BC Diane

John makes a definite distinction between God the Father and God the Son. And yet they are one and the same - "the Word with God... the Word was God"; "No one has ever seen God; the only God who is at the Father's side, He has made Him known". This is a mystery! That Jesus is the ONLY GOD is absolutely true. There is only one God. That Jesus is the ONLY BEGOTTEN GOD is absolutely true. As a human, He alone was physically begotten by God. He is ONE AND ONLY in HIs humanity; He is ONE AND ONLY in His divinity. As is the Father and the Spirit - God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

Jesus, the WORD, the expression of God's very heart, "becoming flesh" is amazing to think about. The extent God went to make Himself known to us, His rebellious creation, is GRACE upon GRACE in action! And to think that, in designing man, God pre-planned that Jesus would be able to aptly shine out God's very being despite the human limitations He would take on when "becoming flesh". In my life, I find myself depending on God's all sufficient grace in time of need over and over again. Just this week I was asking Him for help in pulling together a presentation to do with our church's children's church group, and He brought it together beautifully! I am so grateful! God's truth made known through the written word is the bedrock that anchors my life. It's where I go for wisdom, for help, for answers! I especially love digging deep into word meanings, then stepping back and taking a big picture look at how things all tie together. As I read and study and especially meditate on the Word of God, His Word changes me from the inside out.

“Receiving” makes me think of what we do if someone comes to stay in our home - we welcome them, holding the door wide open for them to join us inside (as contrasted with what might be our reaction to a door to door solicitor!). “Believing in His name” is being firmly persuaded that He is all that He claims to be and claims to represent. Jesus gives the one who receives Him, who believes in His name, the authority to be called a child of God!

There is no doubt that John is declaring Jesus to be fully God right from the start of his Gospel - the WORD is God; the WORD created all things; the WORD was ("I am" the ever existing one) in the beginning. And then, ...and the WORD became flesh - God with us; Jesus. I have the privilege of teaching children, and we have just begun working through the Gospel of John, so I've been pondering chapter one for a bit now. What has stood out to me, as I've been looking at John through the eyes of a child, is the theme of MAKING GOD KNOWN. Words make known. That's what they're for! And Jesus' purpose in coming to this planet was to MAKE GOD KNOWN in a way we can all relate to - as one of us. Jesus is the WORD of GOD! The very expression of all GOD wants us to know about Himself. That God wants us to know Him is overwhelmingly amazing to me! When we look at Jesus and his interactions with people - all that He said; all that He did - we see the heart of ALMIGHTY GOD in action among us.