The Word Made Flesh
By Rev. Ron Purkey
Guest Columnist
Read: John 1:1-18
“And the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
On the cover of my Bible and your Bible appear the words “Holy Bible.” Do you know why the Bible is called holy? Why should it be called holy when so much hate and lust and greed and war are found in it?
It is because the Bible tells the truth. It tells the truth about God, about man and about Satan.
The Bible teaches that we exchange the truth of God for the Satan’s lie about drugs for example; and alcohol, and sex, and religious hypocrisy. Jesus Christ is the final truth. Furthermore, Jesus Christ told the truth. He said that he was the truth, and the truth would make us free.
First, Jesus is the word (John 1:1-3, 14). Just as our words reveal our mind and heart, so Christ reveals the mind and heart of God to men. “He who has seen me has seen the father” (John 14:9.). A word is composed of letters; and Christ is the Alpha and Omega (first and last letters of the Greek alphabet; Revelation 22:13) who spells out God’s love to us. In Genesis 1, God created everything through His word; and Colossians 1:16 and 2 Peter 3:5 indicate that this word was Christ. While God can be known in part through nature and history, He is known in full through his son (Hebrews 1:1-2). Jesus as the word brings grace and truth (John 1:14 and 17); but if men will not receive him, this same word will come in wrath and judgment (Revelation 19:13). The Bible is the written word of God, and Christ is the living, incarnate word of God.
Second, Jesus is the son of God (John 1:15-18, 30-34, 49). It was this claim that aroused the Jews to persecute Christ (John 10:30-36). Notice the seven persons in John’s Gospel who called Christ the son of God: John the Baptist (John 1:34); Nathanael (John 1:49); Peter (John 6:69); the healed blind man (John 9:35-38); Martha (John 11:27); Thomas (John 20:28); and the Apostle John (John 20:30-31). The sinner who will not believe that Jesus is God’s son cannot be saved (John 8:24).
Third, Jesus is the Christ (John 1:19-28, 35-42). “Christ” means the Messiah, the Anointed One. The Jews were expecting their Messiah to appear, and this is why they questioned John. Even the Samaritans were looking for him (John 4:25, 42). Any Jew who said that Jesus was the Christ was thrown out of the synagogue (John 9:22).
Fourth, Jesus is the lamb of God (John 1:29, 35-36). Christ is the lamb of God, the unique one. The blood of lambs slain in the tabernacle or temple merely covered sins (Hebrews. 10:1-4), but Christ’s blood takes away sins. Christ died for the sins of the whole world.
Read Ron Purkey’s free Bible study outlines at rcpbibleoutlines.com. Purkey has been an ordained Baptist minister for 50 years.