“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
John 1:1
No other religion has a Being like our God as its object of worship. The God of Christianity is uniquely both transcendent (far above us, incomprehensible) and immanent (close and in contact with us). Though God is mysterious in His infinity, He nonetheless discloses Himself to us. The ways in which He does this are as numerous as they are wonderful. The writer to the Hebrews begins his magnificent treatise, “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds.” God has been speaking to mankind from the beginning, slowly disclosing more of Himself as the ages rolled on. Finally, in the fullness of time, God disclosed Himself in maximal fashion when He came into the world in the Person of His beloved Son Jesus. The Lord made it very clear that all previous revelation pointed to this stupendous event (John 5:39, 46-47). “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy;” the written word directs us to the living Word (Revelation 19:10). I am continually amazed at the parallels between the two. My Bible looks like any other book on my shelf, just as Jesus, in the days of His earthly ministry, looked like any other man (Isaiah 53:2). The Bible’s content, what is on the inside expressed in words, is what makes the Bible unique. This is like Jesus, whose words set Him apart also (John 7:46). Both the written word and the living Word were (and are) misunderstood, misrepresented, and spoken against; both suffered greatly at the hands of wicked men. When examined closely, both are supremely vindicated. The Bible is shown true and reliable despite the critics’ relentless assaults, just as Jesus was shown sinless despite the many allegations against him (John 8:46). Whereas the Bible is called wholly true (Psalm 119:160), Jesus is the Truth incarnate (John 14:6). “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” said Jesus (John 6:63). Trusting in the Truth incarnate sets us free from the old life of sin, guilt, and condemnation (John 8:32); trusting in the Christ of Scripture leads to life everlasting. John explained that the Scriptures were given so that we may believe “that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31). May we rejoice today over so great a salvation, and may we operate as faithful communicators of God’s written testimony to the Word incarnate.
God bless,
Pastor John
English