In the Beginning...the Word
John begins his book with an amazing sentence which tells so much truth and which is essential to understand the rest of the book.
“John intends that the whole of his gospel shall be read in light of this verse. The deeds and words of Jesus are the deeds and words of God; if this be not true the book is blasphemous.” Barrett
Psalm 33:6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.
“In the OT God’s Word is His powerful self-expression in creation, revelation, salvation…so personification of “Word” makes it suitable for John to apply it as a title of God’s ultimate self disclosure, the Person of His Own Son” D A Carson
John 20:28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
Romans 9:5 of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.
Philippians 2:5-6 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
1 Timothy 3:16a And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh,
“In the beginning the Word already existed, and the Word was in fellowship with God, and the Word was God by nature.” translation by Murray Harris
John 10:30 I and My Father are one.”
John 14:7-9 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
“…whose true sphere was not time but eternity.” M. Harris
“In every heart in heaven, love dwells and reigns. The heart of God is the original seat or subject of love. Divine love is in Him, not as in a subject that receives it from another, but as in its original seat, where it is of itself. Love is in God, as light is in the sun, which does not shine by a reflected light, as the moon and planets do, but by its own light, and as the great fountain of light. And from God, love flows out toward all the inhabitants of heaven. It flows out, in the first place, necessarily and infinitely, toward His only-begotten Son; being poured forth, without mixture, as to an object that is infinite, and so fully adequate to all the fullness of a love that is infinite. And this infinite love is infinitely exercised toward Him. Not only does the fountain send forth streams to this object, but the very fountain itself wholly and altogether goes out toward Him. And the Son of God is not only the infinite object of love, but He is also an infinite subject of it. He is not only the beloved of the Father, but He infinitely loves Him. The infinite essential love of God, is, as it were, an infinite and eternal, mutual, holy, energy between the Father and the Son: a pure and holy act, whereby the Deity becomes, as it were, one infinite and unchangeable emotion of love proceeding from both the Father and the Son. This divine love has its seat in the Deity, as it is exercised within the Deity, or in God toward Himself.” Jonathan Edwards
John 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
John 12:41 These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Philippians 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Philippians 1:1a Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ,
Philippians 1:20 according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
Philippians 1:29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
Sermon Discussion Questions:
What did you learn, in exegesis, about: Was, Word, With, With God and Is God?
In Meditation what did you learn about: the Trinity, Union and Communion, A Long Term Relationship, Jesus' Pre Existent Glory?
How does Paul model a proper response to all of this?