December 2, 2024

Jesus has always been God's plan A.

John 1:1-18

Andrew Templeton
Monday's Devo

December 2, 2024

Monday's Devo

December 2, 2024

Big Book Idea

God with us.

Key Verse | John 1:1, 14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:1-18

The Word Became Flesh

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, 1 1:4 Or was not any thing made. That which has been made was life in him and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, 2 1:11 Greek to his own things; that is, to his own domain, or to his own people and his own people 3 1:11 People is implied in Greek did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son 4 1:14 Or only One, or unique One from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 5 1:16 Or grace in place of grace 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, 6 1:18 Or the only One, who is God; some manuscripts the only Son who is at the Father's side, 7 1:18 Greek in the bosom of the Father he has made him known.

Footnotes

[1] 1:4 Or was not any thing made. That which has been made was life in him
[2] 1:11 Greek to his own things; that is, to his own domain, or to his own people
[3] 1:11 People is implied in Greek
[4] 1:14 Or only One, or unique One
[5] 1:16 Or grace in place of grace
[6] 1:18 Or the only One, who is God; some manuscripts the only Son
[7] 1:18 Greek in the bosom of the Father
Table of Contents
Introduction to John

Introduction to John

Timeline

Author, Date, and Recipients

John the son of Zebedee wrote this Gospel. He was a Palestinian Jew, one of the 12 disciples, and a member of Jesus’ inner apostolic circle. He was referred to as the disciple “whom Jesus loved” (13:23). John also wrote 1–3 John and Revelation. He likely wrote his Gospel account between A.D. 70 (the date of the destruction of the temple) and A.D. 100 (the reputed end of John’s life). It was likely written from Ephesus in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), one of the most important cities of the Roman Empire at the time. His original audience consisted of Jews and Gentiles living in the larger Greco-Roman world in Ephesus and beyond, toward the close of the first century A.D.

Theme and Purpose

The theme of John’s Gospel is that Jesus is the long-awaited, promised Messiah and Son of God. By believing in Jesus, people have eternal life (see 20:30–31).

As evidence that Jesus is the Messiah, John relies on several selected messianic signs performed by Jesus and a series of witnesses to Jesus. These include the Scriptures, John the Baptist, Jesus himself, God the Father, Jesus’ miraculous works, the Holy Spirit, and John himself.

Key Themes

  1. Jesus. Jesus is God, the “I am.” He existed before the creation of the world, and he has supernatural knowledge. He fulfills the Jewish festivals and institutions. As the sent Son of God, he reflects the Sender. Signs and witnesses demonstrate that he is the Messiah.
  2. The Trinity. Father, Son, and Spirit are united in their work of revelation and redemption.
  3. Salvation. God is sovereign in salvation. Jesus’ death is the basis of salvation, which is obtained through believing in the living Jesus as the Son of God
  4. Eternal Life. Jesus is the giver of eternal life. Believers can experience some of salvation’s benefits during this present evil age.
  5. Mission. Believers are called to continue Jesus’ mission.

Outline

  1. Prologue: The Incarnate Word (1:1–18)
  2. Signs of the Messiah, with Teaching about Life in Him (1:19–12:50)
  3. The Farewell Teaching and the Passion Narrative (13:1–20:31)
  4. Epilogue: The Roles of Peter and of the Disciple Whom Jesus Loved (21:1–25)

The Setting of John

The events of the Gospel of John take place in Palestine, incorporated into the Roman Empire in 63 B.C. Appointed by the Romans as king over the Jews in 37 B.C., Herod the Great ruled until his death in 4 B.C. The Romans divided his kingdom among his descendants.

The Setting of John

The Global Message of John

The Global Message of John

The Gospel of John presents Christ as the longed for Messiah and Son of God, who comes to earth as a Jew to restore God’s covenant people. Yet the very people who ought to have embraced their Messiah rejected him: “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:11). But many people did believe in him, and “to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (1:12).

By believing in him, all people everywhere in the world, whatever their ethnic background, may enjoy life—true life, eternal life—in the name of Jesus (20:31).

John and Redemptive History

At the beginning of time, the word of God brought light and life out of nothing as the created order sprang into being. Writing his account of the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the apostle John uses precisely these themes. “In the beginning,” John writes (John 1:1), using the same opening words as Genesis 1. John then speaks of the Word of God, in whom is light and life (1:4–5). Yet this Word was not simply God’s uttered speech but the Word that “became flesh” (1:14). God came to earth to dwell with us so that we could one day dwell with him.

Indeed, this Word has “dwelt” among us, John says—using a Greek verb that means, literally, “tabernacled” among us. Jesus, in other words, is the true and final temple (see John 2:18–22). He is the one in and through whom God once more dwells with mankind—making possible the very restoration between heaven and earth that the tabernacle and the temple anticipated.

In Christ, the entire Old Testament drama is summed up and fulfilled. Jesus is not merely one more wise prophet or godly king. He is the Prophet and the King whom every preceding prophet and king foreshadows. All of redemptive history climaxes in Christ. He is the true bread from heaven, not the temporary manna that rots away (John 6:31–51). He is the good shepherd, unlike the many shepherds who failed to lead Israel as they should have (10:1–18). He is the fulfillment of the Jewish festivals and other institutions (1:29, 36; 2:21; 4:23–24; 8:12; 9:5; 19:14). He is the one who reveals the Father, so that to see him is to see God himself (1:14; 14:6–11).

Jesus brings eternal life to all who receive him, not just to ethnic Israel (John 1:11–13). Although he didn’t realize what he was saying, Caiaphas the high priest uttered prophetic words about Jesus: “It is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish” (11:50). The irony was that Jesus would in fact die in place of the people. And as John goes on to explain, Jesus would die not only in place of the Jews but in place of his own people from all the nations of the world: “He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad” (11:51–52). The gospel is for any who believe in Christ (20:23).

Universal Themes in John

The surprising welcome of Gentiles. Right from the start of John’s Gospel we learn that the Jews generally rejected Christ and that God was extending his grace to any who would receive him (John 1:11–13). Then, early in Christ’s ministry, John tells about Jesus extending grace to a sinful Samaritan woman, who was obviously an outsider. Thereafter in John’s Gospel we see hostility toward Jesus on the part of the very people who ought to have understood and embraced him—his own fellow Jews (5:16–18; 6:41; 7:1; 8:59; 9:22; 10:31; 18:12). Instead, it is mostly Gentiles who love and trust Jesus (4:28–29, 39). The free gift of eternal life is for the whole world (3:16). Jesus will draw “all people” to himself (12:32).

Christ’s extension of his worldwide mission through his disciples. Jesus was sent to earth on a mission by God the Father, and in glad response Jesus sends his disciples out on a mission to the world, empowered by the Spirit: “As you sent me into the world,” Jesus prays to his Father, “so I have sent them into the world” (John 17:18; compare 4:38; 15:16; 20:21–23). Christians from that time on, down to the present day, have acted as the hands and feet of Jesus as they have proclaimed the good news of salvation throughout the world.

God’s concern for the world. The word “world” (Greek kosmos, from which we get our English word “cosmos”) occurs 186 times in the New Testament, and 78 of these occurrences are in John’s Gospel. The meaning of this word in John’s Gospel shifts slightly from one passage to the next. Sometimes it refers to the realm of darkness and sin (John 7:7; 12:31; 14:30; 17:16; 18:36). More often, however, the “world” in John simply refers to all the people who live on this planet. John tells us many times of God’s loving, saving attitude toward the whole world (1:29; 3:16–17; 4:42; 6:33; 12:47).

The Global Message of John for Today

The Gospel of John awakens Christians around the globe today to the cosmic scope of salvation in Christ, and the eternal scope of God’s work in accomplishing this salvation, beginning in eternity past (John 1:1–3; 8:58).

In John we see Christ reversing the curse of the fall as, for example, he heals the lame (John 5:1–9) or the blind (9:1–7). Jesus cares deeply about the physical results of living in a fallen world. Indeed, when his friend Lazarus dies, Jesus weeps (11:35). As those who have been entrusted through his Spirit with carrying on the work of Christ, we as the global church likewise seek to help those who are suffering. Such compassion is the only appropriate way to respond to the compassion we ourselves have received from God in Christ.

Yet the deepest result of the fall is not the woundedness of our bodies but the woundedness of our souls. The great apostolic commission was not to bring physical comfort but to bring forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ name (John 20:22–23). Jesus gives living water, water that becomes “a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (4:14). He is the bread of life—the nourishing sustenance that all people most deeply need (6:35). In him is life itself (1:4).

The global message of John for today’s church is to trust in Christ. Believe in him. Nourish yourself in him. Find life in him. And spread that life to everyone around you in your own little corner of the world.

John Fact #1: All things were made through him

Fact: All things were made through him

All things were made through him. John begins his Gospel in the same way that Genesis begins: with creation (1:1–5; Gen. 1:1). He reveals that Jesus, God’s Son, existed eternally with God the Father, and the whole creation was made through him (Col. 1:15–16; compare 1 Cor. 8:6).

The Work of the Trinity

The Work of the Trinity

Though the word “Trinity” does not appear in the Bible, by presenting the Father, Son, and Spirit together, all doing what no one else ever does, the Gospel of John gives us the foundation on which this doctrine is based. Observing what God says and does helps us to know him, and observing which actions are done by which members of the Godhead helps us to see which roles they play.

Action Father Son Spirit
Give life 5:21, 26; (6:33); 17:3 5:21, 25–26, 40; 6:33; 17:3 3:6, 8; 6:63
Proclaim future 1:33 13:19, 26, 36–38; 14:3, 29; 16:1–4, 16–28, 32; 20:18 16:13
Indwell believers 14:23 14:20, 23; (15:4–7); 17:23, 26 14:17
Teach 6:45; 7:16, 17; 8:28 7:14; (8:2); 8:20; 13:13–14 14:26
Testify to Jesus 5:32, 37; 6:27; 8:18 8:12–14, 18 15:26
Glorify Jesus 5:22–23; 8:50, 54; 13:31–32; 17:1, 22 (1:14); 2:11; 13:31–32; 17:5, 24 16:14

Actions Common to Father and Son

Action Father Son
Glorify the Father 4:23; 12:28; 13:31–32 (2:16); (9:3–4); 11:40; 12:28; 13:31–32; 14:13; 17:1, 4–5
Give the Spirit 3:34; 14:16 (4:10–14); (7:37–39); 20:22
Send the Spirit 14:26 15:26; 16:7

Actions Common to Son and Spirit

Action Son Spirit
Be given by the Father 3:16 (4:10–14); 14:16
Be sent by the Father 3:17; 4:34; 5:23–24, 36; 6:29, 57; 7:28–29, 33; 8:16, 26, 29, 42; 9:4; 10:36; 11:42; 12:44–45; 13:20; 15:21; 17:3, 8, 18, 23, 25; 20:21 14:26; 15:26
Speak not from himself (5:19); 5:30; (6:38); 7:16; 12:49–50 16:13
Speak only what he hears 3:32; (3:34); (5:30); 8:26, 40; 12:50; 15:15 16:13
Convict 3:19–20; 4:16, 18; (5:27); (8:7); 8:34, 40; 11:40; 12:7–8; 13:8 16:7–11
Be received 1:12 (see 1:10–11) 7:39 (see 14:17)
Disclose what belongs to God 1:18 16:13–14
Jesus Is God: Specific Examples Where Greek Theos (“God”) Is Applied to Jesus

Jesus Is God: Specific Examples Where Greek Theos (“God”) Is Applied to Jesus

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
John 20:28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!
Rom. 9:5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.
Titus 2:13 . . . waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ . . .
Heb. 1:8 But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.”
2 Pet. 1:1 To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ . . .
Physical Items Used by Jesus to Teach Spiritual Truths

Physical Items Used by Jesus to Teach Spiritual Truths

Though often misunderstood by Jesus’ hearers, these tangible metaphors explain the gospel.

Physical Item Spiritual Truth References
Light true knowledge and presence of God; moral purity 1:4–5, 7–9; 3:19–21; 8:12; 9:5; 11:9–10; 12:35–36, 46; see 1 John 2:8–10
Jerusalem temple Christ’s physical body 2:19–22
Physical birth spiritual birth: being “born again” 1:13; 3:3–8; see 6:63; 1 John 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 18
Wind the Holy Spirit 3:8
Water the Holy Spirit within believers 4:7–15; 7:37–39; see 1 John 5:6, 8
Food doing the will of God 4:31–34
Bread Jesus himself, his life and death 6:32–51, 58
Flesh and blood Jesus’ death 6:53–56; see 1 John 1:7; 5:6, 8
Door path to eternal life in Jesus 10:1–9
Shepherd Jesus’ self-sacrifice and care for his people 10:11–18, 26–28; 21:15–17
Vine Jesus in relationship to his followers 15:1–11
Cup God’s wrath toward sin 18:11
Breath the Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples 20:22
Regeneration in the New Testament

Regeneration in the New Testament

John 1:13 “born . . . of God”
John 3:3 “born again”
John 3:5 “born of water and the Spirit”
John 3:6 “born of the Spirit”
John 3:7 “born again”
John 3:8 “born of the Spirit”
Eph. 2:4–5 “God . . . even when we were dead . . . made us alive together with Christ”
Col. 2:13 “you, who were dead . . . God made alive together with him”
Titus 3:5 “he saved us . . . by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit”
James 1:18 “he brought us forth by the word of truth”
1 Pet. 1:3 “he has caused us to be born again”
1 Pet. 1:23 “you have been born again”
1 John 2:29 “everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him”
1 John 3:9 “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning”
1 John 4:7 “whoever loves has been born of God”
1 John 5:1 “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God”
1 John 5:4 “everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world”
1 John 5:18 “everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning”
Witnesses to Jesus

Witnesses to Jesus

1. John the Baptist 5:32–36; see 1:7–8, 15, 19, 32–34; 3:26
2. Jesus’ own works 5:36; see 10:25, 32, 37–38; 15:24
3. God the Father 5:37–38; 8:18
4. The Scriptures, especially by Moses 5:39, 45–47
5. Jesus himself 3:11, 32; 8:14, 18; 18:37
6. The Spirit 14:26; 15:26; 16:8–11, 13–14
7. The disciples, especially John 15:27; 19:35; 21:24
John the Baptist

John the Baptist

Zechariah and Elizabeth were childless and advanced in age when Gabriel announced that Elizabeth would bear a son. The baby would be named John, and he would “be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:15). John the Baptist lived and preached in the wilderness of Judea, where he wore clothes made of camel’s hair and ate locusts and wild honey (Mark 1:4–6). John prepared the way for Jesus the Messiah by calling people to repentance, as the OT prophets had predicted (Isa. 40:3; Mal. 3:1). Those who accepted his message were baptized as an outward sign of their inward cleansing from sin. Although Jesus needed no repentance or cleansing, he was baptized by John in order to identify with the sinful people he came to save. After angering the royal Herod family, John was imprisoned and eventually beheaded (Matt. 14:6–12). (John 1:29–34)

Study Notes

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word echoes Gen. 1:1. John identifies this Word as Jesus (John 1:14). Here he highlights Jesus’ existence throughout eternity with God. “The Word” conveys the idea of divine self-expression or speech. This idea occurs often in the OT. God’s Word is effective: God speaks, and things come into being (Gen. 1:3; Ps. 33:6; Isa. 55:10–11). By speech he relates personally to his people (e.g., Gen. 15:1). And the Word was with God indicates interpersonal relationship “with” God. And the Word was God affirms that this Word was also in essence the same God who created the universe. Some have claimed that “the Word was God” merely identifies Jesus as a god rather than identifying Jesus as God. However, in Greek grammar, the lack of an article does not necessarily indicate indefiniteness (“a god”). The context must determine the meaning, and the context clearly indicates that “the Word” is the one true God (see also John 1:6, 12, 13, 18).

Study Notes

John 1:3 made through him. God the Father did his work of creation through the activity of the Son (see Col. 1:16). This verse disproves any suggestion that the Word (the Son; John 1:14) was created.

Study Notes

John 1:4–5 The references to life, light, and darkness draw on language found in Genesis (compare Gen. 1:3–5, 14–18, 20–31; 2:7).

John Fact #1: All things were made through him

Fact: All things were made through him

All things were made through him. John begins his Gospel in the same way that Genesis begins: with creation (1:1–5; Gen. 1:1). He reveals that Jesus, God’s Son, existed eternally with God the Father, and the whole creation was made through him (Col. 1:15–16; compare 1 Cor. 8:6).

Study Notes

John 1:6–8 witness. John speaks of the first of several witnesses who bear testimony concerning Jesus (see 5:31–47; and chart).

See chart See chart Witnesses to Jesus

Witnesses to Jesus

1. John the Baptist 5:32–36; see 1:7–8, 15, 19, 32–34; 3:26
2. Jesus’ own works 5:36; see 10:25, 32, 37–38; 15:24
3. God the Father 5:37–38; 8:18
4. The Scriptures, especially by Moses 5:39, 45–47
5. Jesus himself 3:11, 32; 8:14, 18; 18:37
6. The Spirit 14:26; 15:26; 16:8–11, 13–14
7. The disciples, especially John 15:27; 19:35; 21:24
Study Notes

John 1:11 John moves from his own things (see ESV footnote)—that is, creation—to his own people, the Jews. The Jewish rejection of the Messiah is one of the book’s major emphases (see especially 12:37–40).

Study Notes

John 1:12–13 Receive him means welcoming and submitting to Jesus in a personal relationship. “Believed in” means personal trust. His name refers to all that is true about Jesus. Born, not of blood . . . , but of God makes clear that neither physical birth nor ethnic background nor human effort can make people children of God. Only God’s supernatural work can do that (8:41–47). This applies to both Gentiles and Jews (11:51–52). See also 3:3–8. to all . . . who believed . . . he gave the right to become children of God. Only through believing in Jesus can one become a member of God’s family.

See chart See chart
Physical Items Used by Jesus to Teach Spiritual Truths

Physical Items Used by Jesus to Teach Spiritual Truths

Though often misunderstood by Jesus’ hearers, these tangible metaphors explain the gospel.

Physical Item Spiritual Truth References
Light true knowledge and presence of God; moral purity 1:4–5, 7–9; 3:19–21; 8:12; 9:5; 11:9–10; 12:35–36, 46; see 1 John 2:8–10
Jerusalem temple Christ’s physical body 2:19–22
Physical birth spiritual birth: being “born again” 1:13; 3:3–8; see 6:63; 1 John 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 18
Wind the Holy Spirit 3:8
Water the Holy Spirit within believers 4:7–15; 7:37–39; see 1 John 5:6, 8
Food doing the will of God 4:31–34
Bread Jesus himself, his life and death 6:32–51, 58
Flesh and blood Jesus’ death 6:53–56; see 1 John 1:7; 5:6, 8
Door path to eternal life in Jesus 10:1–9
Shepherd Jesus’ self-sacrifice and care for his people 10:11–18, 26–28; 21:15–17
Vine Jesus in relationship to his followers 15:1–11
Cup God’s wrath toward sin 18:11
Breath the Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples 20:22
See chart See chart
Regeneration in the New Testament

Regeneration in the New Testament

John 1:13 “born . . . of God”
John 3:3 “born again”
John 3:5 “born of water and the Spirit”
John 3:6 “born of the Spirit”
John 3:7 “born again”
John 3:8 “born of the Spirit”
Eph. 2:4–5 “God . . . even when we were dead . . . made us alive together with Christ”
Col. 2:13 “you, who were dead . . . God made alive together with him”
Titus 3:5 “he saved us . . . by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit”
James 1:18 “he brought us forth by the word of truth”
1 Pet. 1:3 “he has caused us to be born again”
1 Pet. 1:23 “you have been born again”
1 John 2:29 “everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him”
1 John 3:9 “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning”
1 John 4:7 “whoever loves has been born of God”
1 John 5:1 “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God”
1 John 5:4 “everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world”
1 John 5:18 “everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning”
Study Notes

John 1:14 The Word (see v. 1) became flesh does not mean the Word ceased being God. Rather, the Word, who was God, also took on humanity (see Phil. 2:6–7). He lived as God and man at the same time. dwelt among us. Literally, “pitched his tent,” a reminder of how God resided among the Israelites in the tabernacle (see Ex. 25:8–9) and later in the temple. Now God takes up residence among his people in the incarnate Word, Jesus Christ. The OT refers to God’s glory when he manifests his presence in the tabernacle or the temple (e.g., Ex. 33:22; Num. 14:10; Deut. 5:22). the only Son from the Father. Jesus is the “Son of God,” not in the sense of being created or born (see John 1:3) but in the sense of being a Son who shares all his Father’s attributes, and in the sense of having a Father-Son relationship with God the Father. The Greek for “only” means “one of a kind, unique” (compare Gen. 22:2).

Study Notes

John 1:15 bore witness. Jesus speaks of several witnesses who bear testimony concerning him (see chart).

See chart See chart Witnesses to Jesus

Witnesses to Jesus

1. John the Baptist 5:32–36; see 1:7–8, 15, 19, 32–34; 3:26
2. Jesus’ own works 5:36; see 10:25, 32, 37–38; 15:24
3. God the Father 5:37–38; 8:18
4. The Scriptures, especially by Moses 5:39, 45–47
5. Jesus himself 3:11, 32; 8:14, 18; 18:37
6. The Spirit 14:26; 15:26; 16:8–11, 13–14
7. The disciples, especially John 15:27; 19:35; 21:24
Study Notes

John 1:16–17 In the law, God graciously revealed his character and the things he required of his people. Jesus, however, is the final, definitive revelation of God’s grace and truth.

Study Notes

John 1:1–18 Prologue: The Incarnate Word. John presents Jesus as the eternal, preexistent, and now incarnate Word (vv. 1, 14). Jesus is the one-of-a-kind Son of God the Father, which means that he is God (vv. 1, 18). John says that God’s revelation and redemption in and through Jesus are the highest points in the history of salvation. This history includes God’s giving of the law through Moses (v. 17), his dwelling among his people in the tabernacle and the temple (v. 14), and the sending of John the Baptist (vv. 6–8, 15). The prologue also introduces many of the major themes developed later in the Gospel: Jesus as the life (v. 4), the light (vv. 5–9), and the truth (vv. 14, 16–17); believers as God’s children (vv. 12–13); and the world’s rejection of Jesus (vv. 10–11).

John 1:18 No one has ever seen God, that is, in a full and complete way (see 6:46). the only God. Some ancient manuscripts say “the only Son” here (see ESV footnote); the earliest manuscripts say “the only God.” John refers here to two different persons as “God,” as he did in 1:1. Thus John concludes the prologue by emphasizing what he taught in v. 1: Jesus is God, and he has revealed and explained God to humanity.

See chart See chart
Jesus Is God: Specific Examples Where Greek Theos (“God”) Is Applied to Jesus

Jesus Is God: Specific Examples Where Greek Theos (“God”) Is Applied to Jesus

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
John 20:28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!
Rom. 9:5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.
Titus 2:13 . . . waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ . . .
Heb. 1:8 But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.”
2 Pet. 1:1 To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ . . .

S3:237 John 1:1-18

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | John 1:1-18

Jesus is God! Pause. Breathe. Read that first sentence again. If you grew up in the church, you've heard it over and over again, and it might have lost some of its effect. If you are new to the faith, you might not fully have grasped it yet, but Jesus is God. He was in the beginning. He was there when the vast nothingness became the everythingness that is the entire Universe. When you and I were being knit together in our mother's wombs, He was there. Jesus spoke it all into existence along with the Father. He is the source of life (John 1:4). He rules and reigns over it all, and he sustains it by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus is Magnificent!

It gets even better, for He decided to be with us as one of us. He became a man. God became a man, all while maintaining His deity. The best news for us (I'm not sure how it gets better than God with us) is that He did it to give us eternal life (life without end with God). He did not do it for personal gain or vain glory, but He stepped down from His throne room in heaven to dwell among us and give us the right to become children of God. We only have to believe in His name (John 1:12). He is not only the source of life in this universe but of eternal life. What marvelous news John has just given us in the first 18 verses of his book.

God is with us. God is with you. Let that sink in as you go about your morning. He is with you, and He has promised to "never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5). The creator of the universe who gives life to all is with you as you drink your morning coffee, as that deal falls through at work, as the kids are out of control again, and as you lie down at night with your thoughts still racing. He is with you . . .

This month's memory verse

everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”
 

– Isaiah 43:7

Discussion Questions

1. How have you become numb to the idea of "God with us"? 

2. What does God coming to this earth as a man to be with us show you about His character? 

3. What causes you to doubt that God is always with you? 

4. How does God being with you affect the way you go about your day and life? 

5. How will you live differently today, knowing the Creator of the universe is with you?

Challenge: Tell two people you meet today (who are not your friends already) about what you have just learned and be an encouragement to them by letting them know that God is with them!

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!