The Word was made flesh

John’s Gospel begins with neither salvation nor prophetic fulfilment but with the Word in all His divine excellence.

About this grand Person John teaches seven great lessons. Firstly, His eternal reality: ‘In the beginning was the Word’, v. 1. He was always ‘from everlasting’, Mic. 5. 2, ‘before the world was’, John 17. 5, 24. There never was a time when He was not. This is the mark of deity, Ps. 90. 2. Secondly, we learn of His distinct personality:‘the Word was with God’. The preposition ‘with’ intimates plurality within the Godhead, a truth to be enlarged upon in verses 32-34. Yet it could not be plainer, thirdly, that the Word possessed full deity:‘and the Word was God’. He ‘was another and yet not other than God’, LENSKI. We have only to compare Romans 9. 5 and Titus 2. 13.

Fourthly, the repetition in verse 2 underlines the blessed society of heaven, for from all eternity the Word enjoyed complete harmony, mutuality, and affection within the Godhead, Prov. 8. 30. Jehovah cannot be lonely, so any suggestion that God created man to satisfy a felt need of companionship is a denial of divine self-sufficiency. Fifthly, we learn of unambiguous creativity, John 1. 3. Despite all man’s efforts to account for the universe ‘without him’, the New Testament insists that Genesis chapter 1 verse 1 be read in the light of its additional information about the Son’s activity in creation, Col. 1. 16. The sixth, is essential vitality: ‘in him was life’, John 1. 4. Unlike creatures, whose existence is derived and dependent, the Son ever has ‘life in himself’, 5. 26, inherent, independent, and immutable, for He truly is ‘the life’, 11. 25; 14. 6. Finally,John’s prologue introduces us to His gracious ministry: ‘the life was the light of men’, 1. 4-5. The Word, viewed in relation to God, vv. 1, 2, and to creation, v. 3, is now seen in relation to men, acting on their behalf and for their good. The darkness in which man dwells because of sin could neither appreciate nor extinguish that light, v. 5.

And in order to accomplish this gracious work for men - marvel of marvels! - ‘the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us’, v. 14. He who was eternally Son of God became Son of man. Can you think of a better reason for worship?