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The Bible Teaching Commentary on Genesis: The Book of Foundations

Commentaries that specialize on training the teacher!

What we believe about Christ determines

not only whether we are a Christian

but how devoted we are as a Christian. 

What is it that you believe about Jesus? John often uses the verb “to trust” or “to believe” or “to put our faith in.” (They all are from the same Greek word.) We should remember, however, that he rarely uses the noun word for “faith” or “trust” as we do such as in “I have faith.”

We must ask ourselves as John does, “What kind of faith do you have?” We equate faith with doctrine. Familiarity with doctrine is the ability to state certain statements about certain beliefs.  We are not trying to put down the importance of doctrine but simply to say that this is not what the Gospel of John is about even though there is an incredible amount of doctrine taught in it. It is about believing in Jesus.  Not belief but believing.

The verb ‘to believe’ is used  60+ times in John. The noun form for ‘belief’ or ‘faith’ is conspicuously absent. Belief is not a doctrine that we know but a person we trust. It is active believing that produces the significant changes in our lives.

Our present generation is upset with the generation that has had the right doctrine but the wrong life. The divorces, hatred and problems that their parents produced have made them reject Christianity. To them it is sterile without life.

Throughout the Gospel of John we have a great opportunity to know what it is to really believe in Jesus Christ and see what changes in our lives will come from believing. Here are three questions for us to peruse upon as we study the Gospel of John.

• Why should I believe in Jesus?
• What does it mean to trust Jesus Christ?
• What difference does believing make a difference in my life?
  

The Purpose of the Gospel of John

John had two purposes for writing the Gospel of John.

As we study John 20:30-31 we find that the two ‘that’ words introduce John’s clear purpose for the Gospel of John. The first is so that we might believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. This faith is not man-originated. It comes from God.  How or what we believe shapes our lives.

The second ‘that’ clause shows the result of right believing. “That they may have life in His Name.’ This speaks of the quality of one’s life. As we believe, our life will be changed. We will experience a real changed life.

Lots of questions about Christianity arise today. John is throughout this book relentlessly qualifying what real believing in Christ means as well as what quality of life that should issue forth from that belief.

An Overview to the Gospel of John (John 1:1-13) 

The beginning verses of John’s Gospel are very different than the rest of the book in that it serves as an overview. It presents us many more answers than we can ask. The following verses that fill up the chapters in John will expand on the many topics just mentioned in the overview. In John 1:1-11 we have before us thirteen unique points about Jesus Christ.

We will answer some of the questions that have already been mentioned, but even more. We plan on showing you the difference of what the Bible says and what you are often hearing about Jesus Christ and Christianity in general. 

I just read that about 93% of high school graduates leave the Christian faith within 18 months of going to college.[1] People are getting an overdose of humanism/secularism without seeing its emptiness. In our following discussion we will show you the clear difference between Christ and what the world is presenting.

Words are so important to life. Just think of the many things you said, you heard or even thought. Words are the means we communicate what we desire and what we might do. Christ is the Word of God.

The Greek word for “Word” is logos. John later in 1:14 tells us that this is Jesus Christ. God communicates Himself through Jesus Christ just as we express ourselves through our words. Christ never had a beginning. He always existed. His eternality then produces a consistent revelation of God in the world. Humanism has absolutely no authority to speak about purpose because everything has not continuity with anything. It just exists.[2]

In contrast to humanism with its haphazard collection of chemical elements, we have a world that causes mankind to seek meaning in life. God revealed Himself much like a painting. He is waiting for us to respond to it. In this case He awaits our response to Christ which in turn reveals our response to God Himself. As Romans and Ecclesiastes says, we are created with a God-consciousness or ‘eternity in our hearts.’ The longings in man are planted in man so that we would seek God.

Or perhaps we can think of mankind as a computer missing a wireless card. The organized communication (ie. Revelation) is constantly going forth but only our card is missing. We have no way to comprehend what God is saying. We do have a slot though. We have the capability to have that card and therefore are responsible to respond to God through Christ.

Some people say that God was lonely so He created man. This is man’s thinking about God and certainly does not state what God Himself is like. These words, “And the Word was with God,” provide a clear indication of the existence of the Trinity. “The Word was with God.” There is the communion and fellowship originating from two distinct parties. 

Relationships are from God. Within the Godhead, God has had eternal fellowship. Our own sense of need of relationship derives from being made in God’s image. It is not a weakness or flaw in mankind. The weakness is that we do not know how to make friendships or that because of our selfishness we are willing to actually destroy a relationship. 

Just think how many people married in hope of having great relationships but ended up with situations that they could not tolerate? God’s own Godhead is the basis of man’s social needs. Because we are made in the image of God, we are social creatures. Animals might roam around with each other but humans are other-conscious. Much of our lives depend on our relationships with others. 

Humanism with its ‘accidentalism’[3] has no teaching on relationship. With its absence of morals and duty of relationship secularism allows man to live on a very selfish level focused only on what one might want from another person.

Relationships in Biblical Christianity, however, derive from God. Christ is the means of restoring our relationship with God and with man. Love is at the heart of relationships. Love is at the heart of Christianity. Read the Gospels and you will see LOVE imprinted on Jesus’ life. One is able to make personal sacrifices because the importance of relationship. Those who have given up on the importance of commitment in relationships have been infected by humanism. 

Since humanism hit the world, people have been questioning whether Jesus Christ is God. But let me tell you that those who personally saw what Jesus did and for the millennium plus time period following Christ’s life, the question was not whether Jesus Christ was God but whether He was man. He was too great to be man, or so many cults thought including Gnosticism. 

The scriptures are clear here as elsewhere. Jesus Christ was and is God. He never became God as Mormons teach. Jehovah Witnesses have also missed the target by teaching that Christ is “a god” with a small “g.”  Their New World Translation strains hard at this translation not to mention the context and teaching of Christ’s deity all throughout John. The Scriptures clearly indicate that Christ is God. Philippians 2 says that when Christ came to earth He hid his divine prerogatives so He could live as man and be a faithful Savior.

Of course if we believe as many who are contaminated by secularism do today, we would not believe in God at all. They idolize man. They serve themselves. The consequences of this are many painful and broken relationships. Man lives in fear and anxiety. He does not depend upon their great Creator God.

Christ is God, though. He is the One through whom we can pray. We pray “in Jesus Name.”  It is interesting, and reinforces what we have said, man is made with a God-need. One article described a woman’s experience in the terrorists takeover of the Russian school.  She said something like this, “Those who prayed prayed. And those who didn’t know how to pray, we taught them.”  But of course without knowing Christ, there is no transmission of their prayers. 

Christ is the Word. We might have need but not have a means to connect to God.  Just recently I have installed some wireless devices. It is remarkable how my computer can be anywhere in my house and still communicate with the web. Without that special equipment, however, it sits still and isolated. Although some scoff at prayer and the need of God, we actually boast of prayer and the ability to live to our fullest potential by speaking with and hearing from God. God made us to be able to talk to Him. Why is it that we do it so rarely? 

Relationships are very important. But relationship alone does not bring meaning in our lives. We need mission.  A guy might like you and that gives you good feelings, but life is more than this expression of affection and acceptance. 

Christ was always with God. Even in the beginning of the world as we know it, He was in full fellowship with Christ. Mission and purpose arise from God’s will. The Godhead worked as One. What the Father planned, the Son fully concurred.  As we read the scriptures more carefully, we see that the salvation plan is not something that was thought of after man had sinned but something God planned before the creation of the world. We may rightly say it is in eternity that God planned to save us through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. 

Jesus Christ would have to suffer but the priority of plan stood over His own feelings. The whole situation with all the blood, treachery and shame is absolutely wretched, but there was a greater purpose. He lived not for Himself but for God’s will. Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of my Father.” 

Humanism of course allows man to deitize (make to have godlike importance) his own will and feelings. Just think how man marries, lies at job interviews, pretend to be someone they are not just to get what they want at the expense of others. Every time we choose our will over God’s, we again affirm how we are not like Christ. We have become idolaters where we would choose our will over God’s. We think more over what we want than what God wants. You can see how deep-rooted sin is in our lives.     

Is it wrong to depend upon God? Is it a sign of weakness to pray and show need of God?  If you own a car, are you ashamed of getting gas? If you are human, do you hide your every breath? After all breathing is a sign of dependence upon oxygen to survive.  We are very fragile creatures. 

We read about millions of people leaving homes to flee a hurricane. Why? They know they need things to live out their lives in a nice way. They want to preserve that situation. I know of three people in the last year who discovered that they had cancer and died all within about three months. Humanists might pride themselves in thinking that they can care well for themselves, but we read in this verse that they are looking wrongly at their lives.

They have been granted a good situation up to this point by the One who made them. All things came into being through Jesus Christ. Absolutely nothing that now exists is not from or dependent upon Him. When we talk about Jesus Christ, we often think of His Saviorhood. But He is also our Creator and Sustainer. We are physically and relationally very dependent upon Him, are we not?  Why should we be ashamed at giving thanks for our food, air or water?!

Can you see why God hates secularism? It is a flat revolt against His claim on their lives. People who rely on themselves in the end suffer the results of a colossal judgment.

 God did not only create our physical bodies but also has given life to us. Through His life we can function. It is funny how much trust we put in the medical community. Their work is good, but they don’t cause life. They can’t make it or even preserve it. If you discover life, you discover Christ.

If our life only consisted in a complex mix of chemicals, then we could say that our moral conscience, our light, would simply not exist. The fact is, even small children know the difference between right and wrong. Having life, however, makes us accountable to the Life Giver. Having life makes us different from animals because we have light. We perceive the difference between darkness and light.

Indeed if God has given such life to us, should we not seek to please Him? If He creates and sustains our very breath and consciousness, then ought we to control our lives and decisions so that we please Him?  God hates secularism because it separates people from understanding God’s guidance for their lives. They live by their impulses rather than God’s divine direction. Has anyone’s life benefited from such selfish attitudes? Has our society turned for the good because man chases to feed his lusts? Absolutely not. Our societies are decaying at a fast rate.

We can change, however. We can repent from our rejection of Him and ask for light to see again. 

 Those who struggle to live holy lives find great hope in this verse. Our struggles are real whether they might be personal, in our families, churches or even on a greater scale of our society at large. “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” The darkness is allowed to exert itself. The world we live in is not perfect.

The light might seem very  dim at times. We might be tempted to give up, but it is never appropriate to give up. God has not told us that darkness would not be present in this world but that it would be present. He told us how to live over its reach.

Humanists, however, cannot explain moral evil because they do not have morals. They do allow categories of light and darkness. Those who read God’s Word, however, find clear teaching about the fight between the light and darkness. 

The darkness can  even threaten to extinguish the little light that there is at times. The words ‘did not comprehend it’ simply means that the darkness did not overwhelm or absorb the light. It will not; it cannot. Darkness will lose the fight. The kingdom of God is as a mustard seed. It is so tiny but it will grow. We just need to wait.[5]

Each of us need to commit ourselves to living godly lives. We need to fight the world’s values. Our small group members were discussing how like Daniel they need to make ‘not normal’ decisions for their lives. Actually, the  ‘not normal’ is very normal in God’s eyes.  We shine brightly when we live according to God’s ways. It is only because the world is so strong that we see our lives being countered on every side. 

The world is not concerned with this. Their only care about what material comforts that they might lose. They are anxious about losing what they will in fact one day most definitely lose. The godly man and woman however has placed the battle for living according to God’s light as the prime focus for their lives.

 Man’s folly begins by thinking that they have that light. The fault of religions and philosophies come from the fact that they think that the light comes from man. We grant that there are those wise leaders, charismatic speakers, as well as the studious who have a  Dr. as their title.  But tell me, are they the Light? 

John the Baptist was a very able and devoted man. He influenced a whole society in a time when there was no media. He countered all known methodology by having people come to him in the wilderness. Some of you have seen the recent find of John the Baptist’s hole. He had great command over the crowds. Even the kings of the region  feared him. Now remember that he did no miracles. He healed no one  that we  know of. He could have founded a religion except he knew what we all should know. He was not the light. Great men  are not the Light. 

How does Jesus compare then with Gautama or Mohammed or other great philosophers? There simple is no real comparison. One little math exercise is given to little children to train them that they can not add apples and oranges. We might have 3 apples and 2 oranges, but we cannot add them together. We are not saying that men have not offered wise sayings but the difference is extraordinary. 

How are the sun and moon different? The sun actually gives light. The moon only reflects it. Man might grab parts of the light and repackage it in their own culture and language but they are not the light.  John accepted his humble (and yet great) role to announce and prepare the way for the Light of the world. We must stop making silly comparisons between man and Jesus Christ. What Jesus says is all-important. How you respond to Him will make a great difference in your life. What others say is not anywhere as important.

Let’s discuss influential leaders and thinkers a bit more in depth. The Enlightenment was the time when men thought that they came to their senses and realized that they did not need God. This is the birth of secularism[6] as we know it. It was the time mankind began to separate God from their lives. Man thought he knew enough to live out his life. It was time for man to plod ahead. And he did. Many of the modern discoveries and inventions have come from innovative and brave explorations into the then unknown world.

With a Christian understanding of the world, man was able to trust that the world made sense. It had order. It had design (though they refrained from using the word). A research microbiologist might deny God’s existence but he depends on the design of the world to make any progress. Any researcher totally depends on the consistency of what it is researching. Otherwise every time he went back to the same object, it would vary. Without the society turning back to God, science as we know it will enter a dark age. Their tank is almost empty. 

Why not instead accept not only the premise that every design has a Designer, but that every form of life has a Life – Giver? Christ has given us this wisdom that we brag about today. He might allow us to make discoveries, but it is Christ through whom it was made. The scientist acts as if he or she made it! They only discovered a tiny part of its operating process. Who would dare think that the computer chip was an accident? If you found one, would you say, “Wow, look at me!”  Well I much rather know the designer of the chip.  Scientists are only sharing with the world how great the Designer is. They are unconsciously proclaiming the great works of God. They are telling all how great Christ is.

People look for salvation in many places. There is none but Christ who is the Fount of Wisdom. Why go to a dry well when the living water can rush through your veins?

Christ is unique. There simply is no competition.  Christ always was. He came to the earth to reveal the truth and love of God. He lived among us,  but man rejected Him. If we reject Christ, then we reject God Himself.  He died on the cross and came to life after three days.

We have no excuse for rejecting  Him. He came. We can’t claim that God was way up there out of sight. When I was preparing this message, a man in his thirties came by carrying two candles.  For two dollars a piece he bought these so-called ‘blessed’ candles. They are, he explained, to help those pray who do not know how to pray.  I felt sorry for him and his Dad.  They are playing with candles when Christ the Almighty Lord is present. There are many religions and many religious people, but they miss the picture. They know not Christ. 

All of us are accountable for the truth given to us. Each of us was given a  witness  that we are responsible to respond to. None of us on our own have rightly responded to Him.  Like Isaiah says, “We all have turned to our own way.” It is even worse for others though.

 John  1:11  says that “Jesus came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.”

Who is this Jesus?

• Jesus is the One who made us.
• Jesus is the One who gave us life.
• Jesus is the One who gave us light. 
• Jesus is the One who sustains us day by day.

This verse tells us that Jesus Christ came to His own promised people - the Jewish people.  His own people knew of all the prophecies about the Messiah (Christ) written more than a thousand years ago in some cases.  Judgment will be greater for those who know more.

We all are, in fact, very accountable for what God has revealed to us. Never has the Word of God been so available.  Never has the Word of God been going out in so many places and in so many languages.

Still like the Jewish people, many non-Jewish people are rejecting Christ too. We know the scriptures and acknowledge that He claims to be Creator but only scoffs at Him.

You might be wondering how Christ can practically make a difference in your lives. 

• Without Christ, we are orphans on this big planet.
• Without Christ, we have no one to care for us.
• Without Christ we walk around in darkness.
• Without Christ we never find life. Everlasting death awaits us.

With Christ, however, we see God’s plan come into operation.  Of most importance, when we put our trust and faith in Christ Jesus, we become the children of God. We are given the right to call ourselves the children  of God. This wordage is used to help us get a better glimpse of some of the key aspects of being a true Christian.  First of all, we know we are welcomed. We know we are not second rate junk tolerated in the house. We are His special children of which He is very fond. Through Christ we are restored to God.  Our relationship is renewed. Only through Christ can this occur.

Do you know how? We will talk more about this later in John, but suffice for now, Jesus died on the cross to make  a way  for those who rejected and lived out self-oriented lives to actually find forgiveness. When  we become a child of God, like good children we look to our Father for guidance and help. If you were brought up in a family with a great Dad, this image will give you  all sorts of  warm feelings and thoughts. This is what God wants us to know is true with Him and those who trust Him.

Remember it is not through being sharp, wealthy, religious, or even good that God called us into His family. It is because we welcomed the One who was offered to us.

Secularism and humanism is dying a fast death because it is so ugly. (Along with this we see a rise of spiritualism). We know that this darkness will be put down for good. This is not a special military or even a political move. It will be God’s move. Secularism offers no meaning or hope in life. Humanism allows us to overrun our consciences and bury us in the consequences of our guilt and sin. 

Lust controls. It tries to feel good, but it dies in short minutes. Whether we buy some special tech toy or bungee jump or sleep together, they all just remind us that we are lost, darkened and lonely. Modern man has to speed up things so he is not alone. But  the ipods and  cell  phones are  fake. As long as we live for ourselves, our relationships are  superficial.

Come into God’s family. It doesn’t matter where you have been.

 There are many people who are confused about how we are saved. It is important to understand  the way a person is saved otherwise John  would not have emphasized this point. He identifies three ways many people think that they are saved by Christ.

1) Not of blood

Man is not saved because of his lineage, that is, what family you belong to. If we needed to belong to some special family to be favored by God such as being an Israelite, we would all be in great danger of the eternal fire. Thankfully it is not of ethic or parental lineage. It has nothing to do with caste, or race.

2) Not of the will of the flesh

We are not saved through self-effort. Here we might think of all the things that I would or could do in order to show myself approved to be a child of God. Some people don’t eat certain foods or fast for periods of time. Some refrain from marriage and sex. Others think reading the Bible a lot or going to church makes a difference on  how God would look at you. If you had a lot of criticism growing up, you are more susceptible to think that your acceptance by God is dependent upon what you do. It clearly isn’t.  (Which is a good thing because it is not good enough for any of us).

3) Not of the will of man

Some of us would love to wish others or ourselves into the kingdom of God. I have numerous relatives who do not know the Lord. How you or I would love to have our loved ones or everyone into the kingdom of God. But we just need to face the facts: It is not what your unbelieving parents wish at this moment. Parents can’t make their children Christians. Neither can Sunday School teachers convert their students. Pastors can’t either. We can all teach and show those under our charge by example what a great thing it is to be a Christian, but in the end we must wait upon God. But neither can we compel ourselves to be a Christian.

Sometimes we think if a person would just raise ones hand, that he is a Christian. This passage says salvation does not come about in this way.[7] Will–power and faith are different. Will–power assumes two things: (1) That you want to do the right thing, and (2) that you can do what is right. God says that neither of these things are true. John will speak about this in the book itself. We need a heart change before we can properly respond.

God, however, is countering these false thoughts here. He is plodding the ground. He is readying us to receive the grand message of Christ. Salvation is only of God. God saves man. Man does not save himself. 

Such delusions lead many astray away from God. It weakens the strength of their salvation.  How so? Well, we see that what we think about our salvation affects whether we are saved. If we think the wrong thing, then we trust or believe the wrong thing. Believing the wrong thing keeps us from believing the right thing. But also, it is important to believe the right thing. If I have a lot of confidence in a plant growing, that is good. But that does not mean a plant will grow at all. For instance, perhaps he put his tomato seed in a glass jar with a cover in the ground.  Faith must follow right circumstances and thoughts.

Many believe that salvation comes from their own power, goodness, wisdom or effort.  For example, if I think I am doing God a favor by believing, then I will never be appreciative of my salvation. If I think it is by my own good works, then I will be prideful and never cast my trust upon Christ. Usually a wrong understanding of salvation originates in a wrong understanding of ourselves.  If we really understood how far we have drifted against God, we would not think about how we might make things better with God. Instead we would humble ourselves and confess our sin and plead for God to take away our sins through Jesus.

Trust is in fact simply putting our trust in Jesus.

So what is our response to Christ?

We have found Jesus Christ to  be uniquely special in every way. God has sent Him to us. We have no excuse. Each of us have met up with Him and His provisions in a great many ways.  Here are three ways:

• He made all things .... He made me. I need to do what He designed me for.
• He gave life and light .... I am accountable to Him for how I live out my life.
• He is the only means to be saved ... I should plead His salvation of my soul if I do not know Him yet.

How are you going to respond to Him? Christ is unique in every wonderful way possible. Let us not harden our hearts.

Continue on by doing your own Bible study on these verses. We have supplied some free Bible study questions on John 1:1-13.

Or check out another John message!

John 5:1-9 Questions | John 5:19-20 Questions | John 5:10-24 Questions
John 5:19-20 Christian Living by Understanding the Mind of Christ

Other Gospel of John articles:

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