Who and Why?
John 1.1-5
We begin a new sermon series today from the Gospel of John. I am very excited about preaching through this wonderful book. I have wanted to preach through John for some time, and I am glad that God allowing us to take this journey together. I pray that we will learn and grow together through our study of this amazing Gospel.
I have to confess that I am partial to John over the other Gospels. Perhaps it is b/c this gospel is written by the disciple closest to our Lord. When you read Matthew, you read thru the eyes of a devout disciple. When you read Mark & Luke, you read thru the eyes of dedicated believers who knew and loved the Lord but who gathered much of their information through the eyewitness testimony of others. But when you read John, you read the words of the disciple who reclined upon Jesus’ chest. He was one of that inner circle (James & Peter) who was with Jesus in his most intimate circumstances and moments.
John was one who heard more than the others. He was one who witnessed more. He was one of the Lord’s closest friends. Therefore when we open John’s Gospel, we do so in anticipation of what the disciple whom Jesus loved will say to us.
The Gospel of John was one of the last books of the NT to be written. It appears to have been written from the city of Ephesus, where the apostle served as pastor after the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 AD. From all indications, he wrote this gospel toward the close of the 1st century. The Synoptics had already been written and circulated as well as the letters of Paul and Peter.
For this reason, John does not retrace many of the events already described in the other Gospels. He does not write a chronological biography of the life of Jesus. His purpose is not to detail the ministry of Jesus. John is selective in what he includes, and his selections point to a distinct purpose, one he provides for us in 20:30-31.
In this purpose statement, John offers two primary reasons for his writing:
1) that you might believe Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah) and the Son of God (a divine human person), and 2) that believing you may have life.
Thus, John’s purpose centers on telling us 1) who Jesus is and 2) why we should believe on Him. Who & Why. In essence, Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and we should believe on Him b/c of who He is and b/c He provides life to those who believe on Him. Who & Why.
From the opening section of the gospel, John addresses this question, “who is Jesus?” The first 18 vv., most often called the Prologue, contain a summary of John’s most reflective convictions about our Lord. In these verses, we find one of the most elevated (and complex) statements concerning Christ’s identity in all of Scripture.
John focuses upon the central fact of our Christian faith: Christianity is not a philosophy, it is about a Person, and that Person is fundamental to our faith. To remove Jesus from Christianity is like taking numbers out of math, the sun out of daylight. It is to strip Christianity of its most essential component.
While other world religions focus upon the teachings, ideas, philosophies of their founders and teachers, Christianity is about a personal relationship with a Person. That is why Jesus Christ is the most astonishing individual in human history. More books have been written, music composed, pictures painted, and drama performed about Jesus than any other person. Why?
Why did other great figures come and go? Why do others fade into the annals of history but Jesus Christ looms as large in modern society as he did 2000 years ago? Why is he the most powerful personality to ever appear on this planet? That is the question John answers in the prologue…Who is Jesus?
We are going to examine the first 5 verses of John’s Gospel this morning, and in so doing, we will answer the questions Who is Jesus (in these verses), and as we uncover who Jesus is, we will be challenged as to why we should believe on Him. Let’s examine 3 reasons why we should believe on Jesus.
I. Believe on Jesus because He is God (1:1-2).
John begins his Gospel in an unusual manner. Unlike the Synoptic writers who begin their account of Jesus in a historical context, John opens his Gospel in eternity. Under divine inspiration, John was not content to begin his story as Mark did with the story of John the Baptist. Nor was it enough as Luke did to go back to the birth narratives of John and Jesus. John did not even go back with Matthew to the genealogy of Abraham and the roots of Israel, or with Luke to the beginning of the human race in Adam.
John moves beyond human history. He starts “in the beginning.” Do those words sound familiar to you? They take us back to Gen. 1.1: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” John starts with God. In the Bible, you cannot go any further back than God, and that is where John begins, in eternity past with God’s eternal purpose.
And what does he tell us? In the beginning was the Word. Recognize the significance of what John says here: In the beginning, from all eternity, the word has existed. In other words, the Word has eternally existed.
It does not take and intelligent person to recognize that whoever the Word is, He must be of great importance. Who is the Word in this text? Better yet, why did John choose to identify this individual as the Word instead of just giving us His name?
Let’s talk briefly about this term, “the Word.” The original word that translates Word is the term Logos. While Logos is not a well-known English word, it was very common in 1st century Greek. And it is a word John employs to capture the attention of his diverse audience.
To the Greeks, the Logos represented the soul of the universe. It was the rational principle from which everything came, a creative stabilizing governing force of the universe (much like the “force” of Star Wars genre).
To the Hebrews, the Logos was identified with the Word of God. In the OT, the word of God is connected with God’s active power. His word represented his actions in creation (Gen. 1.1; Ps. 33.6), revelation (God’s word came to the prophets), deliverance (Ps. 107.20), covenant, guidance, and judgment. The Word of God represented His actions, His self-revelation, how God revealed Himself and acted.
So when John uses the term Logos, it is a term that appeals to both the Greek and the Hebrew. It is a term that captured the attention of the Greek philosophers, the Jewish scholars, and the average citizens. It was familiar to all.
But what does John tell us about the Word in these verses? Now that he has captured the attention of his audience, what does he tell us about the Word. John identifies the Word by describing Him. Notice 3 divine traits of the Word.
1) The Word is eternally God.
John states, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God.” In those few words, John informs us that the Word has existed from all eternity. At the beginning of time, the word was there with God. The Word has existed eternally. He already “was” when time began. At creation, the Word was already present.
Also, John states that the Word was with God (pros: face-to-face). John indicates that the Word is separate and distinguishable from the Father. He is a separate person. He was there with God (1 John 1.2: the Word of life was with the Father and was manifested to us).
In just a few simple but profound words, John offers a glimpse of the Trinity. The word has existed from eternity past, yet at the same time, He is a separate Person from the Father. He is eternal yet separate.
2) The Word is equally God.
Those final five words at the end of v.1 are some of the most important words in all of Scripture in understanding who Jesus is: “and the Word was God.” (not a god as the JWs would have you believe [proper syntax will not allow it]). He was God. As much as the Father is God, even so, the Word is God. He was with God and He was God. He is equal with the Father. And the Word was God.
3) The Word is essentially God.
What John tells us in these short verses is that everything that makes God who He is, everything that makes God-God, the Word possesses. In other words, the Word is God in His very essence, His nature. While He is separate from the Father in his personhood, He is one with God in His essence.
The meaning of this verse is not merely that the Word possessed divine qualities or characteristics, but that the Word participates in the reality we call God. The Word was true deity. The Word is God.
What we have here is the mystery of the Trinity. God is 3 yet 1. He is three in persons but one in essence. The Word is with God (separate from Him), yet at the same time, He is God.
So, John informs us that Jesus Christ is God. He is eternally God (there never was a time when the Son was not God. He supersedes the created order). He is equally God (the Word is as much God as the Father). And He is essentially God (everything that makes God who He is, the Word possesses). His very nature is that of God. The Word is God.
Who is Jesus? He is God. Believe in Him.
II. Believe on Jesus b/c He is the Creator (3).
In v. 3, John turns from the Word’s relationship to the Father to His relationship with the creation. The apostle informs us that not only was the Word present at creation, He was also the agent of creation. “All things were made thru Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made.” Everything that exists owes its existence to the Word. He is the Creator. Apart from him, there is no existence.
It is no accident John moves from the Word as God to the Word as Creator. As NT theologian Oscar Cullmann points out, “The self-communication of God occurs first of all in creation. That is why salvation and creation are very closely connected in the NT. Both of them have to do with God’s self-communication.” What are the two primary ways God has revealed Himself: thru Creation (natural revelation) & thru His Word (special revelation—Scriptures and Savior).
God’s revelation is tied to creation, and John informs us that all of creation owes its existence to the Son of God. Therefore, nothing is outside of his range of activity. He is in control of everything. He is Lord over everything. He is the Creator of the world. He holds the deed, the copyright.
Col. 1:15-17: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones of dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”
Believe on Jesus b/c He is the Creator.
III. Believe on Jesus b/c He is the Originator of light and life (4-5).
John moves now from creation in general to the most significant element of creation, life itself. Life is one of John’s distinctive characteristics. He uses the word 36 times (whereas no other NT book uses it more than 17x). The spiritual concept of life is very important to John.
The gift of life is important. Good news & bad news. Good first—you have only 24 hours to live. Good? What is bad? I should have told you yesterday.
Life is an important concept in the Gospel of John, and here in the opening vv., the apostle reminds us that only in Christ is spiritual life obtained. He is the originator of life.
He is also the originator of spiritual light. Light is also an important thought in John’s Gospel. Light is often contrasted spiritually with darkness. Jesus identifies Himself as the Light of the world (8.12). Light represents God’s deliverance to the sinful, darkened souls of humanity.
In v. 5, John contrasts the light of God with the darkness of sinful humanity. The spiritual light cannot be extinguished by the darkness of this world. The contrast between light and dark represents spiritual conflict.
And we are reminded that the darkness could not overcome/extinguish the light. Remember, John is writing this gospel after the resurrection. He knows that Jesus Christ could not be overcome by the spiritual darkness of this world. He is the victor. The light shines (continual) in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.
* A single light penetrates 50 miles of darkness. Darkness cannot overcome light.
Why should I believe on Jesus? because He is the originator of life and light. He brings life to the spiritually dead hearts of sinful humanity. He brings light to the darkened souls of the lost. He is the Originator of life and light.
Conclusion:
One thing we will be constantly reminded of in John’s Gospel: the message of Jesus demands a response: a response of belief or unbelief. We are forced into that decision even in the opening verses: will I believe Jesus is who John claims He is?
Who is Jesus and why should I believe in Him?
He is the Son of God, God Himself.
He is the Creator of the world.
He is the Originator of Life and Light.
To deny Him is to turn from God Himself, the Creator of the world. To deny Him is to continue in spiritual darkness and death. Only Jesus offers true life and light.
Do you have a personal relationship with the Creator God, the Originator of spiritual life and light? You can.
John’s Prologue doesn’t end with telling us who Jesus is. He will also inform us that God invaded humanity. He became one of us. He became a human being in order to provide a way that a relationship could be established.
The Creator became His creation so that we could be given life/light.
Gramps illustration (the grandpa who climbed in the crib with his “in trouble” grandchild. God came down so that we can go up.
Believe in Him. There is life in Him.
