There are commentaries that have written dozens of pages on John 1:1 and page after page on the word “was” in the verse.
We will attempt to dive deep into the meaning behind much of The Gospel of John, but we probably won’t go nearly that deep.
I always thought it is amazing that this Gospel begins with the very same words that the entire Bible begins with “In the beginning.” Which refers to the timeless eternity of Genesis 1:1.
Jesus Christ, “The Word,” was there with God before time and creation. The Word didn’t have a beginning but was there in the beginning. John 1:1 sets forth one of the most basic foundations of our faith – the Trinity.
In a debate with an atheist, Kent Hovind says that if our little three-pound brains could comprehend everything about God, He would not be worth worshipping, would He?
The Trinity is one of these concepts that can be very difficult to understand for many. The purpose of this commentary is to provide soul inspiring commentary from the Gospel of John. For a more in-depth study of the concept of the Trinity see: https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/john-1/.
John uses the concepts of light and darkness throughout his Gospel. The darkness refers to the realm of spiritual evil which is the hostile satanic world system that is in opposition to God and His children (the light).
People will either love the light or love the darkness and whichever one they choose, will control their actions.
As Matthew 5:14 tells us, those that are believers in Jesus Christ are the light of the world. The smallest candle can scatter the darkness and all of the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the smallest of flames.
Jesus’ light still shines generation after generation despite the efforts of men living in darkness to extinguish it.
Verse 17 in the first chapter of John tells us, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
Grace is an amazing, wonderful gift from God. It is absolutely free. It is also absolutely undeserved. We can never earn it or achieve it ourselves.
The fact that God came among us to live and die the most painful of deaths for all of humanity, all the while knowing there will be those that hate, mock, lie, and worse, is not something humanity deserved. It was a pure act of love on the part of God.
Grace transforms us.
Truth is also an amazing, wonderful gift from God. Jesus did not come to talk to men about God. He came to show men what God is like.
Jesus communicates truth. He told his disciples if they followed Him they would know the truth. He left us with a Spirit to guide us in the truth.
Truth transforms us.
Many people love grace but hate the truth. God gives us grace. He also enables us to see the truth through His Holy Spirit.
Verse 23 in the first chapter of John talks about John the Baptist. It says, “John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”
All believers in Jesus Christ are like John the Baptist. It is our duty to reflect the light of Jesus to an unbelieving world. It is our duty to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all creation.
There is a difference between the “called” (those who hear) and the “chosen” (those who respond) (Matthew 22:14).
Each of us has a task God has put us here to do. God has prepared us all for something based on the experiences in our lives. If you are reading this right now, God has a purpose for you. When, not if, God call us, we need to be one who responds to the call.
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