12 Christ-exalting facts from the Gospel of John

God became a man in the person of Jesus Christ — and all who receive and believe in Him can become children of God.

The words of C.S. Lewis, in his classic work Mere Christianity, are especially helpful in this context: “Among these Jews, there suddenly turns up a man who goes about talking as if He was God. He claims to forgive sins. He says He has always existed. He says He is coming to judge the world at the end of time. Now let us get this clear. Among Pantheist . . . anyone might say that he is a part of God, or one with God: there would be nothing very odd about it. But this man, since He was a Jew, could not mean that kind of god. God, in their language, meant the Being outside the world, who had made it and was infinitely different from anything else. And when you have grasped that, you will see that what this man said was, quite simply, the most shocking thing that has ever been uttered by human lips.”

Let me highlight, for our reflection, 12 simple truths from the gospel of John.

1. The Word has always existed (John 1:1-2)

The words, “In the beginning” make an immediate connection with Genesis 1:1. When time began and the universe came into existence, the Word was there. Verse 2 simply repeats the truth of verse 1: “He [the Word] was in the beginning with God.”

The meaning of Logos, translated from Greek, is Word. The Bible affirms that the “Logos” of John 1 always existed. It was never as Arius, the fourth-century heretic, said, “There was once when he was not.”

The “Logos” of John 1 always existed. It was never as Arius, the fourth-century heretic, said, “There was once when he was not”

2. The Word is God (John 1:1)

As we read this verse, keep in mind the author and his audience were both Jewish. “The Word was with God” (pros ton theon), that is, in a face to face and intimate relationship. “The Word was God” is a clear and unambiguous declaration of deity.

• The Word (Son, v. 14) is distinct from the Father ( v.14).
• Though distinct from the Father, the Son is equal to the Father in His deity. Whatever it is that makes God, God — the Word (Son) is all of that!
• The Word (Son) is co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial with the Father.
• The Word is not some [part of] God or mostly God, He is fully and completely God! (John 10:30; 14:9).

3. The Word is the Creator (John 1:3)

Colossians 1:16 reminds us that if He made everything, He cannot be a creature. Note the choice of words as “all things” and not “some things” or “most things”. To say that the Word is the Creator is to say that the Word is God!

4. The Word gives us life (John 1:4)

Life and light are closely connected themes in John’s Gospel. In this Gospel, however, these are usually related to salvation, though here the context would also include creation (vv. 1-3).

Is Jesus the source of life? Just ask Lazarus, Mary and Martha. In John 11, Jesus tells Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live . . .” (John 11:25).

Is Jesus the source of eternal life? Hear His words to Thomas in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

5. The Word provides both powerful and spiritual light (John 1:4-5)

God is the One that gives light, both to physically and spiritually blind eyes. John 8:12 says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Whatever it is that makes God, God — the Word (Son) is all of that!

Is he the light of the world? Just ask the blind man in John 9 (cf 9:5). He opened his eyes physically (John 9:7) and spiritually (John 9:25, 38-39). This world is blinded by the darkness (v. 5) of death, evil, judgment, unbelief and wickedness. This is why Jesus says in John 3:19 and 12:46 that the light has come into the world, so that everyone who believes in Him would not remain in darkness.

6. The greatest man who ever lived bore witness to the Word (John 1:6-8, 15)

Matthew 11:11 says, “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared…” John was sent by God as a witness that “all” might believe. A universal invitation but a limited application:

• John the Baptist was a man, not the Messiah (John 1:6)
• John the Baptist was a witness, not the Word (John 1:7)
• John the Baptist was a lamp, not the Light (John 1:8)
• John the Baptist was a prophet, not the Saviour (John 1:15)
• John the Baptist was a servant, not the Son (John 1:15)
• John the Baptist was important, but not indispensable (John 1:15)
• John the Baptist had a crucially significant position, but he was not supremely pre-eminent (John 1:15)

Jesus was before John and greater than John.

7. The Word came into the world He created (John 1:9-10)

The true light, the real light, has come into the world and enlightens everyone.

He made this kosmos, and yet amazingly this kosmos [of humanity] did not know or recognise its Creator. But, it gets worse.

8. The Word was rejected by the world and His own people (John 1:10-11)

The Word came to what rightly belonged to Him as its Creator, but it did not recognise its Maker. Verse 11 gets more specific. He came to His own people, the Jewish nation of Israel, and they rejected Him. Life came to them but they preferred death. Light came but they preferred darkness.

To say that the Word is the Creator is to say that the Word is God

9. The Word makes us children of God when we believe in Him (John 1:12-13)

Verse 12 is the soteriological apex of the prologue. It is one of the clearest statements in all of the Bible about the simplicity of how people are saved. “But to all”! No exclusion to this declaration and promise. All are invited.

John 20:31 is a nice complement to John 1:12 that also provides the purpose statement for the entire gospel, “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.”

We receive the right to become adopted “children of God” when we receive Jesus as our Saviour (Romans 8:15-17; Galatians 4:4). This salvation is an act of our sovereign God through regeneration or the new birth (John 3) as v. 13 makes clear. Note the three-fold negation (“not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man”). The new birth is nothing but an act and accomplishment of a sovereign God.

10. The Word became human and lived among us and we saw His glory (John 1:14)

If verse 12 is the soteriological apex of the prologue, verse 14 is the Christological apex. It teaches us that though there was a time when Jesus was not, there never was a time when the Son was not.

The Greeks were on to something in their concept of the Logos, but it was incomplete. John’s use of Logos is brilliant. It is a masterful bridge word to speak to both the Jewish and Greek cultures. The term itself was well known, but John fills it with new meaning.

• The Greek Logos was “reason” and an “it”. John’s Logos is “the Word” and a “Person”.
• The Greek Logos was “up there” and unreachable. John’s Logos came down here and we saw Him!
• John’s Logos is God’s personal, visible communication to humanity in revealing and redeeming power.

Logos does not explain Jesus, the Christ, the Son. Jesus Christ the Son explains the Logos and fills the concept with new meaning. In the Son, we saw on full display the greatness and goodness and glory of God the Father.

In the Son, we saw on full display the greatness and goodness and glory of God the Father

As John Piper said: “When you watch Jesus in action, you watch God in action. When you hear Jesus teach, you hear God teach. When you come to know what Jesus is like, you know what God is like”. [And,] if you don’t worship Jesus you don’t worship God. As Jesus says in John 5:23, “Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”

11. The Word brought us grace and truth (John 1:14-17)

Those who are God’s children by receiving and believing in Jesus receive grace upon grace, blessing upon blessing, waves of grace after waves of grace. They just keep on coming. They never end.

The Law was a gift of grace and truth. But, Jesus Christ is another and even greater gift of grace and truth. Moses gave us a good gift of grace and truth, but “Jesus Christ” (a phrase mentioned only here in the Prologue) gave us another and even better gift of grace and truth.

12. The Word exegeted for us the glory of the Father (John 1:14, 18)

No human in their fallen state has or ever could look upon the undiminished deity and live. John’s simple and direct statement has ample biblical support from both testaments (Exodus 33:20; 1 Timothy 6:16). However, with the coming of the Word (1:1, 14), the Son (1:14), Jesus Christ (1:17), a new day has dawned. Things have changed. We have seen the glory of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (1:14), in the incarnation.

Further, the beloved Son who for all eternity has been in the closest and most intimate relationship with the Father has broken the barrier and torn down the wall so that humans can see God. Jesus has exegeted God to us. Simply put, if you want to see God and know God, look at Jesus. He tells us all about Him.