There came a man from God. John 1:6-14.

 Consider something, if all humanity carries the brokenness called sin, is it possible that it is a genetic issue that has been passed down through Adam and Eve would have been passed through Mary, the virgin? 

Well, of course, it was, so God was excluded from using the egg or sperm of anyone human. 

Now, what is God supposed to do? 

If we are talking about the God who spoke the worlds into existence, creating all things, including Adam, then it is not beyond Him to make His own fertilized egg and to ask a young virgin girl to be a surrogate mother for that child. I might add, having attended a Catholic memorial service recently, where the priest stated that Mary was without sin; in my mind, I could hear the squeal of brakes as my head screamed out excuse me! From the days of Adam and Eve in the Garden, humanity has been born under the influence of sin. Mary was NOT excluded from this curse. Therefore, any child created through human intercourse would have been born into sin. However, Jesus was NOT made through human intercourse and was, therefore, sin-free. 

Did Jesus have free will to sin? 

Yes, but fortunately for us, He did not. He never sinned. Now apply that understanding to the time Jesus purposefully made a scourge of ropes and drove the money changers and sellers from the temple’s outer courts. I cannot read that detail without seeing the fury in His eyes, but that does not mean it was there. I can’t explain how this moment happened without rage; I just know I would have been motivated by rage/sin. 

In scripture, we are NOT given all the reasons that Mary and Joseph could not find a place to stay in Joseph’s hometown of Bethlehem, where his relatives lived. They could not even find a place at the Inn. Although here in America, we have a hotel chain called Motel 6, they used to be an inexpensive place for a “not so rich” family to shower and get a little bit of sleep. Multi-level, with relatively clean floors and beds, is NOT what we are talking about, as the typical house had livestock living within what would be the first level of the house. Yes, you slept with the smells. 

Whether the news about their marriage, how she is pregnant, and Joseph is not the child’s father traveled ahead of them is unknown. But you must agree that it is hard to hide nine months of pregnancy, and the couple have no reasonable explanations aside from repeating that He is the Son of God. All the problems accompanying their legitimate statements of understanding and faith were suddenly solved once the wise men came with their expensive gifts, which the couple apparently sold. We know this because the child is approximately two years old, and the family is living in their own home in Bethlehem when the wise men located them. It is mere days later when an angel tells them to escape to Egypt until the threat upon Jesus’ life through Herod passes. 

We have little to tell us how long they stayed in Egypt, but at some point, the family is given the green light to come back home because Herod is dead; home is no longer in Bethlehem but in Nazareth. Since Jerusalem is closer than Nazareth and it was a festival week, it may have been practical to make the stop there, where Jesus found his way into the temple and began having deep discussions about the Law and the Prophets.

Scripture tells us that Joseph was a good man, but this matter of who the Father of Jesus is may have been a struggle. The internet series “The Chosen,” in introducing the context of a third season episode, has Joseph alluding to potential problems if they linger much longer in the vicinity after finding Jesus in the temple. 

Why is Jesus being in the temple a problem?  

Because Joseph apparently had a visit from the same angel that visited Mary. From that point forward, Joseph protected Mary from prodding neighbors who were more than willing to call her a whore, potentially killing Mary and giving Jesus nothing less than the abuse the son of a whore deserved. The terminology for illegitimate children is mumzer and the Torah told them that no illegitimate child would be allowed in the temple or receive official religious training. So, keeping a low profile and moving to towns where you are NOT known is beneficial to your survival.

Apparently, the simple phrase “a good man” included the idea that Joseph was adept with the scriptures and may well have taught young Jesus himself. We can assume that Joseph made it back to Nazareth, but what transpires during this time is a mystery, for the next thing we see in scripture is a reference to John the Baptist, baptizing in the Jordan river, and Jesus is about 30 and there is no more mention of Joseph.

With that we pick up our study with John 1:6-14.

“There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. (7) He came as a witness to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. (8) He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. (9) There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. (10) He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. (11) He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. (12) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, (13) who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (14) And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
(John 1:6-14 NASB)

Verse six opens with “There came a man sent from God.” The verse expresses to us that John the Baptizer is the subject, but what if you lacked that information. 

What would be your guess as to who the Holy Spirit is referring to?

The prophet Malachi, using similar wording, also spells out that this man is John. 

"Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me...”
(Malachi 3:1 NASB)

In a cloaked manner, Isaiah declared that this voice was John, speaking about the Lord - Jesus.

“A voice is calling, "Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. "Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley; Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
(Isaiah 40:3-5 NASB)

John 1:9-13 shifts subjects and defines Jesus.

“There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. (10) He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. (11) He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. (12) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, (13) who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

John 1:8 explains -

“John was not the light. But he came to tell people about the light.” (John 1:8 ERV)

John 1:10,11 tells us -

“He (Jesus) was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own (Who are His own? The Jewish nation, of course. But for me, it also speaks of the disciples and of us.) did not receive Him.” (NASB)

As a side note, despite the harsh criticism the series has received, I watch The Chosen series and enjoy it immensely. One of the apparent things is how little the disciples understood Jesus' mission. Dallas Jenkins, the producer, director, and one of the writers, has done an excellent job of portraying many of the Biblical aspects of Jesus' ministry. Try to watch it without crying.

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
(John 1:14 NASB)

Jump back to verses one through three.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”
(John 1:1-3 NASB)

Keep in mind that we can read this opening as “In beginning” to indicate a process that had an initiation point.

Previously, I asked when and where Jesus decided to fulfill the Father's will and become flesh?

The answer goes back to a time, possibly before the creation. I say this because we see an angelic person under the guise of the angel of the Lord, interacting with humanity in many of the details of the Old Testament; these interactions give us every reason to believe that Jesus has been around for a long time. 

I have no reason to think that Jesus was not the one who walked in the cool of the garden calling out to Adam and Eve. I would NOT for a second suggest that once Adam brought all humanity under Satan's subjection, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, had to go into emergency repair mode. No, this plan of redemption (the mystery) was well thought out long before Satan's revolt and man's treason.

Why is a comment such as “the only begotten from the Father,” important?

First, was anyone born again at the time of John the Baptist? The answer is NO that came after the cross, but many demonstrated faith in Jesus Christ, and that, according to the Apostle Paul, is the only way through Christ, to the Father.

“nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.” (Galatians 2:16 NASB)

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”

Another version of this verse reads like this “The Word became a man and lived among us.”

Isaiah chapter seven tells us

“So the Lord himself will give you this sign: A virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and she will name him Immanuel [God Is With Us].”
(Isaiah 7:14 GW)

The path that God used to bring His Son into the world is through this young virgin.

Isaiah chapter nine gives us His names.

“A child will be born for us. A son will be given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. He will be named: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
(Isaiah 9:6 GW)

The probability that Jesus, the Word of God that created the heavens and the earth, was a man when all this took place, is good.

It is NOT impossible for God to place that Son into an egg and have a young virgin carry that Son.

It is NOT improbable that the Father had His Son fostered by a young girl named Mary and the older man – a good man, hold the place of a Father that would see to it that Jesus was taught appropriately in the Law and nature of God, a representation that is exhibited in the action and words of the Son.

In Him there was life. A study in the gospel of John 1:4,5.

 In my previous post, I “only” covered John 1:1. I had the blinders on and only chose to focus on that one verse. However, verses two and three also speak to the beginning of all things and Jesus' role in creation.

“Before the world began, the Word was there. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was there with God in the beginning. Everything was made through him, and nothing was made without him.”
(John 1:1-3 ERV)

Before the world began, the Word was there. John used the Greek word logos – a word spoken, to express what he was trying to say. So the spoken word conveys the will and nature of God while also detailing His Son. Some strong clues that back this peculiar statement up are: “The Word was with God;” the Word was God;” and, Everything was made through him (the Word), and NOTHING was made without him.”

Who is the Word?

• Jesus

• God

• and yes, the Holy Spirit.

They are three, but they are one and the same. And yes, the written Word is an integrated aspect of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Those Words you find in your Bible are filled with life, power, and promise.

I don't do high theology; I write to be understood. If you can't understand that Jesus spoke the worlds into existence because He and the Father are one, then perhaps that is because you have a veil over your eyes and cannot see. Paul tells us that the veil is lifted when a person asks Jesus to come into their lives and take control. (2 Corinthians 3:14)

Ooh, that taking control part sounds scary, almost as if I am giving up the right to make decisions about my own life. First, I would like to ask you, how have your efforts to control your life been working out for you?

So what we are doing is voluntarily submitting ourselves to Jesus, who voluntarily laid down His life so that you could have life once again. Ah, but this does NOT mean that every negative circumstance around you will simply fall away. No, you will probably, in time, have to separate yourself from people and places that will harm you (either mentally or physically.)

Since it is on my mind. We ALL sin – in other words, we all miss the mark. Yes, the word sin is an old English archery term that indicates you did anything but hit the bullseye (the bullseye is that small, usually colored circle, about an inch wide, that gets remarkably small the further away it gets.) The human/religious and, therefore, traditional implications are that you MUST hit the bullseye on every attempt. Seriously, we occasionally hit it as we make amends, an aspect of confessing our sins.

What am I trying to say?

We are forgiven because Jesus went to the cross and rose again, but that forgiveness did not integrate itself into our being until we accepted Jesus Christ into our lives. At the moment you received Jesus, the Holy Spirit of God, the one who had been prodding you to give your life to Him, came into you and permanently, made His home, and began to change you from the inside to the outside.

Now that we have that understanding, we shall move on.

“In him there was life, and that life was a light for the people of the world. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not defeated it.”
(John 1:4-5 ERV)

• “In him there was life.”

  Ah, but what does it mean to have life?

  Life, according to the Word Study Dictionary, is the Greek word zōḗ and conveys the general idea of physical life and existence as opposed to death and nonexistence. In other Manuscripts, it is presented as psuchḗ zōḗs, the soul of life means every living soul (Septuagint.: Gen_2:7; Gen_25:7). Of life or existence after rising from the dead, only of Christ (Rom_5:10; 2Co_4:10-12). Metaphorically of the Jewish people (Rom_11:15).

  “Then the LORD God took dust from the ground and made a man. He breathed the breath of life into the man's nose, and the man became a living thing.” (Genesis 2:7 ERV)

  The usage of life in Gen 2:7. chayyim (313a); from H2421a; life: — alive, life, life-giving, lifetime, live, sustenance.

  SUSTENANCE, n. Support; maintenance; That which supports life.

  Romans 5:10 expresses a similar meaning.

  “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”
  (Romans 5:10 NASB)

  Here is what I hear screaming in my head.

  I am already alive, so what does giving myself to Jesus offer me that I do not already have?

  I suppose that the fact that you are breathing and living in a manner that you prefer is what you are talking about. The Apostle Paul said something strange that speaks to your definition of life.

  “If our hope in Christ is good for this life only and no more, then we deserve more pity than anyone else in all the world.” (1 Corinthians 15:19 GNB)

  Obviously, life does NOT apply to how you can live in your journeys on this earth; there is something more, and in expressing that we have hope in Christ, he has explained to whom we turn to gain this life.

  Webster's dictionary gives 26 points in which they attempt to define life. A few of those will make our case.

1. In a general sense, that state of animals and plants, or of an organized being, in which its natural functions and motions are performed, or in which its organs are capable of performing their functions.

   (So you are breathing and feeling; we, for the most part, all do that. And clearly, there is something more.)

2. The present state of existence; the time from birth to death.

   (For the person, through no fault of their own, who is now a quadriplegic, their existence is rather limited. Again, this is hardly what we are talking about, and these people can have  hope in Christ, and you might never know that.)

3. Manner of living; conduct; deportment, in regard to morals.

   (For some, they believe this is acquired with their excessive amounts of money and controlled by their tainted morals, which could be guided by that money.)

4. "Blood the supposed vehicle of animation."

   (This is one of the basest definitions, and we are all subject to death.)

And I will cut this off with one last definition.

1. Eternal happiness in heaven. Rom 5.

   Webster did not expound on what motivated them to write Romans 5, but verse 10 speaks of being saved by His life.

   “For if, while we were yet enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved by His life.” (Romans 5:10 TLV)

   Sin made us enemies, but Christ's death and resurrection brought us back into the family through our acceptance of the cross.

   Outside of the breath you breathe, there is no life without Jesus in your life.

Maybe I should explain that because we are made in the image of God, we all have eternal spirits; this also means that you, being in the image of God, are a hated target of Satan's wrath. Some will respond to this statement by saying, I am doing my best to live for Satan. The problem with that logic is that he doesn't need you, nor does he care for you. At the moment, because of your putrid allegiance, you are, for the time being, taken out of the way and NOT a threat to him. Whoopee. None of this means a thing to the unbeliever, although many of them may be trying to live forever through AI.

Since you will live forever through the aid of an operating system being installed in you, the question then becomes where you will live, in a bottle of formaldehyde?

At this point, the next question thrown at you is, how could a good God send people to hell?

Hell, was made for Satan and the fallen angels. We have freedom of choice and can choose to follow Jesus Christ, or you can follow Satan. Those are the ONLY two choices. Following Christ gives you a life with the Father in eternity, while following Satan only gives you a fiery hell with him for perpetuity. So, it is not that God is sending you to hell; you are merely following your leader. You will NOT have the freedom to say, I did not know, because you are choosing, even now, to NOT believe and, therefore, not receive Jesus into your life.

If Christ gives you a life with the Father, is that happening now, or do you have to wait for something to come?

The life in Him begins immediately. Unfortunately, we live in a broken creation. But the day is coming in which it will be changed. This comes in two phases: the 1000 years, where there will be peace. Oh sure, the earth will still have people living on it with their freedom of choice. The second phase comes after the 1000 years when all sin is purged, the dead will be judged, and Satan and sinners will be gone. At this point in time, we will be with the Father, with all the other saints – free from the damage of sin, and we will have clear minds. The migration to the 1000-year reign is about to take place, and I look for it every day.

• “and that life was a light for the people of the world.”

  Not just the Jews, but you and I.

• “The light shines in the darkness,”

  I don't care how dark it seems; the light is still shining.

• “and the darkness has not defeated it.”

  And the most important part of all. Know and understand that the darkness (in whatever form it takes) has not and will not defeat the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Father.

A study in the Gospel of John (John 1:1)

 “In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”         (John 1:1 NASB)

The Strong's numbers for John 1:1

"In the beginningG746 was R2the WordG3056, and the WordG3056 was R3with GodG2316, and R4the WordG3056 was GodG2316."

"In the beginning," The single Gk word is archē; It denotes an order, time, place, or rank, and an act, in this case, the beginning. It can also indicate a cause, as in Col_1:18; 

A comparative verse is Genesis 1:1 from the OT. 

Genesis 1:1 NASB “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

Much like the Apostle John's gospel, this one Hebrew word, rê'shı̂yth, conveys the phrase "In the beginning." It, too, carries the meaning of the first, in place, time, order, or rank.

Likewise, Colossians 1:17 tells us that "He is before all things."  Interesting how the definitions include the idea that things were happening in order. We see a comparable assertion when we consider Genesis 1:1.

Since John's gospel defines the context as Jesus, we could walk away, shake the dust off our feet, and call it done. But the terminology "He" also applies to God. Paul's letter to the church in Colossae also conveys the idea that Jesus' Words hold all things together, and if you were honest, you would admit that you, too, think of God as He.

What evidence do we have that confirms this relationship between God and Jesus?  

"In the beginning the Word already existed; the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1 GNB)

This Good News Bible is quite simplistic, but it opens with a telling statement, when this all began, the Word already existed, and it seems He was standing next to Abba when He spoke the universe into existence. 

This opens the door to another mystery.

Had Jesus, knowing how things would turn out, already submitted Himself to take on the form of a man? 

One piece of evidence that fuels such a thought comes from the many pre-incarnate appearances of Jesus Christ throughout the Old Testament. If the Messiah created with a human inclination, then you would think he would have done so with a concern for the beauty of nature, which we humans are so enamored with, as it would have become a part of His thinking. Although I am getting ahead of myself, John 1:14 clearly tells us that the Word became flesh.

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
(John 1:14 NASB)

The word became is the Greek word ginomai. The Word Study Dictionary gives us the meaning: to begin to be, to come into existence or into any state, or simply to be.

1 John 1:1 NASB “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life--”

John and many other disciples unashamedly testified to some essential things that many feel comfortable denying or ignoring.

• We heard. Many events have sounds and memorable sayings associated with them. 

• We have seen with our eyes. We saw people's lives change because of the miracles.

• And, we touched with our hands. While touching has some wide latitude, it could be taken to mean they touched the Son of God.

In a translation such as the LITV, the word "the" is italicized, indicating that it was added for clarity.

 "In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1 LITV)

I could read this, "In beginning." A read like this applies no parameters to how this should be understood. The Septuagint, where it reads "en arche," conveys the idea of a point of commencement, simply to begin, or it is indicative of a process.

Since John seems to lean heavily upon Genesis 1:1 as a prophetic witness, you would think that we would see the same treatment of the word "the" in the Genesis record. However, a proper study of the Genesis account proves that it could be read in the same manner but through the usage of a singular Hebrew word, rê'shı̂yth.

Now let's ponder the phrase "the Word" for a moment.

The phrase is simple enough. It is (as the Strong's dictionary points out) “The masculine, feminine (second) and neuter (third) forms, in all their inflections; the definite article.” In other words, it is pointed to one thing, the person of Jesus in all His forms. 

I already pointed out how John 1:14 tells us that the Word became flesh, and yet, suddenly, I find my thoughts a little cloudy, and here is why. Here we are in January 2023, and lately, one of the current trends is to ask some artificial intelligence application to provide an image of God. Some results are effeminate, homogeneous, ethereal beings with a single eye where the forehead should be.

When people try to play the race card and say that “we” have created a white God, I point out that there is the possibility that God is nuclear energy. I say that because Moses was NOT allowed to look at the face of God, as it would kill the man. Instead, Moses was allowed a fleeting glimpse of the backside of God as He moved away. As a result of that moment, Moses glowed for quite a while, so much so that the people asked him to cover his head.

“It came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses' hand as he was coming down from the mountain) that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him.” (Exodus 34:29 NASB)

We know that Moses was on that mountain for 40 days and nights, longer than a human can live without water and food, but we have no chronological timeline of when specific things occurred. So the point here is we do not know how long Moses glowed.

And yet, when the Pharisees demanded that Jesus show them the Father, He merely responded by saying, if you have seen me, you have seen the Father. Today, we see Jesus primarily through the Word of God - the Bible.