Category: Bible study

John 1:14

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 (NIV)

“The Word became flesh”… God, the Son (Jesus Christ) became human.

Why?

“and made his dwelling among us”… He wanted to live with us! He wanted to experience humanity personally. He surrendered His divinity to be like us, to dwell with us, to commune with us. His job was to reconcile man to God.

And how did the writer of the Gospel react?

“We have seen his glory…” He saw the glory of God in the person of Jesus Christ! He saw the His glory in the one and only Son. The Son was sent of the Father filled with grace and truth!

Let’s recap. Jesus became flesh. John (the writer) has seen Christ’s glory!

What does that mean? Stay tuned. That’s what the rest of the Gospel of John is about!

*** SPOILER ALERT ***

Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. John 21:25 (NIV)

This is how John concludes his book. There are a lot of wonderful stories in these passages!

The first part of this book is setting the stage for what is to follow. It is establishing the characters that are to follow: Jesus, the world, John the Baptist and the witnesses.

And how did Jesus come?

He came full of grace and truth.

Grace refers to “God freely extending Himself (His favor, grace), reaching (inclining) to people because He is disposed to bless (be near) them”. (https://biblehub.com/greek/5485.htm)

Truth refers to “alḗtheia (from 227 /alēthḗs, “true to fact”) – properly, truth (true to fact), reality. [In ancient Greek culture, 225 (alḗtheia) was synonymous for “reality” as the opposite of illusion, i.e. fact.]
(https://biblehub.com/greek/225.htm)

Jesus came full of God’s kindness and reality. This is the basis of the gospel: favor and fact. Do not be confused. It is very simple.

This book contains stories of how Christ dwelt among us. This book is truly one of the greatest love stories ever written!

Buckle up and get ready for the ride of your life!

Be refreshed!

John 1:13

…children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. John 1:13 (NIV)

John 1:12 ends with “the right to be called children of God”. Verse 13 continues, clarifying that this birth is not of flesh and bones (natural descent) but of God (divine).

This verse also makes it clear that this “new birth” is not of human decision but a divine regeneration.

This is so AMAZING!

In spite of our failures and shortcomings, God brings us hope as Christ forgives and the Holy Spirit gives grace.

This is indeed AMAZING GRACE.

“Amazing grace! how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch; like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.”

Lost in my humanity, with no concern or thought of God. Yet, He reached down and grabbed a hold of me.

And this is just the beginning!

“When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we first begun.”

Be refreshed!

John 1:12

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — John 1:12 (NIV)

The act of receiving seems simple enough. You just accept the gift that has been given to you. Believing in His name takes a little more effort.

To believe is to entrust, to have faith. In a sense, it means to persuade oneself. This is not merely an intellectual aspect, as “Even the demons believe – and shudder” (James 2:19). This belief must lead to repentance o be effective.

If these conditions are met, genuine receiving and truly believing, then, and only then, can one be truly adopted into the family and be called a child of God.

“Receiving” and “believing”. How do we do this?

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” — Romans 10:9-10

Declaring with your mouth AND believing in your heart are critical pieces of salvation, which is being reconciled to God. Speech is a physical response to an inward idea. You are simple letting others know what you believe. And believing is internal persuasion.

Have you done this?

What is preventing you?

Let me urge you to take that next step in your walk with Christ.

Accept Him. Believe in His Name.

Surrender to the Godly nudging of the Holy Spirit! Become His child!

Be refreshed!

John 1:11

He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. John 1:11 (NIV)

Jesus not only came to the world and the world did not even recognize Him (John 1:10), he came to His own, and they did not receive Him.

One possibility of this passage is that He came to His own land and his own people did not receive Him. So Jesus comes home and no one receives Him.

The Greek word for “receive” is paralambanó. This word is made up of two words, pará and lambánō. Pará means “close beside” while lambánō means “properly, to lay hold by aggressively (actively) accepting what is available (offered)”. The implication here is that they did not actively accept what was freely offered.

Jesus was among them. He was the fulfillment of the Jewish scriptures, yet they didn’t receive Him.

For one reason or another, God’s own, His chosen people, the nation of Israel, chose NOT to follow Jesus. They had every opportunity and did not.

We are presented with similar opportunities. How do we respond? Do we passively ignore this gift or do we actively receive Christ?

The act of receiving is very personal. You cannot receive for anyone but yourself. I cannot receive Christ for any friends, family, neighbors or anyone else. My task is to help others as they seek Christ. I can help find answers to their questions but they hold sole responsibility for their response.

You may be the only “Jesus” people see! Let them see Him through you!

Be refreshed!

John 1:10

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. John 1:10 (NIV)

“He was in the world”. Christ became God incarnate, God in human flesh. He walked the earth. Pretty amazing that Jesus left his throne in Heaven to interact with His creation.

We read earlier that Christ was Creator, creating EVERYTHING! And yet, the world did not recognize Him.

Jesus becomes man for the sole purpose of saving the world, reuniting God with His fallen children. The irony is that His fallen children did not recognize their Savior nor their need for a savior.

Things have not changed. We do not see the need for “saving”. I remember my life before Christ. I was what you might call an apathiest. I was apathetic when it came to God. I really didn’t give much thought to theology or God. If He existed, that was fine, as long as He didn’t bother me. I was pretty much on my own and I could figure things out.

Things pretty much went along like that until a friend invited me to church. I went but not when he had invited me. I actually showed up the next week.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

I really didn’t know. Now, as I look back, God was drawing me to Himself.

I continued visiting this church, learning more about Jesus. Eventually, I did surrender to God’s calling and put my trust in Him.

I recognized him. I responded to Him.

I repented and resigned my need for control to Him.

Now… I rejoice!

Be refreshed.

John 1:9

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. John 1:9 (NIV)

John was not the Light. Jesus is the true Light. True as in genuine.

The true Light is constant throughout humanity and is not swayed by human conditions or societal norms.

Jesus is Who He is.

Everyone has the opportunity to be enlightened. Not all accept this.

I remember those days when I was searching but Jesus was still a mystery to me. I heard the Truth, yet I did not understand. It wasn’t until I was ready, until I surrendered, that the Light was evident!

“I wandered so aimless, life filed with sin
I wouldn’t let my dear Savior in
Then Jesus came like a stranger in the night
Praise the Lord, I saw the light…” — I Saw The Light – Hank Williams Sr.

That’s pretty much how it happened with me. I was seeking but not finding.

Yet, Jesus was coming. He would remove all darkness, all doubt. Shadows would flee from Him.

Illumination is coming! How will the world respond? We will find out in verse 10.

Be refreshed!

John 1:6

We are introduced to a new character in our reading, John. We will hear more from John as we read but this verse is significant.

“There was a man sent from God…” This is really cool! God sent him. He was God’s man for this place and time, chosen and set apart. Wouldn’t it be wonderful that when they write our story, they would use words like “sent by God”! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our lives reflected Jesus in a way that when people see us walking toward them, they think of us as being “sent by God”! And wouldn’t it be wonderful if it pleased God to know that people thought of us as being “sent by God”!

“…whose name was John.” John was a common name. It is from the Hebrew word: Yhowchanan which means Jehovah-favored or, literally, “the LORD has been gracious”. It is interesting that “grace” would precede Jesus. That’s how God operates. Grace is a pillar of the Christian faith. To many, this John’s last name is “theBaptist”. This is the cousin of Jesus. He is the precursor to Jesus.

Again, more to come about John.

This prompts me to think of how I will be remembered. Will it be obvious that I was “sent by God”? Will I have a title associated with me like “the Baptist”? So much to reflect on in these few words.

Lord, help us to live and walk in Your Spirit today so others will see You in and through us. Amen!

Be refreshed!

John 1:5

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5 (NIV)

We learned in verse 4 that Jesus is the Light.

This verse tells us that Jesus shines in the darkness. What is the darkness? This could mean the cold, wicked hearts of the lost. Jesus has come to open their eyes and illuminate their souls to the glory of God!

Great plan with best intentions but “the darkness has not overcome it”. This phrase is interpreted differently in different translations. The Greek word used here is “katelaben” which means “to lay hold of”. Some translations render “overcome” as “comprehend” or “grasp”.

The idea of this verse is that Jesus has come into the world to enlighten people and they don’t understand Him. This seems to be a spiritual hurdle. Jesus spoke clearly but they couldn’t understand. Perhaps they did not want to understand.

I remember my life before Christ. I really didn’t want anything to do with Him. Looking back, He was shining in my life but I chose to look the other way. He is patient and He was with me. Eventually, the scales fell from my eyes and I began to understand Him. My walk has been marked with continual growth and understanding ever since.

We need to be patient as we interact with those around us. We are all on a journey. Some are further along in their quest for God and understanding. We need to pause and reach out to those who are not as far along as we are. No judgment, just a helping hand and a prayerful heart.

As you walk, I hope you find these words refreshing!

John 1:4

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. John 1:4 (NIV)

In the previous verse, we read that Jesus made all things. The verse establishes that Jesus is life. Later, Jesus will say: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me…” (John 14:6)

He is life. Physical and spiritual life.

This verse also connects Jesus to another moniker: the Light. Later, Jesus will expand on this:

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

While I am in the world, I am the light of the world. John 9:5

So, in the first few verses of John, we have learned that Jesus is: God, eternal, the Word, part of the triune Godhead, Creator, Life and Light!

He is worthy of our praise!

There is so much more to learn! Thank you for joining me!

Be refreshed!