John 1:1-18
The Word, the Logos Becomes Flesh
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus is explicitly identified as the Logos...Logos is a Greek term that can be translated as "word," "reason," or "logic."...In philosophical and theological contexts, it often refers to the principle of order or reason that underlies the entire universe...
Here are some key concepts associated with logos...
With God and Jesus we have this Organized Cosmic Order...Logos can represent the underlying order and harmony of the universe, the rational principle that governs all things...
With God and Jesus we have this Divine Reasoning...In Christian theology, the Logos is often associated with the Word of God, which is believed to be the Divine Reason or principle that created and sustains the universe...We can believe in Scripture that God's Word is actually Truth, in fact, Absolute Truth...
With God and Jesus we have the ability to have Human Reasoning...Logos can also refer to human reason or logic, the capacity to think rationally and understand the world...
This understanding of the Logos is particularly significant in John's first few verses...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 nothing was made that has been made...In Him is life, and the life is the Light of man...
Here, "the Word" is referring to Jesus...This passage suggests that Jesus is the Divine Reason or principle that underlies the creation and sustains the universe...He is the source of all Life and Light controlling and sustaining the universe...
The identification of Jesus as the Logos is a central theme in the Gospel of John and has profound implications for understanding the nature of God and the universe...
In the Gospel of John, he explains how a Spirit can become flesh...And we need this better explained...When we think about the Divinity and Humanity of Jesus, we have a great paradox...We have a Great Mystery...The profound concept of the Incarnation, the moment when God became human in the Person of Jesus Christ is hard to believe and even more difficult to understand...It challenges our limited human understanding of God and emphasizes the importance of learning from God's revelation in Jesus, and to send Him to earth...
Jesus' Incarnation is the Greatest and Most Important Paradox in our history...God, the Infinite and Transcendent Spirit, becoming a Finite Human Being...This act defies human logic and reveals the depths of God's LOVE...
This redefines our understanding of God...Our preconceived notions of God may be too narrow to fully comprehend His Complex Nature...We must allow Jesus' life and teachings to help shape our understanding and belief that this can, could, and did happen...And as we read about Jesus we see that He helps us understand God much better...
In Jesus we see the Divine and the Human...The Incarnation demonstrates that the divine and the human are not incompatible...God can exist within the limitations of human experience...
We see the importance of learning from Jesus about His Father...Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God...By studying His life and teachings, we can learn about God's true nature and purpose...We see why faith is so important, in the sense of us understanding that Jesus became flesh, to well among us...
In conclusion, when the Word Becomes Flesh it helps us and encourages us to embrace the mystery of the Incarnation and to allow Jesus to redefine our understanding of God...Jesus has revealed God's nature, LOVE, and mercy in a way that is accessible to help us in our human reasoning have a better understanding of God...It reminds us that God's LOVE is boundless and extend even to the depths of human existence....No one has ever seen God, but the One and Only Son, who is Himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made Him known...So we see Jesus bringing Grace and Truth to earth...Jesus' Grace refers to God's unmerited favor and forgiveness, and we see that in God's Son...While Jesus' Truth refers to the revelation of God's nature and purpose...Then we better see why it is written that He is full of Grace and Truth...