Jesus in John - Flesh, Grace, and Declaration
John 1:1-18 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 25:13
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· 84 viewsWhy is the humanity of Jesus important? Is Jesus the only begotten Son of God? To whom should we look if we want to know God?
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Flesh
Flesh
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 1:14
The Greek word translated “dwelt” here means to “dwell as in a tent.” God is not separated from His people but is dwelling with them.
We see a similar concept in the Old Testament as the Israelites had the tabernacle, which was a tent. God said...
Exodus 25:8-9
And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John notes that God became a man and dwelt in a tabernacle among us.
Even though Jesus was and is deity, Jesus also lived as a man. While on Earth, His divinity and his humanity were not mutually exclusive, but rather mutually present. But His living a life of a human on this Earth was temporary, as we are only living in this body and on this Earth temporarily.
God is a spirit.
John 4:24
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
A spirit does not normally inhabit a fleshly body with skin and bones. Jesus inhabited a fleshly body and lived as a man.
Luke 24:39
Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
As a man, He was subject to temptation, sin, pain, etc., as any man would be.
Hebrews 4:15
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
The humanity of Jesus becomes important because:
a perfect man was lost in the Garden of Eden. Only a perfect man could be sacrificed to pay the penalty for sin. If Jesus was not a man, He could not be the perfect sacrifice to restore back to God what had been lost.
a perfect man would be the perfect example on how to live. Jesus showed it was possible to be tempted and yet not sin. Every opportunity to sin is also an opportunity not to sin. It is possible to overcome sin.
1 Corinthians 10:13
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
a man who was both deity and man could communicate God to man
Grace
Grace
John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
John 1:15-17
John states that the one to come after Him in time, really comes before him in preference. Then he says that the one to come after him in time existed before him.
The law was given by Moses and no man was found that followed the law without fail. The Old Testament prophets foretold of a savior that would come.
That savior brought us the grace, the free gift of God, the unmerited favor, of salvation and offered it to mankind.
John 3:16
Ephesians 2:8
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Jesus would also bring the truth of God.
John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
This truth would tell us how to obtain the salvation offered by the grace of God and how to obtain peace between God and man.
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 8:32
Romans 5:1
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Declaration
Declaration
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
Jesus is a declaration of who God is.
John 14:6-9
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Remember that one of the benefits of Jesus being human was that He would be able to communicate or demonstrate the attributes of God in human form. The love, the sympathy, the mercy, etc. of God was visible in the man named Jesus.
Notice again verse 14.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
The Greek word translated “only begotten” is the word “monogenes.” The word can be translated “one-of-a-kind” or “unique.”
There really may not be a problem describing Jesus as “only-begotten” because Jesus was the only deity that was born through the human procreation process.
However, If we always translate the word “monogenes” as “only begotten” then we have a problem in the Book of Hebrews.
Hebrews 11:17
By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
Isaac was not the only son that Abraham had. In fact, Abraham had Ishmael before Isaac was even born. Therefore, Isaac was not his “only begotten son,” but Isaac was Abraham’s “one-of-a-kind” or “unique” son, as Isaac was the fulfillment of God’s prophecy, and the one through whom the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham would come.
Jesus was, of course, the only begotten of God, as there was no other “begotten” Son of God. But He was also unique as He was God living in the flesh as a man.
We might paraphrase John 1:14 as stating that Jesus was “the unique one of the Father.”
If we think about it, many other people had declared who God is and what His will for man is. Moses had to answer the question from Pharaoh.
Exodus 5:2
And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.
Did the prophets not declare the will of God to man?
Ezekiel 18:30
Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
Even if Moses declared God to Pharaoh, and prophets declared the will of God to man, no one declared God to us like Jesus did. He is the “monogenes,” “unique,” “one-of-a-kind” declaration of God to mankind.
Think about what Philip asked for. He wanted to see the Father. What he did not realize was that he was already looking at Him.
John 14:7-9
Hebrews 1:3
Colossians 1:14-15
If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.