Tag: Jesus

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Why Jesus is Greater Than John (John 1:15)

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

John 1:15

Explanation

The John in view here is not the author of the book.  This is the John referred to in vers 6.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

John 1:6

We already know that his purpose for being sent is to bare witness of Jesus.

He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

John 1:7

What was John’s quoted witness in verse 15?

When Jesus showed up in person, he literally pointed to him in real time.  He had already told his followers about the coming of the Messiah.  He said that thought He was a prophet, a greater prophet is coming, One that is greater than a prophet.  

Here he says it by saying that Christ was “preferred before me”.  In John’s estimation, Jesus Christ is greater than Himself.  His whole ministry was to point to Jesus while preparing people for Jesus.

Why?  At the end John points to one way we can know that Jesus is greater than John.  

When John was conceived, He, like the rest of us began at conception.  Before John’s conception, He did not exist.  Yet, this is not true about Jesus.  Jesus has always existed.  He existed before John.  He existed in eternity past, before time began.

He has no beginning or end.  This is the God that we worship.

Application

John had a great mindset. Point to Jesus. Prefer and prioritize Jesus over self. Putting our own existence and self image in light of the person of Jesus Christ will always give us an accurate view of who we are and what we are to do. In that way, He is like a compass that directs. In that way He is the Light of the world. It is by Him that we can see ourselves and everything else accurately. Consider the songwriter that said:

Two wonders here that I confess

My worth and my unworthiness

My value fixed

My ransom paid

At the cross

Response

  1. Who do you need to witness to about Jesus Christ today?
  2. Are you thinking accurately of yourself, in light of the person of Jesus?
  3. How does the pre-existence and eternality of Jesus make you view Him?
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The Incarnation: Understanding John 1:14

On By Ben JenningsIn Devotional1 Comment

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.

John 1:14

Explanation

And the Word

As we have learned, the Word described so far is pre-existent to creation, self-existant as uncreated, and co-existent with God. He was active in creation. He is life and light. He was proclaimed by a witness, John, who was not the light, but came to witness that light.

Now we learn something incredible about the Word.

…was made flesh

In His divinity, the Word is uncreated.  He is unmade. Here He remains uncreated, but was made like His creation. Christianity is the incarnation. Here we see the God of the universe made human. He was not created at this moment.  He is incarnated at this moment.

Jesus, in His humanity, dealt with life in all of its normalities. He was subject to hunger, thirst, pain, and being tired. He limited Himself to a human body, while never ceasing to be God.

…and dwelt among us

This is an incredible reality to be hearing from this author. The author experienced the Word in flesh. He lived with Him.

What was his commentary on this experience? Well it’s said in the rest of the verse.

“…and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father”

This is expressed here parantheitcally. John says that He dwelt with the Word who was made flesh, yet he almost seems to anticipate the question, “If he was in flesh, how would you know that he wasn’t just any normal man claiming to be God?” His parenthetical statement is that they saw this incarnate Word transfigured, displaying the kind of glory that could only be God.  The glory of the Word was the same kind of glory of God.  This proved to John, and John witnessed to the idea that this Word was the incarnate Son of God.”

“full of grace and truth”

It’s amazing to me that this continues after that description. He was the same glory, the same essence, and the same God as the Father, and what made Him distinct is the combination of two attributes that are paradoxical. By paradoxical I mean that they seem to contradict at first glance, but in the end are not contradictory.

The Word was truth.  There is a veracity to who He was.  He spoke Truth. He was Truth.  He is truth. The Word was grace.  Truth seems to contradict grace, yet in Christ the combination of Truth and grace is seen through His entire ministry, and especially on the cross.  He is so Holy that He cannot violate His own holiness, truth, and perfection.  He is so loving that He willingly gives the opportunity to be made righteous and accepted by God to those who believe on Him not because of any merit on the part of the believer, but upon His merit and sacrificial death as substitute for sinful man.

What was incredible about Jesus, at least one of the multitude of things that was incredible about Him, was this combination of grace and truth.

Application

The fact that God became flesh is the essence of the Christian message.  If God doesn’t initiate His rescue plan, His mission in the world, by sending His only begotten Son, then we are doomed.

Jesus Christ was tempted with every kind of temptation we face.  Jesus Christ lived as a man, having humbled Himself to become a man.  Jesus Christ kept the law both in spirit and in the letter. Jesus Christ took the punishment that we owed.

On the cross we see both truth and grace, holiness and love.

This is how we should live.  As we are grown by the Spirit of God after we are born again, we should grow in holiness.  As we grow in holiness we see our own sinfulness more clearly.  Our need for grace becomes more apparent.  Our graciousness with others grows.  We see people as souls who will live eternally with God or separated from God.  We understand that we are to be on God’s mission, too.  We are to incarnate His mission in the world.

Response

  1. Have you responded to the grace and truth of the Lord Jesus Christ?
  2. How can you live today as someone who is consumed by truth? by grace?

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Born of God: The Right to Sonship Explained (John 1:12-13)

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13

Explanation:

The word “as many as” is the word οσοι, and is interpreted “all who”, “whoever” , all, “those”.  Its only distinction is that they received him.  The word “power” is the word ἐξουσία.  The idea is not a power as in an ability, but power as in a “right”, or “privlege”.  Paul had just made the statement that the Jews had not received their messiah.  Here he is saying that those who have the right to be the sons of God are now that through receiving Christ.  It is a belief not just that He existed, but a belief in His identity in relationship to ours.  

This right to be born as a son of God doesn’t come by blood.  You are not a son of God by being a Jew, a blood relative of Abraham.  In the first centruy, jews believed that they were saved based on the merit of their father, Abraham.  This isn’t true.  God has no grandchildren.

Romans 9:6-7

6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:

7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.

This right to be born as a son of God doesn’t come by “the will of the flesh”.  You are not a son of God by pursuing after the law to deserve the designation of “righteousness”.  

Romans 9:31

31 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.

This right to be born as a son of God doesn’t come by “the will of man”.  John Philipps said about “the will of man” here.

“No amount of parental or personal resolve can make me a child of God. My parents may have me baptized as a baby, but that does not make me a child of God; that is only “the will of man.” I may use all my strength of character to live a good life, perform religious duties, achieve spiritual goals, but those things will not impart new life. It is a birth. We are “born of God. “- John Phillips

Clearly, our right to be born into God’s family, and his regenerating work that happens when we receive Him is all of God.  We are responsible to receive, and He does what He promised He would do- new birth!

Application

Receive. Believe and receive  are used here synonomously.  This means that we must believe Him as He presents Himself and not just in his existence.  How does He present Himself?  As a Savior who takes away our sins, and as our Lord who should be obeyed.  We receive Him personally as our personal Savior and Lord, and not just a mental excercise that He is that for the world.  When we receive Him, we are born again by the Spirit.

Sonship.  The new birth puts us into a relationship with our Heavenly Father through the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ.  We should live as people who have a relationship with God, communicating with Him and hearing from the Word.

Humility.  Nothing in my hands I bring.  Only to the cross I cling.  I do not claim to have any merit for a gift because I received it and opened it.  Thanks goes only to the one who gives it.  There is nothing to boast in and no work done by receiving it.  Yet, I am responsible to receive it.

Response

  • Humble myself.
  • Pray more.
  • Proclaim Jesus.
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The Creator Among Us: Insights from John 1:10

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
John 1:10

Explain

The term world is used in several ways in John and the Bible.

The term “the world” can speak of creation itself.  How amazing is the idea that the One who made the World became like those He created, in the place He created.  He designed mankind.  He made the idea of reproduction and human development, and then He entered into that process of human development as a baby.  He created the idea of thirst and drinking.  He created the idea of hunger and eating.  He came up with the idea of instinct and drives, and he came and became subject to those same ideas.

The term world can also speak of the world system.  Satan is called the “prince of this world”.  The idea is that of what John calls “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.”  It is speaking of the things that Satan uses and emphasizes through unregenerate people to keep them blinded in their sin.

The term world can also speak of people.  I believe that this verse speaking of people that were among what He created.  He was among the people that He created, and they did not recognize Him as Creator.  This is an incredible reality that He came from eternity where no one doubts His identity, and everyone treats Him with the Honor and Worship, to come to earth where people did not know or recognize HIm for who He is.

Think about it- He was an unknown Creator coming to be Savior.

Apply

There are still many who do not know Him.  Many know Him merely as a cuss word.  To many He is merely a thought leader in the west.  There are many who have never heard the name of Jesus.  May we never keep him to ourselves.  I should speak of Him as a good steward of the manifold grace of God.

Respond

  1. How can you help get the name and message of Jesus out to the world?
  2. How can you help get the name and message of Jesus into your neighborhood?