The Word Was God

John 1:1-13

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was in the beginning with God. ³All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being ⁴in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. ⁶There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. ⁸He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. ⁹The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. ¹¹He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. ¹²But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, ¹³who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

Most scholars believe that Mark was the earliest of the gospels, written around 60-65 AD.  Next came Matthew and Luke, both probably written between the years 60-80 AD. Scholars believe that John was the newest, and probably written around 80-90 AD.

John’s gospel is historically based but his primary goal is persuasion, not a chronicle of events. We know this because of what he wrote in John 20:30-31 – ³⁰Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. ³¹But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

John starts his gospel with the exact same words that Genesis begins with – “In the beginning.”  This signifies that John believes this is a new beginning for humanity – That they can become children of God through the work of Christ.

He starts the first paragraph telling us of the diving nature of Jesus – That He is the Word of God and He was there from the beginning of things. Not only was He with God, He is God. Jesus is the creative force of the Trinity and everything that was created in the universe came into being through Him.

Then John makes certain that the readers would know that John the Baptist was not the Messiah, but one that would identify Jesus as the true Messiah, the long-awaited savior of not only the Jews, but of all humanity.

He continues to tell us that Jesus came down from heaven to live in the world He created. John also tells us of the tragic outcome that generally, his own people, the Jews, did not accept him. However, to all those who received him, he gave power to become children of God.

John then tells us in vv. 14-18 that Jesus was not only God, but also human. Then he tells of how John the Baptist testified to the fact that Jesus was the Messiah and gives a hint of how Jesus was going to make it possible for humans to become children of God. The Baptist declares that Jesus is the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

Lamb signifies that Jesus was going to play the role of the sacrificial lamb. A spotless sacrifice that was needed to cleanse humanity’s sin.

Then in vv. 35-51, John writes about how Jesus called the first disciples – Andrew and his brother, Peter, and Philip and his brother, Nathanael. Jesus tells them, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

The implication of this image that would evoke the vision God gave to Jacob at Bethel is that Jesus was going to be connector between heaven and earth – Between God and humanity.

So, in the first chapter, John lays out all the pertinent points of his gospel. Jesus is fully God and fully man. Jesus was sent to earth so that those who accept Him as Lord and Savior would become children of God.

We have two options for what to do with this knowledge. One option is to accept this as truth, receive Jesus as your savior, and become a child of God.  The other option is to reject this as truth. There really is no third option, since if we do not accept it, we are rejecting it.

The consequence of rejecting Christ is that when this life is over, eternity would be spent apart from the Lord and all His followers. For the remainder of time that is left for you to be alive, you will do your best pursuing whatever goals you think are worth pursuing.

If you accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and become a child of God, then you will have responsibilities for the remainder of your life – To do the good works of God that He has prepared for you since the beginning of time. The main task is that with the help of the Holy Spirit, who will be given to you at the time of accepting Christ, to be witnesses to the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

I would offer that it is a much more fulfilling and joyous life to be a child of God. If anyone here has not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I would urge you to do so now. And for those who are already sons or daughters of God, witness to those who are not, so that they might have the chance to join the family of God.

(the above is a summary of the message shared by Pastor Shun Takano in our worship on April 27, 2025.)