In the Gospel of John 1:1 it states, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
For a long time I did not make the connection that the “Word” was Jesus Christ even though verse 14 tells me so. “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)
It was only after a particular Bible study did I put it all together. It’s also when I noticed that the ‘w’ in word is capitalized. This indicates to me that the writer is not speaking of a word in the literal sense, but of Jesus Christ – God’s Word made into flesh.
A second significant aspect is found in John 1:5: “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” Jesus Christ is the light this verse speaks of, but those who were in darkness (meaning they were lost because they did not know Christ) could not or would not accept Him. This verse is significant because the same thing is still going on today.
There are many lost souls who have no true knowledge or understanding of Jesus Christ. Sadly, they want to keep it that way. But Jesus said if you are not with Him then you are against Him. “He that is not with me is against me;…” (Matthew 12:30)
So, if a person is not abiding by the commandments of Jesus Christ, they are against Him. They are living in sin. And living in sin is the same as being lost – both of which the word “darkness” in John 1:5 refers to.
A third significant aspect is in John 3:3: “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” This is a most significant statement because it is telling us what must happen in order for us to abide with God forever.
To be born again means that we must surrender our selves to Jesus Christ. We must repent of our sins, and be willing to change for the better. We must accept Jesus as our Savior, and be willing to put to death our old selves, hence the term “born again”.
If we put all our trust and faith in Jesus Christ, He can begin the renewing process within us. This involves a daily cleansing of our soul, and it is something we cannot achieve on our own.
While we will never be perfectly cleansed from all sin in this world, we will have a different mind-set, a change of heart that will allow us to turn away from the sinful habits that once held us captive.
Jesus Christ promises, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36)
I can’t think of anything more significant than that.
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