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 were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1–14 NKJV)
Today we begin the final section of our Advent musings.
We pass now from prospect to realisation and to the lasting significance of Advent.
The Gospel according to John
John has nothing to add to the accounts of the nativity found in the gospel according to Matthew and Luke, but he begins his story earlier than theirs. In fact, he goes beyond time into the eternity before the beginning. How shall we describe, in a few hundred words, what we discover here? The Bible never tries to prove the existence of God. It is one of the assumptions that is built into the miracle of the Scriptures. The writer of the fourth gospel explains his purpose in writing at the end of his account.
And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. (John 20:30–31 NKJV)
Whom did he have in mind when he wrote that you may believe? Many have assumed that he is addressing the unbeliever and have used this gospel as their main tool in the work of evangelism. It is quite legitimate to use it as a help in our evangelism but, in my view, that was not its original purpose. The Old Testament Scriptures, or to give them a more accurate title, the Old Covenant Scriptures, were written for the benefit, primarily, of those who were members of the Old (Sinai) Covenant. Even the book of Genesis, the First Book of Moses, was written for the benefit of the Sinai Covenant people of God. The Old Covenant Scriptures were the source documents of a unique group of people who were God’s people by Covenant. They defined the Covenant, giving its origins, its inception and its purpose. They were written by members of the Old Covenant (with the possible exception of Job) and they were written for members of the Old Covenant. Others can read them and benefit greatly from them but they do not belong to any other than members of the Old Covenant.
The New Testament Scriptures, or to give them their proper title, The New Covenant Scriptures, have a similar purpose. They are the source documents of a unique group of people who are God’s people by a New Covenant. They define the New Covenant giving its origins, its inception and its purpose. They were written by members of that New Covenant and they were written for members of that New Covenant. Again, others can read them and benefit greatly from them but they do not belong to any other than the members of that New Covenant.
The Triune God
The first few verses of the gospel according to John were not written for atheists, nor for unbelievers. They were written to interpret the faith to those who already enjoyed it. It begins with a statement about the person and nature of God. As the curtain rises we discover in the opening sentences that God is already on the stage. If we read the record carefully we discover that this is not an explanation of the beginning but a statement that before the beginning began, God already was.
The perfect tense gives the sense that in the beginning the Word already was in existence. In other words, the Word precedes the beginning. Anyone who precedes the beginning or survives the ending must be eternal. Otherwise, the beginning must be the arrival of that person, and if he arrives he must have arrived from somewhere, and if he arrives from somewhere he must have been in that somewhere before the beginning. In which case the beginning is not the beginning. But John declares that the being he describes as the Word was already there at the beginning.
Not only was the Word there when the beginning began but he was also in a relationship with God. The Word was with God. This word ‘with’ is an interesting preposition. Bible Greek has a profusion of words describing relationships: in, on, under, in front of, behind, by the side of, out of, towards. The last of this list has a sense of motion in it. It is not a static relationship but a dynamic one. It is the word translated in our Bibles usually by the word ‘with’ but it signifies towards, into. It is not a static relationship but a dynamic one. The Word is described as being in an active relationship with God.
Augustine of Hippo famously defended the doctrine of the Trinity by declaring that God is, and always has been, and always will be, love. But love must include a lover and a beloved. The revelation of the first verse does not end there. It continues:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. (John 1:1–2 NKJV)
The revelation came slowly through the Scriptures. For centuries God needed to impress upon his wayward people that fact that there were not multiple gods. He gave a strong statement of monotheism:
Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah: (Deut 6:4 ASV)
It took centuries for that truth to become embedded in their understanding and behaviour. Until this fact was firmly established the revelation could not progress. An old writer declared that with regard to the doctrine of the Trinity the Old Covenant Scriptures were like a room beautifully furnished but poorly lit. He meant that there is much evidence to support the doctrine of the Trinity but you generally have to believe it before you can see it.
Christ added to the revelation with a statement that did not contradict it but rather shone more light on the matter. He boldly asserted:
I and My Father are one.” (John 10:30 NKJV)
Bible-believing Christians are monotheists. Contrary to unitarians we believe not in three gods, but one god in three persons. It was due to the impact of the Holy Spirit entering the New Covenant people that the light shone even more brightly and we believe in one god subsisting in three persons. The Father is God, and the Son is God, and the Spirit is God but there are not three gods but one God. The truth revealed in the times of the Old Covenant is still true. The Lord our God is one Lord.
There have been many illustrations that have attempted to explain the mystery of Trinity but they only work for people who believe in Trinity.
The Creator
The next verse reveals that it was the Word who was the divine agent in the creation of all things. There are absolutely no exceptions to this. Everything that exists was made through him, and without him nothing was made that exists.
All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (John 1:3 NKJV)
In Him was life and that Life that was the Light of men
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. (John 1:4 NKJV)
He was not only the agent of creation but he has been and still is the messenger of truth. All spiritual truth wherever it may be found has its source in him. Every revelation of spiritual truth known to the human race has had its origin in the Him. He is the divine Witness. To reject his witness is to reject him and to reject him is to reject the one who sent him. Truth is not neutral, neither is it detachable.
The last word
The epistle to the Hebrews speaks of this process of revelation and brings it to its culmination.
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;… (Heb 1:1–2 NKJV)
The many words spoken in witness down through the years culminate in the manifestation of the Word himself. The writer expresses this progress graphically: at various times and in various ways. Truth has shone into the lives of all men at various times and in various ways. But now in these last days, he has spoken the last word. The Word spoken of by the gospel writer is identified plainly. There is nothing more to say, at this stage of mankind’s story, that God has not said in his Son.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14 NKJV)
No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. (John 1:18 NKJV)
Originally posted 2020-12-30 07:00:14.
