Gospel of John Notes: Session 1

Hello everyone, and welcome to my series on the Gospel of John!

I thought I would start a series based on the notes I took/am taking for the Gospel of John Bible study I am doing at my apartment complex. Now, there is much more that was said in these Bible studies, but I cannot remember what I said when we went off script, so I will just provide the notes I took (with some possible added commentary as I feel inspired). I will try and keep this to being a short 2-4 minute bites sized digest.

With that out of the way, let's get started.

John 1:1-5 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

What is being discussed here is the order of the cosmos and the order of life and the order of the light of men. It is talking about a man described as the Word. It introduces us to what this book is about: Jesus. It says clearly that the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This Jesus, which we will see many times throughout this Gospel is described as God in the flesh. "Word" is the English word for the Greek word Logos. Logos is a word that means, to some effect, "the independent personified expression of God" (BDAG Lexicon). This Word of God is the light that has come into the world. The darkness flees from the light, but it cannot escape it. The light is the illumination to the world. It is what gives spiritual sight.

John 1:6-8 "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light."

John, though he bears witness to the light, is necessarily lesser than the light and the light is greater than he is. John bears witness to the light so that people may believe the light. But the light is superior and John is inferior. Yet, John plays a crucial role to being a lesser light to the greater light.

John 1:9-13 "The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God."

The light came into the world He created. The light was there before the world was there. The light shines on everyone and everything since the light is the creator of the world and all that is seen. And it is important to believe in the light because that is what it means to be a child of God. Whoever believes in the light do not do so by human effort; it is a gift.

John 1:14-18 "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known."

This is where it identifies Jesus Christ as the light and John as witness to Him. Jesus is more than a man since he came before John, but John comes before Jesus in proclaiming Jesus. This Jesus gives us grace and truth. Grace is the fullness of the Law. The Law is true, but Christ is the Law and the fullness of the Law, which is grace. Christ can see the Father and as such, is the one who makes the Father known. It also says that Christ is at the father side, showing a significant relationship between the two.

That's it for this one!

Until next time! God bless you!