THE GOSPELS: LESSON 1:
THE PRE-EXISTENCE OF JESUS
TEXT: JOHN 1: 1 - 18
What we should learn from this lesson:
1. Hundreds of Old Testament prophecies predicted his incarnation.
2. Jesus existed in divine form before his birth in Bethlehem in 5 BC.
3. Jesus is a part of the eternal Godhead.
4. Jesus’ life was to reveal God to us.
I. THE PROPHECIES:
Refer to prophecies handout. Make sure you are very familiar with the following five critical passages:
A. Genesis 3: 15. The first Messianic prophecy.
B. Micah 5: 2 - 4. Where the Messiah would be born.
C. Isaiah 7: 14. He shall be born of a virgin.
NOTE: the Hebrew word almah must be translated “virgin.” This word refers to a young (veiled or private) girl, and such were ALWAYS virgins in that society.
D. Isaiah 53. The most complete prophecy of the Messiah. Covers his appearance, his purpose, and very detailed account of his death.
E. Psalm 16: 10. He would NOT remain in the grave.
Conclusion: There are over 300 Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah. They paint a very complete picture of the birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection of this individual. Taken all in all, these prophecies can only describe one single individual in all of history: Jesus of Nazareth, the only begotten Son of God.
II. JOHN 1: 1 - 18: “THE WORD BECAME FLESH AND DWELT AMONG US . . .”
Parallel passage: Col. 1: 13 - 20 (read it).
This is the very first incident about Jesus recorded in the gospels. John clearly wanted us to know that Jesus was not just a man; he was also God.
“By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God. This is the spirit of antichrist, of which you heard that it was coming, and now it is in the world already.” I John 4: 2, 3
John 1
: Verses 1 - 5: “In the beginning . . .”Verse 1: Note the parallel to Genesis 1: “In the beginning . . .”
Word: from the Greek logos. Here is what Strong’s says about this word: “. . . something said (including the thought); by implication a topic (subject of discourse); also reasoning (the mental faculty); or motive. Specifically (with the article in John) the Divine Expression.”
Note here in verse 1 that Jesus was with God which indicates a separate persona, and yet he was God, indicating a sameness of nature. We are human. He was God (that is to say, of the divine, spiritual nature).
Verse 2: “He was in the beginning. . .” This does not imply (as the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses claim) that Jesus was the first created thing, it says that at the very beginning of creation, Jesus was already there!
Verse 3: See Gen 1: 26 and Heb 1: 2.
Verses 4, 5: “In him was life . . .” See also Acts 4: 10 - 12.
Verses 6 - 13: The missions of John and Christ.
Verse 6: “There was a man sent from God . . .” Which John is this? John the Baptizer.
1. John was the son of the priest Zechariah and Elizabeth.
2. He was related to Jesus through Mary, who was a kinswoman of Elizabeth. Luke 1: 36 says that Elisabeth was Mary’s cousin, but since their ages were at least 40 years different, she was not a first cousin, but a second or third cousin. The word “cousin” in the KJV actually means just “female blood relative,” and can apply to anything but a sister, parent, or grandparent (aunt, cousin, great aunt, second cousin, etc.).
3. He was the one sent to prepare the way, according to prophecy. See Isaiah 40: 3; Malachi 3: 1; Matt. 3: 3.
4. We will talk at length about John the Baptizer later.
Verses 7, 8: What was John’s mission? To bear testimony of Jesus.
For what purpose? That men might believe in Jesus when he appeared.
Verse 9: Note that at the very beginning of John’s gospel he makes it clear that Jesus was to be a light to whom? The whole world.
How did that differ from Judaism? Judaism was only to the Jews. Look at Genesis 12: 3.
Verse 10: Looking at this verse, when was the gospel of John written? After Jesus left the world – after his ascension.
In what two ways did the world not “know” Jesus? 1. Jesus only preached to the Jews. Matt. 10: 5, 6; Matt. 15: 24.
2. The world did not accept that Jesus was the Messiah and so they crucified him.
Verse 11: See Matthew 13: 54 - 58.
Verses 12, 13: To become a child of God, what must we do? Receive Christ; believe in his name. What ways will not make us a child of God? Not blood (birth), nor will of the flesh (deeds of human merit), nor the will of man (human teachings or actions).
This shows the nature of God’s eternal plan: to make for himself children, not based merely on nationality and ritual, but on the basis of faith and obedience to his word.
Verses 14 - 18: “. . . and we beheld him . . .”
Verse 14: Why did Jesus have to “become flesh and dwell among us?”
1. Because God in his natural form is unapproachable. See Deut. 5: 24, 25.
2. So that he might show us it is possible to live a godly life. See Heb. 4: 14 - 16.
3. So that we might know what God is really like - He is like Jesus. See verse 18.
Notice that John says that they “beheld his glory, glory as of the only son of the Father.” Jesus is not a myth. He was a flesh and blood reality and if any man denies that, he is an “antichrist.” I John4: 2, 3.
Verse 15: John the Baptizer proclaimed that Jesus was greater than he was.
Verse 16: What was Jesus full of? God. See Col. 1: 19.
Verse 17: Through the law came what? Through the Law came the knowledge of sin.
Through Christ comes what? Through Christ comes justification and redemption from sin. See Romans 3: 20 - 24.
Verse 18: Without Jesus we would never really know what God is like. Look at all the idols of the world, from Baal and Molech to Zeus and Apollo. That is what the world who had not seen Jesus thinks God is, but he is not like any of those idols. He is like Jesus.
Conclusion: Jesus, who was in the form of God, put away his God nature and became a flesh and blood man so that we might understand what God is really like. John foretold his coming, and said that the Christ was greater. And he was seen by the apostles like John when he was “in the flesh.”
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