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The Gospel of John, The Word, Part I - Lesson 2
Continue with our study of the Prologue of the Book of John
The Word and Deity
Vs 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
J. B. Phillips renders this: At the beginning God expressed himself. That personal expression, that word was with God.
Perhaps we can understand "logos" to be "word in action"
The word of God in the Old Testament denotes God in action, in creation, revelation, and deliverance.
God said...and it was so - Genesis
By the Word of the Lord the heavens were made - Psalms 33:6
He sent forth his word, and healed them and delivered them from destruction - Psalms 107:20
Isaiah 55:11, So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void; but it shall accomplish that which I please, and shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
When the universe was created, when anything was made the Word was already there.
"the Word was with God and the Word was God!"
"Word of God" perhaps gives us an easier was to understand the un-separate-ness of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
The ideal you, the new creation you should be that you and your word are one.
Your word if expressed in truth is you and you are your word. There is no difference.
The word of a parent to a child if obeyed is honoring to God as it verifies the power of the word.
It establishes the word as powerful.
The word disobeyed is not honoring to God's word since it tends toward lowering the word in authority.
God speaks and it is done!
The parent speaks and it also should be done!
The parent that does not command obedience does not honor the very nature of God.
The expression, "He is a man of his word!" "She is a woman of her word!"
Proverbs 15:26, The words of a man's mouth are as deep water. Proverbs 18:4, The words of the pure are pleasant words. Proverbs 22:17, Bow down thine ear, hear the words of the wise. Proverbs 10:12, The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious.
So God's word expresses the nature of God-it is completely true to his nature.
There is no shadow of turning.
There is no inconsistency.
There is complete unity.
God and His word are One.
No division, no crack, no weakness, no fault, no argument.
The Word and Creation vs 2.3
vs 2, The same was in the beginning with God!
vs 3, All things were made by him: and without him was not anything made that was made. (All things came into being through him)
"NOT ONE THING"
All things-the universe, the elements, the system of laws, all living things, all of God's angels, the heavenly beings, heaven, all things.
In a human sense all things on earth made by human hands were made by the agency of the human word and without the human word nothing made by humans was made.
The human word precedes all manufacture.
We cannot create, but by using the basic elements and tools provided by God in his creation we can fashion and form things-but all that human activity, is preceded by man's word.
We are truly made in the image of God.
Before God created by his word, there was nothing that is now except God himself.
God is spirit, there were no elements, no system of laws, no living things, no angels, no heavenly, no heaven, no hell, only that which is eternal was before the beginning.
The universe in its entirety owes it origin to God through the agency of the LOGOS or the Christ
God is the Creator, The Word is his agent.
This is clearly the thought of Proverbs 8:22-31, READ THIS
Vs 22, The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
I was set up from everlasting from the beginning, or ever the earth was.
John the Evangelist makes it plain that the Word of which he speaks is also the Wisdom described in psalms and proverbs of Old Testament times and that this word became flesh in Jesus.
The Word and Life, vs 4,5,9
vs 4, In him was life and the life was the light of men.
Acts 17:28, For in him we live, and move and have our being.
This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. John 17:3
This word LIFE occurs 36 times as a noun in this Gospel, 11 are in conjunction with the word eternal.
Life is a principle of God, it has as its source and full embodiment the LOGOS or word.
It is self existent in the Creator but not in the creature.
John 5:19-29, read verses 21, and 24
The Word imparts life to men, the human race, no indication here that the Word imparts life to any other part of His creation.
The Life was the light of men.
Life in creation is the loudest voice of God which calls out to men that God is.
Life says that this is the finger of God.
Every cell every membrane, every complex molecule, every stand of DNA declares, The hand that made us is divine!
The word then is that light which illuminates, both by natural illumination of reason which is given to the human mind and the spiritual illumination which is given at and agter the new birth.
Without this light man cannot see or understand anything.
vs 5, And the light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not.
the light shineth-by conscience, by prophecy, by vision, by angels, by revelation, with the ultimate light , by the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.
II Cor. 4:6, For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
The light is in the face of Jesus Christ.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace, His light dims all other attractions.
Phil. 3:8, Paul says, Yea doubtless and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung that I may win Christ.
Christ is the light of the World-All of the truth that man has learned form Adam till now has come from him.
Light does not dispel darkness slowly-it is instantaneous.
All men everywhere in the world have some light. Enough to find Christ if they follow the light that Christ gives.
"and the darkness comprehended it not"
better rendering-and the darkness overcomes or overpowers it not.
The light cannot be captured, overwhelmed or overpowered by the darkness.
A little candle can dispel a roomful of darkness and not be dimmed by it-We do not say turn the darkness on.
Light and darkness are opposites but they are not opposites of equal. |