John’s prologue: Jesus Christ, the preexistent Word incarnate — John1:1-18
Thoughts about serving others
This link includes a list of posts about Serving the Least, the Lost, and the Lonely.
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Let the Word evoke words. May your life encourage lives.
In the last year, I’ve begun work to develop my understanding of Christian Apologetics with the goal of being better prepared to answer questions about the faith I have in Jesus Christ. The study begins with a fundamental question: does God exist? Through much reasoning, I fully believe that we have every reason to believe God does exist and that he created this world, that he set in motion the entire universe. We are his creation. The more we seek to understand through science, the more we appreciate the incredibly design by our Creator.
The Gospel of John begins with an astounding preamble:
We can agree that creation is no accident, that there is a Divine Creator. We are now moved to the next step where we wrestle with the idea the God exists in three distinct persons, the doctrine of the Trinity: Father, Son and Spirit. This is heavy stuff to wrap my mind around, but it is a summary that is designed for us to read more, to explore and experience. If we stop here, stuck in trying to explain all of Christianity with these verses, we will likely fail in delivering the Gospel to those who seek to know the truth. As we learn more about Christ, this assertion becomes understandable. Far be it from me to explain. Let the Spirit of God speak to the heart of those who want to know. Lord, I pray that minds will be open to receive this incredible news:
Hear the good news: We have been invited into the family of the creator of the world, invited by adoption, not something we can do by our own means, but by the work of God through Jesus Christ. Incredible as it may seem, God choose to send his Son into the world to walk among us, to speak audible words, to eat and drink, to touch to feel. Just dwelling on that thought for a moment is overwhelming. The God of the universe made it possible for us to become part of his family by sending his Son to be with us.
John the Baptist testified ahead of Jesus’ earthly ministry. His cousin, the preacher in the wild, taught those who listened, “He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me” (John 1:15). The concluding verse in this section provides the final truth: “the one and only Son, who is himself God” (1:18). Again, if we stop here we miss the chance to understand this assertion, but as we examine the words and works of Christ during his 3-year ministry on earth, we have an opportunity to admit these words are true. Three years of ministry, time enough for people to really know the man, to hear his voice, to see him. He was not hidden by royal palace gates and guards, he walked and talked to people every day, he ate and drank with friends and constantly invited people to understand through parables that were designed to be simple and yet complex. Not a microwave ministry, one that took place over time. We should all appreciate the patience of our God, his persistent desire to invite all to come to his table. Lord, help us understand your word more today than yesterday, to be consistent, to renew our minds daily and become more Christ-like each and every day. Amen.