John 1:14-18

The Word Becomes Flesh

14 And the Word became 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.

15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me [f]is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ”

16 [g]And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten [h]Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

At the beginning of the Book of John, there is quite an introduction summarizing up several points before it switches to sort of a story mode.  This is the last of that introduction section.  

Recap really quickly on what Jesus is:  

• the reason I exist
• The Word
• flesh and lived among us
• grace and truth
• alive, active, and super sharp (double-edge sword sharp)
• can divide physical/non physical
• judge unseen thoughts/attitudes
• forever
• flawless
• radiance of God's glory
• exact representation of God's being
• sustains all things
• predicted back in the Old Testamend
• eternal
• Light
• Creator
• God of all, not select few

This passage states immediately that Jesus (He is the Word remember) came to live as flesh among us and that those who lived then beheld His glory as only the son of God can have.  Look at the list above.  Jesus was flesh.  Jesus was the radiance of God's glory.  I don't know if God has a physical appearance that can be contained in some sort of body, but Jesus is as close to that as we can get.  (Old Testament has some descriptions as well, but let's look closer to that later.)  God is this awesome being that exists outside of all we know: time, creation, universe.  So if Jesus is reflecting his glory, it has to be more than just physical attributes.  His social behaviors, spiritual behaviors, and educational behaviors also would have to be a part of who Jesus, and thus the Father, is.

In my last post, we talked about John.  He was here to be a witness to Jesus.  When you have someone witness something, it is so that they can testify of it later.  This passage adds what he witnessed and professed as truth.  The next passage in John goes into more detail and we will look at that.  This is just an introduction.  Basically John is saying that no matter how highly you think of him, Jesus is better.  John explains that though he has been on Earth doing his task and people love him (and some hate him) for it that it was all for when Jesus came.  And that actually Jesus existed before him, but was just now making His appearance as Jesus now.  Pretty cool.  Then John, this witness who was loved by the people and had a large following, also states that Jesus is much more preferred than himself.  That had to really get the attention of others.

I don't know where you stand on the topic of the Law.  I think that God is eternal and His laws are eternal.  That it is humans who change what they perceive is the Law so that they can dismiss it as no longer applicable.  Again something I need to research for myself.  

Anyrate, Jesus is described by John as having given us fullness and grace.  What are these?  In the next sentence he clarifies.  The Law was given through Moses (Is this just the 10 commandments or is it that plus all those laws/events/regulations/judgements?) and the grace and truth came through Jesus.  

This is why I disagree with the topic of the Law.  The idea that God's eternal laws could be no longer necessary contradicts this.  Here in John it states that the Law = Fullness and Grace = Grace & Truth.  I think that people purposefully misunderstand this in order to not feel guilty for not living as Jesus wants.

Look at the text below.  Jesus didn't get rid of the Law.  He was here to fulfill it.  He even pretty much says you are in trouble if you try to say otherwise.  He expressedly states to not break the commandments.  So I really think that the Law is something he came to fulfill and is still fulfilling until He returns.  That the 10 commandments are not to ever be broken.

Christ Fulfills the Law

17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one [b]jot or one [c]tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

(So this is probably why Seventh-day Adventists come across to other Protestants as so self-righteous.  They pride themselves on following the commandment in Exodus 20:8-11 where you worship on the 7th day which God had rested on during Creation because He made that day holy.  As we see here though, following just one of the ten isn't exactly how it works.)

Then in John 13 it states:

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

This does not indicate that the previous ten were destroyed or no longer to be followed.  This simply says, Oh here is another one you need.  Because clearly humans are incapable of remembering that rules are put into place to make sure people are safe and happy.

Then in Mark 12 it states: 

The Scribes: Which Is the First Commandment of All?

28 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, [i]perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the [j]first commandment of all?”

29 Jesus answered him, “The [k]first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ [l]This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

This is paraphrasing the Torah.  This is not replacing anything.  If you look at the 10 commandments, they are either directions on how to love God or they are directions on how to love your neighbor.  

Back then, just like today, people try to rationalize why it is okay to be mean, bully, get revenge on other people because their actions are not somehow breaking one of the 10 commandments.  God had to clarify for the stubborn, hard headed humans that you should love others.  Then, if you ask, "what is love" then here is the answer to that.

1 Corinthians 13:4-5 New King James Version (NKJV)

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not [a]puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, [b]thinks no evil;

Footnotes:

1. 1 Corinthians 13:4 arrogant
2. 1 Corinthians 13:5 keeps no accounts of evil

So by addressing that whole Law issue, we actually reinforce that God is forever and flawless.  Which then supports that the texts we have read so far on who Jesus is are correct texts.