Articles
A Short Course in Jesus Christ
Probably no chapter in the Bible includes more names and titles for Jesus than the first chapter of the Gospel of John. Here He is called the Word, God, the Light, the Lord, the Lamb of God, the Son of God, the Messiah (Christ), Jesus of Nazareth, Rabbi, the King of Israel, and the Son of Man.
In addition, the first chapter affirms that Jesus: 1) was with God in the beginning, 2) created all things, 3) brings light to every person, 4) enables us to become children of God, 5) was made flesh, 6) is full of grace and truth, 7) takes away the sin of the world, 8) is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit, 9) is the One of whom Moses and the prophets wrote, and 10) has supernatural insight.
In this chapter John the Baptist gives his testimony regarding Jesus (verses 6-8, 19-36), as does John the apostle who wrote the chapter, and God Himself (v. 33).
The first chapter of John is not, of course, simply for interesting reading or for our information. It is obvious that God wants us to make a personal response to His Son. This response includes believing in Him (vv. 7, 12). Jesus is the theme of this Gospel, and the word believe is the main key word, used nearly a hundred times. Another response God wants us to make is to confess Him (vv. 29, 34, 40-41, 45, 49), and to bring others to Him, as did Andrew and Philip (vv. 35-50). In addition, this chapter alludes to the new birth (vv. 12-13), which Jesus will have more to say about in 3:3-5.
What a grand introduction Chapter One is for this marvelous Gospel! It packs a tremendous amount of truth in its 51 verses. It begins at the Beginning and carries us up to the inauguration of Jesus’ ministry. Many of the themes introduced in this chapter are developed further in the rest of the book. Chapter One whets our appetite for what follows. And what follows enables us to catch a vision of glory!
