Tag Archives: The Word was God

JOHN’S GOSPEL…THE WORD WAS WITH GOD -2

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John 1:1-2 NIV
[1] “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was with God in the beginning.”

If we don’t pause to think, for a minute, we will miss the significance of the little word “with”.

Why did John write, “The Word was with God”?

“With” can have the simple meaning of “in the presence or company of …” or it can mean something more than that.

To be “with” another person can mean that one person is “in full agreement and participation with” another. We have examples of this meaning in Scripture where God gave His full support, with favour and power, to His servants…

Genesis 39:2, 5 NIV
[2] “The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master…
[5] From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.”

God’s presence “with” Joseph had major consequences – favour and blessing on all his endeavours in Potiphar’s household. Likewise, while he languished in prison, Joseph was blessed and elevated to a position of authority because God was “with” him.

Genesis 39:20-22 NIV
[20] “Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, [21] the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. [22] So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there.”

David experienced the same favour because of God’s presence “with” him.

1 Samuel 17:37 NIV
[37] “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”

1 Samuel 18:14 NIV
[14] “In everything he did he had great success, because the Lord was with him.”

2 Samuel 5:10 NIV
[10] “And he became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him.”

So, of Jesus, Peter could confidently proclaim…

Acts 10:37-38 NIV
[37] “You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— [38] how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.”

In the Godhead, the relationship between Father and Son is reciprocal. As the Father is “with the Son”, so the Son…the Word…is with the Father.

John 10:30 NIV
[30] “I and the Father are one.”

Says Google…

“Yes, the New Testament, particularly the Gospel of John, presents Jesus as being “one with the Father,” a statement understood by theologians to signify unity in essence, purpose, and power, and a core concept within Trinitarian theology. This declaration in John 10:30 led to accusations of blasphemy by the Jewish leaders of the time, who perceived Jesus as claiming equality with God.”

Jesus often claimed oneness with Father as a testimony to His opponents of His identity as the Son of God, challenging them to find anything that would refute this claim.

John 8:29, 42, 46 NIV
[29] The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”…
[42] Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me…
[46] Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?”

For the Word to be with God, as John proclaimed, meant a relationship far closer than mere casual acquaintance or association. This was a declaration of unity so deep that the Father and the Son, as the Word, the visible and spiritual expression of the Father, always acted together in perfect harmony.

Hebrews 1:1, 3 NIV
[1] “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
[3] The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

As the visible representation of the invisible God, Jesus was simultaneously in the presence of the Father and in the world, representing Him by word and action so that the people in the world would believe in Him and return to the Father through Him.

JOHN’S GOSPEL…IN THE BEGINNING – 1

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Of the four gospel records of Jesus Christ’s life and death on earth, John’s gospel was known, in the early church, as the “spiritual” gospel. Why the spiritual gospel?

John doesn’t only present the story of Jesus’ life on earth. He also weaves into the story his understanding that Jesus, the man, was far more than a man. He was God incarnate, clothed in a human body, fully God and fully man, with all the attributes of God and man, yet completely submitted and obedient to the Father as a son.

Each of the four gospels tells the story of Jesus from a different perspective and for a different purpose. Together, they present a comprehensive picture of Him as the king of Israel, (Matthew), the Servant of Yahweh, (Mark), the Son of Man, (Luke), and the Son of God, (John).

Each story begins with and at the point of its purpose. For Matthew, Jesus was born to be king of the Jews. For Mark, as a servant, Jesus’ origins and birth were not recorded. His story begins with His arrival on the public scene to carry out His servant role. For Luke, as the Son of Man, Jesus was fully human, the son of Mary, with all the attributes and characteristics of a human. Yet, He was more than human. He was the Son of Man, the Messianic figure of Daniel 7.

However, to John, Jesus was first and foremost, the Son of God, existing eternally with the Father before time. He was sent from the Father to live as an obedient Son, always connected and accountable to Him, doing the Father’s will, revealing the Father’s true nature to His people, and fulfilling His mission as sacrifice and redeemer.

So, John begins to write… “In the beginning…”

John 1:1-3 NLT
[1] “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He existed in the beginning with God. [3] God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.”

In the beginning…the beginning of what? Echoing the first words of the Bible…

Genesis 1:1-2 NLT
[1] “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. [2] The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.”

John presents Jesus’ presence as the bridge between the Father and His creation. In a perfect expression of the unity between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Three persons function together to produce the universe in all its splendour and detail. Assuming that the triune God created everything, the story of Genesis begins, not with nothing but with an earth that was created, then corrupted. This planet needed intervention to prepare it for human habitation.

In the Genesis 1 account of this process of restoration, the writer slips in two Hebrew letters, “aleph” and “tov”, in the middle of the first verse which are both untranslatable and seem to make no sense. The same two mysterious letters reappear many times throughout the original text of the Old Testament. The ancient rabbis, despite years of study, could not find a solution to the puzzle… until John reveals its secret to his readers.

Google says…

“In some interpretations, particularly within Messianic Judaism, the Aleph Tav is seen as a divine signature or placeholder, indicating the presence and authority of God or Yeshua throughout Scripture. This is often linked to passages in Isaiah and Revelation where God declares Himself to be the First and the Last.”

In the book of Revelation, which of course, John also wrote and which presents all of history as the unfolding story of Jesus, Jesus identifies Himself, at the beginning and the end of the book, as the Alpha and the Omega.

Revelation 1:8 NLT
[8] “I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”

Revelation 21:6 NLT
[6] “And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.”

Revelation 22:13 NLT
[13] “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

The writer to the Hebrews, likewise, presented Jesus as the initiator and completion of our faith, the Alpha and Omega…

Hebrews 12:2 NLT
[2] “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith…”

So, the secret of the “aleph” and “tov” is hidden in plain sight.

Jesus, the main character in the Bible story, was present and active in creation, directing the preparation of God’s people in history, and active in redeeming His people from the consequences of their rebellion. His signature, “Aleph Tov” puts Him in the centre of the book as the driver of the story.

Jesus was a Hebrew and would have spoken, in the main, in Hebrew. The Hebrew equivalent of “apha” and “omega”, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, are “aleph” and “tov”, the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. John wrote in Greek, the common language of the Roman world. He would, therefore, have written aleph and tov as alpha and omega.

The implication is huge. Jesus’ signature, “Aleph Tov”, is repeatedly written into the pages of Scripture, reassuring God’s people throughout the ages that it He who is both author and subject of the book.

So, with confidence, John could begin his gospel record with the indesputable truth that the Jesus of history is, first, the God of creation. He was present and active with the Father and the Spirit, bringing forth the universe and shaping the earth to be the stage on which He played out the glorious plan of redemption.

The second person of the Trinity in eternity became the Son of God in history to put into action in history what the Trinity had planned in eternity.

FURIOUS GRACE, AGGRESSIVE FAITH

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This furious grace that obliterates sin, sweeps aside guilt and shame, flings open the door to fellowship with God the three in One, and envelops us in a blanket of love and favour, demands only one kind of response…aggressive faith!

What do I mean by “aggressive” faith? I mean the kind of faith that tolerates nothing in its path to receive God’s goodness. Aggressive faith does not take “no” for an answer.

Now, we must not confuse aggressive faith with demanding and expecting everything we want, nor does it mean manipulating God’s Word for its own ends. There is a kind of “faith”, illegitimate and ungodly, that proposes that we can “name it and claim it”! Run from this teaching. You will not find it in the Word.

The Bible is full of examples of aggressive faith. Jesus told the story of a widow who appealed to the judge for vindication. Her pleas fell in deaf ears until the judge responded, not to help her but to get her off his back.

Jesus told the story to illustrate the contrast between the judge’s reluctance and the Father’s willingness to answer our cries for help.

Luke 18:1, 7-8 NIV
[1] “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up….
[7] And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? [8] I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

Jesus ended His story with a puzzling comment…until we understand its meaning in context. When we connects verse 1 with verse 8, we recognise that aggressive faith is the key to answered prayer.

Aggressive faith is based on the character of God.

The widow appealed to the judge for help because, in his office as judge, he was obliged to respond to her plea. How much more, as a loving Father, will God answer the cries of His children because we are His childten? However, He sometimes delays His answers to fit in with His bigger picture.

It takes aggressive faith in the promises and character of God to persist until we receive an answer. Aggressive faith does not tolerate doubt, unbelief, or insecurity.

James 1:6-8 NIV
[6] “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. [7] That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. [8] Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”

Aggressive faith has a solid foundation, God’s Word. If He said it, He will do it. His character is the guarantee since He is faithful. His promises are His guarantee that He will answer us.

Numbers 23:19 NIV
[19]”God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”

Aggressive faith understands authority.

Matthew 8:8-9 NIV
[8] “The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But JUST SAY THE WORD, and my servant will be healed. [9] For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

To Jesus, God gave all authority based on His perfect obedience.

Philippians 2:8-11 NIV
[8] “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! [9] Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Matthew 28:18 NIV
[18] “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

Jesus underwrites all God’s promises since He is the Word of God in person.

John 1:1-2, 14 NIV
[1]” In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was with God in the beginning.”…
[14] “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

2 Corinthians 1:20 NIV
[20] “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.”

Aggressive faith understands the place of God’s will in answered prayer.

1 John 5:14-15 NIV
[14] “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. [15] And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

Is it God’s will to support us with His furious grace? A resounding “Yes! ” Will He graciously intervene in response to our aggressive faith? Again, a resounding”Yes! “

Our cries to the Father will never go unheard because, unlike any human champion who is subject to his own whims, God is God. He is utterly committed to His own nature. He loves His sons and daughters with an everlasting love. He gave His own Son to rescue us from our plight. He hears the “cheep” of a fallen sparrow. He is dedicated to reclaim and restore what was broken by the Fall.

Romans 8:32 NIV
[32] “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

AUTHORITY, WHAT IS IT?

Apologetics, ,

Authority” has several meanings, and applications according to the dictionary definition.

“First, authority is the freedom to decide or a right to act without hindrance. All such authority begins with God, for there is no authority except from God ( Rom 13:1 ). God has the right to mold the clay as he wishes ( Rom 9:21 ) and to set times and dates ( Acts 1:7 ).”

In this article, since authority is a big subject, let’s look at Jesus’ authority and the way it impacts us as His followers.

Jesus said and did things that baffled and angered His religious opponents.

One of the big issues the Pharisees had with Jesus was authority. In their culture and religion, authority was everything. To them, Moses was the great authority. Whatever they believed and taught had to be in line with what Moses wrote (even if they failed to obey in the spirit of Moses). They constantly referred to Moses in their clashes with Jesus.

Matthew 21:23 NIV
[23] “Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”

The first five books of the Bible, the Torah, written by Moses, form the foundation of the Jewish faith. Every child learned the Torah from its earliest days. The Torah was the textbook of early childhood education. So, every Jew was thoroughly immersed in the teachings of Moses.

Jesus’ teaching shocked the Jewish leaders, not because He overturned the Torah but because He exposed its deeper meaning in both its revelation of God’s holiness and His mercy.

Their big question was, “Who gave you the authority to do this?” Jesus was generally recognised as a rabbi with “sh’mikah” (authority to interpret the Torah, and to create His own “yoke”, His way of doing life according to His interpretation). There were two other rabbis with “sh’mikah” at this time in Israel, Shammai and Hillel, Shammai a stricter interpreter of the Torah and Hillel more liberal.

The Pharisees often tested Jesus by trying to discover which rabbi’s teaching He supported.

Matthew 19:3-8 NIV
[3] “Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?” [4] “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ [5] and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? [6] So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” [7] “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” [8] Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.”

Jesus refused to be drawn into their debate. His authority to interpret and teach the Torah was superior to any rabbi, even if they had “sh’mikah”. Instead, He took His opponents back to the beginning, where God’s Word exposed the root of His intention.

“But it was not this way from the beginning.”

Matthew 7:28-29 NIV
[28] “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, [29] because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”

This way of teaching the Torah angered the religious leaders since Jesus` interpretation exposed a side of God’s nature they didn’t like…His mercy and compassion.

The Pharisees once tested Him by setting a trap. They brought a woman caught in adultery (where was the guilty man… possibly one of their own?) to Him for His judgment, knowing that He leant towards mercy in the face of the Torah’s instruction to stone her.

Jesus’ action, by writing (probably their names) in the dust, revealed both His judgment on them and that He knew both the Scriptures and their names.

Jeremiah 17:13 NIV
[13]”Lord, you are the hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water.”

They slunk away, guilty, leaving Jesus, without witnesses, to forgive and free the woman.

So, what was this conflict over authority all about?

First, Jesus insisted and acknowledged, on numerous occasions, that His authority came from God and was given to Him by God.

John 3:34-35 NIV
[34] “For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. [35] The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.”

He established His authority by His words and actions on different occasions.

For example, He proved His authority to forgive sins by healing a paralysed man. Who, but God alone has the authority to forgive sin?

Matthew 9:2-7 NIV
[2] “Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” [3] At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!” [4] Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? [5] Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? [6] But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” [7] Then the man got up and went home.”

Jesus demonstrated His authority over nature to His disciples by calming a violent storm and walking on water.

Mark 4:36-41 NIV
[36]”Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. [37] A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. [38] Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” [39] He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. [40] He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” [41] They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Even disease and powerful demonic spirit obeyed His word.

Mark 1:32-34 NIV
[32] “That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. [33] The whole town gathered at the door, [34] and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.”

Jesus showed His authority over Satan’s most powerful weapon…death.

John 11:41-44 NIV
[41]”So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. [42] I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” [43] When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” [44] The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

First, then, Jesus’ authority on earth came from God. God is the source of all authority. He alone has the right to delegate His authority to whom He chooses.

Since no one, not even the Jewish leaders, though they refused to believe, could deny Jesus’ authority, we must ask, next, “How did Jesus exercise His authority?”

From Scripture, the answer is clear. Jesus’ authority lay in His spoken word. Probably the person who showed the clearest understanding of Jesus’ authority was the Roman officer…

Matthew 8:5-9 NIV
[5] “When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. [6] “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.” [7] Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” [8] The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But JUST SAY THE WORD, and my servant will be healed. [9] For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

Jesus Himself explained to His opponents that His authority to judge lay in His word.

John 12:47-50 NIV
[47] “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. [48] There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. [49] For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. [50] I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”

The Apostle John acknowledged Jesus’ powerful role on earth, the Word of God.

John 1:1 NIV
[1] “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

God’s eternal Word, the one through whom God speaks on earth, became human, the spoken Word of God clothed in a human body, not only to speak God’s Word but to BE God’s Word to the whole world.

The implications for the world and the church are huge!

God has spoken His final Word through Jesus. He has nothing more to say!

Hebrews 1:1-3 NIV
[1] “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, [2] but in these last days HE HAS SPOKEN TO US BY HIS SON, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. [3] The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things BY HIS POWERFUL WORD . After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

God has invested all authority in Jesus. To Him has been given the power to direct all the affairs on earth…for the sake of His church.

Ephesians 1:22-23 NLT
[22]” God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. [23] And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.”

Jesus authorised His disciples to go in His name with His message to all the nations on earth.

Matthew 28:18-20 NLT
[18] Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. [19] Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. [20] Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

God the Father authorised Jesus, the Son, to wrap up history by His Word.

Revelation 19:11-16 NLT
[11] “Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. [12] His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. [13] He wore a robe dipped in blood, and HIS TITLE WAS THE WORD OF GOD . [14] The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. [15] FROM HIS MOUTH CAME A SHARP SWORD TO STRIKE DOWN THE NATIONS . He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. [16] On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.”

The implications for those who believe in Him are also huge.

Obedience to Jesus’ teachings has the power to set us free from everything that keeps us in bondage, both the lies we believe and our sinful ways. Embracing, knowing, believing and obeying Jesus’ yoke guarantees His rest from every burden we carry.

Matthew 11:28 NLT
[28] “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

John 8:31-32 NLT
[31] Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. [32] And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Since all authority has been given to Jesus, and He exercises His authority by His spoken word, if we do not obey His word, first, we do not believe Him…

Luke 6:46 NLT
[46] “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?

…and second we do not love Him.

John 14:21 NLT
[21] “Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”

The outcome for all who reject His authority and refuse to obey His Word is….

Matthew 7:21-23 NLT
[21] “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. [22] On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ [23] But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’ “

1 Corinthians 16:22 NLT
[22] “If anyone does not love the Lord, that person is cursed…”

We must be sure that loving and obeying Jesus is the e centre and source of our lives if we want to spend eternity with Him.

IN THE BEGINNING… – 1

Bible Study, ,

​1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5

Since only God is eternal, everything else in the universe must have a beginning. Two books in the Bible start with the words, “In the beginning…” That’s comforting for us because at least we have a place to begin to unravel the mysteries of life that confront us every day.

The theory of evolution, which rejects the truth that God is the creator of everything, can only guess at where it all started. However, it doesn’t matter how far back they try to go, the evolutionists cannot answer the question, “Who or what began the process?”

So, best we trust what the Bible says and move on from there.

How did it all begin?

Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God…”
John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word…”

So, God created by speaking.

‭Psalms‬ ‭33:6‬ ‭NLT‬
[6] “The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born.”

John, however, explains Genesis 1:1, that God’s spoken word, in Scripture, is a person. Everything that God does comes about through a person.

‭John‬ ‭1:1‭-‬2‬ ‭NLT‬
[1] In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He existed in the beginning with God.

That person is God, the one who made everything God created happen.

‭John‬ ‭1:3‬ ‭NLT‬
[3] “God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.”

‭Colossians‬ ‭1:15‭-‬17‬ ‭NLT‬
[15] “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, [16] for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. [17] He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.”

He came to earth as a human.

‭John‬ ‭1:14‬ ‭NLT‬
[14]”So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”

This Word accurately represented God’s Word on earth. Everything He said and did was God’s Word in action. Jesus testified to this truth…

‭John‬ ‭12:49‭-‬50‬ ‭NLT‬
[49]”I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. [50] And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say.”

… so that He always spoke, not in His capacity as the second Person of the Trinity but as the living Expression of everything the Father had spoken. Thus He could say,

‭John‬ ‭14:6‬ ‭NLT‬
[6] “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

because He came to embody the word…

‭John‬ ‭17:17‬ ‭NLT‬
[17] Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.

Jesus is the life because…

‭John‬ ‭6:63‬ ‭NLT‬
[63]”The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”

When Jesus speaks, He speaks the very Word of God because He is the Word, not the “logos” of Greek philosophy but the “torah”, the teachings of divine wisdom.

‭Proverbs‬ ‭8:6‭-‬7‬ ‭NLT‬
[6] Listen to me! For I have important things to tell you. Everything I say is right, [7] for I speak the truth and detest every kind of deception….
[12] “I, Wisdom, live together with good judgment. I know where to discover knowledge and discernment…
[27] I was there when he established the heavens, when he drew the horizon on the oceans….
[30] I was the architect at his side. I was his constant delight, rejoicing always in his presence….
[35] For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord.

So, John has set the scene for his presentation of Jesus, in his gospel, as the Son of God.

To be continued…