Your Bible translation would say this in the footnote that it could also be translated as “grace in place of grace.”
Or, “grace INSTEAD OF grace.”
That is actually in the Greek text.
So, it sounds like there is a grace that is being SUBSTITUTED by grace.
If that is the way we should read the text from the original language, then what is grace in place of grace referring to?
It would help us to understand and connect verse 16 to verse 17 when John talks about the Law and Moses.
Moses was an important character in the Old Testament. He was the prophet that God used to rescue the Israelites from Egyptian slavery.
God gave the Israelites the Law through Moses from Mount Sinai.
The Law incompasses the Ten Commandments.
Some theologians would organize the Law in three categories: The moral law, the ceremonial law (from Leviticus), and the civil law.
And I think that the Law that John is referring to is the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament).
In Hebrew, the Torah means the Law.
If you are familiar with the Law, you may know that the Law served as a guardian or school master that gave strict disciplines for the behaviour of the Israelites according to Galatians 3.
You may think that the Law is harsh and bad, but thank you Jesus that I don’t have to keep the Law!
But, the Law itself should also be understood as a display of grace since it was given BY God through Moses.
The Apostle Paul says that the Law is holy and good in Romans 7.
The Law revealed God’s character, such as His holiness and perfect standard.
Moreoever, the Law also reveals that you cannot be perfect because it revealed your sins.
However, what the Law could not do was transforming the hearts of the Israelites.
They kept rebelling against God.
They kept breaking His Law.
But God designed the Law as a means to demonstrate everyone’s sinfulness in order to show the need for a Saviour.
John says that the display of grace that is revealed in the law is going to be substituted by the grace and truth through Jesus Christ.
John is not putting Moses and Jesus against each other.
In fact, Jesus did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it.
And Jesus held Moses and the Law in high esteem.
When confronting the religious leaders, Jesus said this in John 5:45-46:
45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me.
But, with the coming of Jesus Christ, the law of grace in the OT is replaced by grace and truth through Jesus Christ.
Jesus came to demonstrate the superiority of His greater grace.
His grace is lavish and rich.
His grace is greater than the law (in verse 17).
Jesus is the source of all grace and blessings.
Under the New Covenant, we get to receive and experience the fullness of God’s gracious blessing through Jesus Christ.
Christ made a way of salvation for wretched and hellbound sinners through His death and resurrection.
And it is by grace that we are saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
We don’t only receive grace once in our lives when we trusted Jesus as Lord and Saviour, but God’s grace is a constant event for all of Christian life.
Our Christian life is a life of grace that God lavishes upon us.
When we sin, God is gracious to forgive us.
When we make mistakes in our life, God is gracious in working out our mistakes for good.
Every single day, we experience God’s grace over and over again.
In fact, if you’re still following Jesus after many years, it is because of God’s grace. And God’s grace sustains you.
And as Christians, we learn to show grace towards others who have failed us even though they don’t deserve it.
I’ll fail you too as a pastor, but I hope you’ll be gracious to me as God has been gracious to you.
That’s why we can sing, Amazing Grace; how sweet the sound; That saved a wretch like me.
[SLIDE 8] Finally, Because Jesus is the one and only unique Son of God: He is the greater revelation of the Father (v.18).
What makes Jesus the one and only unique Son of God is that He has seen God.
There may have been some folks in the Old Testament who have “seen” God, but they did not truly see Him face to face.
God said to Moses:
20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.”
However, Moses did get to see the back of God’s glory, but not His face.
Because Jesus is the only begotten Son, who is also God, He has been at the Father’s side for all eternity.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.
Only Jesus can explain who the Father is
Jesus came to reveal who God is by making Him known.
He is the explanation of God.
He is the revelation of God.
He is the answer to this question, “What is God like?”
Certainly Jesus did that through His person and work.
if you have seen Jesus, you have seen the Father.
If you know Jesus, you know the Father also.
If you reject Jesus, you also reject the Father.
If you deny Jesus, you deny the Father as well.
27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
If you want to know who God is and what God is like, then get to know who Jesus is because Jesus was in the beginning with God, He was at the Father’s side during the creation of the world.
You can only know Jesus through His Word.
That is why my deep conviction is to preach God’s word because I want you to see Christ from the pages of sacred Scripture.
I want to make known to you what God has spoken in the Bible.
And if you see and know Christ, you’ll know the Father as well.
Plus, let me ask you this: How’s your Bible reading in 2023?
You cannot truly know God if you don’t read the Bible.
God does not speak except in His Word.
If you have not been consistently or regularly reading your Bible, then begin knowing Jesus in the New Testament.
You don’t need a burst of motivation. What you need is discipline.
[SLIDE 9] Conclusion
So, as I wrap up, because Jesus is the one and only unique Son of God…
He is greater than all the prophets.
He is the source of greater grace.
He is the greater revelation of the Father
[SLIDE 10] This is how John describes Jesus in the prologue.
Who Jesus Christ is matters to all of us.
If you don’t know Jesus and have a saving relationship with Him, it matters to you infinitely.
John wrote this gospel for a purpose.
He wants to introduce and show you who Jesus is.
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 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.
Before 2023 ends, I pray and hope, by the grace and mercy of God, that God will save you and that you’ll believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, and begin 2024 with a fresh start in following Jesus for the rest of your life.