14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’” 16 From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.
God is invisible (v18).
But God revealed Himself to us - first through the law of Moses (the law was a witness to grace and truth) and then through Jesus Christ (the fulfillment, not the contradiction, of the law of Moses).
So God became human, and dwelt among us - living among us, to have relationship with us.
Jesus shows us who God is. When we know Jesus, we know God. And we know that He is truth, He is real, and He is grace.
But Jesus didn't come just to show us about God and His truth and grace. He came to give it to us. But we must receive it!
John Piper .....
God doesn't just want to stock your head with knowledge about his truth and grace, he wants you to receive it and experience it..... he wants to give you personally a foundation of truth and reality to stand on so you won't cave in under stress...... he wants to treat you with grace—to forgive all your sins—all of them!—to take away all your guilt, to make your conscience clean, to help you with your problems, to give you strength for each day, and to fill you with hope and joy and peace. Isn't that the meaning of grace? And isn't that why he pitched his tent among us?
But note well the word: "From his fulness we have received grace upon grace." Don't spurn it this morning. Receive it. Welcome it for what it really is. And let it fill your heart with everlasting joy
MacArthur says that some consider John 1:14 to summarize the entire Bible....
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
we see in Jesus Christ the distant, the unknowable, the invisible, the almighty, the transcendent, the majestic, unreachable God reaching to man and becoming a man. And because God became a man God is no longer a stranger, is He? If you know Jesus Christ, is God a stranger to you? Not a stranger, He's a Father. And so we see the glorious Christ who reveals God, rejected by most, received by a few, witnessed by John and then presented to the world...the eternal, incarnate, heralded, unrecognized, all powerful, glorious Christ. That's what Christianity is all about. It's not a form of religion. It's not a system. Listen, it is this...a personal love relationship with Christ who is God in a human body who died and rose again and lives today. That is Christianity.
Isn't that awesome?
Tomorrow's scripture focus: John 1:19-28
No comments:
Post a Comment