Jesus is God (John 1a)

John 1:1-18
Key verse 1:18

The early church faced two enormous pressures. One was persecution from outside and the other was heresy from inside. The persecution wreaked havoc on the church but it also helped the church to grow strong and pure. However, heresy greatly endangered the church and the issues were mainly centered on who Jesus is: Is Jesus a human, or a divine human, or a lesser God, or the same as God? Even bishops taught different ideas about Jesus and some teachings were heretical. For example, Arius, the bishop in Alexandria, Egypt, argued that Jesus was more than human but he was a created being by God and had no deity in him. Such heretic ideas about Jesus mushroomed and then finally were cleared at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, which confirmed that Jesus is God. However, that did not mean the church is safe from heretic teachings. Satan has always tempted believers with wrong or twisted ideas on Jesus to destroy people. Even some Christians are agnostic because of their lack of knowledge of Jesus. So it is very important to correctly know who Jesus is. I believe that sound understanding of Jesus is the key to our healthy and fruitful Christian life. In that respect, I am happy that we have an opportunity to study the book of John because it is an excellent book to learn about who Jesus is, Christology. The title of my message is “He had made God known.”

The book of John is the fourth gospel. Today’s passage is the prologue of the book. This passage introduces the Word that came into the world and some main themes developed later in the rest of the book, such as life, light, the truth, God’s children, and the rejection of Jesus. This passage serves as the summary of the entire book and also as the thematic passage for the rest of the book. Today we are going to speak mainly about the origin of Jesus, his incarnation, and its meaning. I pray that we may all know who Jesus really is and stand firm on faith in him.

Jesus is God

“1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.”

This book begins with a declaration that there was the Word in the beginning. This verse reminds us of God’s creation in the book of Genesis, which begins with the words, “In the beginning…” “In the beginning” here, however, seems to refer to eternity rather than the beginning time when the universe was created. So we can say that in eternity was the Word. What is the Word then?

The original word for the Word is logos (λόγος), which was a word commonly used in ancient time. But it was understood and used differently by various groups of people. The Stoics understood logos as the Cause of everything, including material, reason, and soul. Those who were influenced by Plato’s dualism used the term as the primal man, which all human beings derived from but had no distinct personality. The author uses the same term they are familiar with to explain that logos is actually God’s word that created the universe in the beginning as shown in Genesis 1. In other words, the Word is God’s divine self-expression that carries creation power and wisdom.

Let’s see how the Word was related to God. The Word was with God. The word “with” means not only being together but also mutual interaction. Verse 2 also reads that he (not it) was with God in the beginning. That means that the Word is not stuff but a personal being. So the Word was a personal being, very closely interacting with God. And at the same time the Word was God! In other words, the Word is both God’s divine self-expression and God himself. And as we will see soon, the Word came into the world and he is Jesus Christ. (14, 17) In 10:30, Jesus himself said, “I and the Father are one.”

“3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.“

As already alluded in verse 1, Jesus created all things in the beginning. Nothing was made without him. He is the Creator God. Col 1:16-17 read,

“16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

As such, in verses 1-3, John declares that Jesus existed through eternity with God and he is God who created the universe.

Many people have tried to explain who he is, and some came up with some strange ideas about. Some say that Jesus is more than human but not God. Some others say that Jesus is a little God. But the Bible clearly declares that Jesus is God. When you do not believe this, you will fall into heresy. In fact, we can’t reason and explain how Jesus is both a separate divine being and God himself because he is God and we are his creations. So the Bible tries not to explain all this to us. Rather, it simply declares the truth that Jesus is God. Let’s read verse 1 again with confidence.

“1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Jesus shines in the darkness

4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.  

In him was life. This refers back to his creation in verses 1-3. This life was the life whereby all living things came into beings. And that life was the light of mankind. Light helps us see, know, and discern things. Likewise the life in him enlightened mankind to know and understand things about God so that they could live as God desired.

5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The light still shines to mankind. But note that mankind is now described as the darkness. That implies that mankind is no longer what they were in the beginning. Mankind has lost the life and thus the light and then has become dark. How come? Rom 1:21 reads,

“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

Humankind refused to serve God as their God. Instead, they tried to be his own god. As a result, their thinking became futile and their hearts were darkened. They lost beautiful things God created in them, such love, mercy, holiness, and fear of God. Instead, their mind was depraved and filled with lust, wickedness, greed, envy, murder, strife, deceit, arrogance, and malice. They totally get lost in darkness.

Though the light still shines on the world, it has not overcome it. In view of physics, darkness is the absence of light. In that sense, darkness cannot overcome light. However, the word “overcome” has another meaning, which is to understand or comprehend. In the context of the book of John, it is more appropriate to say that humankind does not understand the light. Later, in verses 10 and 11, it is rephrased as recognize and receive.

In 8:12; 12:46, Jesus claimed that he is the light of the world. So the light that shines in the darkness ultimately refers to Jesus. He gives humankind light so that they can have life from him. But sadly they do not understand him. So God sent John as a witness to the light.

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

John was the forerunner of Jesus who made a way for him and served as the first witness to Jesus. His mission was to testify about Jesus so that people might believe in him.

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

Some people thought that John might be the light because his message was so powerful that many people repented and were baptized. But he was not the light. As mentioned earlier, he was the man God sent to witness Jesus. Jesus is the true light because only he is the life and gives light to humankind and he came into the world.

10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

Now he came into the world and he was in the world. But the world he did not know him. He came to his own but his own did not receive him. His own may refer to his people; that is, the Jews. But surprisingly they rejected Jesus. (12:37-40) As mentioned earlier in verse 3, the darkness did not understand the light. They refused to believe in him and still remained in darkness.

12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

Sadly, people did not recognize or receive Jesus. Yet some people received him and believed in him. To such people, Jesus gave the right to become children of God. You can’t be children of God because your family is noble or rich. You can’t be children of God even if you wanted to be. The right to be children of God is a gift of God. Only when you believe in Jesus, by his grace God adopts you as his children. Being children of God means that God will impart eternal life to you. That is the main purpose of the book of John as he says in 20:31,

“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Jesus came into the world as light so that people may believe in him and have life. Then how did he come into the world? What does it mean to us?

Jesus has made God known

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.

Now the Word appears again here. The Word is the Creator God and he came into the world. How? He became flesh as a human! This was a stunning statement. It was unthinkable that the creator became like his creation. Why did the Creator God become flesh like us? It was because he wanted to make his dwelling among us. “Made his dwelling” means to pitch his tent. This reminds us of God’s dwelling in the tent among Israel. In Exodus 25:8, God said to Moses, “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.” Then he dwelt in the tent among Israel. It was God’s grace that they had God living with them. But because of his holiness, only a few people could enter the tent. Because of their sinfulness, his dwelling among Israel was limited though he desired to come near his people.

But this time he came into the world as flesh. And he is Jesus, the one and only Son. The author and many believers saw him, touched him, walked with him, ate with him, and he himself spoke to them face to face. The new way was opened for everyone to access God freely and unlimitedly through Jesus. They saw God living among them. They came to believe that Jesus is the incarnate God. So Peter confessed that Jesus is the Son of the living God. (Matt 16:16) After touching Jesus’ crucifixion marks on his body, Thomas confessed to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” (20:28) In the early centuries, Docetism argued that Jesus only seemed to be human so they denied Jesus’ incarnation. But indeed Jesus is a complete human and God at the same time. They saw the glory of God through human Jesus the one and only Son of God. In the human Jesus, they saw the glory of God, full of grace and truth.

Scholars say that the phrase “grace and truth” may come from what God proclaimed when he showed a glimpse of his glory to Moses. (D.A Carson) He said, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” (Ex 34:6) The Israelites made the covenant with God at Mount Sinai. But immediately they broke the covenant by making an idol for themselves. He got angry at them to the point where he was about to destroy them. Yet he did not break his covenant with them though they did. Rather, he forgave the Israelites and continued to be with them as he had promised. He is full of love and faithfulness. He was not like any other gods, who were capricious. He was not like human who was unfaithful.

Here the word love and faithfulness are translated as grace and truth in the book of John. They saw these God’s unique characters in Jesus. And through Jesus they saw grace and truth - God’s dwelling in flesh among man regardless of their unfaithfulness, arrogance, and unbelief. This was clearly shown when Jesus was crucified. Jesus said on the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” His incarnation and his life on earth fully and perfectly manifested grace and truth of God. This is ineffable grace and truth. Therefore we know that the Word surely came in flesh and he was God.

15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”)

John’s testimony in verses 6-8 is the general introduction of the Word as the light whereas his testimony here is about “him” the incarnation of the Word. We will see details of his testimony in 1:27,30.

16 Out of his fullness, we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Verse 14 describes the glory of God manifest in the incarnate Words as the fullness of grace and truth. Here in verse 16 John says about what we have received from his fullness. We have all received grace in place of grace already given, which is also translated as “grace upon grace” in other English Bible translations. Either way, it is appropriate to understand this in view of verse 17. The law was given through Moses, which enabled us to see the glimpse of God’s glory, which was grace. Now it is more gracious that grace and truth came through Jesus and we can see God fully. The grace given through Jesus is the final, definitive revelation of God, which supersedes the old one. In other words, through Jesus we can see God and know him without ambiguity and fuzziness. Amen!

18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

This last verse explains more about verse 17 and concludes this passage in parallel with verse 1. No one has ever seen God. Moses and a few people saw a glimpse of God’s glory but not directly saw God because God is holy. No one can survive if they see God. So no one ever saw the fullness of grace and truth in God. But now we can see God and know him through Jesus because he has revealed God in a full, complete, and ultimate way. He has fully demonstrated and explained to us who God is. It is because Jesus is the one and only Son of God who sees and knows God, and he himself is God. Jesus said, “No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father.” (6:46) “…Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father…” (14:9)

Who else can reveal God fully and perfectly? Only Jesus! It is because Jesus is God.

In today’s passage, we have learned that Jesus is God and by coming into the word in the flesh he has fully revealed God to man. All ideas and thoughts that deny or twist the truth that Jesus is God and he has fully revealed God to humankind, are heresies and cults. Such things destroy your souls. The book of Hebrews spoke to those who once believed in Jesus and then went back to Judaism or sought for something else other than Jesus.  Heb 1:2-3 say,

“2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word...”

Jesus is God. Today God speaks to us through him. He is the only one who has made God fully known to us. This is the most important truth about Jesus. If you stand firm on this belief, you will be given the right to be children of God and will have life in you. Jesus said, “I am the light. I am the resurrection and the life. I am the way. I am the truth.” We will learn more about his as we study the gospel of John.

Let’s praise God who came into the world in flesh and revealed himself to humankind so that we may believe in him and become his children and have life. Let’s pray that we may know more of Jesus and truly have his light and life in us.

By David Yun