Read John 1:1-3   

God

Using the name, “God” is guaranteed to bring up all sorts of ideas and thoughts in the minds of those listening.

For some, God is a stern and unhappy person who is constantly on the lookout for people who do the wrong thing.

Others think of God as being cruel and unkind, inflicting misery on us poor defenseless creatures, like a child pouring boiling hot water into an ant’s nest.

And there are those who see God as Santa Claus. Yes, he keeps a “naughty and nice list” but overall, he is kind and well-intentioned, a sort of grandfather figure.

So, what did John mean when he wrote that “the Word was God?”

It’s important to remember that John was a Jew, which meant his understanding of God was shaped by distinctly Jewish beliefs and teachings.

When Jews used the word “God” they were describing the one, true, God – the only God – Who was All-Powerful, All-knowing, Present everywhere, Creator of everything, eternal, unchanging, and depending on no one for His existence.

Take a moment to reflect on what you have just read and then think about this. John says that all these attributes of God are also found in Jesus when he states, “the Word was God!”

Right from the outset of his Gospel, John wants all those who read it to know that Jesus is most certainly a man, but He is also fully God!  And his purpose in sharing this truth is because Jesus shows us what God is like. Eugene Peterson captures this thought eloquently in his paraphrase of John 1:18:

“No one has ever seen God, not so much as a glimpse. This one-of-a-kind God – expression, who exists at the very heart of the Father, has made him as plain as day.”

Jesus is God come in human form – it’s as plain as day!