Life in Christ

KEY VERSE: “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.” —John 1:14

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: John 1:1-18

JOHN STATED THAT his Gospel was written “that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing, ye might have life through his name.”—John 20:31

The first verse of John reads as follows: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” This verse is better translated by Wilson’s Emphatic Diaglott, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with the God and a god was the Word. The same was in the beginning with the God.”

In order to clearly grasp John’s testimony, it is essential that we understand that the key word, “Word [Greek, Logos],” describes Jesus as the Messenger of God, or the Voice of Jehovah.

John explained that while Jesus occupied this position, “all things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” (vs. 3) The Apostle Paul agreed, pointing out in Colossians 1:15,16, the Word was the very beginning of God’s Creative work, the “firstborn of every creature,” adding, “By him [the Logos] were all things created, that are in heaven and that are in earth.” In all this vast work’, the power was from the Father, but it was exercised through the Son.

“In him was life” Abruptly the writer passed from our Lord’s great work in the Creation of all things, to his appearance among men. John declared, “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” (vs. 4) Jesus was different in that he was born in the flesh, but not born of the flesh, because his life did not come from a human father, although it was nourished and born of a human mother. His perfect life, transferred from a heavenly condition, was in marked contrast with other humans, all of whom had the death sentence of Adam and his children imposed upon them.

Of this perfect life John said: “Never man spake like this man.” “They marveled at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth.” (John 7:46; Luke 4:22) John stated, Jesus “was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” This is a prophetic statement yet future, for at his First Advent he did not even enlighten all of his own nation, and he made no attempt to enlighten the rest of the world of mankind; “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own and his own received him not.”—vss. 9-11

Our Key Verse declares that the Word was made flesh. As the man Christ Jesus, he was the only begotten of God, full of grace and truth—having come down from that glorious condition as a spirit being—and dwelt among us, as the Apostle said. His nature as a spirit being had been exchanged for perfect human nature as a fleshly being. At thirty years of age, Jesus was baptized, anointed with the Holy Spirit, and begotten to a spirit nature—even higher than he had before!

It was not the Word made flesh that was glorified, for the Word made flesh had been offered up as a living sacrifice at Calvary. That sacrifice was completed upon the cross with the cry, “It is finished!” (John 19:30) He had given up his perfect human life as a ransom for all men—for the restoration of Adam and his posterity condemned to death through him.

We earnestly pray for God’s kingdom to soon come, so that all who are in the grave will hear his voice and come forth in the resurrection which he has promised.—John 5:28

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