Tag: application of john

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John 1:1-5 In the Beginning

  • Book: Gospel of John
  • Author: John, a disciple of Jesus
  • Date written: approx 85-95 A.D.
  • Purpose: To show that Jesus is the Son of God and that all who believe in Him will receive eternal life.

 

 

John 1:1-5  1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  2He was in the beginning with God.  3All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  5And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (NAS)

Observations 

v1-3   At first glance, John  seems to describe the “Word” as an object, but as he continues, the “Word” expands to include personhood when John adds the  pronoun “He”.  For a fuller understanding of what John means by “Word”, it helps to look at the Greek.  The Greek word used here for “word” is logos and means universal or divine reason.  To a Greek philosopher, logos meant the divine reason or essence which gives order and meaning to the universe.  The Jews had a similar concept. Word (dabar) was often referred to as an agent of creation (Gen 1:3, Ps 33:6), but also as God’s message through the prophets to Israel, and as God’s perfect and holy standard (Ps 18:30, Ps 119:9,11,130). John (God) chose the word logos, which contains this idea of divinity that both Greeks and Jews alike would understand.

John begins to describe who this “Word” is.  In verse 1, he uses location and person – “the Word was with God in the beginning and the Word was God”. John equates the “Word” with God, and the “Word” immediately takes on identity or personhood. In verse 3, the “Word” broadens even further to include Creator. Anything that has ever been made was created by God.

We can reasonably deduce the following from verses 1-3:

  • The Word/God existed before any thing was created
  • There seems to be 2 entities,  when John says “the Word was with God”
  • Both entities are called God
  • God created everything that exists
  • God is not a created thing (self-existing)

Throughout scripture, God reveals that He is eternal. God has no beginning and no end. God is infinite–a difficult concept to fully wrap one’s mind around.   In Exodus 3, God told Moses that His name is “I AM WHO I AM”. This phrase translated in Hebrew, ehyeh asher ehyeh, and is the first person common singular of the verb to be. In essence, God is saying that He simply is, containing past, present and future, similar to Revelation 4:8 when God  is referred to as the Almighty, the One who is, who was, and who is to come. 

v4,5  John continues to describe the Word, saying that in Him was life. Since God is eternal, He is the source of eternal life.  John then equates “life” with “light” of men.  What is this “light of men”?  The Greek word for light is phōs and means light, but also means truth, knowledge,  reason, power of understanding, especially as it relates to moral and spiritual truth.  Therefore, God is the source of all truth and imparts this truth to mankind.   We will see later, in verse 14, that the Word is God in human flesh, Jesus Christ.

What does John mean when he says that this light shined in the darkness but the darkness did not comprehend it? We know that Jesus referred to Himself as “the Truth”, that He came to earth to bring moral and spiritual truth and was rejected. The Jews could not accept or understand that Jesus was the Messiah.  Those that lack understanding are said to be in darkness.   The Greek word used in this verse for darkness is skotia, meaning a lack of moral and spiritual clarity or understanding.  Therefore, those who reject Jesus, reject God’s eternal life and eternal truth, remaining in a state of moral and spiritual darkness.

NOTE:  When John wrote this gospel, gnosticism was prevalent.  Gnosticism was a system of thought that held all matter is evil, all that is non-material or spiritual is good, and that God is unknowable. The fact that God created all material things would have been shocking and unthinkable to a gnostic as well as to a Greek.  To a Jew, it would have been blasphemous for a human to call Himself God.  It was startling and offensive to many cultures and people of this time period…and still today.

Application

1.) One of the most incredible things about the bible is that not only does it teach us how to live, but the bible teaches us who we are.  These verses tell us that we, and all things, have been created by God.    If this is so, He is a being of great power, intellect and beauty.  Psalm 19:1 tells us, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.”  Just as the heavens reflect who God is, we also reflect our Creator.  Our gifts of music, intellect, mathematics, philosophy, art, etc. all contain the fingerprints of God. This should immediately shrink our pride, for everything that we are has been given to us.  What we do with it, is our gift to Him.

2.) If God created the entire universe, then nothing is too difficult for him, including all of our questions, doubts, complexities, and trials.  He is far bigger than any problem we face.  2,000+ years ago He came to show us what the truth is and the pathway to eternal life.  His desire then is the same now.  He wants to know you, to impart truth to you, and to give you eternal life.  

3.) The metaphor of Jesus being light is a beautiful one.  To anyone who has ever planted a garden, knows light is essential for life.  Without light, there is no life, no growth, only death. Jesus brings life and light (truth) into our lives.  One of light’s characteristics is revelation.  Light reveals what is really there.  When you walk through a darkened room, you do not walk with confidence and trip over unseen obstacles.  But when light floods the room, you walk with confidence avoiding the obstacles.  So it is with Jesus.  When we know and follow Jesus, his truth is like a light that shines ahead of us, helping us find our way.

4.) When Jesus’ light penetrates the darkness in our hearts,  it reveals who we really are.  We are sinners.  But He doesn’t want us to remain there. He then beckons us to turn from the darkness to Him.  He wants to give us a relationship with Himself.  He points us to the truth, which will set us free.  What is the truth?  That we are sinners,  in need of a savior.  We cannot pay the debt we owe to God.  But Jesus came to die on a cross, thereby paying our debt in full.  That is what He meant by His last words, “It is finished.”  The debt has been paid.  

If you have specific questions or wish to further research topics related to the eternal nature of God, creation, the Trinity, etc., please feel free to contact me and/or visit the website, www.gotquestions.org.  This site is an excellent resource for questions and further research.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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John 1:14-18 The Word Became Flesh

John 1:14-18   

14And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me [c]has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’” 16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth [f]were realized through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

Observations

14And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory [glory=doxa=divine qualities; manifestations of God], glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. According to John,  the “Word” (Jesus) came to earth to live with us as a human – in the flesh.  Let that sink in for a moment.  The God who created the universe, matter, space, time -everything, decided to become a human, so that He could live with us.  He was  divine as well as human.  Jesus is the only God-man that ever walked the earth.  That He would draw close to us, sinners, is amazingly beautiful and sobering at the same time.  We needed saving.  He willingly came to save us.  Sobering.

While Jesus was on Earth, in the flesh, we were able to get a glimpse of what God is like.  We were able to see His glory, His splendor.  The Greek word for glory is doxa.  Doxa means an especially divine quality, a manifestation of God, or splendor.  By watching what Jesus did, and listening to what He said, we get a direct revelation of what God is really like.  Hebrews 1 puts it beautifully, “He [Jesus] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. ”  In other words, Jesus is the exact mirror image of God Himself.

(John refers to Jesus as “the only begotten”. The Greek word  for only begotten is monogenés and means ‘one-and-only’ of its kind or in simpler terms – unique.  John is saying there was only one man on earth that was also God; this one of a kind God-man, is Jesus.)

John’s description of Jesus says that He was overflowing with grace and truth.  What does this mean? To say that someone is filled with grace means they exude kindness, blessing, and favor. In regards to the Greek word for truth, alethia, means truth, but not merely truth as spoken, but of reality, as it relates to truth in the moral sphere, straightforwardness. So in effect, Jesus is the source of eternal truth, as it relates to all spheres – physical and spiritual truth.

15 John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me [c]has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’”The gospels tell us that John was born approximately 6 months before Jesus, so John is older than Jesus at this time.  When John says that Jesus existed before him, John is making a claim that Jesus is divine, that Jesus existed from long ago.  John understood, or it was revealed to him through the Holy Spirit, that Jesus is God.

16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 

What does John mean when he says that have received ‘fullness’ and ‘grace upon grace’?  The Greek word for fullness is plērōmatos, meaning a full complement, filling or completion.  Therefore, Jesus gives us all that we need, all that is necessary.

17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.

In the Old Testament, God gave the law (10 commandments, law of grain offerings, law of peace offerings, sacrificial laws, etc see Leviticus.)   through Moses to the people of Israel.  The purpose of the law was:

  • to reveal what God was like, to reveal His holy standard
  • to reveal the justice of God-they could not draw near unless an animal died in the place of the sinner
  • to reveal the inability of humankind to follow God’s laws
  • to ultimately reveal their need for a Messiah, for a Savior

The law revealed one main aspect of God’s nature ====justice.  The atonement of Christ revealed another aspect of God’s nature===grace and truth (love, mercy, forgiveness)

Therefore, the New Testament does not mean that God has changed from being a more stern judge, rather, the New Testament adds another facet of who God is, in totality.  He never changes.  The Old Testament simply reflects different aspects of God’s nature than the New Testament.  But both Old and New Testaments are required for a more complete understanding of who God is.

When we look at the cross – we see both of these aspects above.  We see God’s justice – that sin requires death; and we also see the love of God – that He provided the sacrifice that was needed for the atonement of sin.  The cross should make us pause.  Sin is serious to a holy God.  But God, in His great love for us, paid the debt that we owed.  This is incredible.

18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

John uses the Greek word heōraken, which means not only the physical act of seeing, but also involves a mental discernment of what is seen.  So what John is saying is that no one has seen and totally understood God.  Even when Jesus came to earth, that although the bible says He is the exact imprint of God, the bible tells us that Jesus emptied Himself of his glory when He came to earth. What we see are the forms that represent God.

In the Old Testament during the Exodus, God revealed Himself as a pillar of fire at night, and a cloud during the day, to the Israelites.  When they arrived at the base of Mount Sinai and God came down to meet with the people and with Moses, the people were absolutely terrified.  Smoke, lightning, earthquake and darkness veiled the Almighty.  The people begged Moses to meet with God.  They wanted no part in experiencing God face to face.

No one can see God face to face, for His very presence would consume mere humans.  Therefore, God, in His mercy, veils Himself so that we can see a form of Him and survive the experience.  God is similar to a huge diamond containing many facets.  We are allowed to see only a fraction of those facets, and therefore have an incomplete understanding of God.  God gets to choose which of those facets He will reveal and how He reveals them to us.  Right now, we know Him only in part.  Jesus Christ gave allowed us to glimpse many more facets of this beautiful diamond.  Now that Jesus Christ has come to earth and revealed Himself, we have a better understanding of what God is like….but we still do not know Him fully.  Only when we die and meet Him face to face, will we have our the fullest understanding of who God really is.

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John 2:13-23 Jesus Cleanses The Temple

13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.  

23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. 24 But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25 and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.

Observations

Jewish males were required to travel to Jerusalem for the three pilgrim festivals (Passover, Shavuot/Pentecost and Succoth (aka Tabernacles, Booths, Tents).  Jesus made the trip at least 3 times during His ministry.  This was his first.

There were two groups of people that Jesus was angry with: the money changers and the merchants selling sacrificial animals.  It was against Jewish law to accept coins containing other gods or emperors, so the money changers would exchange foreign coins from visitors at an exorbitant profit.

Many Jews and visitors did not bring sacrificial animals on their journey and therefore needed to purchase animals at the temple. Merchants selling the sacrificial animals would sell “approved” animals at very high prices or claim the worshiper’s animal unfit, thereby forcing the worshiper to purchase.  Jesus was angered by those in the temple taking advantage of the poor and foreigners.  This was strictly forbidden in the Mosaic law (see Exodus 22:21 and Leviticus 19:34).

Jewish historian Josephus estimated that 3,000,000 people on average, attended Passover.  Conservatively, if there were 12 people per family,  there would be 250,000 lambs sacrificed during Passover.  This is big business for the temple. Jesus caused quite a stir, by removing the unscrupulous merchants and money changers profiting from the worshipers.

Application

1) Jesus’ reverence for the Father, the temple, and the worshipers produced righteous anger toward those who were profiting financially from the worship of God.  Jesus’ example of righteous anger should cause us to pause and reflect on those things that anger us.

What situations make us angry?  Bad drivers, traffic jams, unkind people, children that misbehave, an overbearing boss, demanding parents, a critical spouse or friend?  All of these things, while valid, matter little compared to our brothers and sisters worshiping and praying in secret, those persecuted for simply being a Christian, for the millions that are starved by dictatorships, the many babies aborted each year, the multitude of people groups who have never heard the name of Jesus?  Do these things cause us righteous anger?   Matters of eternal significance involving His kingdom should loom large over our earthly concerns.

2)  By driving out the money changers and merchants, Jesus purified the temple.  When we become believers, the Holy Spirit enters our bodies, and begins to cleanse us.  He lives in us and begins to transform us into the image of Christ.  He is not content with leaving us as we are.  He is interested in turning our worry into trust, our materialism into generosity, our critical nature into an encouraging spirits.

What does it look like to be a willing participant in this transformation?  We humbly agree with God about our sin instead of clinging to the justifications or excuses for our sin.  We invite the Holy Spirit to help us, to strengthen us against giving in to temptation, we confess our sin, we pray, we turn to the Word, memorizing and studying scripture, which empowers and strengthens us.  The Holy Spirit is in charge of this purification.  But we can either fight against it or humble ourselves.

18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”  21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

Of course the temple priests, the merchants, and the money changers were outraged.  They demanded a sign to prove Jesus’ authority.  Jesus’ response is incredible and understandable only to us who are on this side of the resurrection.  Jesus is saying that the sign that would prove His authority would be His resurrection.  When Jesus rose from the dead,  this would prove that He had was the Messiah, God in the flesh.  Everyone, including his disciples, thought Jesus was speaking literally about the physical temple.  But Jesus was speaking spiritually and it was only after Jesus had risen, they finally understood what Jesus meant.

Application

Jesus’ resurrection shows that Jesus has the utmost authority given to Him by God.  The fact that Jesus rose from the dead proved His miracles were real and that He is who He claimed to be: God in the flesh.  Praise be to God!  Jesus rose from the dead, to live forevermore and He gives us the gift of eternal life as well.  Do not let another day go by without seeking to know Him and to love Him.  He alone is worthy.  Keep these truths in the foreground of your daily thought life, knowing that the power that rose Jesus from the dead lies within you. (Romans 8:11)

23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. 24 But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25 and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.

The signs that Jesus performed while He was in Jerusalem for Passover must have been spectacular, convincing.  John tells us that many believed in His name.

Throughout the gospel of John, Jesus consistently acts in ways which glorify the Father.  The many miracles that Jesus performed pointed people to the Father and backed up His claim that He was the Messiah, God in the flesh.  It is one thing for someone to preach powerfully, but then, if  his words are backed up by powerful miracles, these miracles add authority to his message.  This was the case with Jesus.

Because of these miraculous signs, many did put their believe in Jesus, as the Messiah.  But these verses punctuate an important truth about Jesus.  Jesus knew how fickle man’s faith could be.  Some of the very people that were putting their faith in Jesus this day, would eventually cry “Crucify him!” later.  But these people whose hearts were evil, are the very ones He came to die for.

Application

Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things
and desperately sick; who can understand it?”  The truth is Jesus understands our human hearts.  He did not place trust in humans because He knows our faith waivers and that we are weak.  Instead, Jesus always looked to and trusted in the Father.

It is comforting to know that Jesus came to earth to save wretched sinners like us.  He knew before He came to earth what type of creatures He was coming to save.  He did not come to save the healthy and strong.  He came to save sinners.  We have done NOTHING to deserve His love.  But He lavishes us with it anyway, offering us eternal life if we believe in Him.  We need to preach this to ourselves every day.

 

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John 3:18-21 Commentary

18 “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 “For everyone who  does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

Application

John 3:18   Jesus tells us that whoever believes in Him will not be judged.  The Greek word for ‘believes’ is pisteuo which means to think something is true, to be persuaded, to place confidence in.  Jesus is saying that if you are persuaded that Jesus is who He claims, that He is the Son of God, that His death on the cross paid for your sin, then you will not be judged.  His sacrifice, His blood, pays the debt that all of us owe.
God has provided a single way for us to be saved.  If you reject Jesus as the Savior, then there is simply no other way for you to be with the Father. God the Father has decided how you must come.   God didn’t have to save us at all.  It is a cosmic pardon that the Father offers to us.  This is a quite sobering judgement.  It is horrifying that we incur God’s judgement by rejecting the Son.  In verse 19, Jesus  equates judgement with the Light (Jesus) that came into the world.  If we are offered Light (the Son) and we reject Him, we remain in darkness.  Judgement is brought upon yourself when you reject the only way that God has provided to be saved.  If there is only one cure for cancer and you reject it because you do not like the taste of the medicine, the result is still death.
Our desires for freedom – political, personal or sexual,  can become idols and we begin to worship ourselves. There cannot be two kings on the throne.  When we elevate personal pleasure and freedom above God’s will and His desires for our life, slavery to sin is the result.  Therefore, dying to ourselves is perhaps the biggest challenge in pursuing a relationship with God.  Dying to ourselves may be difficult but it is the door that leads to abundant life. God and self cannot be masters at the same time.  One will ultimately reign.
Verse 19-21  Men love the darkness rather than the Light and prefer evil rather than than good.  The word used for ‘exposed’ is elegcho, which means to be chastened, admonished or convicted, with possible punishment.  Most of use know inherently when something is right or wrong, good or bad.  We tend to hide or keep secret the things we are not proud of.  The things we know are good or moral, we share unhesitatingly.  Our consciences are our moral barometer.  But if one ignores the conscience, it becomes less and less of a barometer, until it no longer functions.  A non-functioning conscience has disastrous implications morally, spiritually and physically.
Verse 20 describes the person that seeks the truth, that seeks God and what pleases Him.  This person comes into the light not fearing, but instead confident that all of his deeds have their focus and root in God.  A free conscience leads to peace with God.  When you practice truth, you are in agreement with God.  Your behavior reveals who your master is.
What do you spend your money on?
How do you spend the majority of your time?
What do you daydream about?
What do you talk about at work or with friends?
What kind of movies do you watch?
What books do you read?
What songs do you listen to?
Every action reveals something about what we love or who our master is.  Therefore be aware and on guard because we are in a spiritual battle.  The Lord beckons us to leave the darkness behind, flee from sin, and step into the light.  More peace is found in the Light than in any earthly pleasure.
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