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Grace and Truth:Unwrapping the Mystery of John 1

The Gospel of  John begins with a poem about the Word.

John 1:1-5 in the Common English Bible (CEB) reads:

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word was with God in the beginning. Everything came into being through the Word, and without the Word nothing came into being. What came into being through the Word was life, and the life was the light for all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn't extinguish the light.

 The Gospel of John begins with a wonderful poem about the Word. This first section relates God to all creation through the Word. We see that Jesus is God's life-giving and light-giving Word. (The words light and life are very important in John's Gospel.) Jesus is the power of God which created the world. This means that Jesus has always been with God, which also means Jesus is God. This also reveals that God has always been like Jesus, but we didn't fully realize who God was and is until Jesus came.

This stanza also tells us that we have eternal life by believing in Jesus. The light of Jesus reveals things as they truly are. Jesus isn't surprised by what we do, and we can't hide from him. This also means that we never truly see ourselves until we see ourselves through the eyes of Jesus. And Jesus guides us to himself by showing us how much we need him.

John 1:9-13 reads:

The true light that shines on all people was coming into the world. The light was in the world, and the world came into being through the light, but the world didn't recognize the light. The light came to his own people, and his own people didn't welcome him. But those who did welcome him, those who believed in his name, he authorized to become God's children, born not from blood nor from human desire or passion, but born from God.

 This section relates God to human life through the Word. These verses show us that Jesus is the only true light to guide us closer to God. He came to show us the right way and to give us power to walk in the light. This light is for all people. But he was rejected by the very people you would've expected to be ready for him.

The good news is that those who do welcome him and receive him and believe in him become children of God. We have the right to become children of God if we accept him.

John 1:14 reads:

The Word became flesh and made his home among us. We have seen his glory, glory like that of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.

 Verse 14 is the Christmas story. God came to us; he entered into this life we live. That means, in Jesus' life, we see how God wants us to live. This is one of the greatest and most beautiful verses in the New Testament. This line also mentions grace and truth. Grace is undeserved. It's something we can't earn or achieve on our own. The fact that God came to this world to live and die for us is not something we deserve--it's an act of love. Truth: Jesus is the truth. Jesus came to show us what God is really and truly like. We know this truth with our mind. We accept this truth with our hearts. And we live out this truth with our lives.

John 1:16-18 reads:

From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace; as the Law was given through Moses, so grace and truth came into being through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. God the only Son, who is at the Father's side, has made God known.

 The final section of John's prologue is verses 16-18. This section speaks about the divine offer of grace through the Word. Jesus fully reveals God. Jesus brings God to us and takes us to God. If you want to see what God is like, look at Jesus. In Jesus, God has appeared. In Jesus, God has come to us.

But what does this "grace upon grace" mean? I think it means that in Jesus, we find one wonder leading to another. And the more you know of him, the more you realize how wonderful he is. Very simply, there is no limit to Jesus' goodness. This can also mean that the grace of Jesus is dynamic--it invades our lives and meets our needs, even as our needs change throughout our lives.



If you are interested, here is a link to our YouTube channel, where you can listen to our Sunday sermons.

Blessings,
AK

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