God Reveals Himself

MEMORY VERSE: “In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” —Hebrews 1:1,2, RSV

JOHN 1:1-5, 9-18

GOD reveals himself, through his Son, Christ Jesus, for his teachings are the very center of the entire divine revelation to the people of God. Jesus said, “The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.”—John 14:10

The Diaglott word-for-word translation of the first verse of our lesson reads, “In a beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the God, and a god was the Word” Notice the difference this translation makes between the Creator, who was “the” God, and “the Word”—(Greek, “Logos”)—which was “a” god. The word “God” in this text simply means “a mighty one,” and the text emphasizes that Jehovah, our Heavenly Father, was the mighty One, the Almighty God of heaven and earth, and that the Logos who was with him was a mighty god, but not the Almighty.

Verse 3 of the lesson explains that “the Word” or Logos was used by the Creator as his agent in the work of creation. The Apostle Paul explains that Jesus was “the firstborn of every creature: for by him were all things created, … visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him; and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”—Col. 1:15-17

“In him [Jesus] was life,” the lesson states. He was used to create life in the beginning, and how appropriate that now he should come to earth, and through a program of redemption by means of the cross, should be in a position to give life to that fallen creature, man.

Men have been groping in sin and darkness and death since the original transgression in Eden, but now, by virtue of the authority and power invested in Jesus by his Heavenly Father, he is in a position to reveal the light; that light, which when received and obeyed, will give life—by faith in this age, and actually in the age to come—everlasting life.

Although, as the lesson states, Jesus is that true light which eventually enlightens every man that cometh into the world, very few who are now blinded by sin and Satan see and appreciate that light. The world in general did not know Jesus in the true sense at his first advent, nor do they recognize him now. But the time is coming when through him the glory of God will be revealed, and he will be recognized as the One whom God sent into the world, “that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”—John 3:16

But a few did receive Jesus at his first advent—a few, that is, of his own nation, the Israelites. To these he gave the authority, or power, to become the sons of God. The work of God in the earth during the present age has been the selection of dedicated believers, from among Jews and Gentiles, to be joint-heirs with Jesus in his millennial kingdom. Paul wrote, “It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: if we suffer, we shall also reign with him.”—II Tim. 2:11,12; Rev. 20:4,6

The glorious truth that Jesus would be sent into the world by his Heavenly Father had been clearly foretold by the prophets. However, their testimony is scattered. It is often in symbolic language, and sometimes in types and shadows, as in the typical lessons of the tabernacle and its services. The apostle gives the thought in our memory verse: “In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he hath appointed the heir of all things.”

The message of the beloved Son of God through whom the Father speaks to us is largely an interpretation of what the prophets had previously spoken.

QUESTIONS

How does Jesus reveal his Heavenly Father to believers?

Explain the difference between “the” God and “a” God.

Quote Paul’s confirmation of the fact that Jesus was the agent of Jehovah in the work of creation.

How is Jesus the “light of life”?

What is the work of God in the earth during the present age, and when will all men be enlightened?

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