Here is the first assignment from the Gospel of John 1: 1-18:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
Questions and discussion:
- Who exactly is the WORD? What passage in this section gives you a clue of his identity?
- Is there anything in the Old Testament that supports the claims made in the first chapter of John?
- Considering the answers to my questions, do these passages and change, or help, how you think of Jesus Christ as God? Do these passages give you more support when talking to people about Jesus?
- Fun Question for Angelic Wars’ Readers: The Angelic Wars musical novels do not mention the name “Jesus Christ,” but the second person of the Trinity is represented. The reason is that Jesus was not born as a human and named as such during this time in history. Can you name the book character who represents the pre-incarnate Christ? The answer is in the above text.
1. “God” is the Word!
2. Throughout Genesis, Moses clearly details the creation of all we are by His Word.
3. These questions support the very foundation of our beliefs.
4. Holy Trinity, Holy God head, AKA in the order of Melchizedek.
Thanks for the reply, Rich! Interesting comment about Isaiah 43 which is written from the perspective of God.
Hey Rich, thanks for the response. Some of your answers will be similar to mine when I comment next week. We will get into Melchizedek, who was a character in First Rebellion.
Who exactly is the WORD? Jesus is the WORD.
What passage in this section gives you a clue of his identity? “The WORD became flesh and dwelt among us.
Is there anything in the Old Testament that supports the claims made in the first chapter of John? I believe there are many, and specifically Isaiah has some very specific parts in chapter 43 that seem to clearly indicate who Jesus was / would be.
Considering the answers to my questions, do these passages and change, or help, how you think of Jesus Christ as God? Do these passages give you more support when talking to people about Jesus? I have been studying the Bible for a while now, so this particular section helps test my skill at recalling those parts that point to “the way.”
Novel Question: The Angelic Wars musical novels do not mention the name “Jesus Christ,” but the second person of the Trinity is represented. The reason is that Jesus was not born as a human and named as such. Can you name the book character? It’s been a couple months since I read the book, but I’m going to guess it was the Holy Spirit.
Thank you for for your interesting answers, Russell. The character in the book “First Rebellion,” is represented as the “Word” and also as a priest in the order of Melkizedek.
I realized pretty early in the reading that the Word is the Son. I love all the analogies and I love what John the Baptist said, “He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me”. It’s a beautiful summary how Jesus always was, but was physically born after John. However, He surpasses all of us, as Our Savior.
Hey Deb, I agree. The amazing thing is that we will cover that even John the Baptist “didn’t get it.” He will question who Jesus was when John was in prison because Jesus will not fill the role as a mighty Savior destined to overturn the evil in the world by force. I hope you can join me in this journey, there is a lot in the Bible that underscores what we have been told in our lifetime about the essence of God, and more specifically, who Jesus is. Though, once we read the Scripture, the Holy Spirit speaks to each of us personally, molding us into what God has in store for us. Thanks for commenting.
RICK’S THOUGHTS:
1.Who exactly is the WORD? What passage in this section gives you a clue of his identity?
As some of you answered, the Word is Jesus Christ. He is the person in the Trinity who created the universe. “The Word became flesh…” (vs 14).
Jesus, the Word, is also mentioned in Colossians 1:17. “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
2.Is there anything in the Old Testament that supports the claims made in the first chapter of John?
The Old Testament supports the Word as the Creator of the Universe. God used his speech, “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3). The “Word” is the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ. All things were created by Him. Before he was born human, John refers to him as God’s “Word.”
Jesus also explained that Moses wrote about him. “Then Jesus said to them, ‘O foolish ones, how slow are your hearts to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and then to enter His glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself.” (Luke 24:25-27).
Lastly, “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.” (Psalm 33:6).
3. Considering the answers to my questions, do these passages and change, or help, how you think of Jesus Christ as God? Do these passages give you more support when talking to people about Jesus?
These passages are a clear description of the person and works of Jesus Christ. I believe they distinguish the Gospel of John from the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) by not showing Jesus fulfilling his mission, but just flat out telling the reader what it is.
4. Angelic Wars Question: The Angelic Wars musical novels do not mention the name “Jesus Christ,” but the second person of the Trinity is represented. The reason is that Jesus was not born as a human and named as such during the timeframe of the novels. Can you name the book character?
Jesus is referred to primarily as the “Word,” however, later in the book he goes by another name, “priest in the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 7).
Jesus is the hope and the inspiration towards love and truth through faith
Hey Leslie,
Thanks for your comment. I agree with you. The challenge is that people do not understand who Jesus is and what he did. So many people are swayed by things that not only untrue, but non-academic. For example, very few people realize that the New Testament is the most validated and supported ancient document in history. No other ancient document even comes close to the number of New Testament documents that exist. And this is just an academic approach regardless of whether a person believes Jesus is God, or not.
For my Pakistani friends in Urdu:
شکریہ۔ مجھے امید ہے کہ آپ یسوع مسیح کی انجیل کو مختلف انداز میں دیکھیں گے۔ آپ کو دوسروں کے ساتھ اس کا اشتراک کرنے اور بحث کے لیے ایک گروپ میں شامل ہونے کا خیرمقدم ہے۔ میں آپ کو آیات کھلاؤں گا جہاں آپ سوالات کے بہترین جواب دے سکتے ہیں۔ جب بائبل سیکھنے کی بات آتی ہے تو ہر شخص ایک ابتدائی ہے کیونکہ خدا ہم میں سے ہر ایک سے منفرد طریقوں سے بات کرتا ہے۔ جتنا زیادہ آپ اس مطالعہ کے ساتھ رہیں گے، اتنا ہی زیادہ آپ بائبل کو جانیں گے اور خدا کے قریب تر ہوں گے۔ یوحنا 1:1-18 کی انجیل سے پہلی تفویض یہ ہے: ابتدا میں کلام تھا، اور کلام خدا کے ساتھ تھا، اور کلام خدا تھا۔ وہ شروع میں خدا کے ساتھ تھا۔ اُس کے ذریعے سے سب چیزیں بنی تھیں۔ اس کے بغیر کچھ بھی نہیں بنایا گیا جو بنایا گیا ہے۔ اس میں زندگی تھی، اور وہ زندگی تمام بنی نوع انسان کی روشنی تھی۔ روشنی اندھیرے میں چمکتی ہے، اور اندھیرے نے اس پر قابو نہیں پایا۔ خدا کی طرف سے ایک آدمی بھیجا گیا جس کا نام یوحنا تھا۔ وہ اُس نور کی گواہی دینے کے لیے ایک گواہ کے طور پر آیا، تاکہ اُس کے ذریعے سب ایمان لے آئیں۔ وہ خود نور نہیں تھا۔ وہ صرف روشنی کے گواہ کے طور پر آیا تھا۔ سچی روشنی جو ہر کسی کو روشنی دیتی ہے دنیا میں آ رہی تھی۔ وہ دنیا میں تھا، اور اگرچہ دنیا اُس کے ذریعے بنائی گئی تھی، لیکن دنیا نے اُسے نہیں پہچانا۔ وہ اُس کے پاس آیا جو اُس کا اپنا تھا، لیکن اُس کے اپنے نے اُسے قبول نہ کیا۔ پھر بھی ان سب کو جنہوں نے اسے قبول کیا، ان لوگوں کو جو اس کے نام پر ایمان لائے، اس نے خدا کے فرزند بننے کا حق دیا – وہ بچے جو قدرتی نسل سے نہیں، انسانی فیصلے یا شوہر کی مرضی سے پیدا نہیں ہوئے، بلکہ خدا سے پیدا ہوئے۔ کلام گوشت بن گیا اور ہمارے درمیان اپنی رہائش گاہ بنا۔ ہم نے اُس کا جلال دیکھا ہے، اکلوتے بیٹے کا جلال، جو باپ کی طرف سے آیا، فضل اور سچائی سے بھرا ہوا۔ (یوحنا نے اس کے بارے میں گواہی دی۔ اس نے پکار کر کہا، "یہ وہی ہے جس کے بارے میں میں نے کہا جب میں نے کہا، 'جو میرے بعد آئے گا وہ مجھ سے آگے نکل گیا ہے کیونکہ وہ مجھ سے پہلے تھا۔'" فضل کی جگہ فضل پہلے ہی دیا گیا ہے۔ کیونکہ شریعت موسیٰ کے ذریعے دی گئی تھی۔ فضل اور سچائی یسوع مسیح کے ذریعے آئی۔ خدا کو کبھی کسی نے نہیں دیکھا، لیکن اکلوتے بیٹے نے، جو خود خدا ہے اور باپ کے ساتھ سب سے قریبی تعلق رکھتا ہے، اس کو ظاہر کیا ہے۔ بحث اور سوالات۔ 1. لفظ اصل میں کون ہے؟ اس حصے کا کون سا حوالہ آپ کو اس کی شناخت کا اشارہ دیتا ہے؟ اگر آپ جواب دینا چاہتے ہیں تو براہ کرم اپنا ہاتھ اٹھائیں۔ جواب: کلام یسوع مسیح ہے۔ وہ تثلیث میں وہ شخص ہے جس نے کائنات کو تخلیق کیا۔ جو ہم یوحنا کی انجیل میں پڑھتے ہیں، باب 1، آیت 14 میں بتایا گیا ہے کہ "کلام گوشت بن گیا…" اس کا مطلب ہے کہ انجیل نے جس "کلام" کے بارے میں بتایا کہ کائنات کو کس نے بنایا، جو خدا تھا اور خدا کے ساتھ، وہ خود یسوع مسیح تھا۔ اس سے پہلے کہ وہ ایک آدمی کے طور پر پیدا ہوا تھا۔ نیز، پولس رسولوں کا کلسیوں 1:17 کو خط، پولس نے لکھا، "وہ سب چیزوں سے پہلے ہے، اور اس میں سب چیزیں جمع ہیں۔" 2. کیا پرانے عہد نامے میں کوئی ایسی چیز ہے جو یوحنا کے پہلے باب میں کیے گئے دعووں کی تائید کرتی ہے؟ اگر آپ ہمیں اپنے خیالات بتانا چاہتے ہیں تو اپنا ہاتھ اٹھائیں۔ جواب: عہد نامہ قدیم بہت اہم ہے کیونکہ، دوسری چیزوں کے علاوہ، یہ پیشین گوئی کرتا ہے کہ یسوع مسیح کون ہوگا اور وہ خدا کے بیٹے کے طور پر کیا کرے گا۔ یہاں، عہد نامہ قدیم کائنات کے خالق کے طور پر کلام کی حمایت کرتا ہے۔ خدا نے اپنی تقریر کا استعمال کیا، "اور خدا نے کہا، 'روشنی ہونے دو،' اور روشنی تھی۔" (پیدائش 1:3)۔ "کلام" پہلے سے اوتار یسوع مسیح ہے۔ تمام چیزیں اسی کی طرف سے پیدا کی گئیں۔ انسان کی پیدائش سے پہلے، جان نے اسے خدا کے "کلام" کے طور پر کہا۔ یسوع نے یہ بھی وضاحت کی کہ موسیٰ نے ان کے بارے میں لکھا تھا۔ "پھر یسوع نے ان سے کہا، 'اے نادان لوگو، نبیوں کی باتوں پر یقین کرنے میں تمہارے دل کتنے دھیمے ہیں! کیا مسیح کے لیے یہ ضروری نہیں تھا کہ وہ ان چیزوں کو برداشت کرے اور پھر اس کے جلال میں داخل ہو؟‘‘ اور موسیٰ اور تمام انبیاء سے شروع کرتے ہوئے، اس نے ان کو بیان کیا کہ اس کے بارے میں تمام صحیفوں میں کیا لکھا ہے۔