Advent: Born to Dwell With Bible Study FellowshipSample

John’s Life and Gospel

Some people question if Jesus’ disciple John – an uneducated, hot-tempered fisherman – could have written this Gospel and other New Testament books bearing his name. However, church leaders who lived and wrote in John’s time and throughout the second century say so.

John and his brother James were Peter’s partners in the Galilean fishing trade. (1) James was probably older because he is usually listed first. Their mother Salome also followed Jesus. (2) Because of the brothers’ fiery natures, Jesus called them sons of thunder. (3) Each time John’s temper flared, the Lord corrected him. Jesus’ devotion transformed the youthful son of thunder into an apostle of love. (4)

On the cross, Jesus entrusted His mother to John’s care. (5) Yet, after the early days of the Church, decades went by with only one mention of John in Galatians 2:9. Sixty years may have passed between Jesus’ crucifixion and this Gospel writing. During John’s years of seeming obscurity, the Holy Spirit prepared John to communicate God’s truth to the world. John wrote this Gospel, the book of Revelation, and three New Testament letters.

In the Beginning

Let’s linger in John’s prologue by studying each phrase in verses 1 to 3:

In the beginning was the Word. – John echoes Moses’ introduction in Genesis 1. The past tense was, emphasizes Christ’s past continuous existence. Before the world was created or time began, Christ the Word was already.

The Word was with God. – The relationship word with suggests two distinct persons: the Son and the Father. This eternal union is hinted at throughout the Old Testament. For example, God says in Genesis 1:26, “Let us make mankind in our image” (italics added). Furthermore, Psalm 110:1 records two of the persons of the Trinity talking: “The LORD says to my lord” – which Jesus quotes in relation to Himself and His Father during His earthly ministry. (6)

The Word was God. – God the Son possesses the same nature or essence as God the Father. The deeds and words of Jesus are the deeds and words of God. All the Father’s attributes belong to the Son, whom John saw, heard, and touched.

He was with God in the beginning. – Here, John says the Son is uncreated, existing before all creation. John couples the relationship word (with) God and Genesis’ opening phrase, “in the beginning.” This phrase reinforces the eternal fellowship of “the Word” with God the Father.

Through him, all things were made. – The access words (through him, or by him) signal the Word’s activity in creation. Pause to take in what God has John reveal: all things were made through God the Son who later took on human form and was born to dwell among us.

Without him, nothing was made that has been made. – All that is created owes existence to Jesus Christ. He made and sustains all things by His powerful word. Sent by the Father in love, Jesus Christ joyfully came to save all who would believe in Him. Jesus delivered His people from sin into everlasting life. (7) All who are reborn in Christ through faith dwell with the Spirit, Father, and Son forever.

Before His Birth

When John describes the Son of God before His human birth, John calls Him Logos (Greek), translated in most Bibles as “the Word.” Logos means more than any single English word can convey. Logos indicated the “First Cause,” a divine, intelligent, unknown power behind the universe in ancient Greek philosophy. The term signified ultimate wisdom. So, for John’s purpose, Logos conveys the superiority of God the Son, the source of all wisdom and power.

These first three verses intertwine essential truths. John reveals the unique position and activity of the person whose human birth we celebrate like that of no other—Jesus Christ, the Word, the Son of God.

We rejoice in His:

• pre-incarnate existence.
• distinct personal existence.
• eternally divine nature.

In light of John’s expansive view of Christ’s life, will you commit these three verses to heart? Not merely recalling words in order, but will you use God’s Word to reverently focus on Jesus Christ’s person and work before His birth? “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him, all things were made; without Him, nothing was made that has been made.”

Questions

1. From John 1:1, repeat the three phrases about “the Word” out loud, if possible. What truth about Him stands out in each phrase?
2. John’s opening phrase, “In the beginning,” ties these verses to Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” What does this phrase emphasize about the relationship between God the Father and God the Son?
3. What have you discovered about “the Word” so far in our study of Christ’s Incarnation? How do these truths reshape your view of your life and your relationships with other people?

Related verses:

1. Fishing trade: Luke 5:7-10
2. Salome: Matt 27:56; Mark 15:40
3. Sons of thunder: Mark 3:17; 9:38; 10:35-37; Luke 9:54
4. Apostle of love: John 15:15
5. Mary’s care: John 19:27
6. Jesus uses Ps 110: Matt 22:41-45
7. Jesus saves: John 3:16-18