Jesus, The Word, The Lamb of God (John 1:1-2:11)

Jesus is the Incarnate Word (John 1:1-18)

The prologue, John 1:1-18, declares that Jesus is the eternal, preexistent, Incarnate Word (John 1:1,14), and the Son of the Father, who is himself God (John 1:1,18). In the history of salvation, God gave the law through Moses (John 1:17), dwelt among his people in the tabernacle and the temple (John 1:14), sent the forerunner John the Baptist (John 1:6-8,15), and culminated His revelation and redemption in and through Jesus. The author also introduces the following major themes, such as Jesus as the light (John 1:4), life (John 1:5-9), truth (John 1:14,16,17); believers as God's children (John 1:12,13), and the world's rejection of Jesus (John 1:10,11).

Believing (John 1:12) is not merely intellectual agreement with some facts about Jesus, but implies personal trust, and welcoming and submitting to him as God in a love relationship. God's supernatural work alone causes one to be a child of God, not physical birth, ethnic descent or human effort (John 1:13). Saving faith, which is also God's supernatural work, precedes becoming a child of God, a member of God's family.

John 1:14 means that God, without ceasing to be God, took on humanity (Phil 2:6,7). This is the most amazing event in all of history: the eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent, infinitely holy Son of God took on a human nature and lived among humanity as one who was both God and man at the same time, in one person.

The 1st Week of Jesus' Ministry (John 1:19-2:11)

In Jesus' 1st week of ministry, John the Baptist hails Jesus as "God's lamb" (John 1:29,36), his first disciples come to him (John 1:37-51), and Jesus performs his first sign by turning water into wine at the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11).

Jesus had to be a sacrificed lamb to save us. Why? Only Jesus' sacrificial, substitutionary death and his appeasement of the divine wrath by way of the atonement for sin (propitiation; Rom 3:25; Heb 2:17; 1 John 2:2, 4:10) "takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29; 1 Pet 2:24, 3:18).

Practical Application: Only Jesus, who is God who became a Lamb for our sins, is worthy of all of our love, worship and devotion.

Some Names of Jesus: The Word, The Lamb of God, The Son of God, The King of Israel, The Son of Man (John 1:1,2,14,29,36,49,51).

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