The
Word and Jesus Christ!
"In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things
were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that
was made"
John 1:1-3.
"In
Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light
shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend
it.
"There
was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came
for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through
him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to
bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which
gives light to every man coming into the world.
"He
was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and
the world did not know Him.
"He
came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many
as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children
of God, to those who believe in His name; who were born not
of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of
man, but of God.
"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.
"John
bore witness of Him and cried out saying, 'This was He of
whom I said, "He who comes after me is preferred before
me, for He was before me." '
"And
of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.
For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came
through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The
only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has
declared Him." John 1:1-18.
Jews
from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask John the Baptist
who he was. John stated, "I am not the Christ" (John
1:19, 20).
The priests
and Levites asked John, "Why then do you baptize if you
are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"
"John
answered them saying, 'I baptize with water, but there stands
One among you whom you do not know. It is He who, coming after
me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy
to loose…
"The
next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and he said, 'Behold!
The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This
is He of whom I said, "After me comes a Man who is preferred
before me, for He was before me." I did not know Him;
but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came
baptizing with water.'
"And
John bore witness, saying, 'I saw the Spirit descending from
heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know
Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me.
"Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining
on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit."
And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.'
" John 1:25-27, 29-34.
Matthew
records that "when Jesus came from Galilee to John at
the Jordan to be baptized by him"… That when Jesus
was baptized, "the heavens were opened to Him, and He
saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting
upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, 'This
is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased" Matthew
3:13, 16, 17.
The Word
that was made flesh, who was in the beginning with God and
is God, through whom all things were created, is Jesus Christ,
"the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."
Only
through Him do we receive the new birth experience spoken
of by Jesus to Nicodemus (John 3:1-8); and become children
of God. Oh "what manner of love the Father has bestowed
on us, that we should be called children of God!" 1 John
3:1. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish
but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into
the world to condemn the world, but that the world through
Him might be saved" John 3:16, 17.
God the
Father and God the Son have yielded Themselves to save humanity
from the deceptions of the archenemy who in the beginning
deceived our first parents, Adam and Eve, in the Garden of
Eden (see Genesis 1, 2 & 3).
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