Jesus - God Revealed

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by Michelle Miller

Posted on 14/03/09.
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Discover the truth of who Jesus is and how that truth can transform your life. Based on John 1:1-18

This set of studies are a brief summary of our Young Adults Bible Study on the gospel of John. It is not a comprehensive study, but concentrates on discovering WHO Jesus is, and how we can effectively share that truth with others.

For a more in-depth study the commentary on John in the Bible Speaks Today series is highly recommended. Milne, Bruce: The Message of John : Here Is Your King! :with Study Guide. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill. : Inter-Varsity Press, 1993 (The Bible Speaks Today).

The greatest call and purpose of our lives is to know Jesus and to make Him known. The gospel of John is a great place to start to deepen our knowledge of who Jesus is, why He came and how we can learn from His example of sharing the truth of God with others. As we go through our study, I hope and pray that what we discover and learn will be more than just facts to fill our minds, but they will be relevant, life transforming truths that take us to a new level in our intimacy with the Lord Jesus Christ and empower us to share that truth with those around us.

Jesus Christ - the Word Become Flesh
Read John 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. John 1:1-2

John begins his gospel with the familiar phrase, in the beginning, which draws our minds back to the very first words of the Bible:

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:1

Before heaven and earth were created; before anything that we can see, hear, touch, taste or smell even existed -- the Word was there. In short, the Word is eternal. Eternal means that He had no finite beginning, in other words, He was not created; and that He has no end.

The next thing John tells us about the Word is that He was with God in the beginning. Is there evidence of this in Genesis?

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. Genesis 1:3

The Word of God was not only with God, but He was God's agent of creation. That's why John goes on to say in verse 3 that all things were made through Him [the Word]. Furthermore, we can see the development of the concept of the trinity. That John says the Word was with God indicates some sort of separation, and yet John immediately follows that by the awesome declaration that the Word is God. Father, Son and Holy Spirit - three persons or roles, and yet one God. A mystery that we won't go into in any more detail here. It will suffice to say that in the very first verse of John we have John's declaration that the Word is God.

We have learnt so far that the Word is eternal, was God's agent of creation, and is one with God. But what does this mean to you and me as we go through our everyday lives?

Jesus is eternal: Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking that Jesus had His beginning in a little stable in Bethlehem as a baby. Although this was certainly the moment that He was born as a human into this world, His actual "beginning" was much before that. In fact, He was IN THE BEGINNING. He was there in Creation, He was there all throughout the Old Testament, and He has been there ever since. He has seen everything that has ever transpired on this earth, from Adam and Eve's transgression, through Noah and the flood, Moses and the exodus from Egypt, the times of the judges and the kings, and even through to the hundreds of years the Bible says nothing about! He knows it all! What's more, is that in addition to having no beginning, He will have no end. Jesus did not cease to exist when He died an earthly death. He rose again and is now seated at the right hand of the Father in glory, ever living to make intercession for us. He lives right now to make intercession for you and me before the Father. He is praying for you RIGHT NOW. As you go through that stressful period at work or uni, Jesus is praying for you. When things are difficult at home, Jesus is praying for you. When you face temptation, Jesus is praying for you. Let that truth give you strength today. To know that firstly, Jesus is with you and secondly, that He is praying for you.

Jesus was God's agent of creation: There are numerous verses in the New Testament that remind us that all things were created through Him.

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him. Colossians 1:16

The Jesus that we serve, the Jesus that has called us His friends, is the same Jesus that created us.

For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. Psalm 139:13-14

That Jesus is our Creator reminds us firstly of how valuable we are to Him, and secondly of how powerful He is. He is the Lord over all creation.

Jesus is God: This is perhaps one of the most amazing truths in the New Testament. John 1:14 says, And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

The Word, who is God, became a human and dwelt among us. He became one of His creation in order to save us. We were stuck in our sin, unable to approach God. Yet the responsibility lay completely with us, because we had forfeited our relationship with God through sin. So God came down to earth, as the man Jesus Christ, to reconcile us to God. He was fully God, and yet fully human. Reflection on this fundamental truth of Christianity should forever leave us in awe of the God that we serve. There is nothing that He cannot do, there is nothing that He would not do to redeem us for Himself.

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