St. John 1

In our recent Bible study, we opened the Gospel of John. Scripture doesn’t just tell us what Jesus did, it reveals who He is. John doesn’t begin with a manger, a genealogy, or a public ministry. He begins before time itself, pointing us to the eternal nature of Christ and inviting us to see Jesus not only as Savior, but as the very Word of God made flesh.

We first paused to compare how each Gospel introduces Jesus. Matthew connects Him to Abraham and David, grounding Jesus in God’s covenant promises. Mark presents Jesus as the Son of God through action. Luke carefully traces Jesus’ birth and lineage all the way back to Adam, emphasizing His humanity. But John is different. He takes us beyond history and into eternity, declaring that before anything was created, the Word already was. Jesus didn’t come into existence at Bethlehem—He stepped into creation.

As we walked through John 1:1–18, the theme became clear: Jesus is both fully God and fully present with us. John tells us that the Word was with God and was God, and that all things were made through Him. This means nothing in creation exists apart from Jesus—not just the physical world, but life itself. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. Light that shines in darkness, and darkness cannot overcome it.

We also looked at the role of John the Baptist, who came as a witness—not as the light, but to point people to it. His life reminds us that our calling isn’t to draw attention to ourselves, but to reflect Christ. Just as John testified to the light, we are called to live in a way that directs others to Jesus through how we speak, love, and respond.

One of the sobering moments in the passage is John’s statement that Jesus came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. Even the Light of the world was rejected. Yet, in that rejection, hope shines through: to all who do receive Him, who believe in His name, He gives the power to become children of God. Not by human effort, lineage, or will—but by God Himself. Salvation is not earned; it is received.

Verse 14 brought everything together: the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We talked about how Jesus didn’t remain distant. He took on humanity, experienced weakness, suffering, and temptation, yet without sin. Supporting Scriptures like Hebrews reminded us that because He shared in our flesh and blood, He understands our struggles and stands as a faithful High Priest. Isaiah 53 pointed us to the cost of that incarnation—His suffering was part of God’s redemptive plan from the beginning.

The discussion kept coming back to one central truth: Jesus didn’t just bring information—He brought life. Through Him, death is defeated, grace replaces the law, and truth is revealed. Grace and truth didn’t come as ideas; they came as a Person. And because of that, believers are called to walk in the light we’ve received. Light isn’t meant to be hidden. When Christ lives in us, it should be evident in how we live.

We closed by reflecting on the unity between God the Father and Jesus Christ in the plan of salvation. Through the Son, we are invited not only to believe, but to belong—to live as children of God and heirs through the Spirit.

The message of John 1 is both humbling and empowering: the eternal Word stepped into our world so that we could step into His light. And now, having received that light, we are called to walk in it—daily, intentionally, and visibly—so that others may see Christ reflected through us.