John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’” Testified. Once again, John’s chief role as a testifying witness is highlighted. God presents His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and we are in […]
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. The Word became flesh. Since we know the story, it is easy to become numb to the shock of this verse. it is all very […]
Our faith does not depend upon our love for God, but upon the real-world demonstration through the cross of His love for us. Mere belief in this knowledge is our entrance into the world of perfect love, where God’s love outlasts, outshines, and outlives our imperfections. It is His love for us which is the […]
If you live and breathe and think and exist in an environment where you believe in the power of Christ’s blood shed for sinners, you have escaped the two-dimensional prison. You really have come to believe, not simply that you alone are forgiven, but that there is a possibility of real lasting definitive forgiveness at all. You believe in substitutionary atonement.
Here is some counsel I gave someone who is a true and beautiful believer but who is having trouble, perhaps because of some bad teaching in their past, accepting that their faith in Christ is true: When Jesus died and said “it is finished”, it was finished. It is not dependent on some change in […]
who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. who were born. This is the Greek word “gennao”, which means “to procreate”. Those who received Him are given the right to become (“ginomai”) children. this procreative becoming is a birth, a second […]
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, As many as received Him. There is no constraint specified as to who received Him. This doesn’t mean just Jews: “as many as” means, anyone who received Him. So, […]
He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. He “came”. In context, this is most profound. I’m sure that back in Jesus’ day, His coming seemed like a random guy had walked into town and started talking in parables and maybe healing some people, which would seem […]
He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. The world. There is a funny duplicity in the way John uses the word “world”. The world was made through Him. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being […]
There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. In contrast to John’s function, which not to be the light but to give witness to the light, there is the true light. I think the reason he says “the true light” is because some people were saying things about John about […]