In the beginning, the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was already with God in the beginning. He was the source of life, and that life was the light for humanity. These people didn’t become God’s children in a physical way—from a human impulse or from a husband’s desire ⌞to have a child⌟. They were born from God. The Word became human and lived among us. We saw his glory. It was the glory that the Father shares with his only Son, a glory full of kindness and truth. Each of us has received one gift after another because of all that the Word is. Laws were given through Moses, but kindness and truth came into existence through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. God’s only Son, the one who is closest to the Father’s heart, has made him known.
John 1:1‭-‬2‭, ‬4‭, ‬13‭-‬14‭, ‬16‭-‬18

——————————

What is going on in this scripture?

• The extent and purpose of this chapter is to confirm our faith in Christ Jesus as the eternal Son of God, and the true Messiah, Savior of the world, so that we may be brought to receive Him, and rely on Him, as our Prophet, Priest, and King, and to give ourselves up to be ruled, and taught, and saved by Him.
• John the Baptist gives an account; this is his testimony. 
• The Word—ho logos. Jesus is The Word (God).
  • Jesus is the Word speaking from God to us, and to God for us. John the Baptist was the voice, but Jesus the Word: being the Word, he is the Truth, the Amen, the faithful Witness of the mind of God.
  • His co-existence with the Father: The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
  • V.4  proves that He is God and every way qualified for His undertaking.
• The true Christian’s dignity and privilege are twofold:
  • First, The privilege of adoption, which takes them into the number of God’s children: He gave them power to become the sons of God.
    • It is the unspeakable privilege of all good Christians, that they are allowed to become the children of God.
    • The privilege of adoption is wholely owing to Jesus; he gave this power to them that believe on his name. God is His Father, and so ours and it is a result of our unions to Him and union with him, that we stand bonded to God as a Father.
  • Secondly, we have regeneration. All the children of God are born again; all that are adopted are regenerated. This real change forever happens that relative one. Wherever God grants the dignity of children, he creates the nature and disposition of children. Men cannot do so when they adopt. Now we have an account of the original of this new birth, through Jesus.
    • V.14 expresses Christ’s incarnation more clearly than what went before. By his divine presence, he always was in the world, and by his prophets, he came to his own. But now that the fulness of time was come he was sent forth after another manner, made of a woman (Gal. 4:4); God manifested in the flesh, according to the faith and hope of holy Job; Yet shall I see God in my flesh, Job 19:26.
  • Finally, V.16 has a manifest connection with V.14; where the incarnate Word was said to be full of grace and truth. Now here he makes this the matter, not only of our adoration but of our thankfulness, because, from that fulness of His, we all have received.
    • All true believers receive from Christ’s fullness; the best and greatest saints cannot live without him and the meanest and weakest may live by him. This excludes proud boasting, that we have nothing but we have received it; silences complexing fears, that we want nothing but we may receive it.
  • The substitution of New Testament grace instead of Old Testament grace: so beyond reproach. And this sense is confirmed by what follows (V.17); for the Old Testament had grace in type, the New Testament has grace in truth. There was a grace under the Old Testament, and the gospel was preached then (Gal. 3:8); but that OT grace is replaced, and we have gospel NT grace instead, a glory which excels, 2 Cor. 3:10. Discoveries of grace are now more clear, dispensations of grace far more abundant.
  • Another thing we receive from Christ is a clear revelation of God to us (V.18): He has declared God to us, who no man has seen at any time. This was the grace and truth which came by Christ, the knowledge of God, and familiarity with him.
  • All God’s saints are in his hand, but His Son was in his bosom, one in nature and essence, and therefore in the highest degree one in love.

———————————-

How can it be applied to our own life?

• Wheeew! That’s a lot of ground covered there.
  1. Basically, Christ Jesus is our Savior and we’re adopted by God and are His beloved through the grace of Jesus.
  2. Trust and obey Him; not man!
  3. Be in His word; allowing it to teach us and guide us in our Christian walk.
  4. Share the Gospel; plant His seeds and let God harvest when the time is right. Be the light on a hill for lost souls; an example of Jesus.
  5. Pray, be in fellowship with like-minded Christians, and so on. Be fed by Him, spiritually.

————————————

Prayer: Dear Father God, thank You for Your gift of salvation. Thank You, Jesus, for being that gift through the grace and mercy of God. I pray, God, that the readers will be filled with the Holy Spirit and learn from this teaching. It seems complicated, but God, you can clarify it to us through the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, amen.