In the Beginning
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Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
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.
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Background
Background
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The Gospel of John was written by “the disciple whom Jesus loved" which was the apostle John, the Beloved, probably written before 70 AD (However, almost any date between about 55 AD and 95 AD is possible).
John writes this Gospel for the purpose "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name” (). John writes to show that Jesus is the Messiah.
John is fond of using expressions with more than one meaning. If it happened only occasionally we might regard it as coincidence and make a serious effort to decide between the two possibilities. But it happens so often that it must be seen as deliberate. It is John’s way of bringing out the fuller meaning of whatever expression he is using.
John writes to show that Jesus is the Messiah. The original audience were those needing to be convinced that Jesus is the Christ, such as unbelieving Jews (The messiahship of Jesus was not an issue for Gentiles). Additionally, seeing that the Gospel was probably written originally in Greek, we may say it was intended primarily for unbelieving Greek-speaking Jews.
The original audience were those needing to be convinced that Jesus is the Christ, such as unbelieving Jews (The messiahship of Jesus was not an issue for Gentiles). Additionally, seeing that the Gospel was probably written originally in Greek, we may say it was intended primarily for unbelieving Greek-speaking Jews.
Jesus is Eternal
Jesus is Eternal
Jesus is
Key Passage: In the beginning was the Word
Where Mark begins with the gospel message and Matthew and Luke have their birth stories, John takes us back in his opening to the eternal purpose of God.
Since Mark begins his Gospel with the same word, ‘The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ’, it is also possible that John is making an allusion to his colleague’s work, saying in effect, ‘Mark has told you about the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry; I want to show you that the starting point of the gospel can be traced farther back than that, before the beginning of the entire universe.’
Reference to .
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Both in Genesis and here, the context shows that the beginning is absolute: the beginning of all things, the beginning of the universe.
John is writing about a new beginning, a new creation, and he uses words that recall the first creation.
Describing the beginning of Creation and how Jesus was involved in the process. He is eternal, existing before anything was created.
John is affirming that the Word existed before creation, which makes it clear that the Word was not created.
Not only did the Word exist “in the beginning,” but he existed in the closest possible connection with the Father. The expression does differentiate between the two. Perhaps John is by implication refuting any idea that the Word is an emanation from God, quite distinct from the Godhead. The Word and God are not identical. But they are one.
Jesus is God
Jesus is God
Key Passage: and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
Faith in the deity of Christ is necessary to being a Christian.
Here are the building blocks that go into the doctrine of the Trinity: the one true God consists of more than one person, they relate to each other, and they have always existed.
That He is with God demands a personal distinction within the Godhead. That He is God demands inclusion in the Godhead
That “the Word was with God,” indicates a distinction of persons within the unity of the Godhead. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not successive forms of appearance of one person, but are eternal persons present from “the beginning”. “With” suggests a relationship of close personal intimacy.
More, the Word was God. That is the translation demanded by the Greek structure, theos ēn ho logos. A long string of writers has argued that because theos, ‘God’, here has no article, John is not referring to God as a specific being, but to mere qualities of ‘God-ness’. The Word, they say, was not God, but divine. This will not do. There is a perfectly serviceable word in Greek for ‘divine’ (namely theios).
"God" and "the Word" both mentioned three times in just the first two verses. This seems to be a sign of the importance of the connection of Jesus being God. Parallelism was a common practice used by Biblical authors to stress importance especially when repeated over and over again very closely. Usually this parallelism is conveying the same message but saying in in different wording. Verse 1 and 2 is saying loudly and clearly that Jesus is God.
The Gospel is equally clear in affirming Jesus’ deity and in distinguishing him from the Father.
Scripture evidence that Jesus is God:
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
, , and ,
30 I and the Father are one.”
, and ,
,
58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.
13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
1 Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
The intimacy of Father and Son in the beginning, at creation; thus those who reject the incarnate Jesus reject God himself. Jesus did not “make himself” God; he shared glory with the Father before the world began.
John responds that following Jesus not only entails true observance of Torah; Jesus himself is God’s Word, and thus no one can genuinely observe Torah without following Jesus.
Jesus as the epitome of what his community’s opponents claimed to value: God’s word revealed through Moses. Jesus was thus the supreme revelation of God.
John is not merely saying that there is something divine about Jesus. He is affirming that he is God, and doing so emphatically as we see from the word order in the Greek.
Paul declares that the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ bodily ().
19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
Jesus is higher than angels, a theme reiterated in the book of Hebrews. To worship an angel or any other creature, no matter how exalted, is to violate the biblical prohibition against idolatry. The I ams of John’s gospel also bear witness to the identification of Christ with Deity.
Elsewhere, the New Testament ascribes terms and titles to Jesus that are clearly titles of deity. God bestows the preeminent divine title of Lord upon Him ().
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
As the Son of Man, Jesus claims to be Lord of the Sabbath () and to have authority to forgive sins ().
28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts,
7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts?
9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’?
10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—
11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”
12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
1 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home.
2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them.
3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.
5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts,
7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts?
9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’?
10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—
11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”
12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
1 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home.
2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them.
3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.
5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts,
7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts?
9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’?
10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—
11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”
12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
He is called the “Lord of glory” () and willingly receives worship, as when Thomas confesses, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus is Creator
Jesus is Creator
Key Passage: All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Creation belongs to God alone.
Cross reference with , further providing proof for Jesus’ divinity. Also, cross reference to which displays all the persons of the Trinity.
16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
The relation of the first two Persons of the Trinity in the work of creation is of interest. There is a careful differentiation of the parts played by the Father and the Son ().
6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
Creation was not the solitary act of either. Both were at work (and, for that matter, still are; , ). The Father created, but he did it “through” the Word.
17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”
19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.
God simply speaks, and his powerful word creates. That same word effects deliverance and judgment (; cf. ).
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
11 May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
11 May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!
When some of his people faced illness that brought them to the brink of death, God ‘sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave’ ().
20 He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.
20 He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.
Closing Thoughts
Closing Thoughts
Jesus being God reveals just how expensive our sin debt truly was as it took God's sacrifice (God the Father offering up His Son and Jesus the Word to be willing to offer up Himself) to restore our relationship with Him.
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
Fifty-Two Invitation Illustrations 6. It Was Thought They Could Be Saved at Another Time
The steamship Central American, on a voyage from New York to San Francisco, sprang a lead in mid-ocean. A vessel, seeing her signal of distress, bore down towards her. Perceiving her danger to be imminent, the captain of the rescue ship spoke to the Central American, asking, “What is amiss?”
“We are in bad repair, and going down; lie by till morning,” was the answer.
“Let me take your passengers on board now,” said the would be rescuer.
As it was night, the captain of the Central American did not like to transfer his passengers, lest some might be lost in the confusion, and, thinking that they could keep afloat some hours longer, replied, “Lie by till morning.”
Once again the captain of the rescue ship called, “You had better let me take them now.”
“Lie by till morning” was sounded back through the trumpet. About an hour and a half later her lights were missed, and, though no sound was heard, the Central American had gone down, and all on board perished because it was thought they could be saved at another time.
While salvation is offered afresh to you now, dear friend, let me bid you speedily to obey the promptings of God’s Spirit
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
If you have made a decision to surrender your life to Christ, please see me after our closing worship song