John 1:14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us

And the Word became 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.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us  The greatest story ever told - His-story - might be summarized by several key events; among which are: the creation, the fall, the flood, the blessing of Abraham, the exodus, the Promised Land, the Kingdom, the captivity, the return, the incarnation, the cross, the resurrection and ascension, the Church, and the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

But of all these works of God, none is more miraculous, and none is more essential to our salvation than the incarnation of the Son of God.  The miracle of the God-man is admittedly a mystery to man; as is written in 1st Timothy 3:16:

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:

God was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles,
Believed on in the world,
Received up in glory.

 

And yet this mystery must be received by faith; for without this truth we would stand opposed to the will of God and remain alienated from His kingdom.  John was so concerned that the incarnation would be misunderstood and miss-taught that he wrote in his first epistle:

 

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.  By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. - 1st John 4:1-3

But in spite of John's admonition, some who profess to follow Christ have wildly misinterpreted these opening verses and have taught that the Word who was God in the first two verses of John's gospel, is not that same Word who became flesh in the fourteenth verse.  And by utterly removing the Word from the context of this section - this chapter - even this entire gospel, they conclude that God was not manifested in the flesh.

These false confessors propose that instead of referring to Jesus - in the introduction to this gospel about Jesus, that the Word represents the general wisdom of God.  They would say that God's Wisdom was with God in the beginning, as if we need to be informed that God had His wits about Him during the work of creation.  Whereas in fact, this insidious scheme to separate the Son from the Godhead springs from a wicked desire to make Jesus less equal with God, in the hope that created man might become more equal with God.

By prying Jesus apart from the Godhead these usurpers desire to imitate Christ in a hostile manner that would strip from Him the title of Only Begotten,.   They dilute the lordship of Christ, reducing the One who is holy and set apart to one who is merely common  among men.  They imagine that they have discovered the way for their personal advancement into a fantasy world of their own creation.  Through this delusion they seek to become gods themselves - having fallen once again to Satan's enticement, that "your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God."

 

Still others have insisted that the deity of the Son so overshadowed the biological aspect of Christ that Jesus was without (or above) human nature.  This too is an incorrect assumption, which nevertheless was supported by Eastern Mysticism and Classical Greek philosophy.   Docetism - from the Greek word, to seem, promoted the idea that the Son of God only seemed to inhabit a material body as a kind of phantom.  The Platonic philosophy of dualism (the belief that spirit is good and matter is evil) added support to this misconception.

But in fact, it was necessary for the Son to come in the flesh, and to suffer and die in the flesh, to pay for our sins committed in the flesh; as the following verses from Hebrews attest.

For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. - Hebrews 2:18

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. - Hebrews 4:15

and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father  The deity of Jesus would be certified by John the Baptist, attested by miracles, confirmed by the fulfillment of prophecies, and affirmed by the resurrection and the subsequent outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  But Jesus also took for Himself twelve Disciples who would walk, work, eat and drink with Him.  And these twelve, also called the Apostles, would be His witnesses.

Later in this gospel we will find Jesus clearly stating His deity in this reply to Philip:

Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?  The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves." - John 14:9-11

And Peter bears witness to Christ's glorious transfiguration - accompanied by the voice of the Father from heaven; once again proving both the unity and distinction of the Father and Son of the Godhead.

For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.  For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."  And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain
 
And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. - 2nd Peter 1:16-21

full of grace and truth.  Jesus is truly full of grace and truth.  We will learn more about grace later in this chapter, but it is sufficient for now to understand that it denotes - obtaining the favor of God.  And Jesus is true.  For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." - Romans 10:11.  You will never regret placing your faith in the One who can bring the favor of God upon your life; upon your soul.  Has the morning star arisen in your heart?  Will you believe the testimony of the eye witnesses who beheld His glory; who spent their lives telling others; who suffered and died because of the truth they had seen with their own eyes?

Who wouldn't want to believe that God loves them so much that He would send His Son into the world to save them?  This is the grace of God, and it is true!

John 1:2,3 All things were made through Him

He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

He was in the beginning with God.  John restates the fact that the Son of God was present with the Father at the time of creation.  This second verse is not meant to convey any new information, but it is rather an affirmation or logical conclusion to the first verse.  It might be prefaced with the thought, {Because it has been shown from the evidence presented in the first verse, therefore we understand that} "He was in the beginning with God."

This syllogism takes the form:

The Word pre-existed the beginning.

The Word and the Father abide together and both are God.

Therefore, He [the Word] was in the beginning with God.

All things were made through Him.  Jesus is the Lord of creation.  The celestial bodies were created by Jesus, as credited by Hebrews 1:1,2:  God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds. - Hebrews 1:1,2

All things; both all created things in the physical cosmos, and all created things in the spiritual realm.  The Apostle Paul states in Colossians 1:15-17:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.  All things were created through Him and for Him.  And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

All people, plants, places, and things; all angelic beings, principalities, spiritual authorities, heavenly creatures, heavenly places, and the ornamentations thereof; all were created through Him.  And just to make sure that it is understood that no created thing exists apart from the Son's direct involvement, John adds:

 

and without Him nothing was made that was made.  The entire work of creation was undertaken through the Son.  And without Him nothing was made that was made.  This truth prohibits any misconception that the Son Himself could be a work of creation.  For either Jesus is eternally begotten, and not made; or else, He would have had to make Himself.  Verse Three simply makes it impossible to acknowledge the existence of Jesus and to deny that He is set apart as Co-Creator; the eternal Son of the eternal Godhead.

This equality of the Son with the Father was prophesied by Isaiah:

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. - Isaiah 9:6

Paul records in his continued description of Christ in Colossians 2:9: For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.  And of Christ's humility in taking on bodily form to save us, Paul writes, Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. - Philippians 2:5-8

As we continue through the Gospel of John we will see that Jesus' words and works testified to His identity as the Son of God.  Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. - John 5:18

Correctly understanding the deity of Jesus is so important that John opens his gospel by devoting these first three verses to the concise yet sufficient declaration of Christ's true identity.  John's purpose for writing this gospel is that the reader might come to know and believe in Jesus.  Near the end of his book, John writes; And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. - John 20:30,31

All of the treasures of real life are in Christ.  In John 17:3 Jesus prayed, And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.  And knowing Jesus begins with knowing who Jesus is.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

 

John begins his gospel account by identifying its central figure; the Lord Jesus Christ.  This first verse contains both a general description of Christ as the declaration of the message, and a concise statement establishing the deity of the Son of God.

 

John's use of the Word to denote the person of Jesus is not unusual in the collection of John's writings.  He begins his first epistle by referring to Jesus as the Word of life . . . "the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us."

In the original manuscripts, the Word is the Greek word "Logos", and can be expressed as a "saying", or even as a "message".  The word "logos" is used to account, designate, or classify.  It is also the root of the Greek words; to reckon, and to consider.  By designating Jesus as the Word, John infers that Jesus encompasses the whole saying, the entire account, the complete story; even the Messenger of Malachi 3:1b:

And the Lord, whom you seek,
Will suddenly come to His temple,
Even the Messenger of the covenant,
In whom you delight.
Behold, He is coming,”
Says the Lord of hosts.

Furthermore, by substituting the Word as a pseudonym instead of naming Jesus directly, John is expressing reverence for the person of Jesus; consistent with the custom of the Jews in referring to God as "the Name."  The recent discovery of Greek New Testament manuscripts reveals that for at least the first three centuries of the Church, the Christian scribes used three and four character abbreviations for the words; Jesus, Christ, Son of God, and even Son of man.

In the beginning was the Word.   John bears witness of the eternality of the Son of God.  Jesus already was, that is; He already existed at the time of the beginning.  Within the next several verses John will establish that the beginning is the very beginning of creation.

The Word was with God, and the Word was God.  Here is expressed together the individuality and the unity of the Godhead.  The Father and the Son are both distinct, and yet they are One.  The mystery of the plurality and unity of God is recognized in the opening verses of Genesis.  Let Us make man in Our image, in accordance with Our likeness.  The Old Testament includes further references to the Son of God.

From the Second Psalm vs 7-12:

I will declare the decree:
The Lord has said to Me,
"You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel."

Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear,

And rejoice with trembling,

Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

 

Proverbs 30:4d:

Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is His Son’s name,
If you know?

 

So in this first verse of John's Gospel we have established that Jesus is the living Word of God, that He is very God of very God, eternally co-existent with the Father, and yet distinct in His own Person.