THE BOOK OF JOHN – CHAPTER 1, part 1 – The Witness of John the Baptist

 

THE BOOK OF JOHN – CHAPTER 1, part 1

(Verses 1 – 5)

The Witness John the Baptist

Beyond what is stated in the overview of this book, this commentary is meant to seek out the deeper spiritual significance and the application of that significance. Through this study we are to embrace Jesus as the eternal Word and center our life around His teachings; recognize Jesus as the Creator and honor Him; allow the light of Christ to illuminate areas of darkness in our life, leading to the transformation of our minds, proving that which is the good, acceptable and perfect will of God.

Prayerfully, our meditation on and study of this book will aid us in a transformation of our mind and our life which will be reflective of and the embodiment of Christ’s love and humility in our interactions with others; we will become a witness like John the Baptist, sharing the truth of Jesus with those around us, living in the grace and truth of Jesus, and extending that same grace to others while standing firm in His truth.

John 1:1, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

(Commentary Break): How is it possible that John can authoritatively speak the words found in John 1:1? How can he possibly know this to be true?

It is because the divine Word comes from the inner being of God, as He breathed it out. 2 Timothy 3:16 speaks to the product, and 2 Peter 1:21 speaks to the process.

“For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” A more exact rendering of the Greek form of the second clause would be, “but by the Holy Spirit being carried or led, men spoke from God.” In other words, the Holy Spirit was the divine Agent who carried or led or conducted the authors of Scripture so that what they were writing was God-breathed Scripture.

Secondly, Genesis 1 also tells us that it is the work of God, speaking of Himself in the plural, caused all things to come into existence.

Without going into linguistic details, John 1:1 makes one of the most astounding statements about God found in the Bible. The pre-existent God joined to His Creative Word, proclaiming the mystery of His deity. Thoughts that cause us to stand amazed, but too high for our own understanding. Such is the Almighty God. Our God. Omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnipresent (everywhere present). The attributes of God’s supreme nature and His complete control over creation, knowledge of all things, and presence in every location. (End Commentary Break).

Verse 2. He was in the beginning with God. Verse 3. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being.

(Commentary Break): Again we are told that The Word was, in the beginning, with God (written in the aorist tense, which is without regard for linear time – the past, present and future are considered as one, continuous). Furthermore, He, The Word, created all things, past, present and future. Never be confused or deceived into thinking that science can explain these things, or that evolution is the creator. That leads only to confusion and despair. (End Commentary Break).

Verse 4. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind. Verse 5. And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it.

(Commentary Break): We know from Genesis 2:7, that “The LORD God formed the man of the dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living person”. These words from the Hebrew language read as such (scripture in red, a literal translation is purple):

“Then the LORD Jehovah, the Self-Existent, Eternal God, formed, fashion, and framed, as maker and potter, with purpose, through the squeezing into shape the man, a ruddy a human being, into an individual or the species, mankind, a hypocrite, a common sort, a low man, of mean and of low degree, a person, of dust, ashes, earth, mortar, powder and rubbish from the ground soil, from its general redness, as husbandry-land, and breathed breath, giving up part of Himself, causing Himself to lose life, as seething, and snuffing into nostrils, and the face, by rapid breathing, in passion, ire, and anger, the breath, by an angry puff of vital breath, of divine inspiration and intellect, blasts of breaths of inspiration, soul and spirit, of life, hence, raw flesh came alive, with the appetites of a wild beast, lively; and the man, ruddy a human being, an individual of the species, mankind, became a breathing creature a living person, alive, living, hence, raw flesh.”

Recap of what we see:

1. 1. 1. God, has always existed and He is eternal.
      2. He is the creator of life.
      3. He creates with purpose and on purpose.
      4. This creation has all the imagery of childbirth: ruddy, squeezed, passionate, violent, painful, raw and costly.
      5. A being of passion with a wild nature and base appetites is created. Mankind is created with flaws, destined to fail, condemned to death and separation from God.

 (also see “Then Came Mankind”). (End Commentary Break).

John the Baptist is one of the most significant and well-known figures in the Bible. While John was known as “the Baptist,” he was in fact the first prophet called by God since Malachi, some 400 years earlier. John’s coming was foretold over 700 years previously by another prophet: “A voice of one calling: ‘In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken'” (Isaiah 40:3–5). This passage illustrates God’s master plan in action, as God selected John to be His special ambassador to proclaim His own coming. (from GotQuestions.Org).

John spells out the profound meaning of what Jesus had said and done. John’s book tells of the Eternal Word, Who became flesh and dwelt with humanity. The Gospel of John clearly spells out the basics of the Christian faith. Jesus proves who he is, diagnoses humanity’s problems, and bluntly describes what is necessary for conversion to everlasting life. (In a colloquial way of saying it, Jesus is saying, “Hey, everyone, listen to Me. The end of all things is coming. God the Father is coming to reclaim His land and His children, and then He will destroy this heaven and this earth and everything and everyone in them. He has sent me to save you. I know the way out of this mess you’ve gotten yourself into. Follow Me and be saved!” And if you follow this thread of the truth, you and I have also been called and sent to spread this Word, as His disciples – in the steps of Jesus and John the Baptist.)

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT: THE BOOK OF JOHN, Chapter 1, part 2 – The Testimony of John the Baptist,

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