The Eternal Word

 (John 1:1-3)

Mike Johnson

John 1:1-3 says, “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.”

This article will examine four significant facts about Jesus in verses 1-3 of chapter one.  Being found within the prologue of the book of John (1:1-18), these statements have even more significance, as they serve as a foundation for the rest of the book.  Consider them now.

He Was in the Beginning (1a)

He starts by saying the Word was “In the beginning.”  In the beginning of what?  The exact phrase occurs at the start of the book of Genesis, referring to the beginning of creation.  Besides using the same words, the context clarifies that the writer speaks of creation.  But, who is the Word spoken of in verse 1?  This term refers to Christ.  Again, we learn this from the context, specifically verse 14.

An important conclusion from the text is that Christ was “in the beginning.” Thus, He was not created then, nor did He come to be then.  Instead, He had an existence before creation.  Many other passages in John also speak of His existence in heaven before His birth (3:13; 6:46, 62; 8:14, 58; 16:28; 17:5).  Further, in Galatians 4:4, we learn that in the “fullness of time,” God “sent forth” His Son to be “born of a woman” to redeem humanity.  How can you “send forth” someone who does not exist?  Philippians 2:6-11 teaches that Christ was exalted in heaven; then He came to earth to live as a man and die the death of the cross and was resurrected to return to an exalted state in heaven.  Yes, Christ existed in the beginning before creation and is, in fact, eternal.

He Was With God (1b)

Next (1b), we learn that the Word was “with God.”  This statement indicates that  Christ was separate and distinct from God.  The distinctiveness of Jesus from God, along with the Holy Spirit, is also seen at His baptism.  (Mt. 3:13-17).  When Jesus came up from the water, the Holy Spirit descended as a dove upon Him, and then God spoke: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

He Was God (1c)

Next, we see (1c) that the Word (Christ) was God, which expresses His divinity.  (Of the four gospels, John’s account seems to emphasize the deity of Christ the most.) Besides John 1:1, many other Bible verses speak of His divinity (Is.  9:6; Mt. 1:23; Phil. 2:5-7; Col. 1:15; 2:9-10; Titus 2:13-14).

Additionally, verse 2 adds, “He was in the beginning with God.”  This verse combines the first two points in verse 1 and is possibly a repetition for emphasis.  However, the verse does provide additional information.  The first verse says the Word was in the beginning, and then it says the Word was with God, but it does not say He was in the beginning with God.  If there is any doubt about this, verse two provides clarity and emphasis.

He Is the Creator of All Things (3)

John states a fourth fact about the Word in verse 3, which informs us that Christ is the creator of all things.  The verse says, “All things were made through Him,” and that “without Him nothing was made that was made.”  Again, this verse shows that Christ was not a part of creation, as we learn that “He created all things.”  This verse excludes Jesus from being created.

Verse 3 makes it clear that Christ is the creator.  Yet, other passages tell us that God is the creator.  For example, Genesis 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”  Further, Genesis 2:7 says, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Hebrews 11:3 says, “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” Many other passages speak simply of God as the creator (Rev. 4:11; Jer. 32:17; Ps. 33:6).

Why do some passages identify God as the creator while others speak of Christ in this role?  Several passages answer this question.  Colossians 1:16, speaking of Christ, says, “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.  All things were created through Him and for Him.”  In Hebrews 1:2, we learn that God “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.”  In our text, verse 3  and 10 says all things were made “through Him.” (Note also Hebrews 11:3 and Rev. 3:14.)  Although God is the creator, Christ was His agent in creation.  Thus, God is the ultimate source of creation; He is the creator of all things, but it is through Jesus that all things were created (1 Cor. 8:6).

Thus, at the beginning of this important book, John tells us of Jesus’ eternal existence, His distinction from God, His divinity, and that He is the creator of all things.  Also significant is that His forerunner, John the Baptist, introduces Him as the provider of “light” for humanity (4) and as the lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world (29).

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Is He Really a Pharisee

John R. Gibson

I frequently hear and read of religious people today being referred to as Pharisees, but I don’t believe the word means what many of those who use it think it means.  Before you ever refer to or think of someone as a Pharisee, it would be wise to see what the Bible actually says about that first-century Jewish sect.

When a person is accused of possessing the spirit of the Pharisees, exactly what is the accusation?  Is he being charged with the love of money?  “Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him” (Luke 16:14).

Or could it be a reference to one’s hypocrisy in inventing ways to justify lying or some other sin?  As strange as it may seem to us, that is what Jesus accused the Pharisees of doing.  “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’  Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold” (Matthew 23:16-17 [16-22])?

Perhaps the charge is that, to borrow a modern expression, a person talks the talk but fails to walk the walk.  And not only that, maybe he binds on others things he refused to do.  Perhaps, it involves an accusation one is only doing things to be seen by others.  I ask that because we see the Pharisees of old doing all three in Matthew 23:2-5.  “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do to be seen by men.”

Are some labeled as Pharisees because they seek to circumvent God’s commandments by their manmade traditions as was done with the Pharisees’ “gifts” to God?  “He answered and said to them, ‘Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition’ ” (Matthew 15:1-9)?

Could the charge stem from one’s attention to some details while omitting such things as justice, mercy, and faith?  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone” (Matthew 23:23).

If we are guilty of any of these we may be deserving of the comparison to the Pharisees, but more often than not the word is used today in a way that is very different from its first-century usage.  If one demonstrates a strict commitment to obedience he is often dismissed as a Pharisee, but in reality that is the spirit of Jesus Himself.  “Behold, I have come—in the volume of the book it is written of Me—to do your will, O God” (Hebrews 10:7).  And Jesus expects us to be like Him in that commitment.  Near the conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount, a discourse in which He called for a righteousness which would exceed that of the Pharisees (Matthew 5:20), Jesus said in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” Just before going to the cross, the Lord told His apostles, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15).  Though the word is commonly used to minimize or even belittle the importance of obedience, not once did Jesus fault the Pharisees for being too strict in their obedience; instead, He demanded obedience.

And we might add that it is also a mistake to label as Pharisees those who express concerns about the false teachings of some, for Jesus Himself warned about doctrinal error—the doctrinal error of the Pharisees.  “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.’…Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Mt. 16:6, 12).  Later, Jesus would be extremely critical of the Pharisees as He told the multitudes that the Pharisees were headed for the condemnation of hell (Mt. 23:1, 33).

Are there Pharisees today?  Perhaps, but they are not the people seeking to obey the author of eternal salvation (Heb. 5:8, 9) and heeding His instructions to contend earnestly for the faith (Jude 1:3-4).

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Act as Though You’re Deaf

Leon Mauldin

We trust that our readers are familiar with Israel’s request to Samuel that he make them a king, so “that we also may be like all the nations” (I Samuel 8:20). Having prayed to God, and having warned the people of how the reality of their having a king would greatly differ from their naive perception, Samuel sent the people home. Although the people might ask for a king, it was God, and not the people, who would select the king.

The next chapter (I Samuel 9) tells of Samuel’s first meeting with Saul when Saul was looking for his father’s donkeys, and how God had revealed to Samuel the day before that Saul was to be king. Saul was Samuel’s guest at supper and then spent the night with him. The next morning, as Saul was leaving to go back home, Samuel anointed Saul (privately) to be king. He told Saul of three signs that would occur on the way home, and it came to pass as Samuel had said, thus confirming that it was God’s will that Saul be king (I Samuel 10:1-2).

Then the appointed time came that all the people were assembled. When it came to presenting Saul to the people as king, Jehovah revealed that he was hidden among the baggage. But he was brought forth, and Samuel said to all the people, “See ye him whom Jehovah hath chosen” (I Samuel 10:24). “And all the people shouted, and said, Long live the king” (I Samuel 10:24).

However, the text goes on to show that these sentiments were not unanimous. “But certain worthless fellows said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him, and brought him no present” (I Samuel 10:27). Please remember that Saul did not run for office; he was not elected by the people. God chose him to be king. The people were happy with God’s choice. They were all very pleased, and satisfied, except those in this verse. It seems there are some in every crowd. Even though Saul was the man God chose, these few had nothing but scorn and ridicule for him.

But we are interested in looking at Saul’s response; how would the new king deal with those who spoke so disparagingly” of him? The text answers, “But he held his peace” (I Samuel 10:27). If you have a reference Bible, you probably have a footnote that reads, “But he was as though he had been deaf.” That does not say that Saul was deaf, for he was not. Nor does it mean that he did not hear what these “worthless fellows” said, for he did. But it means that so far as any reaction on Saul’s part, it was as though he were deaf.

I believe there are some important lessons to be learned from Saul’s behavior. For one thing, every unfair and untrue statement that someone makes does not have to become our lifelong obsession. While people should be made to be accountable for what they say, and although there is a time for confrontation, there is also a time to “act as though you are deaf.” Saul gained more ground by considering the source, and ignoring the snide remark than it would have been the case had he dignified them with a response. Sometimes the best way to extinguish unwanted behavior is to ignore it.

A second lesson has to do with self-esteem. We see from Saul that when one knows who he is, and is not in a defensive posture, that he doesn’t have to prove anything to unfair critics. You see, Saul knew that God had chosen him to be king; he knew what Samuel had told him in private conversation; the signs Samuel foretold had come to pass, confirming Samuel’s words. In short, though modest and humble, there was no doubt in Saul’s mind as to who he was; he knew he was king. Therefore, with proper self-esteem, he did not feel threatened because some were so ugly in their remarks which questioned his ability to serve as king.

The same principle holds true for children of God today. There is every reason for a child of God, who is striving to live as God reveals in His Word, to have healthy self-esteem. We do not deny that efforts will be made to intimidate a Christian or to put him in a defensive posture. But if we can remember who we are in Christ, we will be able to overcome these efforts of intimidation, and or feeling threatened.

A third lesson has to do with the difference between acting and reacting. When one reacts, his behavior depends upon the attitude and actions of others. If someone shouts at you, you shout back. If they call you a name, you call them one. If they revile you, revile them back. In short, when you react, you turn the “controls” over to others. On the other hand, when one acts his conduct is independent of what others do. He assesses the situation and then decides what his course of action will be. For the Christian, this means that one will always act in keeping with God’s word, regardless of what others may do (or not do). This may be illustrated in marriage. One given to reaction conducts himself/herself on the basis that “I’ll do my part if my spouse will do his part.” This is reacting. Acting is when one says, “I will be the kind of spouse God tells me to be, regardless of the conduct of my spouse.”

Saul acted instead of reacting. His conduct did not depend upon what these worthless men said. He retained control of himself, instead of turning it over to them. He did not allow them to cause him to assume a defensive posture, and retaliate accordingly. If only he had continued with this behavior. If only you and I would have the wisdom to apply these principles!

“The Old Hickory Bulletin“

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 The Horrors of Hell

Hell! The prison house of despair;

Here are some of the things that won’t be there:

No flowers will bloom on the banks of hell,

No beauties of nature we love so well,

No comforts of home, music, and song,

No friendship or joy will be found in that throng,

No children to brighten the long, weary night;

No love, no peace, not one ray of light;

No mercy nor pity, pardon nor grace;

No water, No God, what a terrible place!

The pangs of the lost no human can tell;

Not one moment of ease—there’s no rest in hell!

Hell! The prison house of despair;

Here are some of the things that will be there:

Fire and brimstone are there, we know;

For God in his word has told us so.

Memory, remorse, suffering, and pain,

Weeping and wailing, but all in vain.

Blasphemers, swearers, haters of God,

Christ rejecters while on earth they trod.

The filthy, the vile, the cruel, and the mean;

What a terrible mob in hell will be seen.

Yes, more than humans on earth can tell

Are the torments and woes of the eternal hell!

                       —Author Unknown

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Why I Go to Every Service of the Church

    • I Go To Every Service of The Church Because I Am Made Stronger. Power is given in worship to live a nobler, holy life (Acts 20:32). There is the sweetest fellowship on earth. Why should I want to miss ANY service?
    • I Go To Every Service of The Church Because God Wants The Church To Grow (cf. Acts 2:47; 4:4). The church always grows when members put God first by loyal attendance. Here is a way all can help in the finest work on earth.
    • I Go To Every Service of The Church To Set A Good Example. Many look my way and follow in my steps (Matthew 5:14-16). Influence is either good or bad. Any hour the church meets, my influence is with or against Christ.
    • I Go To Every Service of The Church To Prove My Love and Gratitude. One who truly loves God does not ask if he must attend all services. His love compels him to! If I show love to God by attendance, I show lack of love by absence (Matthew 22:37-39).
    • I Go To Every Service of The Church To Obey God. The Bible says, “Not forsaking our own assembling together” (Hebrews 10:25). Any service where the Bible is taught, prayer is made, and God is worshiped, is good, and “to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). If it is good to be present for all services, it is bad to be absent from any if I can possibly help it.
    • I Go To Every Service of The Church To Put First Things First. “Seek FIRST His kingdom” (Matthew 6:33). Jesus said the church must be first to the Christian, even before seeking food, clothing or shelter.
    • I Go To Every Service of The Church Because It Is Safe To Do So. All who forsake an assembly without a legitimate reason for doing so must wonder if they sin. But I know I am safe in attending every service (Romans 14:21-23).
    • I Go To Every Service of The Church To Abound In The Lord’s Work (1 Corinthians 15:58). One who is a true Christian will want to do ALL they can and not as LITTLE as they can. Since the assemblies of the church are vital, I must abound in attendance.

 

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Sermon

Audio

The First Preaching of the Gospel

Bill Hall

(8-2-24)

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Editor: Mike Johnson