Day 763: Grace and truth - John 1 vs 10 - 18

10-11 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12-13 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.

14 -15 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. 16-17 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, (in the bosom of the Father) he has made him known. John 1:10-18 English Standard Version

In vs 10-13 John tells of people who ‘didn't receive’, and those who ‘did receive’ the person he was writing about. This person was someone whom John called 'the Word', and who was with God in the beginning, and who even was God. All creation came into existence through the Word. What does he say about the Word in vs 14-15.

The Word, who was always with God and who possessed the divine nature, became a human being and walked in the very world that He had created. He was born among the very people whom God had called to be His special nation in the world. Sadly, many of them did not believe who He was and they crucified Him. In my last post on this section I focused on our side of receiving Christ. We are to believe the testimony of the gospel messengers, confess and turn from our sins, and lay our life totally at His feet. His words become our will, and we daily follow Him as our Lord. This was symbolized in being baptised.

John says that it is through receiving the Word that we become children of God. And because children are born into the world, he uses that picture for our becoming God's children. But what was he careful to stress in vs 12-13 concerning this birth as God's children?

It was something that God Himself brought about, it wasn't achieved by our efforts. We can't make ourself born again. No pastor or priest can make us born again. The life we have as people was due to a physical birth. The life we receive to be God's children is a spiritual one. God's part in conversion is far greater than ours. This is why Christians identify so much with a famous old hymn called 'Amazing grace'. They realize that it was God's underserved mercy that opened their eyes to their need of salvation. This is well expressed in vs 14-15.

John says that through the life of this person called 'the Word', he and the other disciples, as well as a man known as John the Baptist, all saw a wonderful display of glory that could only have come from almighty God. It was a glory that radiated the grace and truth we would expect to see in God. That's why John reached the astounding conclusion he gives to us in vs 18. The Word has shown the world what the invisible God is really like.

In vs 16-17 John contrasts the grace and truth that was displayed in the Word to the Law which the Jews had received through Moses. It's not that the Law was anything bad, but it's purpose was mainly to point out their sins and remind them what those sins deserved. The gospels also show how many teachers of the Law had become harsh hypocrites. John will go on to demonstrate in his gospel how the Word, who is Jesus, showed such a different spirit as He dealt with helpless sinners.

Verse 16 mentions another man who was also called John, who made a statement about the Word's eternal existence. We'll learn more about him in the next post because he said some very important things about the Word. But the main point for today is to realise what a wonderful work of God's mercy it is when a man, woman, or child, is born into God's family. A true Christian isn't someone who was just brought up that way, they are someone who was given life from above, and received Jesus Christ as saviour and Lord.