The Simple Gospel of John - Ch. 1:1-28

Who Is Jesus?

(1) In the beginning

was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

(2) The same [Word],

was in the begining with God.

(3) All things were made by him

[the Word],

and without him

was not anything made that was made

(4) In him [the Word] was life;

and the life [the Word]

was the light of men.

(Word = Life) (Life = Word)

(Life = Light) (Light = Life)

Therefore, "Word," "Life," and "Light" are all equal, according to Euclid's Law (of physics--i.e. God's established law of the universe): "things that are equal to same thing, are also equal to each other."



(5) And the light [Word]

shineth in darkness;

and the darkness

comprehended it not.

"comprehend" = [Greek #2638 in Strong's Concordance]

1. to lay hold of
2. in a good sense, of Christ by his holy power and influence laying hold
3. of the human mind and will, in order to prompt and govern it
4. to understand, perceive, learn, comprehend

(6) There was a man sent from God,

whose name was John [the Baptist]

(7) The same came for a witness,

to bear witness of the Light,

that all men

through him [the Light/Word/Jesus]

might believe.

(8) He [John the Baptist] was not that Light,

but was sent

to bear witness of

[announce/identify]

that Light.

(9) That was the true Light

[Word of God/Jesus],

which lighteth

[gives physical and spiritual life to]

every man

that cometh into the world.

(10) He was in the world,

and the world was made by him

[Jesus/Word of God]

and the world knew him not.

See v.5--"the darkness comprehended not," now in v. 10 we see that "the world knew him not." 

Many people today are searching for "the light," but they do not realize the simple truth that the Light of the One True God is the Word of God--the Living Word, Jesus Christ and the written Word, the Holy Bible.

In the Book of Psalms 119:105, we are told: "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." 

From this we can conclude that except for those who believed who Jesus Christ really was and received Him, the rest of mankind continued to live in spiritual darkness and did not realize who He was or the significance of His existence.

When Jesus arrives on the planet, immediately the dichotomy between good and evil, spiritual darkness and spiritual light is manifested. 

(11) He came unto his own,

and his own received him not.

(12) But as many as received him,

to them gave he power

[spiritual ability]

to become the sons of God,

even to them that believe on his name:

The ones who received Jesus and accepted who He really was were those He had given the spiritual ability/power to become the sons of God.

His "name" is the key.  What is the function (totality) of a person's name?

Doesn't His Name reveal who He really is?

In other words, those who were given the power to see and accept who Jesus really was were given the ability to enter into the family of God.

Jesus = [Greek #2424] and [Hebrew #3091]

Have same meaning:  Jesus - "Jehovah is salvation"

(13) Which were born,

not of blood,

nor of the will of the flesh,

nor of the will of man,

[Not a physical birth]

but of God.

Here God begins to emphasize the difference between physical life and spiritual life and how man is to enter into a spiritual relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, who is defined here also as the Light, the Life, and the Word.

Only His people will be able to understand and receive the True Light (Jesus Christ), the Life, and Word. . .while others will not be able to understand it and will therefore remain in spiritual darkness.

(14) And the Word was made flesh

[became the man, Jesus]

and dwelt among us,

(and we beheld his glory, the glory

as of the only begotten of the Father,)

full of grace [merciful loving kindness]

and truth [only what is true/absolute fact/reality],

"glory" = [Greek #1391]

1. opinion, judgment, view
2. opinion, estimate, whether good or bad concerning someone
3. in NT always a good opinion concerning one, resulting in praise, honor and glory
4. splendor, brightness, magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, grace
5. a thing belonging to God--kingly majesty which belongs to him as supreme ruler
6. majesty in the sense of the absolute perfection of the deity
7. a thing belonging to Christ--the kingly majesty of the Messiah
8. the absolutely perfect inward or personal excellency of
9. a most glorious condition, most exalted state

(15) John bare witness of him,

and cried, saying,

This was he of whom I spake,

He that cometh after me

is preferred before me;

for he was before me

[Gen.1:1--He was at creation doing the creating],

(16) And of his fulness

have all we received,

and grace for grace.

(17) For the law

was given by Moses,

but grace and truth

[merciful loving kindness

and absulute fact/reality--v.14]

came by Jesus Christ.

(18) No man hath seen God

at any time,

the only begotten Son,

which is in the bosom of the Father,

he hath declared him.

Just a thought:

What could John have been symbolizing and what example could he have been giving when he put his head on the bosom of Christ during the last supper?

Perhaps John was not only showing his affection for his Lord and Savior, but could it be possible that John was also declaring who Jesus really was, just as Jesus declared who God was when He resided in the "bosom of the Father," as we are told here in verse 18?

(19) And this is the record of John,

when the Jews

sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem

to ask him,

Who art thou?

(20) And he confessed,

and denied not;

but confessed,

I am not the Christ.

(21) And they asked him,

What then?

Art thou Elias?

And he saith, I am not.

Art thou that prophet?

And he answered, No.

The priests and Levites reveal their contentious attitude by asking John the Baptist the same question after he had already told them that he was not Elias.

(22) Then said they unto him,

Who art thou?

that we may give an answer

to them that sent us.

What sayest thou of thyself?

This was a threat as well as a question.  They were letting John the Baptist know that superior worldly/religious authorities were investigating John.  They were not there to merely satisfy their own curiosity.

(23) He said, I am the voice

of one crying in the wilderness,

Make straight the way of the Lord,

as said the prophet Esaias

[referring to the prophecy in the Word of God].

(24) And they which were sent

were of the Pharisees.

(25) And they asked him, and said unto him,

Why baptizest thou then,

if thou be not that Christ,

nor Elias, neither that prophet?

(26) John answered them, saying,

I baptize with water;

[John baptizes with water but...]

but there standeth one among you,

whom ye know not;

(27) He it is,

who coming after me

is preferred before me,

whose shoe's latchet

I am not worthy to unloose.

(28) These things were done

in Bethabara beyond Jordan,

where John was baptizing.

**Why Did Jesus Come?***
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1--Hidden Manna - Preface

Hidden Manna

by

Kay Frances Graves

He that hath an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit saith
unto the churches; 
To him that overcometh
will I give to eat of the hidden manna,
and will give him a white stone,
and in the stone a new name written,
which no man knoweth
saving he that receiveth it.
-Revelation 2:17

After completing Mystery of the First Love Lost, I requested my next assignment. Like Solomon desiring the most important thing in life, I sensed that I should also seek to address the most important issues facing mankind today.

The signs of the times indicate that we may be in the beginning stages of the end of life as we have known it on Planet Earth. I hoped that God would once again use my simple, unpolished style of writing to emphasize the message He wants to bring at this time, when so many hearts are troubled and so little is to be found in the way of real spiritual food.

Years ago I began hearing myself say, “If the truth will not be heard from the pulpit, perhaps God will raise up some little old lady in the back pew to expound it.”

I never imagined that I might be that “little old lady.”

Even though the birthing pains have already begun, there may still be time to sort out priorities and seek clarity regarding how we should respond to the challenges that lie ahead. Many of us still have a long way to go before we are spiritually prepared for what is coming.

While Mystery of the First Love Lost was gradually unraveled and revealed from page one, this book on the other hand, will reveal the ending first.

Knowing the victory and blessing that can belong to us when Christ finally returns, will help motivate us to keep knocking and keep seeking as we consider what is written within the pages of this book--and His Book.

Spiritual Dimension of Life

Why

Must the Spiritual Dimension

Be Addressed First?

The spiritual dimension must be addressed first, because it is impossible to become a whole person without the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ. His function in our lives is to guide us, teach us, help us discern truth from error, and find abiding comfort in Him.

It is this indwelling Spirit of God that makes it possible for us to have faith—which is the significant requirement for wholeness, or completeness in every other area or dimension of our life.

Perhaps you have come to realize that something is missing in your life.

Do you sense that you are adrift in the sea of life and are alone in the world?

Do you long to have God's help, guidance, discernment, and comfort?

Respond to the call of God at this moment, acknowledge your sin and need of the leadership of Christ in your life, turn from going your own way, and commit to following Him and Him alone today.

Then begin learning to recognize His promptings. Start reading God's Word (the King James Version is recommended).

Careful and prayerful study of the Bible will familiarize you with the nature of God and the nature of man.

You will discover what pleases Him and what dis-pleases Him as well as how He responds to His enemies and to those who love Him. Remember, He is love, therefore He has your best interest at heart and desires to help you become all that you were created to be.

By studying how He has worked in the affairs of mankind in the past, we begin to see how He is working today in the world and in our life. The more knowledgeable we become in His Word, the easier it is to discern what is really good and what is really evil, sense His promptings, and follow His direction.

***To find assurance of eternal life...scroll to the top of this page and click on the gift wrapped in gold on the left side...and follow the directions to a new life in Christ. ♡

Physical Dimension of Life

Addressing

the

Physical Dimension

The Physical Dimension

involves providing the body with what it needs

to maintain, heal, and balance itself.

Balancing the body usually involves changing our lifestyle and adjusting some of our eating habits—being creative in finding new ways to design a diet that tastes good and is good for us—and learning to develop new, healthier tastes.

In this way, we become more committed to supplementing with functional foods, plants, and oils derived from plants. We also learn to come to grips with the reality that some substances that are called “foods” are really just poison in disguise and must be avoided.

God created the whole person and everything He created was declared "good." False teachings have brought about confusion regarding the value of the body.

We must remember that our body was created to be the "temple" and therefore is an important part and influence on the spirit, mind, and emotions as well. It is our responsibility to maintain the body God has given us to the best of our ability.

Without a doubt, He will hold us accountable for how we care for this precious gift of life that has been entrusted to us.

With God's help we can learn, by faith, to discover the necessary knowledge to make our own health care decisions.

We must take responsibility for our own life by discerning which methods should be pursued and which should be avoided. . .and stop running to and fro in fear to an early grave.

Mental Dimension of Life

Addressing

the

Mental Dimension

The Mental Dimension involves eliminating faithless thinking and developing positive, truthful thought patterns that are based on the promises of God. This moves us away from the sort of thinking that creates a subconscious death wish, to the type of thinking that embraces life and health.

We are then free to collect and study information for preparing our plan of action against forces that are designed to destroy us and can begin developing steps to overcoming.

Change Your Mind—Change Your Health

Next to our spirit, our mind controls everything that takes place in the whole person. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he". We are just wasting our time when we pray for health and healing if our mind, our spirit, and our emotions are at war with our body.

The mind has such a powerful control over every function of the whole person, that when a death sentence is given by a medical doctor such as, "Get your affairs in order, you have 6 months to live," every cell in the body sets its timer and begins counting down the months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, and seconds until shut down. Often that person takes his last breath 6 months from the time the death sentence was given.

Research shows that most of the thoughts that we entertain on a daily basis are negative and harmful because they result in anxiety, fear, and stress. These are fear-based imaginations that are completely false and keep us from making decisions that would result in our ultimate health and happiness.

There is only one really successful way to stop the negative effects and these attacks on the mind. "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."(Romans 12:2)—or by saturating our mind with Scripture so our thoughts are in harmony with God's will. The more Scripture we have absorbed into our mind, the more truth and wisdom we have to draw from and the less power false information has over us.

Many have experienced greater focus, discernment, creativity, and insight simply by absorbing Scripture and, as a result, have become amazingly successful in discovering and fulfilling their specific calling in life. History is full of the testimonials of such people who have achieved great things as a result of their habit of daily Bible study and memorization of the Scriptures.

Therefore, it is important to be a watchman at the gate of our mind and evaluate thoughts as they try to enter. I need to ask myself, "Is this thought going to encourage, enlighten, or honestly prosper me or is it going to have a negative effect?"

If it will not benefit me, then I should not let it enter—I must turn it away and fill the void with the opposing positive thought or promise I have learned from God's Word.