Week 2: Prologue: The Incarnate Word (John 1:1–18)

John 1:1–18

This opening passage of John sets the stage for the rest of the Gospel. John opens with the words “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (1:1). From his very first sentence John proclaims that Jesus is the eternal, preexistent Word1—the one-of-a-kind Son of the Father, the Son who is himself God. Yet this eternal Word has now become incarnate2 in history (1:11–18). In this prologue John introduces many of the major themes developed later in the Gospel, such as Jesus as the life, the light, and the truth; believers as God’s children; and the world’s rejection of Jesus. These first eighteen verses are the grand entryway into John’s breathtaking account of Jesus Christ.

John 1:1–18 shows us the good news that Jesus is God and that he has taken on flesh and come to earth as the fulfillment of all the promises of the Old Testament.

Read through the complete passage for this study, John 1:1–18. Then think through and write your own notes on the following questions. (For further background, see the ESV Study Bible, pages 2019–2020; also available online at www.esvbible.org.)

John roots the opening verses of his Gospel in the opening verses of Genesis. Compare John 1:1–5 with Genesis 1:1–5. What parallels do you see, and what do these parallels teach us about the message John wants his readers to hear?

The Gospel of John has a different starting place than the other Gospels. Look briefly at the opening verses of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. What is unique about the opening of John’s Gospel?

John 1:14 makes clear that when John speaks of “the Word,” he is speaking of Jesus. Thus, John begins his Gospel by providing a lofty portrait of Jesus: revealing that Jesus is God, giving glimpses of the Trinitarian3 nature of God, and teaching that Jesus was crucially involved in the very creation of the universe. List everything we learn about Jesus in these opening verses (1:1–5).

Continuing to draw upon Genesis motifs, John speaks about Jesus as the “life” and “light” who has come to shine in a dark world. What do John 8:12 and 10:10 teach us about the life and light we receive in Jesus?

In verse 6 we read that “there was a man sent from God, whose name was John” (this is John the Baptist—not to be confused with the author of this Gospel). According to verses 6–8 and 15, what was John’s role and ambition?

According to verse 11, Jesus came “to his own, and his own people” (the Jews) “did not receive him.” From what you know from the rest of Scripture, both Old Testament and New Testament, what are a few other instances where God’s people reject God?

What do verses 9–13 teach about how to become a child of God? Where do you see God’s grace4 in these verses?

Verse 14 announces the greatest event in human history: the eternal, omnipotent Son of God took on human nature and lived among humanity as one who was both fully God and fully man at the same time, in one person. Before Jesus, who were some others who were sent from God to bring deliverance to God’s people? In his mission to bring light and life to a dark and dying world, why is it critical that Jesus be both fully God and fully man?

Verse 14 speaks of the “glory” of Jesus. Read Exodus 33:18–23 and Deuteronomy 5:22–27. What do these passages teach us about what glory is, and about what John is communicating with his words, “we have seen his glory”?

Note verse 17. This verse is not drawing a contrast between law and grace in the sense that the Mosaic law was bad and Jesus is good. Rather, John is stating that both the giving of the law and the arrival of Jesus mark decisive events in the history of salvation. Through the law, God revealed his righteous character and requirements. Through Jesus, however, God reveals himself most fully, displaying his grace-soaked mission to meet the demands of the law for a dark world that has broken his law. What is superior about Jesus’ ministry over Moses’ ministry? What did Jesus accomplish that Moses did not—could not—accomplish?

Read through the following three sections on Gospel Glimpses, Whole-Bible Connections, and Theological Soundings. Then take time to reflect on the Personal Implications these sections may have for your walk with the Lord.

GOOD NEWS. These opening paragraphs of John’s Gospel announce good news. Note that these first eighteen verses contain not a single command to obey, but simply news to believe. Consistent with the overarching story line of the Bible, this Gospel begins with gospel—with the good news that God has taken on flesh to rescue sinners living in a dark world. This is the resounding theme of John: good news. Jesus has come so that we, the undeserving, might receive “grace upon grace” (1:16).

PROMISES KEPT. John shows that Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament promises. We see the grace of God in his commitment to keep his promises to his people, despite their rebellion. “I will be your God, and you shall be my people” was a constant refrain throughout the Old Testament (e.g., Ex. 6:7; Lev. 26:12; Jer. 7:23). Yet God’s people were consistently faithless, giving God every reason to cancel his promises. Nevertheless, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (1:14). Despite our wickedness, God became flesh—he set up residence in a first-century Middle Eastern neighborhood—in order to be our God and save us. God keeps his promises.

CHILDREN OF GOD. These opening verses proclaim the best news in the world: estranged sinners can become God’s children. How does one become a child of God? Not through turning in a resume or an application, or through some process of proving yourself worthy. John tells us we become God’s children simply through believing in Jesus as God works in us the miracle of new birth: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (1:12–13). Anyone can become a child of God. All it takes is trusting in Christ.

IN THE BEGINNING. John begins where the Bible begins. Genesis begins with these words: “In the beginning, God.” John is saying the same thing with his introductory sentence: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John makes it clear that the eternal Son of God was vitally involved in the creation of the world. John 1 echoes Genesis 1, showing that Jesus is God and showing that the Son of God’s incarnation is as significant an event as the Father, Son, and Spirit’s initial creation of the universe.

LIGHT AND DARKNESS. The first thing God creates is light (Gen. 1:3). Thus, human sin and all that is broken in the world is often described as “darkness.” One of the plagues God brought upon Egypt was the plague of darkness: “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt’” (Ex. 10:21). John announces that, finally, with the arrival of Jesus, there is a true answer to the darkness in the world: “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world” (1:9).

A BETTER MOSES. Long before sending Jesus to earth, God had been sending his people leaders such as prophets, judges, and kings to deliver them from their troubles. One of the greatest prophets God sent was Moses. God used Moses to deliver and shepherd the Israelites. Through Moses God gave his people the law. Yet Moses was an imperfect leader, a sinful man just like the men and women he was leading, who couldn’t provide the deeper deliverance God’s people needed. Moses couldn’t accomplish the great act of grace that Jesus came to accomplish. “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” (1:17–18). John 1 taps into this whole-Bible theme of men sent from God, showing us that Jesus is the ultimate man sent from God. Indeed, he is God himself.

DEITY OF CHRIST. Jesus is “the Word,” and “the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (1:1). John wastes no time in telling us that Jesus is divine. The New Testament teaches that Jesus is included in the divine identity (Rom. 9:5; 1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:15–20; Heb. 1:3). While there are distinctions of persons within the one Godhead, Jesus Christ is as much God as God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.

TRINITY. The opening verses of John make clear that the Son of God—the Word—is also the same God who created the universe “in the beginning.” Putting John 1 together with Genesis 1, we see here all three persons of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Spirit. John 1 plays a central role in revealing the doctrine of the Trinity. Broadly speaking, Christian theology teaches that the Father orchestrates salvation, the Son accomplishes salvation, and the Spirit applies salvation.

LAW AND GRACE. “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (1:17). Both the law5 and grace are gifts from God. The Psalms are full of exclamations about the delight God’s people take in his law. God gave his law to his people through Moses. The law revealed God’s righteous character and the righteous requirements God made of his people. The law was and is a gift. But the law doesn’t save. This verse from John teaches us that Jesus brings us a better revelation than Moses, for now in Jesus we receive a full picture of God’s grace. The essence of grace is the news that God has met the requirements of the law for us through the perfect obedience of Jesus. It is only through this grace that we find the power to follow God’s commands.

Take time to reflect on the implications of John 1:1–18 for your own life today. Make notes below on the personal implications for your walk with the Lord of (1) the Gospel Glimpses, (2) the Whole-Bible Connections, (3) the Theological Soundings, and (4) this passage as a whole.

1. Gospel Glimpses

2. Whole-Bible Connections

3. Theological Soundings

4. John 1:1–18

Take a moment now to ask for the Lord’s blessing and help as you engage in this study of John. And take a moment also to look back through this unit of study, to reflect on a few key things that the Lord may be teaching you—and perhaps to highlight or underline these to review again in the future.

Definitions

1 Word – Translation of the Greek term logos, literally meaning “word” or “logical principle.” Equated with Jesus and God in John’s Gospel (John 1:1–18). John is likely drawing upon the rich reservoir of meaning for the term both in Hellenistic thought and in first-century Judaism.

2 Incarnation – Literally “(becoming) in flesh,” it refers to God becoming a true human being in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.

3 Trinity – The Godhead as it exists in three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There is one God, yet he is three persons; there are not three Gods, nor do the three persons merely represent different aspects or modes of a single God. While the term Trinity is not found in the Bible, the concept is repeatedly assumed and affirmed by the writers of Scripture (e.g., Matt. 28:19; Luke 1:35; 3:22; Gal. 4:6; 2 Thess. 2:13–14; Heb. 10:29).

4 Grace – Unmerited favor, especially the free gift of salvation that God gives to believers through faith in Jesus Christ.

5 Law – When spelled with an initial capital letter, “Law” refers to the first five books of the Bible. When spelled with an initial lowercased letter, “law” refers to the entire body of precepts set forth in those five books (also referred to as the “law of Moses”). The law contains numerous commands of God to his people, including the Ten Commandments and instructions regarding worship, sacrifice, and life in Israel.

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