John Reuther

Here is something you must look into. It is basic Christianity. Perhaps you have thought to yourself at times: “Where is God?” or “If God exists, why doesn’t He show Himself to us?” We may wish at times that God would just speak to us so that we would know for sure whether He exists and what we need to do. Every person thinks about whether there is a God, and we are all by nature worshipers – even if it is a god of our own creation.

The New Testament book called the Gospel of John is a great account of the life and ministry of Jesus. The first chapter makes this powerful point – that Jesus is God coming into the world! Read it sometime and see for yourself. But until then, I wanted to share this amazing thought with you today. If you look into it your life can be changed and your future made firm. The promises that come out of this truth are simply magnificent. But here is what this first chapter of John says about it. You will find that it teaches that Jesus is God; that He became a man; and that men bore witness to Him as the God-Man.

Jesus is God

First, Jesus is God. John 1:1 says that Jesus, who is called the Word, was with God and was God, in the beginning. That means that before the world was created, Jesus existed because He is the eternal God. John 1:3 says that He is also God the Creator: all things came into being through Him. When it says that He was with God, it is simply referring to the teaching of the Bible on the Triune nature of God – that He is one God existing in three Divine Persons. We see the Trinity at Jesus’ baptism, in John 1:32-33. The Son was baptized in the Jordan River, the Father spoke from Heaven, and the Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove, and there are the three Divine Persons of the Trinity.

The Word Became Flesh

Second, the Son becomes Man. John 1:14 reads: The Word became flesh, and lived among us, and we saw His glory…. Flesh means mortal, human, subject to all the pains, sorrows, and troubles of this life which we all experience and which put heavy burdens on us. How is it with you? There are many joys in life, but life is hard, and no doubt you have, are now, or will experience its hardships. God knows all about our sorrows and struggles, our pains and griefs. The Old Testament says that the Messiah (Jesus) bore our griefs and carried our sorrows (Isa. 53:4).

And He tasted death too, but a unique kind of death. It was terrible, yes horrible, but He died as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). That’s why Jesus became a man – not just so that God could sympathize with our human condition, but so that He could save us from it! We have to understand a little about the background in the title the Lamb of God. In Israel the people brought their animals as temporary sacrifices and offerings to God for their sins. These were precious and valuable animals that expressed a giving of themselves for their sins. We must have cleansing of our sins – yes, you, and me! And our sins can be taken away by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

Witness and Testimony

Finally, John 1 is an exciting account of how men gave their solemn witness and testimony to the God-Man. In other words, they saw His glory and understood His Gospel, which means good news! There you will read about people just like you who came to realize that Jesus was God coming into the world.

As Jesus said to those eager truth seekers – Come, and you will see (John 1:39) – so I say to you, consider this great announcement and come, and see what God is saying to you in His word, the Bible – so that you will find answers to life’s questions in the only place where they can be found, in Jesus the God-Man who is God coming into the world: As many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, but of God (John 1:12-13).

This article has been reposted with permission from http://cbclumberton.com/2013/02/27/god-was-here-the-message-of-john-1/.