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The Word Became Flesh – The Self-Existing One

May 10, 2016 by Jan Blonk 1 Comment

In him was life, and the life was the light of men

John 1:4

Everyone and everything has their existence and being from God. No one and nothing self-exists, except God. He alone is the “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex. 3:14). This implies our utter dependence, for He is the One who “gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:25). He holds in His hand “the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:10).

     “In him was life” is another declaration about Jesus’ deity. He is the self-existing One. He doesn’t derive life from someone else. At the beginning of his gospel, John stated that the Life Giver has come. He, the Source of all life, came to give eternal life to the spiritually dead.

     The second statement seems a reference to Adam and Eve’s enjoyment of God before their fall into sin. There was then such a beauty of life and light—harmony with God. They truly knew and had fellowship with Him, which is the essence of life: “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). The true knowledge of God is “the light of men.” Apart from Him there’s only darkness.

     In reference to Jesus, Proverbs gives a glimpse into this blissful state: “Rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man” (Pr. 8:31). This blissful state was devastatingly interrupted by sin, which is what the next verse will address.

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Jan Blonk
The Devotional Writer
Author of “An Unfathomable Gift!“

Filed Under: 43 John, The Word Became Flesh Tagged With: John, The Word Became Flesh

The Word Became Flesh – Jesus is Our Creator

May 9, 2016 by Jan Blonk 1 Comment

From the very beginning, John wanted to emphasize Jesus’ deity. Each gospel has a unique emphasis and John wanted to highlight the truth that Jesus is God, which means He is our creator.

All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made

John 1:3

The Bible is the best commentary on the Bible. I love to see the perfect harmony of God’s word, especially when verses explain and elaborate upon other verses. For example, in the Psalms we read: “For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly” (Ps. 138:6). Such a verse is perfectly displayed in and through Jesus. He is high and lifted up; yet, He came to this earth and walked among us, regarding the lowly.

     As John continued to emphasize Jesus’ deity, he plainly stated that He is our Creator: “All things were made through him.” Other religions and sects hold that Jesus was a created being, not being co-equal and co-eternal with the Father. This verse clearly rejects that, for “without him was not anything made that was made.” Obviously He did not make Himself.

     Jesus is our Creator: “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (Rev. 4:11). He is the sovereign, self-existing One, without beginning.

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Jan Blonk
The Devotional Writer
Author of “An Unfathomable Gift!“

Filed Under: 43 John, The Word Became Flesh Tagged With: John, The Word Became Flesh

The Word Became Flesh – Jesus’ Pre-existence

May 8, 2016 by Jan Blonk 1 Comment

As we continue in John’s gospel–one verse at a time–we have Jesus’ uniqueness. He existed long before He was born in Bethlehem. Actually, being God, He never came into being. He is the eternal great “I am.” As He Himself said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58).

He was in the beginning with God

John 1:2

John had just made this statement in the previous verse. Why make it again? It seems to me that he wanted to highlight Jesus’ pre-existence (He is God) as distinct from His coming to us (He is Man): “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Jesus is the God-Man—fully God and fully Man. No one has ever pre-existed except Jesus. Before the Word became flesh, He was with God.

     As John started out His gospel, the dividing lines were clearly drawn, as the following verses and chapters will also unfold. We have the truth that Jesus is God, which means our response to Him is a response to God, whether one of acceptance or rejection.

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Jan Blonk
The Devotional Writer
Author of “An Unfathomable Gift!“

Filed Under: 43 John, The Word Became Flesh Tagged With: John, The Word Became Flesh

The Word Became Flesh – Jesus is God

May 7, 2016 by Jan Blonk 1 Comment

One of my desires is to slowly – but surely – walk through John’s gospel in the coming years, one verse at a time. I’ve entitled it as “The Word Became Flesh.” Whenever you see “The Word Became Flesh” in the subject line, it’s part of this journey.

     John’s great goal in writing his gospel is “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31). As Christians we are to live by faith–faith in who Jesus is and what He has accomplished. I hope and pray that this journey will be a great blessing, strengthening our faith in Him and enjoying more of His (indwelling) life. Here’s the first verse:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God

John 1:1

At the beginning of his gospel, John wanted to be unmistakably clear—Jesus is God. This sentence echoes God’s first written revelation: “In the beginning, God . . .” (Gen. 1:1). When nothing was yet created, the Word existed, having no beginning. Indeed, Jesus is “from of old, from ancient days” (Micah 5:2).

     While John’s first statement is sufficient evidence for Christ’s deity, he continued with two other statements: He was with God and He is God. Not only did John state that Jesus was present “in the beginning,” he also wanted to highlight the plurality within the Godhead—“the Word was with God.” There is a definite distinction within the Godhead.

     Before people would even have a chance to argue that there, then, must be at least two gods, he also emphasized their unity—“and the Word was God.” Jesus is distinctly divine, yet one and the same with the Father, being co-equal and co-eternal: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

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Jan Blonk
The Devotional Writer
Author of “An Unfathomable Gift!“

Filed Under: 43 John, The Word Became Flesh Tagged With: John, The Word Became Flesh

Our Glorification

March 16, 2016 by Jan Blonk 1 Comment

Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

John 17:24

What is salvation? What is eternal life? Jesus gave the answer: “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). Jesus expanded on this definition when He asked the Father for us to see His glory.

     Paul said something similar: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6). Salvation is a revelation of God’s glory in the person and work of His Son. That makes all the more sense because the Bible defines sin as exchanging “the glory of the immortal God” for something worthless (Rom. 1:23), and as a falling “short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23).

     Therefore, as Jesus stated in His High Priestly payer, the essence of our glorification is the eternal beholding of Christ’s glory. What does that mean? Let’s consider the following verse in order to answer this question: “But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her” (1 Sam. 1:5). Elkanah’s love for Hannah was expressed in giving her “a double portion.”

     Jesus gave us the same cause: “To see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” The glory of Christ stands in relation to the Father’s infinite love for Him. How does the Father express that love? John wrote: “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand” (John 3:35), not just “a double portion.”

     Paul stated that as follows: “For God has put all things in subjection under his feet” (1 Cor. 15:27). Jesus owns everything! He rules and reigns over all! Everyone and everything is subject to Him, including sin and death. That glorious reality is the eternal beholding of Christ’s glory.

     Jesus obtained all things through His life and death, including “everlasting righteousness” (Dan. 9:24). He did so for His body: “And he [the Father] put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all” (Eph. 1:22-23). Not only will we behold Christ’s glory throughout eternity, we have also been called to “obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 2:14). That’s really good news!

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Jan Blonk
The Devotional Writer
Author of “An Unfathomable Gift!“

Filed Under: 43 John, The Glory of Christ Tagged With: John, the glory of christ

Full of Grace and Truth

March 5, 2016 by Jan Blonk 1 Comment

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:14

Jesus told His disciples: “For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear with you hear, and did not hear it” (Luke 10:24). When some of the Old Testament prophets and kings foresaw and foretold the coming of the promised Messiah, they had a great desire to see and hear Him in action. Would it not have been awesome if we had been able to see and hear Jesus for ourselves? We also did not have that privilege.

     Jesus came in “the fullness of time” and manifested Himself to His disciples. We have four accounts of His earthly life. Two of them are from direct eyewitnesses—Matthew and John—while tradition teaches us that Mark received it primarily through Peter and Luke did extensive research in order to “write an orderly account” (Luke 1:3).

     In his prologue, John stated: “We have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” For three years John lived and walked with Jesus. He was the one who was the closest to Him. What were his impressions? What stood out?

     There wasn’t any doubt in John’s mind that Jesus is God. He displayed such a glorious life that there was only one conclusion: He is “the only Son from the Father.” John mentioned two realities that particularly stood out to him: grace and truth. Throughout His life, Jesus demonstrated a fullness of grace and truth. Let’s consider both.

     At the very core of His being, Jesus is infinitely gracious. For when John stated that He was full of grace, he thought of infinity—God has no limit! Furthermore, the One who made the heavens and the earth, upholding it “by the word of his power” (Heb. 1:3), stooped down to His rebellious creation in order to redeem it. He did so by living a flawless life and by taking upon himself the wrath that our sins deserve. That is grace! He freely forgave, restored, healed, and made whole.

     He not only displayed infinite grace, but also definite truth. Every word He spoke was unadulterated truth. There was no deception or even an exaggeration. His lips were pure. In a world filled with lies and deception, John heard Him speak and they were the words of “the only Son from the Father.” Jesus stood out, amidst a fallen creation, with grace and truth, showing forth His glory.

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Jan Blonk
The Devotional Writer
Author of “An Unfathomable Gift!“

Filed Under: 43 John, The Glory of Christ Tagged With: John, the glory of christ

Vibrant Spiritual Life

February 15, 2016 by Jan Blonk 1 Comment

This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

John 2:11

At the end of his gospel John wrote: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31). John had carefully chosen the signs with a definite purpose: faith in Jesus and genuine spiritual life The signs were not an end in themselves; they were the means for faith and life.

     When Jesus had performed his first sign—turning water into wine—John stated that He “manifested his glory.” No one can miraculously change water into wine. It was a supernatural event, testifying of who Jesus truly is. It manifested Christ’s glory, testifying that He is God. As a result, “his disciples believed in him.”

     It’s so easy to read the Bible superficially, missing the richness of what it contains and conveys. Also, sometimes we’re so familiar with the gospel stories that they don’t really grip us anymore. It’s vital, when reading the Bible, to deeply mediate on Christ’s glory, especially as seen and testified by the signs, because it fosters genuine faith and true spiritual life.

     Here’s an interesting thought: while God’s goal is to glorify Himself, it’s not self-centered. It’s not without effectual fruit. His glory produces real faith for genuine spiritual life. That’s why the study of Christ’s glory is so important.

     Paul wrote: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18). True transformation is fully related to “beholding the glory of the Lord”—seeing Jesus for all He is.

     Therefore, the best thing God can do for us is to manifest His glory. We need to see a God who is infinitely great and glorious, absolutely sovereign and supreme, and “able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think” (Eph. 3:20). We need to see a God with whom “all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26). The more we see such a God, the more we believe and experience vibrant spiritual life.

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Jan Blonk
The Devotional Writer
Author of “An Unfathomable Gift!“

Filed Under: 43 John, The Glory of Christ Tagged With: John, the glory of christ

Jesus’ Possibilities vs. Our Impossibilities

January 15, 2016 by Jan Blonk 1 Comment

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:5

The glory of Christ stands in direct relation to our impossibilities. When Jesus illustrated the relation of Him to those who are “in Him,” He used the vine and the branches.  The branch has been “made” to receive and show forth the quality and fruitfulness of the vine. That’s why God said in Isaiah, referring to His people, “Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made” (Isa. 43:7). We have been saved “for my glory”–to show forth Christ’s beauty and excellence. The good news is that this is not some self-determined effort, but a receiving by faith–abiding in Jesus as our all. It’s all about “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). A mystery indeed!

Jan Blonk
Author of “An Unfathomable Gift!“

Filed Under: 43 John Tagged With: John, the glory of christ

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