THE BOOK OF JOHN CHAPTER 1:1-5
INTRODUCTION

The Gospel/Book of John was written by the Apostle John probably from the city of Ephesus between 70-80 AD. That date being the general consensus, which would put this Book after the fall of Jerusalem to Rome. John was the son of Zebedee, and was the brother of James (together called the “Sons of Thunder” by Jesus). He was the youngest of the disciples, but lived to be the oldest, the others having been martyred. God, for an Age-lasting record of Who Christ was/is, gives John flawless insight and Holy Spirit-guided words to write. He, having been an eye witness, and having the heart and mind of God, gives inspired testimony from the Holy Spirit to the Jews and Gentiles who were and would always be questioning the origin and nature of Jesus in relation to God.

It was the last of the four Gospels, the other three having been written 10-20 years earlier. Thought to be written before the Epistles of John (1st, 2nd, and 3rd John), and certainly before 96 AD, which is when the last book John wrote was; that being the Book of Revelation.

The Bible, although penned and compiled by men, from Genesis through Revelation is to the Christian the inspired Written Word of God. The Book of John the Apostle is one of 4 Books that are called the ‘Gospels’ (good news/messages) of the New Testament. The New Testament may be divided up into 4 groups without harm for clearer understanding:

• The four Gospels
• The Acts of the Apostles and the General Epistles (including the earlier Letters of Paul, and of Peter, James, etc.)
• The later Pauline Epistles (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians)
• The Revelation of Christ given to John the Apostle

The overall theme or subject of the Old and New Testament is the coming of The King and His Kingdom (although the Jews of Christ’s day had a very different understanding of the Messiah and His Coming Kingdom. Why did the Jews reject such a strong candidate to be that promised King? Of course it was pride and jealousy, but it was much more than that. The environment Christ came into was one where opinions concerning that King/Messiah were skewed by decades and decades of religious ideas and interpretations of the Old Testament. When Truth came, it contrasted with this environment of darkness).

The 4 ‘Gospels’ proclaim God’s King and Kingdom to the Nation of Israel, as did the Books of the Old Testament, especially the prophets. Nevertheless, the Kingdom is rejected (by all but a few) and the King is crucified in Jerusalem. The King and Kingdom are then put in abeyance (temporary suspension) as God turns to call another people to His Son’s Kingdom. (To inherit the heavenly portion of that kingdom, not the earthly, as the Jews never lost the promise of the earthly due to God’s faithfulness to the promises He made to the patriarchs; Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.)

The Book of Acts records the re-offering of the future King and Kingdom to the Jews and reveals their continued unbelief; and finally their ultimate rejection. (Acts 2:38, 3:19-26, 28:16-28) During this timeframe (the past 2000 years in this Age of mercy and grace), the Gospel of the Coming King and Kingdom is being offered to Gentiles as documented in the General Epistles including Paul’s earlier Letters to the Church.

Then we have the later letters from Paul (letters as of his first imprisonment in Rome). These Epistles fully reveal the mysteries of the heavenly kingdom of Christ; Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. They together reveal and proclaim Jesus Christ exalted to the right hand of the Father and made Head over all things to the Church, which is his body (Ephesians 1:20-23, Philippians 2:9-11, Colossians 1:24-29) wherein is found the mystery or the Kingdom of heavens and its King being revealed (after Israel as a Nation is rejected. Ephesians 3:1-12, Colossians 1:24-29). His Kingship and Kingdom, both the earthly, and heavenly portions “we see not yet” as they are in suspension (Hebrews 2:8) as God calls out Gentiles for His name.

The Revelation is the final Written Word of God. It reveals the future investiture (formal ceremony) of Jesus Christ as King (Chapter 4) and proceeds quickly with establishing His Kingdom in the heavens (associated with this Earth) and in the Earth through His judgments, power and glory. The King is then enthroned. The Old Testament was completed with the last Old Covenant prophet Malachi’s writing and God did not speak again on the Earth until John the Baptist over 400 years later. Likewise, with the New Testament being completed with the Apostle John, in the same sense God has not spoken again for 2000 years. And when He speaks again on the Earth, it will be by the Two Witnesses. (Revelation 11:3 for what He will say, see Psalm 50)

Hebrews 1:1-2 declares the time (to be in the years of eye witnesses to Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, and after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit) and declares the speaker, representative of God, in the New Testament to be Written down as ‘according’ to His Son. “God, who at sundry (different) times and divers (varying) manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things…” The written Word was given to the prophets in the Old Testament. Now the Son was given authority to speak and have those Words written in the New Testament as it is He is who we should now follow.

Christ’s appointed recorders of the 4 ‘Gospels’ (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)…

Matthew presents the Lord Jesus as God’s Messiah King prophesied by Moses and the Old Testament Prophets. Proof of which is first established by Royal lineage from Abraham to David downward (Matthew 1:1-17) and then by prophecy… “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass.” (Zechariah 9:9) ‘King’ being the highest of Earth’s positions.

Mark (being a friend of Peter, it probably reflects the view from Peter’s position) presents the Lord Jesus as God’s ideal Servant, Slave the lowest of Earth’s positions… “Behold My Servant” (Isaiah 42:1, Zechariah 3:8) obviously no genealogy is needed for this position of slave before God.

Luke (a friend and companion of Paul) presents the Lord Jesus as God’s perfect  MAN of humanity; “Behold the Man whose name is the Branch; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord: Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” (Zechariah 6:12-13) Thus the establishing of Jesus’ ancestry from the natural view as a Man back unto Adam. (Luke 3:23-38)

John the Apostle presents The Lord Jesus as God Himself. “Behold your God”. (Isaiah 40:9, 4:2) Thus no genealogy is possible. Him being Deity, is the basis for all the subject matter in the Gospel according to John the Apostle.

Thus, the 4 Gospels are to be taken as a whole, setting forth the Coming of Jesus the Christ; His life and death and resurrection in its various aspects. No one Book or account could rightly satisfy them. Just as not any one Sacrifice or offering in the Mosaic Law could set forth the different aspects of His life, death, and resurrection.

John, having the mind and heart of God about His Son, full of the facts, deeds and Words of Christ, is led then to write them down so as to establish certain Truths. And when rightly divided, it refutes all error that is set against His Deity.

John begins with his own relating of ‘Bereshith’ (referring to Genesis 1:1’s ‘in the beginning…’) but it is a theological ‘beginning’ as he declares Who God is before He Created. In the opening of the Book, he makes 7 fundamental statements about the Son of God, that which he will fully establish in the remainder of the Book…

First: Verses 1-5 reveal the Word or Son of God and His relation to God, His relation to all Creation, His creating men, being their Life and Light, and that they nevertheless received Him not.

Second: Verses 6-8 His relation with John the Baptist

Third: Verses 9-11 His relation with Israel

Fourth: Verses 12-13 His relation with believers

Fifth: Verse 14 His incarnation

Sixth: Verses 15-16 followed by John the Baptist’ testimony of Christ’s superiority

Seventh: Verses 17-18 His relationship with Moses.

VERSES 1-2 “In the beginning was the Word, and Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.” Genesis 1 opens with “In the beginning God (Elohyim; being plural representing the Triune One/Echad GOD Who) created the heaven(s) and the Earth… and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said let there be light…”  This Gospel opens with the deeper understanding in the light of Christ, that of His being with God, and that He was God at Creation, declaring his co-authorship as co-Companion with the Father and being His equal. As the Father is God, so is the Son God God, along with the Holy Spirit. Christ here being therefore declared pre-existent to Creation. (John 8:58) Christ then being the Creator, as it is Written… “For by Him all things were created”. And

Christ said, “for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” and in Luke He said, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good…”  So as a man is revealed by his words, and Christ being the Word; so it can be seen the Father is revealed by His companion; the eternal Son; the Word. So then in Genesis where it is Written, “And God said…”, it is the Son in accord with the Father Who is being referenced, and it is in the Holy Spirit’s expression of power that answers to “…and there was…” Man being made in the image of God, who is Triune in being, is reflected in his 3-part creation; spirit, soul and body. That also fills up the word of “It is not good he should be alone.” with deeper meaning.

VERSE 3 “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (See Psalms 33:6) Scripture reveals that everything that was created, without exception, was by the Son of God; Jesus the Christ. He carries out the Mind of the Father in this and all respects in united intelligence and power. He is the fullness of the Godhead’s personality bodily. (Colossians 2:9) Hebrews 1:3 describes Christ as, “being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person…” To Him (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in perfect harmony) is assigned all Creation. (Colossians 1:15-19) All things created give testimony of God their Creator as having given them life. (Romans 1:20)

VERSE 4a Thus “In Him was life…” Jesus was the possessor of Life and, in Creation, is the imparter of it to all who have it. His giving of Life is quantitative as well as qualitative in all Creation and is experienced but for a few moments in some, and to forever or eternally in others of His Creation. He is the possessor of life and instills it to whomsoever He will, in His now two-fold Glorified Nature; as the Son of God and Son of Man and comes to offer eternal life to mankind and Life more abundantly, that is to say of a glorious kind to overcomers. (Life more abundantly has to do with quality of eternal life.) It is in the mind of John by the Holy Spirit to exalt the Lord in the mind of men to the highest possible place. So it can be said that anyone who teaches any less of Christ sets himself in opposition to Him, and is in error and false.

4b “…and the life was the light of men.” Life and Light run together ‘in Christ’. He is the possessor of Life and all Intelligence. Initially imparted to a believer is Eternal Life which is Divine Life that naturally brings Divine Nature. That is to say, Life and light is representative of increased intelligence of a spiritual kind, and in their ultimate manifestation (an occurrence limited to the Overcomer) can only be described as Glorious. Mankind was doomed to a state of eternal death; that is to say, as near as a living being could be to being void of Christ’s life (that Divine Life and Light granted to Man/that state of being declared as being very good at his creation), and that as a result of Adam’s sin. (Romans 5:12) The Life and Light of the eternal kind was lost; what life and light remained, was but a flicker of conscience, hardly perceptible in the disabled condition on man’s spirit, lost in the vast darkness of his now fallen and carnally controlled soul/flesh. It is on this front the Lord attacked the powers of darkness of this World. He, being Deity, is the giver of ever- increasing life and light to believers. That which the body of this Book of John fully lays out.

VERSE 5 “And the light (is -Greek) shining in the darkness, and the darkness received it not.” The Apostle John is no doubt speaking a condemning Word to the darkness of the stubborn unbelievers throughout the World in the Gentile generations since Adam up to this present day who refuse Him though He be their Creator and Redeemer and has always had His witnesses. (Acts 17:27-28, 14:15-17, Romans 1:20) And additionally, John 1:11 says, “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” He first was manifest to the Jews, who willfully (being religiously blinded in the wisdom of their minds, without spiritual intelligence) then and now refuse the Life and Light still shining in Christ their Messiah’s Gospel. The Life and Light is shining forth, to both groups, in the foolishness of preaching. (1st Corinthians 1:19-31)

And so it is, that Life (increasing) and Light (increasing) is shining today and takes 3 forms of condemning testimony to those in varied forms and degrees of willful darkness who are currently not receiving its light: That being of Nature light on the uniformed and uncaring lost. That of the Written Word of God’s gracious testimony shining on the informed lost refusing the Life and Light to be saved. And that of the Written Word of God so splendidly shining on the saved who refuse any further Life and Light to be shined upon their darkness.