¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

1) Who is “the Word” and what implications does it have in this passage?
By reading verse 1, we see that “the Word was God”, however, because the Word took on flesh, we know this refers explicitly to God the Son, Jesus Christ. These verses paint a picture of Jesus being fully 100% man with flesh, born of a woman, yet at the same time being 100% God. Jesus was with God the Father in the beginning and through Him, all things were made and have their existence. It’s an incredible ratio that we will never be able to fully comprehend as finite beings. See 1 John 1:1-4 and Colossians 1:15-17 for more!

2) Why would “the Word” become flesh and dwell among us?
Why did Jesus come? To show us His glory (v14) that we might turn to Him in humble awe and receive “grace upon grace” (v16) from His hand. He came to bring us life (v4). He came to shine His true light on our hearts (v9). He came to adopt us as His own “children of God” (v12).

3) What is “grace”? What is “truth”? Why are both important?
Grace is undeserved merit or favor. Grace is a gift to us, even though we don’t deserve it in the slightest. Truth is unchanging and unequivocal, whether we believe it or not. Just as we know that grass is green and the planets circle the sun, everything solidly true is found in Jesus Christ. There is no truth apart from Him. He is the source of all truth. He is truth; no deception or shifting shadow is found in Him, therefore making Him utterly trustworthy. Because He is truth, we know that what He says about Himself, about eternity, about us and our sin, and how He loves us are 100% trustworthy. Grace wraps around that truth, hemming us in on all sides with His unrelenting love. The truth is that we are separated from God because of sin. Grace says a way was made for redemption, restoration and hope!

1) Who is “the Word” and what implications does it have in this passage?
How do you see Jesus? No, really. A nice man with blue eyes and a soft beard? A mighty Warrior? Quiet? Peaceable? Powerful Judge? Does your picture of Jesus line up with the true reality of God’s Word? Suppose that Jesus is more than you imagine. Suppose the box you keep Him in is much too small. What then? Would you be willing to set aside your ideas of who He is for a little bit to see what the Bible says about Him? Are you willing to let Him break out of your box and show you His glory? Stop now. Wherever you are on your faith journey, I guarantee that you need a clearer, firmer grasp on the reality of Jesus Christ, the God Man! Ask the Spirit to blow the borders of your heart and mind with Himself!

2) Why would “the Word” become flesh and dwell among us?
In plain, everyday language, Jesus, the Son of God Most High, came to dwell among us that we might have a way back into relationship with God. How does this passionate pursuit of you change your perspective today? Jesus gave up everything in order to reveal Himself to you! Your burdens matter to Him, your fear, your grief, your shame, your sin, and your scars, none are hidden from Him nor do they stop Him from His desire for you to be His Own! What are you holding onto, insisting it will keep you away from Him?

3) What is “grace”? What is “truth”? Why are both important?
If all God showed us were grace, we would have a blank check to act however our sinful hearts wished, and we would never be transformed into the image of Christ. Yet, if all God did was speak truth without grace, we would surely be buried under a sea of guilt without ever feeling the secure life buoy of grace encircling our lives, as His Spirit of love empowered us to be made new. We need both grace and truth to grow in our faith journey! The Holy Spirit whispers truth in our hearts when we read God’s word and are convicted of loving others better, but right behind the truth, utterances of grace remind us that we are loved and its the Spirit of the Living God that works in us, ever remaking us! For more on the balance of grace and truth, see our Journey Theme, Fullness.

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We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
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