Today we start a new study through the Gospel of John, chapter by chapter. Written by John, “the Apostle that Jesus loved”, he portrays Jesus as not just the Son of God, but the Light and Savior of the World. He introduces Jesus as “The Word” — in Greek, “Logos”. I found a nice explanation in the Bible study plan, “21 Days in the The Gospel of John”, with Levi Lusko, in the free YouVersion Bible app…
The apostle John begins his Gospel with the concept of Jesus as “the Word,” or in the Greek, “logos.” This idea is one familiar to anyone who was in the Greek-speaking Roman Empire at the time. It was a word used to attribute credit to something you couldn’t really understand. It conveys the relationship between a thought and speech; between an idea and its expression. John shows how Jesus, this “logos” that he describes as fully God, took on flesh and dwelt on earth in such a way that man could behold the glory of the Father.
Levi Lusko
Meet our Savior!
In this Gospel, we’ll meet Jesus, God made visible. Or God wrapped in human form. As we mature in our Christian spiritual journey, getting to know Jesus is crucial. The Gospel of John will help you do that and truly follow Jesus. Let’s dig in…
John 1
In the beginning the Word (Logos) already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with God.
3 God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
4 The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.
5 The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.6 God sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. 9 The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
15 John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’”
16 From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.[f] 17 For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.
The Testimony of John the Baptist
19 This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John, “Who are you?” 20 He came right out and said, “I am not the Messiah.”
21 “Well then, who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?”
“No,” he replied.
“Are you the Prophet we are expecting?”
“No.”
22 “Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?”
23 John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah:
“I am a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Clear the way for the Lord’s coming!’”24 Then the Pharisees who had been sent 25 asked him, “If you aren’t the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, what right do you have to baptize?”
26 John told them, “I baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize. 27 Though his ministry follows mine, I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal.”
28 This encounter took place in Bethany, an area east of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.
Jesus, the Lamb of God
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’ 31 I did not recognize him as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”
32 Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. 33 I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.”
The First Disciples
35 The following day John was again standing with two of his disciples. 36 As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, “Look! There is the Lamb of God!” 37 When John’s two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus.
38 Jesus looked around and saw them following. “What do you want?” he asked them.
They replied, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
39 “Come and see,” he said. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was staying, and they remained with him the rest of the day.
40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. 41 Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”).
42 Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “Your name is Simon, son of John—but you will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”).
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.” 44 Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter’s hometown.
45 Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.”
46 “Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
“Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied.
47 As they approached, Jesus said, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.”
48 “How do you know about me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus replied, “I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.”
49 Then Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God—the King of Israel!”
50 Jesus asked him, “Do you believe this just because I told you I had seen you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” 51 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.”
John 1 NLT
Points to Ponder about Our Savior…
- Jesus referred to Himself a lot as the “Son of Man”. However, in this last sentence, He says that He’s “the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.” What a perfect description! Notice that there’s no mention of anything called “purgatory” between heaven and earth. Just Jesus. Only Jesus.
- The world was created through Jesus. In Genesis 1, we read, “Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us.” That’s the trinity. If everything was created through Jesus, doesn’t it make sense that salvation or the only way to Heaven would be through Jesus?
- The world didn’t recognize Him. The world He came to save didn’t realize that He was the Savior!
- Nevertheless, the people who did believe in Him were given the right to become Children of God. God made everyone in His image, but no one becomes a Child of God until they are Born Again.
- No one has ever seen God the Father. That’s why Jesus came down to earth to reveal God to us.
- Just as John said that he was a voice shouting in the wilderness, the Holy Spirit has moved me to become a voice in today’s wilderness — the Internet — to help clear the way for Jesus’ second coming. Which is why I do what I do.
- To the Jews, the phrase, “Lamb of God” means something. They had to sacrifice a spotless lamb every year to atone for their sins. Here comes Jesus, the Lamb of God to take away our sins once and for all.
- John the Baptist witnessed the trinity. He saw the Holy Spirit descend like a dove — not a dove — and heard the voice of God the Father.
- Notice that when Jesus meets Andrew and another man who had been following John the Baptist, He responds with “Come and see”.
- To Philip, Jesus says, “Follow Me” rather than just “Come and see”. Philip must have heard about Jesus from Peter & Andrew. He already believed that He was the Messiah.
- Why did Nathaniel respond to Philip like he did? Apparently, Nazareth had a rather seedy reputation.
So Which are You?
Are you like the Jews who were so caught up in religious rituals that they missed the Light? Or are you going to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior of the World and the ONLY Stairway between earth and Heaven?
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven and that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, this is what you have to do…
