This is He. John 1:10-18 Everything on this earth, even the world itself, was created by the Lord Jesus Christ, "The Word" mentioned in John 1. In this chapter, we look back at the creation and "The Word" involved. It was a work of His own power. There was light and life in Him then because He is the Light and the Life. Then, in an act of God's grace, which is difficult for us to fully understand, He came to dwell among His own people, domain, and things. All of these are His by His creative power and authority.
In that great act of gracious humility, the Lord Jesus came to His own people, the Jews, who would not accept Him for who He is. They rejected Him even though His coming was foretold in the Old Testament scriptures. When He came in the flesh, He welcomed those who believed in Him and received Him as their Savior and Lord into the family of God. The new life God gives transforms us. We become spiritually alive to God. Our ambitions and attitudes in life are renewed as we live unto God.
The new birth does not happen because we have Christian parents or come from a Christian heritage. Neither does it come through self-effort or self-will. Being born again is not by human effort, but it depends on receiving and believing in the Lord Jesus Christ as a personal act of faith. The desires of others, such as preachers or other people who know us, cannot give us new life in Christ. The new birth is a work of God, the Holy Spirit, who regenerates those who are spiritually dead to God.
This new beginning is not only a work of God, but the power to live as a “new creature in Christ Jesus” also comes from God. Those born again are “children of God by faith in Jesus Christ.” They have been given the right of open access to God and a relationship with Him that is impossible for humans who are sinful by nature. We need a new nature to have the right to be connected by faith to the Eternal God as our heavenly Father. The Word was visibly seen in the world in complete perfection. Not only was Christ's deity made clear to those who saw Him, heard Him, and witnessed the miracles He performed that man could not do, but His humanity was also not hidden during His time here as a perfect Man. His grace and truth were evident, and moral glory cannot be concealed. It is clear that the Lord Jesus Christ was God's unique Son. The undeserved kindness of God toward unworthy people was easily recognized.
At the same time, the integrity of His life and the truth He spoke provided clear testimony that He was in full fellowship with the Father. John could see that evidence of His deity and humanity in the one person. John viewed the Lord Jesus Christ as a revelation of God's heart when he stated that He "is in the bosom of the Father." The teachings of our Lord Jesus help us understand God's mind regarding our daily lives. His conduct was a model of what God desires humans to be like. How we live, speak, and act in ways that please God were consistently demonstrated by the Lord Jesus Christ. Even the events leading up to His death and the way He acted as He died showed the attitude and actions God wants from us. He left us a pattern so we might “walk in His steps.”
John knew who he was and the work he was meant to do. He also understood who Jesus was and the purpose He came to fulfill. His fullness is so immense that we find abundant provision for all our spiritual needs in Christ. When we require grace, it is readily available, and the Lord does not hold back from providing that divine grace. Even when we think we've exhausted all that God has to offer, He reveals more of His abundant riches of grace. The law provided a measure of grace, and it also contained truth given by Moses. Both were temporary and limited. Now, in their fullness, grace and truth are given to us through the "Only Begotten Son" of God.
How could the only one with unlimited power also show marvelous, unlimited grace? Everything we need is waiting for us today, ready to carry us to the place where God can reveal Himself through Christ. God took on human form and was willing to come here to dwell with us. While here as a man, He experienced every pain of humanity—including the devil's attacks that have brought many saints to their knees. During His time in the flesh, He yielded His will to the Father, whom He always pleased in every way, and that same pleasure the Father still finds in Him.
John the Baptist was the last messenger of the Old Covenant, and he finished his ministry by pointing the people to the value of the Person among them. John the Apostle began his Gospel by highlighting the past and, more importantly, by revealing the new beginning. The One who was eternal from the start is still the same and is among His people now. His power and authority remain supreme. The eternal Life He has and is now a personal gift that we can receive now and forever.
The fullness of God’s grace and the Truth were in the Lord Jesus Christ for all to see. As the "only begotten of the Father," His uniqueness demonstrated that God’s divine grace is unlimited and free. Not just one occasion did the light shine through; that light found its source in His being. There is in Him inherent truth that has been brought into human view. Everything that we need is contained in His Person. We are not left in darkness to wonder if God has lost interest in us or no longer cares for us. In the Lord Jesus, who came to seek and save the lost, we need no longer ponder nor fear because we can forever experience His grace.