Part 5. Jesus: The Word Made Flesh - continued

      Again take a look at Matthew Henry’s very insightful commentary on these passages.  [I realize that this is a bit heady.  At least it is for me--- sometimes I reread passages to allow it to really sink in.]  Let us also enjoy the writing style of old while receiving the timeless message:

“John 1:1-5 -   Austin says (de Civitate Dei, lib. 10, cap. 29) that his friend Simplicius told him he had heard a Platonic philosopher say that these first verses of St. John's gospel were worthy to be written in letters of gold.  The learned Francis Junius, in the account he gives of his own life, tells how he was in his youth infected with loose notions in religion, and by the grace of God was wonderfully recovered by reading accidentally these verses in a Bible which his father had designedly laid in his way.  He says that he observed such a divinity in the argument, such an authority and majesty in the style, that his flesh trembled, and he was struck with such amazement that for a whole day he scarcely knew where he was or what he did; and thence he dates the beginning of his being religious. Let us enquire what there is in those strong lines.  The evangelist here lays down the great truth he is to prove, that Jesus Christ is God, one with the Father.  Observe,

 

I. Of whom he speaks - The Word - ho logos.   This is an idiom peculiar to John's writings.  See 1Jo_1:1; 1Jo_5:7; Rev_19:13.  Yet some think that Christ is meant by the Word in Act_20:32; Heb_4:12; Luk_1:2.  The Chaldee paraphrase very frequently calls the Messiah Memra - the Word of Jehovah, and speaks of many things in the Old Testament, said to be done by the Lord, as done by that Word of the Lord.  ...  The evangelist, in the close of his discourse (Joh_1:18), plainly tells us why he calls Christ the Word - because he is the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, and has declared him.  Word is two-fold: logos endiathetos - word conceived; and logos prophorikos - word uttered.  The logos ho esō and ho exō, ratio and oratio - intelligence and utterance.  1. There is the word conceived, that is, thought, which is the first and only immediate product and conception of the soul (all the operations of which are performed by thought), and it is one with the soul.  And thus the second person in the Trinity is fitly called the Word; for he is the first-begotten of the Father, that eternal essential Wisdom which the Lord possessed, as the soul does its thought, in the beginning of his way, Pro_8:22.  There is nothing we are more sure of than that we think, yet nothing we are more in the dark about than how we think; who can declare the generation of thought in the soul?  Surely then the generations and births of the eternal mind may well be allowed to be great mysteries of godliness, the bottom of which we cannot fathom, while yet we adore the depth.  2. There is the word uttered, and this is speech, the chief and most natural indication of the mind.  And thus Christ is the Word, for by him God has in these last days spoken to us (Heb_1:2), and has directed us to hear him, Mat_17:5.  He has made known God's mind to us, as a man's word or speech makes known his thoughts, as far as he pleases, and no further.  Christ is called that wonderful speaker (see notes on Dan_8:13), the speaker of things hidden and strange.  He is the Word speaking from God to us, and to God for us.  John Baptist was the voice, but Christ the Word: being the Word, he is the Truth, the Amen, the faithful Witness of the mind of God." 
From E-sword - Matthew Henry Commentary 

Part 5. Jesus: The Word Made Flesh

      The most important truth that we need to know about the Word of God is that Jesus is God’s Word, in the flesh, who literally came to earth and walked among man. He was sent from God to show us the way to live and more important, the way to God. Without Jesus and His redemptive work on the cross there is no remission of sin and therefore no means of restored relationship with God.  This restored relationship includes His gift of eternal life in place of sin’s consequence of eternal damnation, in Hell.   Both the Old Testament and the New Testament reveal Christ Jesus of Nazareth.

      I am not saying that this means we should place our physical Bible before us and bow down to it in worship. God forbid! Instead, we should know that Jesus validates the written Word. This concept can probably only be truly comprehended by the believer who allows the indwelling Holy Spirit to bring revelation understanding of the relationship between the Bible and Jesus Christ. Let’s get that. A Christian must allow the Holy Spirit to impart revelation understanding of the literal relationship between the Holy Bible and Jesus Christ, Himself. When the believer really grasps this TRUTH, he or she should then be capable of experiencing seeing, with spirit eyes, the many truths of their Creator leap from His pages.

      John 1:14 proclaims, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us … .” What an odd statement, if looking at it only in the natural realm! Then John, the Revelator, unfolds the events of the ending of time, as we know it, when he declares: “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew expect Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God and He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” Revelation 19: 11-16.

      So here John says, “… and His name is called The Word of God.” And note that from “His mouth goes a sharp sword”. Recall that the armor of God, provided for each believer, includes the sword. This offensive weapon is none other than God’s Word, which will be discussed later.

      Now in all of this we must remember that Jesus and God, the Father, are one. So the revelation of who Jesus is gives mankind a revelation of God, as well as the way to be reconciled to God. This reconciliation had been needed ever since Adam and Eve broke fellowship with God with their original sin, back in the garden. The Apostle John helps us pull these things together in the opening passages of his gospel. “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 was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” John 1: 1-5. John is beautifully declaring the eternal cosmic significance of Christ Jesus and who He is and always has been, as He steps into the world to bring life and light to mankind.

Part 4. The Regenerating Power of God’s Word -- Conclusion to Part 4. >> Watch for Part 5, titled "Jesus: The Word Made Flesh" - coming next.

Part 4.  The Regenerating Power of God’s Word  --  This post is the conclusion of Part 4. 

[If you have not read Parts 1, 2, and 3, I recommend that you do so in order to benefit from the full context of these writings.] 

       I now resume and bring to a conclusion the quote from Matthew Henry. Even though I am including a large portion of his commentary on 1 Peter 1: 13 - 23, there is much that I recommend you to read when you have the time.  Mr Henry concludes:  "The word of God lives and abides for ever. This word is a living word, or a lively word, Heb_4:12. It is a means of spiritual life, to begin it and preserve in it, animating and exciting us in our duty, till it brings us to eternal life: and it is abiding; it remains eternally true, and abides in the hearts of the regenerate for ever.”    [Resource: "E-Sword" - Matthew Henry Commentary]

When you go back to my start of Henry's quote in the provious post, it is agreeably quite a long one, but oh, how eloquently he describes the regenerating power of God’s Word made available by the shed blood of our precious Christ! I recommend that you read through it again, even more meticulously, pulling out Truths, concepts and statements that resonate in your own spirit. Such a statement for me would be, “Persons, when converted, differ exceedingly from what they were formerly. They are people of another fashion and manner from what they were before; their inward frame, behaviour, speech, and conversation, are much altered from what they were in times past. (4.) The lusts and extravagances of sinners are both the fruits and the signs of their ignorance.” Another is, “The word of God is the great instrument of a sinner's purification: Seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth. The gospel is called truth, in opposition to types and shadows, to error and falsehood. This truth is effectual to purify the soul, if it be obeyed, Joh_17:17. Many hear the truth, but are never purified by it, because they will not submit to it nor obey it. (3.) The Spirit of God is the great agent in the purification of man's soul. The Spirit convinces the soul of its impurities, furnishes those virtues and graces that both adorn and purify, such as faith (Act_15:9), hope (1Jo_3:3), the fear of God (Psa_34:9), and the love of Jesus Christ.”    ["E-Sword" -  Matthew Henry Commentary]

Here is a good place to point out that in the referring passage, I Peter 1: 13-21, the Apostle Peter is addressing fellow believers in Jesus as Messiah. So if you are a believer and follower of Jesus, you can know that his instructions are for you and for me. If you are not a follower of Jesus, Yeshua, allow me to encourage you to become one --- right here, right now.  It’s not a hard thing.  First you must acknowledge that you are a sinner --- you have broken one or more of the 10 Commandments in your life.  You must believe that Jesus really is the only Son of God, that He died on the cross to take the punishment for your (and my) sins.  That He was buried and rose to life again, on the 3rd day, and now is in Heaven at the right hand of God the Father.  So --- you must repent of your sins and receive the forgiveness of God that was made possible by His Son, Jesus. In this you received or accept Jesus into your own heart, as your personal Savior.  If you have just done this, you are now born again.  ---  Welcome to The Kingdom of God!  This is, by far, the most important decision a person can make.  Now go and learn more about Jesus in the Bible and tell someone about your decision.  Get a Bible and read the Gospel (or Book) of John and then read Matthew, Mark , Luke and so on. Please know that because of your decision, the angels are rejoicing and that your eternal destiny is now Heaven. God is pleased and the Holy Spirit of Christ now abides in you.  You will learn more about all of this as you read and study God’s Word.  Also it is important to get plugged in to a good Bible believing, Bible teaching church or assembly of believers.

While we are taking a look at commentaries on this subject, the comments of Bible Scholar, Jack Hayford are certainly worth reading. Let's soak this in:  “The Regenerating Power of God’s Word, THE WORD OF GOD.  Just as we owe our natural existence to the Creator’s spoken word and life-giving breath, so we owe our New Birth to the power of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit’s activation of its power. God’s intent for our created being is only completely fulfilled when our spirits are alive toward Him. As sin has produced spiritual death in people (Eph. 2:13), so salvation in Jesus Christ has provided spiritual life.”

“This text (I Peter 1:23) tells us that the ‘seed’ that has produced new life in us is the Word of God, which has begotten us again by the Holy Spirit’s power (Titus 3:5) and made us members of God’s new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). [Titus 3:5-- ‘not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit’] [II Corinthians 5:17—‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.’] The power of God’s Word – the Holy Scriptures – is in no way more manifest than in this: Its power to bring spiritual live to all who are open to Its truth. James 1:18 elaborates the fact that God’s ‘Word of truth’ is the means by which He brought us new life, emphasizing that He has done this as a direction of His own will. [James 1:18— ‘Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.’] God’s will to save us (2 Peter 3:9) has been effectively expressed in His Word, which accomplishes that work (John 1:13). [II Peter:3:9— ‘The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.’] [John1:12-13— ‘But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.’] (2 Cor. 3:5-8/Ps. 119:89-91) [II Corinthians 3: 5-8— ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?’ /Psalm 119: 89-91— ‘Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides. They continue this day according to Your ordinances, for all are Your servants.’] J.W.H.”  Spirit Filled Life Bible, "Kingdom Dynamics", page 1908.

>>   Coming next, watch for Part 5, titled  "Jesus: The Word Made Flesh".   <<