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| (John 1:1-5) In the beginning … Genesis begins the same way. How does it begin? It begins with God.… was the Word. If we look again at Genesis, we see the full Trinity present at creation. (v1) “… God created.” (v2) “… and the Spirit of God was …” Was is the singular 1st person past tense of the verb be. God exists. He uses this verb to describe himself as existing and being manifested in many ways. He described himself to Moses as “I am.” He began this reference with Abram in Genesis 15 (v1,7) with “I am your shield, your very great reward … I am the LORD.” And, Jesus continued this reference throughout the Gospels. Some examples in John are “I am the bread of life;” “I am the light of the world;” “I am the resurrection and the life;” “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” There are numerous others. Jesus makes a specific reference to his equality with God through this statement in John 8:58 “’I tell you the truth,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’” In John 1, he existed as The Word at creation. In looking back at Genesis, we see that creation was “spoken” into existence:· (v3) “God said, ‘Let there be … and there was …’”· (v4) “God called …”· (v6) “God said, ‘Let there be …’”· (v8) “God called … and there was …”· (v9) “God said, ‘Let … be’ … and it was so.”This continues throughout Genesis 1. John tells was that Jesus was that Word that spoke creation into existence. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. John sets the stage for Jesus purpose at the very beginning of his writings -- In him was life and that life was the light of men. Even in this reference we see a connection to the beginning in Genesis. The world began in darkness – Genesis 1:2, “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface …” And, man’s sin had brought about darkness and the concept of death – (v16,17) “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” Jesus brought to us both light and life to restore creation to God’s intention and to restore our relationship with him. Scripture tells us that even creation looks forward to the complete fulfillment of God’s plan of restoration – (Romans 8:19-22) “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. John makes it clear that, on our own, we do not understand the life and light of Jesus. Later in his writings, he records the words of Christ saying, (John 6:44) “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him …” The method that God uses to draw mankind to him is through the revelation of the gospel, (John 12:32) “…I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” God draws men to Jesus when he moves with his Spirit to reveal the story and person of Jesus Christ. God uses us to spread “the Word.” Let us be faithful in doing so. |
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