John 1:1–18

Professor of Christian Studies, School of Christian Studies, University of Mobile

Accept God’s Promised Savior
John 1:1–18

Today’s secular mind-set, reinforced by news reports about religious fraud and moral failings of religious leaders, is often skeptical about the claims of the gospel. People whose knowledge of Jesus is superficial often dismiss Him as an extremely shrewd con artist or a tragically deluded idealist. Some think He was a strong religious leader or a great moral teacher but nothing more. Some people who are exposed to the clear biblical message of the gospel may reject it. Others, however, hear it and gain an understanding of Jesus’ identity, receive Him as their Lord and Savior and experience His grace and truth.

Identify the Savior (1–5)
The opening words of the Gospel of John loudly echo the opening verse of the Bible. The apostle John, the author of the Gospel, stated in the strongest possible terms that Jesus is the Creator-God of the universe. Three times in verse 1, John used the term “Word,” indicating that Jesus is the self-expression of God. This self-expression of God, “the Word,” has always existed. He was “with” God, that is, God’s self-expression existed in an eternal face-to-face intimacy with God.

The self-expression of God is indeed deity. Whatever God is, the Word is. In fact, the Word was both the Agent of creation as well as the Author of life. Everything, without exception, came into existence through the work of the Word. The self-expression of God possesses life and light, which evil (“darkness”) can neither understand nor overcome. This opening statement of John is a resounding declaration of the deity of Jesus, His role in creation and His nature as Life and Light.

Heed the Witness (6–9)
God sent John the Baptist to testify about the Savior who gives light to everyone. The purpose of John’s ministry was a witness to the identity of Jesus. John’s role in the plan of God, as verse 8 makes clear, was simply that of a witness to the Light. John explained that Jesus, the Light, is the Savior of the world (John 1:29). Jesus, by stepping out of eternity into history, made light and life available to everyone. This does not mean that people are automatically saved; it does mean that people can know the truth about whom Jesus is and can respond by trusting Him.

Respond With Faith (10–13)
When Jesus, who created the universe, entered the universe He had made, His own people, the Jews, did not, by and large, recognize Him as the Creator or as the Savior or as the Messiah. He came to His own things, and His own people did not understand whom He was. However, some did recognize whom He was and did receive Him. To receive Jesus means to believe in His name. The phrase “to believe in His name” means to choose to depend on Jesus’ person and work; it is an act of the will.

To everyone who receives Jesus, Jesus gives authority to become children of God. All human beings are created in God’s image and are, therefore, God’s creatures by creation. But only those who trust Jesus are God’s children. Trusting Jesus results in a new birth, a birth completely distinct from physical birth. I must trust Christ for myself. Nor is the new birth accomplished by an individual’s self-promotion or by any act of human merit.

Experience Grace and Truth (14–18)
In order to accomplish our salvation, the self-expression of God took upon Himself, without losing His deity, a human body and lived temporarily among us. As the God-Man, He possesses all the attributes of deity as well as the attributes of humanity (not including sin). Thus, as the God-Man, Jesus is our adequate Savior; as genuinely human, He could suffer and die, and, as truly God, His death is effective as payment for our sins. Because of the Word’s incarnation, we experience grace and truth by trusting Jesus.