OAKRIDGE BIBLE CHAPEL

And the Word Became Flesh (John 1:14–18)

The theological introduction that the Apostle John provides to his account of the life, death, and resurrection of Messiah (John 1:1–18) is as deep as it is lofty, as commanding as it is inviting, and as mysterious as it is familiar. It draws readers close, not only with its infinitely-interesting Subject but with the reverent way it explains and extols him. Simply stated, this passage of Scripture is all about the Word, the person who was with God in eternity and is God eternally. It’s all about he who is the origin of all life and the source of all light. It’s all about, as verse 17 makes explicit, Jesus Christ. And the five concluding verses of this inspired prologue summarize and celebrate three specific things about him: who he is (God himself), what he did (took on humanity), and why he did it (that humanity may know God).

SERMON MANUSCRIPT 

Today we conclude our study of the prologue to the fourth Gospel; the theological introduction John provides to his account of the life, death, and resurrection of Messiah. As we’ve already seen, this section of inspired Scripture is as deep as it is lofty, as commanding as it is inviting, and as mysterious as it is familiar. It draws readers close with, not only its infinitely-interesting Subject—the eternal Son of God—but with the reverent way it explains and extols him.

John 1. We’ll be studying verses 14 through 18 this morning but, to keep it in its context and to again appreciate its beauty, I want to read starting at the opening verse of the book. [1:1–18]

This passage is all about the Word, the person who was with God in eternity and is God eternally. It’s all about he who is the origin of life and the source of light. It’s all about, as verse 17 makes explicit, Jesus Christ. And the five concluding verses summarize and celebrate three things about him: who he is, what he did, and why he did it. Who he is (God himself), what he did (took on humanity), and why he did it (that humanity may know God). 

WHO HE IS: GOD HIMSELF

Let’s consider these one at a time, beginning with who he is. In verse 14, John, speaking as an eyewitness, describes the Word as being unique in glory: “and we saw his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” 

In the Old Testament, we find the word, “glory,” used to describe God’s self-disclosure. [Ex 33:18, 21–23; Deut 5:22–24; Ps 29:3–9] To see God’s glory is to witness God’s presence and power. And when his glory is seen it’s always, as John describes it, “full of grace and truth” (v. 14). It’s brimming with faithful love and saturated with constant mercy. Why? Because that’s who God is and, when he shows himself to people, people see him as he is

What do people see when they see you? Kindness or shyness, generosity or sympathy, someone who’s thoughtful or thankful, a person who’s full of life or full of wisdom? Maybe you make a great first impression. But, if you were to reveal to someone the depths of your person, would they not find some inconsistencies, insecurities, and immoralities? Of course they would.

But not so with God. We can dig for a lifetime and only ever unearth more glory, the glory of which we all fall short—perfect justice, amazing goodness, consistent mercy, incredible kindness, unimaginable patience, and ever-ready forgiveness. 

As we just sang to him together, “You rule the world with truth and grace / And make the nations prove / The glories of Your righteousness / [and] The wonders of Your love.” This is the character of the God of the universe. It’s his grace-and-truth-filled glory on display, and it was perfectly and uniquely seen in Jesus Christ, placed upon him—and only him—by the Father himself. “We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (1:14 NIV).

But not only was Jesus unique in glory, he was exalted in eternality. His prophesied herald touted this very truth. [1:15] 

Jesus was younger than John and started ministry after John. In a culture that honoured age and seniority, some may have wrongly assumed that the Messenger was greater than the Messiah. 

But John says, “No way! I know he’s coming after me but, make no mistake, he is greater than me because he existed before me. Before I was born, he was.” [1:1–2] John didn’t precede the Word. The Word preceded everything because he’s eternal.

So, among other things, the life-bringing and light-bearing Word was unique in glory—God’s glory—and exalted in eternality—a reality only true of God. So, speaking of Jesus Christ, John wants his readers to know who he is: he’s God himself.

Let’s be clear: the most important question we can ever ask is not “What should I do with my life?,” “Will you marry me?,” or even, “Who am I?” The most important question was asked by Jesus himself: “Who do you say that I am?” (Matt 16:15). We can get everything else in life right and, if we answer that question incorrectly, all else is meaningless.

Who is Jesus? He was merely a great prophet. Wrong. He was just a good teacher. Incorrect. He is one of many gods. Not true. He’s a cultural fable. Not even close. He’s a psychological archetype to be understood and embodied as an aspirational ideal. Huge miss. He is God himself.

WHAT HE DID: TOOK ON HUMANITY

And the more we wrap our minds around who he is, the more amazing what he did becomes: he took on humanity. In Jesus, divinity was given a body. That’s how verse 14 opens: “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.” 

This is God’s ultimate self-expression, God himself becoming visible, tangible, and followable. He didn’t pretend to be human or borrow the form of a human but became human. While Christians all over the world divide over many points of doctrine and practice, the incarnation unites us. In fact, John uses it to discern God’s Spirit. [1 John 4:1–2] What he did in the incarnation unites all believers. It’s a confessional litmus test.

Back in John 1, not only did “the Word become flesh,” but he “dwelt among us.” The Creator “tabernacled” in his creation, a verb that reminds readers of the time when God’s presence dwelt among his people in a tabernacle. Exodus 40 says, “Then the cloud [of God’s presence] covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” And, in John 1, the author reports that the glory of the Lord filled the Word and he pitched his tent among people. God, enfleshed, with us. 

Winston Churchill once described Russia as “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” That’s a pretty good description of the incarnation as well, don’t you think? That the Word, himself eternally God, gloriously and uniquely filled with grace and truth, became flesh, manifesting the divine presence among humanity. 

Baffling sacrifice. Unfathomable humility. Incomprehensible condescension. Miraculous provision. Amazing grace. Merry Christmas! It’s what he did, “became flesh,” that we celebrate this time of year. As the third stanza of Charles Wesley’s famous hymn declares: “Come to earth to taste our sadness, / He whose glories knew no end. / By His life He brings us gladness, / Our redeemer, Shepherd, Friend. / Leaving riches without number, / Born within a cattle stall; / This the everlasting wonder, / Christ was born the Lord of all.”

As Christians, we need to make sure that the amazing truths we affirm never stop being amazing to us. My sins, all of them, have been forgiven. Lord, may that never become boring! That the God of the universe wants a relationship with me, that his Son died for me, and that his Spirit lives in me. Father, keep your children thrilled by these realities. And, while you’re at it, keep us in awe that “the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.” That in that baby the fullness of deity dwelled, that the Creator was draped in his creation, the infinite confined to finitude, the Almighty one cared for by first-time parents.

WHY HE DID IT: SO THAT HUMANITY MIGHT KNOW GOD

John is describing the Word, who he is and what he did. But he closes by focusing on why he did it. Why would God himself take on humanity? He did it so that humanity might know God.

[1:16] As John has said, the Word came “full of grace and truth” and its from that fullness of divine character, spilling out over the sides of his glorious incarnational cup, that we receive “grace upon grace.” What does that mean? Well, I think the following verse gives clarity. [1:16–17] 

It’s tempting to treat law and grace as opponents but that’s really to ignore the grace revealed in the Law. That God would call a people, make himself known to a people, organize a people, govern a people, correct a people, and bless a people is grace. It may not always seem like it when our Bible reading plans dip into Leviticus and Deuteronomy, but that’s all grace—unmerited favour from a holy God to sinful humanity.

But when God’s Word went from stone tablets to a human body, something changed. When God shifted from dwelling in a tabernacle to tabernacling among his people, something changed. When God’s glory, once distant and veiled, became visible and touchable, something changed. Yes, God’s people received grace back then, but now, with the incarnation of Christ, “we have all received grace upon grace.” 

And that grace, as verse 18 makes clear, that unearned favour from God, is knowledge of God. “No one has seen God at any time.” God himself told Moses, “You cannot see my face, for no man can see me and live!” (Ex 33:20). Even a vision of the Lord caused Isaiah to declare, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isa 6:5). Or think of all that had to be done for the average believer to draw near to a shred of God’s presence in the Holy of Holies: washings, sacrifices, offerings, priests, prayers, and incense.

The point is clear: sinful people cannot stroll into God’s presence. The Law made it possible for people to be in the vicinity and to relate to God, but not look upon him. 

John is stating an accepted truth: “No one has seen God at any time.” But here comes the “grace upon grace”: “the only begotten God,” or, “the unique and beloved one who is himself God,” “who is in the bosom of the Father,” or, “ who is by the Father’s side.” John ending as he began, highlighting Jesus as with God in eternity and as God eternally. [1:18] 

Humanity could not go to God, so God came to us. Humanity could not see God, so God became seeable. Humanity could not dwell with God, so God dwelled with us. Humanity could not know God, so God himself took on humanity so that humanity might know God. It’s grace upon grace.

Do you know God through his Son? That’s why he came, that you may know God, be reconciled to God, experience the love and power of God, and spend eternity with God. During this time of year marked by gift giving, my prayer is that, if you have never done so, you receive the gift of forgiveness and eternal life given by God himself. All you need to do to unwrap it is believe that Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth and died on the cross for your sins, and rose from the dead. [John 3:16]

And for those of us who have unwrapped this incredible, inexplicable gift, perhaps years and years ago, my prayer is that we are amazed by it afresh this season. God himself took on humanity so that humanity would know God. 

“A baby’s hands in Bethlehem / Were small and softly curled. / But held within their dimpled grasp / the hope of all the world.” .

  



Latest Posts

Josiah has served the Oakridge Bible Chapel family as one of its elders and one of its pastoral staff members since September 2018, before which he ministered as an associate pastor to a local congregation in the Canadian prairies. Josiah's desire is to be used by God to help equip the church for ministry, both while gathered (edification) and while scattered (evangelization). He is married to Patricia, and together they have five children—Jonah, Henry, Nathaniel, Josephine, and Benjamin.

Josiah Boyd

Share it:

Facebook
Twitter
Email