EJ100 #1 John 1:1-18

Today's Essential Jesus reading: John 1:1-18.

Context
One of Jesus' closest disciples, John "the evangelist", began his gospel with the same words that begin Genesis: "In the beginning..."

Content
John introduced Jesus as

• the Word [see also Revelation 19:13];
• God [see John 1:18];
• the means of creation [see also Colossians 1:15-17 and Hebrews 1:2c];
• the inherent source of life;
• the light of all mankind, a light which shines in darkness [see also John 8:12 and Ephesians 5:8-20];
• the true light that gives light to everyone;
• unrecognised by the world [eg John 3];
• not received that which belongs to him [eg John 19:15];
• received by those who believe in his name;
• having become flesh;
• having dwelt among us (John and the other disciples or mankind generally);
• glorious [see also 2 Corinthians 4:6 and Hebrews 1:3];
• the one and only Son;
• came from the Father;
• full of grace;
• full of truth;
• spoken and testified about by John the Baptist (first prophet of the New Testament age);
• having surpassed John the Baptist, existing before John B.;
• the full source of grace received by us (again, John and the other disciples or mankind generally);
• the bringer of grace and truth;
• being himself God;
• in closest relationship with the Father [see also Acts 2:33 and 7:55-56];
• having made the Father known, though God is not seen [see also John 8:19].

Connect
John wrote, "to all who receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God... born of God" (Jn 1:12,13).

I have received Jesus as my King, God, and Saviour, through the deliberate actions of a prayer I prayed a dozen years ago.

> Have you received Jesus?

I believe in Jesus name, his identity as the one and only glorious Son of God, who came with grace and truth, to dwell among mankind and make God the Father known to all people.

> Do you believe in this same Jesus? Or is your idea of Jesus different to the Jesus whom John wrote of here in this passage?

You might not realise that Jesus is all that John writes of in his introductory passage. You might not yet accept all that is written about Jesus in this passage. Perhaps your idea of Jesus needs correcting or expanding, in accordance with what the Bible (the primary source for Christianity) reveals about Jesus.

> If you want to get to know Jesus better, why not read the Essential Jesus Bible reading plan with me for the next 100 days? I'll be blogging about Jesus here at Following the Star.

Why do I love and worship Jesus?
:: Jesus has made it possible to get to know God!

I praise you Jesus.
When I see and understand your glory, I know it is the glory of God.
Thank you, Jesus, for mediating my relationship with God.
Amen.

Tomorrow's reading: Philippians 2:1-11.