Roads Day 9 How Much Is Enough: Digging Deeper
September 20, 2018
Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
John 1:1-18
10 He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, 13 who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.
14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified concerning him and exclaimed, “This was the one of whom I said, ‘The one coming after me ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.’”) 16 Indeed, we have all received grace upon grace from his fullness, 17 for the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father’s side — he has revealed him.
The Original Intent
1) What does John mean about Jesus being the light in the midst of darkness?
John’s gospel about Jesus’ life and ministry is written toward a Greek-thinking culture, Hellenized Jews and Gentile Greeks, driven by intellect and reason. John’s goal is to capture for them the true identity of Christ as the one and only Son of God.
He opens his gospel account with the tangible metaphor of Jesus being the light in the darkness. He uses the image to contrast that Jesus is different and stands out from all other sources of light; to acknowledge the real battle between spiritual darkness and spiritual light; and to say that Jesus is the one and only true light, unlike any other man.
The Everyday Application
1) What does John mean about Jesus being the light in the midst of darkness?
Jesus is different than any other man. First, we must be clear on that in our own thinking. We should not make Jesus out to be any less than who He is. Second, we should be careful in how we present Jesus to the world around us to clarify His uniqueness.
Jesus is altogether different from any other figure in any other religion. There are many religions that will acknowledge Jesus as a good teacher or prophet, but that doesn’t go far enough. He was, and is, the Son of God. Anything that makes Him less than that doesn’t line up with the truth of Scripture. We must stand firm in that truth.
The Original Intent
2) What is John saying when he writes that Jesus is the Word who became flesh?
In Genesis 1, the world is brought into being through the power of God’s word, as every part of creation is spoken into existence. John states that Jesus is, in fact, the source of those words of God and therefore was, and still is, God.
John wants his readers clearly understand that he is writing about someone who is much more than a mere man; instead, Jesus is God, who became flesh, in order to reveal Himself to the world.
Jesus’ coming in the flesh did not change his identity as God in any way, but served to reveal to humanity the invisible God they had been unable to approach and see up until that time.
The Everyday Application
2) What is John saying when he writes that Jesus is the Word who became flesh?
We cannot waver on the truth that Jesus was fully God, yet became flesh to walk the earth. We must share that same truth with others when we want them to learn more about Jesus. That is what makes Him so distinct. In Jesus’ humility, He loved us enough to dwell among us and make Himself like us by taking on a human form.
In the Old Testament period, God would dwell with His people in the Tabernacle and then in his holy Temple. The literal meaning of the Greek in this verse is that Jesus came “to tabernacle” with us. He did this to help us understand God’s true heart for His people and the efforts He was willing to make to reconcile us to Himself.
The Original Intent
3) What is the importance of Jesus bringing grace and truth (verse 17)?
John writes to the people first about Moses bringing the law to God’s people. Transitioning, he tells them that something even greater has arrived. He makes the statement that, “…grace and truth came through Jesus Christ,” (verse 17).
For the Jews reading his words, John addresses how Jesus gives grace, emphasizing that grace is critical in even being able to follow the Law. This was a critical point because for centuries the Jews had been trying to follow the Law in their own strength as a means for salvation.
But Jesus brings grace to fill the gap between our inability to follow God’s perfect law and God’s righteousness. For the Greeks reading his words, John tells them that Jesus is truth. Not just a truth, but THE truth. This would have been significant, and important, to the Greek people, as truth was an important pursuit to them culturally.
The Everyday Application
3) What is the importance of Jesus bringing grace and truth (verse 17)?
The teaching about Jesus being both grace and truth is as relevant in our world today as it was to John’s original audience. In a modern world that can be harsh and can feel like nothing we do is ever good enough, the message of grace is a welcome relief.
Instead of constantly striving to do or be more, grace gives us the assurance that Jesus will do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. He is our perfection. In that, we can find rest and peace; this is a message that is needed by so many!
In a world where truth is relative, subjective, and shouldn’t be questioned, Jesus offers an absolute. He removes the confusion of what is real and right. He brings clarity. Think of those in your life; who needs to hear the message of Jesus as grace? Who needs to hear the message of Jesus as truth? How can you share the hope that Jesus offers with those people in a way that is winsome and inviting?
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