Introduction and John 1:1-5

Intro

As with all of the Bible we must remember that God is the main character. The Bible is His autobiographical record of some of the interactions He had with man in the process of trying to reconcile them to Him.

Who wrote - John 21:20-25 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? 21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? 22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. 23 Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? 24 This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true. 25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

Why - John 20:30-31 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The Greek word [logos] from which Word is translated was widely known in the world of John's day, being found some 1,300 times in the writings of Philo, F1 a Hellenistic Jew of Alexandria (30 B.C. to 40 A.D.). However, John owed nothing to Philo, who taught that "the absolute purity, perfection, and loftiness of God would be violated by direct contact with imperfect, impure, and finite things." F2 He even went so far as to say that "God could not be conceived of as actively concerned with the multiplicity of individual things." F3 Philo's [logos] had no hard identity of any kind, being called the "reason of God" in one view, and in another, "a distinct individual, or hypostasis, standing between God and man." Philo's [logos] did not create anything, for matter was viewed by him as eternal; and it is impossible to form any intelligent harmony out of Philo's writings on the [logos], described in the Encyclopaedia Britannica as "self-contradictory." It was the inspired genius of the apostle John which seized upon this word, applied it to Christ, and gave it a meaning as far above anything that Philo ever dreamed as the heavens are above the Nile Delta where Philo lived. The Word, as applied to Jesus Christ, is found only four times in the New Testament, twice in this prologue (Joh_1:1; Joh_1:14), in 1Jn_1:1, and in Rev_19:13.

The apostle's doctrine of the [Greek: logos] is thus seen to differ from the [logos] of Greek philosophy in these particulars: (1) The New Testament [logos] is God; (2) is personal; (3) created all things, including matter; and (4) became flesh and dwelt among human beings. To presume that John got anything like that out of Philo's [logos] is like supposing that Thomas Jefferson got the Declaration of Independence out of McGuffy's Third Reader!

Psalms 33:6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

1 John 1:1-2 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

Revelation 19:11-13 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

Hebrews 4:12-13 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

John 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.

Not just existing at the same time, but together, however, not the same being or individual.

John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

He is not created

For in him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and unto him; and he is before all things, and in him all things consist (Col_1:16-17).

Yet to us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we unto him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we through him (1Co_8:6).

(God hath) spoken unto us in his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds ... (And of the Son he saith) Thou Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thy hands (Heb_1:2; Heb_1:10).

John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

The use of the past tense shows that true spiritual life was in Christ before the incarnation,

All life came through Christ, is sustained by him, and is responsible to him.

Man's light is not in himself. This shatters the myth of humanism and self help philosophies. Without Christ the light we are groping in utter darkness with no hope of finding any light anywhere.

John 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

John 1:5 ASV And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not.

the world knew him not" (Joh_1:10 b), and "his own received him not" (Joh_1:11 b),

The idea here is that the light was there and the darkness just could not grasp it. 1 Corinthians 2:14 KJV But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.