Study Notes on John 1...

I’m always overwhelmed by the Book of John and it’s deep, rich theology. Of all the books of the Bible, no other book outlines and attests more beautifully to Jesus and His identity as does John’s gospel. John chronicles Jesus ministry, but shows and demonstrated Jesus Christ in His humanity, and Jesus Christ as He is God. It’s not difficult to see in John’s gospel that that Jesus wasn’t just a mere man…He wasn’t just simply an exceptionally intelligent or intriguing individual…no, His personality was one that reaches far beyond the grasp of our mere human intuition or perception…the Man Jesus was not simply a man of good moral conduct, or of a noble or high regard. And though he is certainly worthy of such titles, to address Him as these alone without the acknowledgement or inquiry of anything further would be to betray Him all over again with a kiss. John writes his testimony of Jesus with the simplicity of a child, but with the eloquence of a scholar…in the words of his gospel a story is told of a Man who is far above the height of human comprehension…Jesus, the Man, God incarnate, revealed Himself to us in such a way that there is not a soul living who could deny His existence, His goodness, His personality, and His love for mankind…God came to this world, leaving the throne-room of heaven, for the benefit of sinners…but I think more than this, at least I find this to be one the most intriguing aspects of His nature, is that He entered this world humbly as an infant….completely dependant upon the breasts of His mother…What humility and condescension from heaven…It is of this Man whom John testifies that he has seen and heard from, and learned from…He came from the realm of eternity, outside the scope of time, and entered into our world for the purpose of searching out and rescuing those who had been lost…the world was what He so loved, the world and the sinners who occupied it…so much so that it was to become the altar of His death, ransomed through His blood; or rather, He ordained it to be so. What remains to be seen is that man has done absolutely nothing to merit such a gift from God…but then, being hopelessly lost in a diabolical mess of our own making, what exactly could man offer Him that would be considered acceptable in His sight? And so we had no other alternative but to rely upon the goodness and mercy of an incomprehensible and infallible God; and it is because of His goodness and mercy that he came and visited us…not that He was by any means under any obligation to do what He did -- far from it -- He would have been just as Holy and just as Just in leaving us to our own devices in my opinion, again, we’re the reprobates who rebelled. But he came unto His own in the likeness of His own. We could not go up to Him, He had to come down to us…and because we at the beginning had lost fellowship with our Creator, we became His enemies…John writes that He came unto His own and His own did not receive Him…Surely God was well aware of the atrocities of man -- from the dawn of creation in Genesis to the consummation of history Revelation -- Jesus knew from the very beginning who they were who would believe in Him. But from the beginning, God made man to be His own, and no one else’s…He desired to create us and to be a part of our lives, and for us to be a part of His. It was out of His infinite love that He created us to begin with, knowing what lay ahead for us, as well as for Himself…but for love between two parties to be genuine and true, it requires that they both choose to love one another, even at the risk of rejection from either side…Jesus “came unto His own, and His own did not receive Him…”…how much God loves man that He would come humbly as a man, destined to die for the sake of those who are wrongfully His enemies…before I go any further, I must point out that Jesus Christ had done no wrong…He was pure in every way, and He withheld no good thing from us. It we He who gave us breath, and our bodies sustenance, air for our lungs, and water to quench our pangs of thirst…He provided for us even the most basic of amenities to support and nourish our bodies, for the simple reason that He cares. He gave them to us freely, and He did not charge. In the garden when God created the animals, He gave them all to Adam, for play and for pleasure. By the goodness of the Lord, we have what we have…and now He comes, not for the nourishment of our bodies, but for the preservation of our souls…because of the diagnosis of our spiritual condition, He came to provide us with the food that would sustain our souls for eternity. It’s in this context that Jesus said in his exchange with the Jews that He is the bread which came down from heaven, that a man might eat thereof, and not die. It takes temporary food to sustain temporarily…logically, it would then take eternal food to sustain eternally…not only did we need nourishment for our bodies, but because of the rebellion in the garden, God had to provide for the benefit of our souls as well. When I say that He had to, I do not mean, nor am I implying that we were by some stretch deserving of this, but that if we were to have any hope of escaping the snares of death and God’s divine judgment, He had to come and make it possible for us since we were already cut off from Him. Moreover, He also gave man light…He came as a light to the world…light by definition, reveals that which is hidden; when light is present, darkness flees in terror. It provides light for those who cannot see because of the darkness…light brings clarity, and revelation. I’ve found that usually two things will happen when a man is faced with the light and revelation Jesus brings; he will either 1) submit to the light, and walk in it, or 2) be repelled by it’s very presence and remain in darkness. Secrecy gives the illusion of being a safe-haven for those who practice wickedness…darkness is their domain, and Jesus has no part in it. But whether or not a man believes in Him, His very existence and presence in the universe convicts a man of wrongdoing, no matter how far he may run or try to escape from it. His law is on the heart of every man that comes into the world…Jesus brought light into this dark world, that we might no longer walk in darkness, but in His light, and become one of His own. But alas, just as at the beginning, the Lord gave us a mind and will of our own to use and exercise, and for whatever reason, does not impose on it. He allows man to live and to conduct himself, to make choices and decisions of his own accord without prevention…as I stated before, love between two parties is only true if both acquiesce…He desires us to come to Him, and to love Him, without being forced. This was His plan at the very beginning.

The Interceding God

“For God so loved the world that He gave…”
These words echo throughout the distant reaches of time. These words begin perhaps the most well known verse in all of God’s holy Word. And in my estimation, could sum up the whole of the gospel of Christ. How is it that an infinite God of infinite power and might could have such an incomprehensible love for sinners? Everything Jesus did, everything Jesus said was for our good. He did all things with us in mind. As the Lord says through the Psalmist David, "...Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered..." -- (Psalm 40:5)...It is no secret that our God is big, He is mighty. He is powerful. There is nothing hidden from His sight, but all things are plain and lay naked before His eyes. We worship and serve a God who has created us for Himself; for His own good pleasure…all because He loves us. He is God and Father. I find myself ever pondering this one question…why in the world would the Lord, who is so Great in power, might, strength, and glory ever care for sinful people like us, who are so miniscule in comparison to Him? I pray that He does not count this question against me, for in asking this, I only intent an honest inquiry into His heart; and in no way attempting to diminish the height and depth of His love for humanity or His character. But of a truth, scripture paints a beautiful picture of the nature and character of God in the life of His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is unlike any man that ever walked this earth. Jesus held history and time in the palm of His hand; for it was He who founded these things and their boundaries. Jesus came for us; not to destroy us…though in doing so, He would have been Just still…but He came to “…seek and save that which was lost…” and again He says elsewhere, “…to give His life a ransom for many…”. I will be the first to admit, I am no theologian. I am not a pastor, nor would I really consider myself a teacher in any way. If I have been seen by any as such, it is only by the grace of God that I am what I am. For I could have nothing unless it had been given me from above. And if you search, you will find that all things will have God as it’s source. It is He who is the Giver of every good and perfect gift. All things that we have were given to us by the mighty hand of a God who, believe it or not, cares about us more than we will ever know. So deep is His love for mankind that He gave His only begotten Son…who can understand this? Jesus came for the benefit of man. God gave to us, because we lacked. In the very beginning of creation, God had given…He gave man all they would need at the time. In Moses day, during the rebellion in the wilderness, God had given His law…and throughout the ages, God had sent them prophets to proclaim His word, and bring a rebellious people back to Himself…and if this weren’t enough, God, ushering in a new covenant with the world, offered up for us His Son…Many have given this and that, but none so much as even came close as when God sacrificed His own body on a cross for our sake. Yes and in all things and in everything, God provided. He saw that our bodies needed food in order to preserve our bodily lives, and He provided it. And when He saw that man had sinned against Him and damned His own soul, God provided food for even this…”…I am that bread of life…” -- John 6:48...How amazing is the love of Christ! “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life…” -- John 3:16...
Never has man been so loved by another as God has done towards us. I believe that the love of Christ towards men isn’t something that can really be fully understood or grasped from our earthly standpoint; for a love such as this is truly Divine in it’s origin. God doesn’t love us simply because He has to or because He just simply chooses to not hate us -- but He loves us because of who He is, and not because of who we are. We are not worthy of this kind of love from the Father….Jesus came for the purpose of death on a cross, to purchase us back to God, and reconcile the world unto Himself. Jesus is the ransom of the world. No greater act of mercy or grace had ever been shown. It is He who sits on His throne and declares a man righteous. It is He who breathed the stars into existence, and gave them to us for light in the cloak of nights blackness. Jesus has done more for us than anybody could do for anyone; yet still, after over two thousand years, He is still hated by those who don’t know Him…and even to these He beckons, “…Come to Me…and be saved…” Jesus interceded on our behalf, and died on the cross for all men throughout all time…and He continues to intercede on behalf on men…saving men from eternal destruction. As the Apostle Paul says through the Holy Spirit in Romans 5:6...”For when we were yet without strength, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly…” The ungodly was you…the ungodly was me…we were the ones who were at fault, and were found in God’s sight deserving of death. But God poured out Himself, and all that He had, to give us the very things we did not deserve. He emptied Himself, and took on the form of a bondservant, and became a Man. The Lord…who is so Great in power, might, strength, and honor…who is superior, supreme, and above all things and above every name…became as one of the least of us, suffered and died the death of a criminal. Jesus has come and given us the greatest gift that could ever be given; Himself. Such an incredible, complex mystery! Because of what Christ did on the cross, forgiveness and salvation are now possible….He has given us so much. And these things He will give to us freely, if we would only just ask Him…and He will gladly pardon any person who comes to Him…Oh how the Father loves us…

“…But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved…” -- (Romans 10:8-13)

“…For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved…” -- (John 3:16,17)