John 1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
+Our First revelation is
1. The Pre-Existence of Christ:
“In the beginning was the Word…”
John says something staggering:
when the beginning began…Christ was already there.
Not created—was.
Not became—was.
The Word, Jesus, was already existing before time began.
Listen Church…
There has never been a time when the Son of God was not.
He did not come into being—He simply is.
Jesus didn’t begin in Bethlehem.
That was His incarnation, not His origin.
He existed before time, before space, before anything.
before Adam and Eve —He was.
Micah 5:2 prophesied this truth: “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah… from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” Micah 5:2
The Messiah was not to be a newly created being
but One who has existed.
Jesus speaks to this in John 8:58, “Before Abraham was, I am.” John 8:58
That phrase “I am”
it’s a claim to deity.
It’s a reference to the divine name revealed in Exodus 3:14 “God said to Moses, “I am who I am.”.
The eternal present tense—“I AM”—belongs only to God.
John does not introduce a new idea.
He reveals what has always been true—
Jesus Christ, the Word, is eternal.
Time began with creation, but the Word was already existing.
As Revelation 1:8 states “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”,
This is not on the slides, but could this passage in proverbs 8 be a the testimony of Christ during creation?
“The Lord possessed[b] me at the beginning of his work,[c]
the first of his acts of old.
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Ages ago I was set up,
at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
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When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no springs abounding with water.
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Before the mountains had been shaped,
before the hills, I was brought forth,
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before he had made the earth with its fields,
or the first of the dust of the world.
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When he established the heavens, I was there;
when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
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when he made firm the skies above,
when he established[d] the fountains of the deep,
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when he assigned to the sea its limit,
so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
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then I was beside him, like a master workman,
and I was daily his[e] delight,
rejoicing before him always,
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rejoicing in his inhabited world
and delighting in the children of man.
There is profound significance in the fact that the Word…
Existed before the world.
It means that the foundation of reality is
a Person.
An eternal
divine Person.
+Our Second Revelation about the Son of God…
2. The Co-Existence of Christ:
“…and the Word was with God…”
This text affirms not only that the Word existed from eternity
but that He existed in a unique relationship:
He was with God.
This speaks of intimate
face-to-face communion.
This is a relationship.
it is eternal fellowship.
It is personal
It is active communion between the Son and the Father.
The Godhead has always been in perfect joyful relationship
Father, Son, and Spirit
Jesus did not merely appear to be in fellowship with God;
He existed eternally in perfect relationship with the Father.
This is a clear reference to the doctrine of the Trinity—
one God in three distinct persons:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
John 17:5 records Jesus praying, “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” John 17:5
Christ affirms that He shared divine glory with the Father from eternity.
but more than that, His divine fellowship.
This is necessary truth.
If Jesus is not eternally with God, then He is not truly God.
If He came later, He is lesser.
But John makes it unmistakable:
He was with God in the beginning.
Verse 2 restates the truth: “He was in the beginning with God.”
Why does John repeat this?
Because it reinforces the eternal co-existence of the Son with the Father.
This truth must be established before anything else can be said
about Jesus mission or Jesus works.
+Our Third Revelation of The Son of God.
The Self-Existence and Deity of Christ
“…and the Word was God.”
This is the most profound statement in the entire opening.
Not only was the Word in the beginning
and not only was the Word with God
the Word was God.
This teaches us that the Word shared the very nature of God.
He is fully divine.
He is not merely god-like—He is God.
Hebrews 1:3 echoes this truth: “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature.” Hebrews 1:3
Colossians 2:9 affirms: “For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” Colossians 2:9
John 14:9 gives us the Lord’s own words: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” John 14:9
Jesus does not just point to God—
He reveals God because… He is God.
This is the cornerstone of Christian belief.
You cannot believe in the Word and deny that He is God.
This is the hill to die on.
John begins his Gospel with this statement because
every miracle
every teaching
every claim of Jesus must be interpreted through this lens:
He is God.
To say “the Word was God” is to say
He is eternal
immutable
holy
just
gracious
and sovereign.
All that God is, the Word is.
+Our 4th revelation about the Son of God is…
4. The Creative Power of Christ?Verse 3:
“All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.”
This verse declares Christ as the very agent of creation.
The Apostle Paul reaffirms this truth in Colossians 1:16–17: “For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible… all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:16–17
The use of the phrase “all things” leaves no room for exceptions.
This means that every molecule
every planet
every law of physics
every ray of light
and every soul was made through Him.
He didn’t delegate creation
He accomplished it.
all were made through the Word. He spoke, and it came to be.
He made all things, and nothing was made without Him
Hebrews 1:10 says of the Son, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands.”
Christ is not only the originator of all things
but also their sustainer.
As Colossians 1:17 says, “And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:17
Without His sustaining power
the universe would seize to exist.
Hebrews 1:3 adds, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.”
The same Word who spoke creation into being…
is the One who continually sustains it.
+Our 5th Revelation of the Son of God…
5. The Life and Light in Christ:
“In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
The transition from creation to life and light
The word for life here is zoe,
not just biological existence, but fullness, divine life.
This life was not bestowed upon Him—
He possesses it inherently.
As John 5:26 declares, “For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in Himself.” John 5:26
The Son, like the Father, depends on no one for His being.
And this life was the light of men.
Life and light are inseparable in John’s theology.
Wherever divine life is, divine revelation is also present.
The light of Christ exposes sin
reveals truth
and discloses the nature of God.
Psalm 36:9 says, “For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.” Psalm 36:9
This is more than poetic..
Light in the Bible symbolizes truth and purity.
The Shekinah glory that filled the tabernacle.
The pillar of fire that guided Israel.
The blinding light of the transfiguration.
All point to the illuminating nature of God’s presence.
Jesus is that light.
He says in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
In the physical realm, light is essential for life.
No plant grows
no eye sees
no path is safe without it.
Spiritually, the same is true.
Christ is the light by which man sees God
understands truth
and finds the way of salvation.
+Our last Revelation about the Son of God is…
6. The Invincibility of the Light:
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
This verse reveals the first hint of conflict in John’s Gospel.
That darkness exists as a hostile force.
Yet it has not—and cannot—overcome the light.
The darkness neither understood nor conquered the light.
From the moment of Christ’s birth
darkness opposed Him.
Herod sought to kill Him.
Pharisees plotted against Him.
Demons shrieked in His presence.
Satan tempted Him.
The people misunderstood Him.
But none could extinguish Him.
The darkness crucified Him, but it did not conquer Him.
The empty tomb proves that the Light prevails.
John 12:46—“I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” John 12:46
The contrast between light and darkness
will appear again and again in John’s Gospel.
Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night.
Judas departs into the night.
Those who hate the light avoid it…
for fear their deeds will be exposed.
But those who come to the light walk in truth.
The darkness represents not only the fallen world system
but the blind, rebellious heart of man.
Romans 1:21 says, “Their foolish hearts were darkened.” Romans 1:21
But darkness is never sovereign.
It is always reactive, always retreating.
Light never asks permission to shine.
It simply shines, and darkness flees.
Conclusion.
John’s Gospel begins not with Jesus’ birth, but with His glory.
He is eternal.
He is divine.
He is the Creator.
He is the life-giver.
He is the Light.
And He is victorious over darkness.
Before you hear of His signs
before you see His cross
before you witness His resurrection
John wants you to know who He is.
He is the Word before the world.
He is God of very God.
He is the Light that shines in the darkness.
