Judges 11:29-12:15; John 1:1-18; Psalms 101:4-8; Proverbs 22:7
NT: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it… He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth… Indeed, we have all received grace upon grace from his fullness, for the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father’s side — he has revealed him.” (John 1:1-5, 10-14, 16-18 CSB)
The Apostle John himself gave the reason for writing his gospel account in John 20:31, “But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” Unlike the other gospels that begin with the life of Jesus, John’s gospel begins at the beginning of life itself. Genesis begins with, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth… Then God said, Let there be light,” and there was light. John takes us back to that very same scene and explains that the Word that was present with God… the Word that was spoken to create light and life, was the Son of God. God the Father willed to create, and the Word that expressed that will was (and is) God the Son. All things were created by God’s Word… they were spoken into existence – and nothing of life and light has been created apart from the Word. In fact, the Word IS life and the Word IS light… and anyone who receives the Word of God, receives life and light. The Word – God the Son – became flesh and was born into humanity as Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah. Jesus, being the Word – the very expression of God the Father, fully revealed the Father to humanity. No one has ever seen God, but according to Jesus, if we have seen Him, we have seen the Father. To know Jesus is to know God… and to receive Jesus fully is to receive the fullness of life and light, grace and truth.
Jamie Hicks 