JESUS IS GOD BECOME MAN

(Top picture is the place of Jesus' birth in BETHLEHEM. Bottom picture is NAZARETH where Jesus grew up.)

Jesus Christ is God. That was the first glorious declaration John boldly made in His Gospel. (See last week’s blog) Such an assertion was made, as N.T. Niles points out in his new book, Simply Christian, “…not three or four centuries later, after a long period of reflection and development, at a point when it might conceivably have been socially or politically desirable to say it. They said it within a single generation. And they said it even though it was shocking to the religious sensibilities of both Jews and pagans. Moreover, they said it even though it meant a direct political confrontation with the claims of Rome.”

Having made that radical assertion, John next turns his attention to addressing the issue of God’s coming into the world as a Man – the Son of God/Son of Man, Jesus. This cosmic act was easily within the nature and sovereignty of God to do; however, from the perspective of man, it didn’t fit any model within Jewish messianic thought, or any other thought within Judaism for that matter. After two thousand years we still haven’t come to terms with it. John uses some well known and beloved phrases in the prologue to his Gospel, but they require clarification before they can be fully understood. Read John 1:3-14. I’m using the New International Version.

“Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life…” John reasons here that if everything in existence, including all forms of life, was made by God; it therefore follows that life (Gr – Zoe; plant and animal life, which includes human life) was obviously resident in God who created it. He is Life, creates life, thus any life that exists derives its existence from Him. Another rendering of the scriptural phrase is: “That which has been made was life in Him.”

“…and that life was the light of men.” This life that was in God is visible in human form. The human life that was resident in God, its Creator, manifested itself, i.e., became visible (Gr – phos; light) as a man.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) Jesus was the visible Light of God in our world.

Paul wrote, "...God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself..." (II Corinthians 5:19)

Paul believed that even before Jesus men should have been able to see God. He wrote, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)

The Psalmist, David, wrote in Psalm 19:
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.

“The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” God, as a visible man, appeared (Gr – phaino; shined) in the darkness (Gr – skotia; darkness of error) of this world, but was not perceived by the world for who He was. Darkness did not seize the moment of the appearance of the Light of the world. Those sad words of Jesus as He wept over Jerusalem are also appropriate here, “If you had only known…,” (Luke 19:41)

“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”(John 3:19)

“The light shines in the darkness…” Notice the present tense. The Light of the victorious, resurrected Christ still shines in our world to this day. Darkness still doesn’t get it.

“The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” God Himself is the true Manifestation of Life. This Life which gives existence and visible outward appearance to every man has come into the world.

“He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” He was in the world which He made; dwelling among people to whom He had given life, and they did not recognize their Creator. He came to His own creation which did not receive Him.

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…” The power (authority) to become children of God was given to all who realized who He was, took hold of Him, and entrusted their souls to Him.

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” (Ephesians 5:8)

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (I Peter 2:9)

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” God became a human being and lived among us. It was readily apparent who He was. We recognized Him. We know Him as the One and Only God, full of grace and truth.

This is John’s opening message to his Gospel. God became a man in Jesus Christ and came into the world He created. Though the world owed its existence to Him, it did not receive Jesus nor recognize Him as God among us. We who did recognize Him saw in Him the very glory of God. And as many as did receive Him, He gave power to become children of God.

Thanks be to God!