John 1:1-5 - God's Self-Disclosure

John 1:1-2 - Jesus Christ is the Word. His power and authority are mentioned first, rather than His works of creation. Jesus simply speaks and it is. He needs no helpers, team, army, muscle, technology, or any other material, worldly resources. He is sheer eternal power and authority. See Titus 2:13-14; Matthew 24:35; Colossians 1:16-17; Revelation 22:13.

John 1:3 - Jesus Christ is the Creator. This is not just a historical fact. It is not a mere reiteration of His power and authority. Of course our Creator has the ultimate knowledge, wisdom, and power to create the universe and all that is in it. But let us think of how He is intimate with all that He creates. He desires a particular intimacy with us. We will later see that the world does not want this intimacy. In Christ are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3; Proverbs 1:7), and He wants to share that with us (John 4:10,14; 7:37-39; 14:1-23). See Romans 11:36 cp. John 14:6; Philippians 1:21; 3:14; 4:13, 19.

• "Of Him" - He is the source of life.


• "Through Him" - He is the guide for life.


• "To Him" - He is the goal of life.

John 1:4-5 - Jesus Christ is Life and Light. Without Christ, we are dead and in the dark. Dead men, who are In the dark can't naturally comprehend the life and light of Christ. They must be born again spiritually. The Greek language in verse five is translated very differently in many translations. It has the idea that those who are in the dark cannot understand / comprehend the light of Christ. They cannot handle it / control it. They cannot overcome it. What men do not understand they fear. What they fear they seek to control or destroy. Christ cannot be handled or conquered (Proverbs 21:30; John 16:33).

John 1:6-8, 15 - God Sends Human Witness

• John the Baptist was specifically prophesied to officially announce the coming of the Messiah (Isaiah 40:3-5; Malachi 4:5-6 cp. John 1:19-23; Matthew 3:1-6; 11:7-15).


• God has ordained that the followers of Jesus confess and preach Jesus Christ to the world (Matthew 10:32-38; 28:18-20; Acts 1:6-8; Romans 10:13-18; I Corinthians 1:18-31).

John 1:9 - God Sends the Light of Christ to Every Man.

Every man is affected by the light of Jesus Christ, even though they do not comprehend it and are not able to control it (John 1:4-5). He is like a flash of lightning in the night which blinds people. The light of Christ is a search light that probes into people and gives conscience (John 2:23-25; Revelation 2:2-3 cp. Psalm 139:1-2, 23-24; Proverbs 5:21; 20:27). Man has a conscience that can be weak, defiled, or seared as with a hot iron (I Corinthians 8:6-12; Titus 1:15; I Timothy 4:2). We are to follow His light and come to the Father (John 8:12; 14:6).

John 1:10-13 - God Separates people for His Son

People of the world do not naturally receive Christ and His truth. Even His own nation Israel did not receive Him. So God has a way of drawing people to Jesus Christ by the work of His Spirit - the new birth. Those who are drawn to Christ and receive Him in this way have the right to become children of God. The purchased people of Christ are also called His sheep. See John 3:3-7; 6:37-45, 63 (cp. Matthew 16:13-17); 10:1-18, 27-30.

John 1:14-18 - God Shares Grace and Truth through His Son

The Word (i.e. God) became flesh (i.e. a man - I Timothy 3:16; Philippians 2:5-8). Jesus Christ came to reveal the glory of the Father to man (John 14:8-9; 17:4-5; I John 5:20). Besides showing us the glory of God, Jesus also came to give us abundant grace and truth. Moses brought us truth through the law, but that law served only as a teacher, to show us our sin and our need of mercy and grace (Galatians 3:24). The law cannot save us. Rather, it was designed to bring us to Christ for salvation (deliverance from sin). Jesus brought us divine grace with the truth. "Grace" means "gift." This gift is the ability to desire, to seek, to know, to believe, and to do the will of God by faith (Ephesians 2:8-10 cp. John 6:27-29; II Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 2:20). The law is good, but it can only reveal our sin and unrighteousness. It is the grace of Christ that takes the truth and powerfully transforms us (Romans 3:20-26; 6:17-23; 8:1-4; II Thessalonians 2:13; I Peter 1:2-5).

John 1:16 says that from the fulness of Christ (Colossians 2:9-10) we have received (and are receiving) "grace for grace / grace upon grace" (i.e. grace after grace after grace, etc. - endless grace). With Jesus Christ sinners can experience mercy and truth. They can have His righteousness and be at peace with God (Psalm 85:10 cp. Romans 5:1-2; Philippians 3:8-10).