the word is alive

8/14/2019 The Word is Alive

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LIBERTY UNIVERSITY

THE WORD IS ALIVE

A RESEARCH PAPER SUBMITTED TO DR. RICHARD YATES

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENTOFTHEREQUIREMENTS FOR

THECOURSE NBST 521

LIBERTYBAPTIST THEOLOGICALSEMINARY

BY

JONATHAN KEENE

LYCHBURG, VIRGINA

SUNDAY MAY 3RD 2009


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ContentsThe Call of Love.......................................................................................................2

The Word Became Flesh..........................................................................................3

The Word 'Word,' a Word Study................................................................................5

The Message of the Word According to John's Gospel.............................................7

The Word as God.....................................................................................................9

Incarnations of the Word........................................................................................12

The Word is Alive...................................................................................................15

Conclusion.............................................................................................................17

Selected Bibliography............................................................................................18

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The Call of Love

Wisdom and Knowledge will be the stability of your times, And the strength ofsalvation.

ISAIAH 33:6

O My beloved, abide under the shelter of the lattice for I have betrothed you toMyself,

and though you are sometimes indifferent toward Me,My love for you is at all times as a flame of fire.

My ardor never cools.My Longing for your love and affection is deep and constant.

...

-Frances J Roberts1

It has been said that the Gospels are a love story; astory of God's love for

humanity. The love of God is displayed in the Gospel of John in the advent of, and

in the ministry of the Messiah. The Messiah is portrayed uniquely in John's Gospel

as the Word of God become flesh. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among

us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of

grace and truth (John 1:14). Not only is the Messiah shown as the Word in John,

but John also portrays that same Word as God. In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1). In this respect

John places the Messiah on the thrown of Heaven as God. If this is the case, then

how should we interpret the word 'Word?' Do we interpret the 'Word' as simply

the person of Jesus? Do we interpret the 'Word' as God? Do we interpret the

'Word' as the written scriptures of the time? Or is it an amalgamation of them all?

John offers an exclusive interpretation of the Messiah that will help to answer

1 Frances J Roberts, Come Away My Beloved,The Intimate Devotional Classic Updated in Today'sLanguage, Uhrichsville OH, (Promise Press, 2002), p. 8

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these questions. In this paper the subject of the Word will be explored from six

divergent angles. It will be viewed from John's perspective as the Word made

flesh, the word 'Word' will be scrutinized in word study fashion, John's intention for

expressing the Messiah as 'Word' will be discussed, the assertion that the 'Word is

God' will be delved into, the instances in scriptures contemporary with the

incarnation where the 'Word' appears in history will be reflected upon, and the

idea that the 'Word is Alive' will be discussed. In conclusion it will be evident that

all six areas of 'Word' exploration have been scratched. The subject matter of this

paper is deeper than time and paper allows. Be encouraged however, In this

the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten

Son into the world, that we might live through Him (John 4:9). John's Gospel has

the theme of Love spread throughout. In our explorations of the 'Word' it is never

a good idea to lose sight of that fact.

The Word Became Flesh

...Tarry not for an opportunity to have more time to be alone with me.

Take it, though you leave the tasks at hand. Nothing will suffer.Things are of less importance that you think.

Our time together is like a garden full of flowers,whereas the time you give to things is a field full of stubble.

...-Frances J. Roberts2

It was very fortunate for the individuals who actually were in the presence of

Christ as he walked the earth. Many people would give their whole lives savings

to spend but one hour with the incarnate Jesus Christ as he walked the Earth. Two2 Frances J Roberts, Come Away My Beloved,The Intimate Devotional Classic Updated in Today's

Language, Uhrichsville OH., (Promise Press, 2002), p. 8

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thousand years after the fact we must walk with him in spirit and in truth. But

who was he, where did he come from, and whatwas he? John tells us that he was

in the beginning, he was with God, and he was the Word. He also says that the

Word became flesh and dwelt among us... (John 1:14a). What does that mean?

When seeking an understanding of the Word made flesh in the person of Jesus

Christ it is imperative to believe that Jesus was not simply a man who one day

decided he was God. The Gospel of John makes if very clear in the prologue to

the book (John 1:1-18) that Jesus existed in a pre-incarnate state in Heaven, a

concept we will explore later. It is important to see that the incarnation of the

Word was the plan of God and not the wild imaginings of a very charismatic, and

influential man. It had been the plan of God for a very long time to come into the

World and save it through his son Jesus. The Word, who was with God and

was God, gave up the glory [he] had with[the Father] before the world existed

(17:5) and emptied himself, in that he took the form of a slave by becoming like

human beings are (Pp 2:7)...It is God the Word, who decided to become man, not

the other way around.3

The plan of salvation called for the Creator to become like the created. The

idea that God could lower himself to a human level and still be God is hard to

understand. But can the one God, whose ways are as high above our ways as

the heavens above the earth (Isaiah 55:8-9), become a human being and still be

God? Does not the assertion that the Creator becomes the creature contradict

the very essence of what it means to be God? The New Testament writers were3 David H. Stern,Jewish New Testament Commentary, Clarksville, MD., (Jewish New Testament

Publications, Inc. 1992), p. 155

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aware that the concept of God becoming human needed unique treatment.4

Jesus was not a totally supernatural sort of God-like man. He was fully human.

The scripture attests that there are things that only the Father knows in Matthew

24:36 it reads: But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of

heaven, but My Father only. It is apparent that Jesus had some sort of cap or

limitation to the direct information from the Father, yet he was the Word made

flesh. This advent of God meeting men in physical form is not unique to John or

even to the New Testament as we will see later. But what is unique is the Word of

God becoming a man.

In later years the subject of the humanity of Jesus became a point of

controversy for the Church. Gnostics were a secretive Christian cult who believed

that they alone had the secret gnosis which led to true salvation. In Gnosticism

The supreme being had no intention of creating a material world, but only a

spiritual one. Thus, a number of spiritual beings were generated.5 These

spiritual beings were known as Eons. In any case, one of these eons, far

removed from the supreme being fell into error, and thus created the material

world.6 This line of thought created a disdain for the physical world and all

physical substance became sinful, so Christ actually having a real physical body

became anathema among Gnostics.

4 Ibid, p. 1555 Justo L. Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, Volume 1, The Early Church to the Dawn of the

Reformation, New York, NY., (HarperCollins Publishers, 1984), p.596 Justo L. Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, Volume 1, The Early Church to the Dawn of the

Reformation, New York, NY., (HarperCollins Publishers, 1984), p.59

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Marcion grew up as the son of a Bishop so he had an understanding of

Christianity from an early age. But he developed a profound dislike towards both

Judaism and the material world. He thus developed an understanding that was

both anti-Jewish and anti-material.7 Marcion tried to create his own canon of

scriptures by excluding anything Jewish and relegated his Bible to some of Paul's

letters and a much edited version of Luke. His heresy was not totally Gnostic due

to the fact that he did not believe in a pantheon of eons, but he did believe that

Jehovah and the Supreme Father were the same.

In response to this heresy the Church fathers addressed the humanity of Jesus

and his relation to God and created the first canon of official scriptures that the

church had ever had. The fact that Jesus was a man and was the incarnation of

God are widely accepted, but we must explore the word 'Word.' To better

understand the Word, it is imperative to look at the use of the word 'Word' and

define how it is being used in John.

The Word 'Word,' a Word Study.

I love you, and if you can always, as it were, feel My pulse beat,

you will receive insight that will give you sustaining strength.

I bore your sins and I wish to carry your burdens.

-Francis J Roberts8

7 Ibid, p. 618 Frances J Roberts, Come Away My Beloved,The Intimate Devotional Classic Updated in Today's


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In the Gospel of John the word Word is used very intentionally. John is very

specific about the words that he uses when speaking of the Word. In the prologue

of John we are introduced to the Word in the very first sentence. The theme of the

Word is carried all the way through the rest of the Gospel. Some scholars

however, do not see the relationship between the prologue and the rest of the

book and believe the prologue to be addition to the original book. A large reason

for this belief is the fact that the word logos never occurs as a title for Christ

anytime after the prologue. John A. T. Robinson sees the original beginning of the

Gospel in verses 6-9, and 15.9 Robinson acknowledged thematic interrelations

between the prologue and the rest of John. The themes include the preexistence

of Christ, the contrast between light and darkness, the seeing of Jesus glory, the

seeing of God by no one except Jesus, etc.10 Even though Robinson sees

similarities between the prologue and other parts of the Gospel of John, he asserts

that the first portion of the book is a latter addition. Still other scholars think not

only that whatever its background the Prologue belonged to the original version of

John, but also that the Word in the Prologue gives expression to the idea of

revelation which dominates the whole Gospel.11 That being said it is imperative

to view the various Word words that are employed in the Gospel of John.

The word that is used in John 1:1 that has been translated as Word is the

Greek logos. It is Strongs word #3056, and carries with it a large definition. It is

9 John A. T. Robinson, Twelve More New Testament Studies (London, SCM, 1984), p. 69.10 Robert H. Gundry,Jesus the Word According to John the Sectarian, A Paleofundamentalsist

Manifesto for Contemporary Evangelicalism, Especially Its Elites, in North America. (William B.Eerdmans Publishing Co.: Grand Rapids, MI.), p. 2

11 Ibid, p.2

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usually defined as the spoken word, speech, or communication, but it can mean

reason + reckoning, work, and cause. It is this word that John uses in his prologue

to describe the Messiah. This use of logos in the prologue of John has created a

genre in Theology that has become known as Word-Christology. Word-

Christology is the study of Christ in John using the Greek logos as a guide to

interpret Johns portrayal of Christ. The wonderfully fascination thing about the

Gospel of John is the fact that it contains more of Jesus dialogue than any other

Gospel, so in John the Word really speaks out. Werner H. Kelber calculates that

about four-fifths of chapters 1-17 and about three-fourths of chapters 1-20

consists of Jesus sayings, dialogues, and monologues.12 In John Jesus speaks

through vast portions of the scripturecontained therein. The spoken word of the

Logos is salted in John offering a very unique flavor compared to the synoptics.

To make room for Jesus added speech, John has greatly reduced both the volume

and the number of narratives concerning Jesus deeds.13 In this way Jesus brings

meaning to the use of the word logos in the prologue of John throughout the

entire book, thus showing continuity in the work. The idea of logos as the

spoken word of God and given the power of creation is evident in the prologue of

John. In John 1:3 it is written All things were made through Him, and without Him

nothing was made that was made. So, Jesus being the very spoken Word of God

that was made flesh and then speaks to humanity through Johns Gospel is a very

12 Robert H. Gundry,Jesus the Word According to John the Sectarian, A PaleofundamentalsistManifesto for Contemporary Evangelicalism, Especially Its Elites, in North America. (William B.Eerdmans Publishing Co.: Grand Rapids, MI.), p. 5 citing Werner H Kelber, The Authority of theWord in St. Johns Gospel. p. 110-111.

13 Ibid, p. 5

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profound thing indeed.

John uses the word logos only three times outside the prologue in the

plural logoi form, but he uses logos eighteen times in its singular form. Another

Greek word that is used for word is rhamata. This is Strongs word # 4487 and

conveys a meaning of utterance, word, saying, or command. Always in the

plural, [rhamata] occurs nine times for Jesus words and three times for the words

of God that Jesus speaks, so that the references to Jesus [rhamata] are to

understood as also the [rhamata] of God.14

The Message of the Word According to John's Gospel

You may take the gift of a light and merry heart,

for My love dispels all fear and is a cure for every ill.Lay your head on my breast and lose yourself in Me.

Francis J. Roberts15

The Gospel of John is not entirely unique in itsmessage, after all it tells the

story of Jesus birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection just like the synoptics

do. There are however differences in each of the Gospels that do make them

unique. In Johns Gospelthere is more uniqueness than in the synoptics simply

because John appears to have been written as a separate work. Meaning, it is not

evident that John pulled from a similar source, such as the Q document, nor did

he let another Gospel influence his writing. Some of the items that make John

unique are his emphasis of Jesus as the son of God and as God, his emphasis on

14 Ibid, p. 6. Brackets added by author to indicate the text within was changed from Greek toEnglish.

15 Frances J Roberts, Come Away My Beloved,The Intimate Devotional Classic Updated in Today'sLanguage, Uhrichsville OH., (Promise Press, 2002), p. 8

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Jesus miracles as signs or proofs showing his divinity, and his use of light and

darkness, death and life in theological pairs. John puts the purpose of his Gospel

best in John 20:31 when he says, But these are written that ye might believe that

Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that believing you might have life through

his name.

As mentioned earlier Johns gospel is made up of a lot of discourse from

Jesus. The time frame that is narrated in the Gospel of John is not that long. The

shortness of time catalogued in John leads one to believe that he has captured

what the Holy Spirit led him to believe were the most pertinent points of Jesus

ministry. The book of John covers only 21 days of Jesus3 1/2 years of ministry.

It devotes 10 (of 21) chapters to just one week; one-third of the verses (237 of

879 verses) cover a single 24-hour period in Jesus ministry.16 Yet in these 21

days of ministry, Jesus reveals himself to be the Son of God (John 3:16), he reveals

the need to be born again (John 3:3), Jesus is the giver of the living water (John

4:14), Jesus is the Bread of Life (John 6:35), he is the bringer of Light (John 1: 4-9,

12:46), Jesus is God (John 5:17-27). John represents Jesus as divine in his Gospel

focuses on instances that prove his divinity. In the above list of items we are

given a clear picture that Jesus has the power to save one from their sins and give

eternal life. He can do this because he is Gods Son and carries in his hands the

bread that satisfies hunger and the water that quenches thirst. He can do these

things because he is the Word of creation that can speak new life, can speak

resurrection power (John 11:43), can forgive sins with a word (John 8:11). The16 Chuck Missler, The Gospel of John: A Commentary, Coeor d'Alene, ID. (Koinonia House, 1994), p.

5

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message of Jesus found in John is not so different from the synoptic Gospels that it

is a totally different story. John write his story to reveal Jesus divinity. In the

beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.17

The Word as God

You will experience resurrection life and peace;

the joy of the Lord will become your strength

and wells of salvation will be opened within you.

Frances J. Roberts18

In ancient times, times in which the early first century church were dealing

with the issues of who Jesus was and what he told the world about himself, it

became evident that there was a need to define his relationship with the Father.

John tells us that the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This is a

profound statement in its own right. Early Christian theologians began to struggle

with this issue byasking what that really meant. Was Jesus really a human being

or was he God in an illusionary form? Was he fully God or just part God? Was he

the same as God or was he different? The answer to these questions came in

response to another controversy in the Christian church. This controversy

became known as the Arian Controversy.

The Arian controversy centered onthe identity and natures of Jesus Christ

and God the Father. In fact the Arian controversy stemmed from a more historical

17 Blue Letter Bible. "John 1 - New King James Version." Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2009. 3 May 2009.

18Frances J Roberts, Come Away My Beloved,The Intimate Devotional Classic Updated in Today'sLanguage, Uhrichsville OH., (Promise Press, 2002), p. 8

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debate concerning the nature of the trinity. The early church fathers understood

that Christ was divine as well as human, and they understood that there was only

one God, but how to reconcile the apparent differences was reason for years of

debate. There were some like Sabellius who claimed that Christ and God were the

same. These Sabellians met with heavy criticism at times. Hilary of Poitiers

disagreed with the claim that Christ and God were one in the same. If he dares,

let Sabellius proclaim the Father and the Son as one and the same...He will at

once hear from the Gospels, not once or twice, butfrequently: 'This is my beloved

Son in whom I am well pleased.' He will hear: 'The Father is greater than I.' He will

hear: 'I go to the Father.' He will hear: 'Father, I give thee thanks' and 'Father

glorify me.'19

This type of thinking led to an uncomfortable assumption that maybe there

were two Gods, and even a third once you added the Spirit. Tertullian looked for

a way out of this problem with a series of metaphors. 'God sent forth the Word,'

he explained, '...just as the root puts forth the tree, and the fountain the river, and

the sun the ray.' Therefore we can distinguish between Father and Son, just as we

can distinguish between the sun and the ray of light flowing from it, but they are

not two separate things.'20 Tertullian's attempts at compromise however just

confused the issue for some. He asserted that the idea that Jesus comes from

God, as a ray comes from the sun, which creates a subordination issue. Christ is

made subordinate to the Father. The Difficulties of this view became clear only

19 Hilary of Poitiers, On the Trinity2.23, tr. By Peter Holmes, in The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 3(Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1963), p. 603.

20 William C. Placher, A History of Christian Theology, An Introduction, Philadelphia, (TheWestminster Press, 1983), page 73

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in the theories of Arius, a priest living in Alexandria around 300, whom

traditionally is cast as the villain in this story.21 Arius believed that Christ and

God were separate entities, Christ was subordinate to the Father, and Christ was a

created being like us, although much better than us. Arius states, The Word of

God was not from eternity, but was made out of nothing...Wherefore there was a

time when he did not exist, inasmuch as the Son is a creature and a work...He is

neither like the Father as it regards his essence, nor is by nature either the

Father's true Word, or true Wisdom, but indeed one of his works and creatures.22

Arius was well liked by his community and was quite a statesman. He was a very

convincing person. He even created a slogan that was sung to a popular tune of

the day. It stated, There was a time when the Son was not. Arius having

theorized that Jesus had been created in time forged an impenetrable gap

between God the Father and Jesus the Son. The gap is one of time versus

eternity.

Athenasius of Alexandria proposed that making Jesus a created being

separated him from the Father by placing Jesus in time, where God was eternal,

and therefore outside of time. Athenasius said that if Jesus was created in time

and God was eternal, and both were divine, then there would inevitably be two

Gods. Athenasius, therefor, rejected Arius' view on Christ. He insisted the

Messiah was eternal with the Father. The question then arose of how Jesus

cameinto being. Athenasius touched on this subject when he said, The

21 Ibid., page 7322 Letter of Alexander, bishop of Alexandria, summarizing the Arian position; quoted in Socrates,

Ecclesiastical History1.6, tr. By A.C. Zenos, inA Select Library of the Nicene and Post-NiceneFathers, 2nd Ser., Vol. 2 (Christian Literature Co., 1980), page 4.

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generation of the Son is not like that of a man, which requires an existence after

that of the Father....But the nature of the Son of God being infinite and eternal, His

generation must, of necessity, be infinite and eternal too.23 In Athenasius' view

he placed Christ on the right side of eternity. He won considerable support and the

debate began to rage all over the empire.

Contentions grew between the followers of Arius and Athenasius. Arius said

that Christ was 'created,' Athenasius said that Christ was 'begotten.' The

exchange of ideas became so heated that the attention of the Emperor was

aroused. Constantine had hoped that the enthusiastic and organized character of

the Christians would create an adhesive quality to his very large empire. Now his

hopes in a stable Christian element were being torn apart by a theological debate.

He decided to look into the matter. After considering the issue he wrote the

leaders on both sides and said, Having made a careful inquiry into the origin and

foundation of these differences, I find the cause to be of a truly insignificant

character, and quite unworthy of such fierce contention.24 Constantine in an

effort to get past this controversy in order to bring back the stabilizing Christian

element to the empire called the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325. If only these

scholars of old would have looked to John they would have come to the conclusion

that, yes the Word is God.

Debate raged at the council, and actually they did look to Johns Gospel for

23 Athenasius, Orations Against the Arians 1.14, in The Orations of St. Athenasius (London: GiffithFarran; no date or translator given), page 25.

24 Constantine, Letter to Alexander the Bishop and Arius the Presbyter; quoted in Eusebius, Life ofConstantine 2.68, tr. By Ernest Cushing Richardson, inA Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, 2nd Ser., Vol. 1 (Christian Literature Co., 1890) page 516.

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answers. I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me

through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, [are] in Me, and I in

You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent

Me.25 It is interesting to note that in the 4thcentury this verse and others like it

were used by the Orthodox against the Arians. And the Arians replied that the

unity between the Father and the Son was the same type of unity that exists

among believers. The Orthodox argued and won that the debate that formalized

the dogma that Jesus Christ is homoousios with the Father.26

The term

homoousios means of the same substance, so the early church fathers

determined that Jesus was the same as God.

Incarnations of the Word

Cherish My Words

For You will light my lamp; The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

PSALMS 18:28

O My children, obey My words. Do not wander in unbelief and darkness,

but let the Scripture shine as a light upon your path.

My Word shall be life to you,

for My commandments are given for your health and preservation.

They will guard you from folly, and guide you away from danger.

Francis J. Robert27


26 Wallace S. Jungers,Jesus According to John. Bloomington, Indiana (AuthorHouse, 2005), p. 8827 Frances J Roberts, Come Away My Beloved,The Intimate Devotional Classic Updated in Today's


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In the Gospels of Luke and Matthew a genealogy is given for Jesus. The

genealogies link Jesus with his kingly and familial heritages so that his humanity is

catalogued. Mark has no genealogy thus asserting his position of Jesus as

servant; servants dont need to know where they come from. But in John we are

shown a spiritual genealogy of Jesus of sorts. In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with

God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that

was made.28

Jesus has been show to be one with the Father and therefore without

beginning. John the Baptist alludes to this fact in John 1:30 when he says, This is

He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was

before me.29 It would make sense therefore to see instances in the past where

Jesus has acted on behalf of the people Israel.

The first instance that will be discussed it the actions at Mt. Sinai and the

giving of the Ten Commandments. Many biblical scholars understand the

Covenant given at Mt. Sinai to be a marriage contract with Israel. Many places in

the Old Testament the people of Israel, and later Judah too, are accused of

committing spiritual and physical adultery with other gods. There could have

been no adultery without a mirage agreement, or at least from an ancient Jewish

perspective, a betrothal. The marriage contract was the Torah, the Word of God,

which was given on Mt. Sinai to which all the people said, "All that the LORD has

spoken we will do (Exodus 19:8b). Jesus appears to Moses on the Mountain in his

28 Blue Letter Bible. "John 1 - New King James Version." Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2009. 3 May 2009. John 1:1-3.


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heavenly form. In Exodus 24:9-11 we find an incredibly overlooked passage of

scripture where Moses and a lot of other people see God and have meal with God.

Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of

Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. And [there was] under His feet as it were a

paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in [its] clarity. But

on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God,

and they ate and drank. We have men seeing God and living which is supposed

to be impossible,30

so who did they see if not the pre-incarnate Messiah?

The second instance that will be pointed out is found in the Book of Ezekiel.

It is the recounting of a vision that Ezekiel sees on the banks of the river Chebar.

In his vision he sees a wheeled vehicle with a thrown on top of it. The one on the

throne is described thus: on the likeness of the throne [was] a likeness with the

appearance of a man high above it. Also from the appearance of His waist and

upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around

within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were,

the appearance of fire with brightness all around.Like the appearance of a

rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so [was] the appearance of the brightness all

around it. This [was] the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. So

when I saw [it], I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking. Again

there is a description of a person that is Godlike in his gloryand he speaks.

Ezekiel is notorious for using the term, the word of the Lord came to me. Like

30 See also: John 1:18, 1 John 4:12, 1 Timothy 6:16

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the encounter on Sinai, Ezekiel is given a glimpse of God and is given a message,

a word, for the people of Israel.

How can we be sure that these are in fact the pre-incarnate form of Jesus

showing himself to the ancients? These verses and these glimpses of Jesus are

confirmed in the New Testament in Revelation through the one standing in the

midst of the seven lamp stands. ...[One] like the Son of Man, clothed with a

garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His

head and hair [were] white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame

of fire; His feet [were] like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as

the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth

went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance [was] like the sun shining in

its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right

hand on me, saying to me,"Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I [am] He

who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore(Revelation 13b-

18a). The description of this One who reveals himself to be the Heavenly Jesus is

very similar to the descriptions found in the Exodus and Ezekiel. Jesus himself in

the above portion of scripture admits that he is the First and the Last. His spiritual

genealogy has neither beginning nor end, but his time on Earth was only about 33

years long. He had made himself know to those of people of the Old Testament

through direct contact. At the same time he was fulfilling his function as the Word

and was giving life giving instructions and commandments.

The Word is Alive

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Hide My commandments in your heart,

and make them the law of your life.

Cherish my words, and take not lightly the least of them.

I have not given them to you to bind you,

but to bring you into the life of greatest joy and truest liberty.


It is evident to any believer that the Word of God, the Messiah, the Christ

has risen from the dead and is alive today at the right hand of the Father.32 So

what does it mean that the Word is Alive? The very scripture we have today is a

living document. Through the inspired hands of the authors the Word of God

comes to us in the pages of the Bible revealing areas of sin, areas of growth,

areas of improvement, areas of love, areas of encouragement, and areas of

forgiveness. In fact there are many similar references to the written word of God

and the Word found in John.

Like Jesus, the scriptures bring illumination from the Father. Remember John

says of Jesus, In Him was life, and the life was the light of men(John 1:4). The

scripture tells us in Psalms 119:105 that Your word [is] a lamp tomyfeet And a

light tomy path. The same light that Jesus brought can be found in the

scriptures.

Another way the scripture is comparable to Jesus is in the area of bread.

Jesus said that he was the bread of life after he fed the five thousand. For the

bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world(John

31 Frances J Roberts, Come Away My Beloved,The Intimate Devotional Classic Updated in Today'sLanguage, Uhrichsville OH., (Promise Press, 2002), p. 25

32 See Hebrews 10:12

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6:33) Similarly it is said in the Old Testament that the Word of God is like bread,

actually better than bread. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed

you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might

make you know that man shall not live by breadalone; but man lives by every

word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD (Deut 8:3).

Do not think that the written word is actually alive nor is it homoousios with

the God. It is a collection of paper, ink and glue. The true power of the Word is

when it is read through the lenses of the Holy Spirit. Jesus the Word is alive, but

through the prompting of the Holy Spirit the written word can speak to an

individual jus t as effectively as if a person was being told face to face.

Conclusion

This paper has explored Johns Gospel from 6 angles. It is evident that

Johns Gospel focuses on the divinity of Christ, and that he uses Word Christology

throughout his work. Jesus has been shown to be the Word of God, in fact God

made flesh. It is understood that he has resurrected from the dead and is at the

right hand of the Father. It has been shown that Jesus was pre-existent to the

incarnation thus verifying Johns claim that Jesus was with God in the beginning.

It is made plane in the Gospel of John that Jesus came into the world to save the

world from its sins. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten

Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life

(John 3:16). God came to a sinful man and laid down his life as payment for our

sins. He lowered himself to our estate and won the victory at the cross. No

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simple man could do such a thing, it had to be God. The price of our sin was to

large of a sum to pay for, only a heavenly account could settle it.

Sanctification is accomplished in no one by accident.

Learn My rules, and put them into practice consistently,

if you desire to see progress in the growth of your soul.

Holiness is not a feeling-it is the end product of obedience.

Purity is not a gift-it is the result of repentance and serious pursuit of God


Selected Bibliography

Athenasius, Orations Against the Arians 1.14, in The Orations of St. Athenasius.Giffith Farran: London

Eusebius of Caesarea, Life of Constantine 3.7.

Gundry, Robert H.Jesus the Word According to John the Sectarian, APaleofundamentalsist Manifesto for Contemporary Evangelicalism, Especially ItsElites, in North America. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.: Grand Rapids, MI.2002.

33 Frances J Roberts, Come Away My Beloved,The Intimate Devotional Classic Updated in Today'sLanguage, Uhrichsville OH., (Promise Press, 2002), p. 25-26

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Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity, Volume 1: The Early Church to theDawn of the Reformation, HarperCollins Publishers, New York, NY. 1984

Jungers, Wallace S.,Jesus According to John. Authorhouse: Bloomington, IN. 2005.

Kysar, Robert., John the Maverick Gospel: Third Edition. Westminster John KnoxPress: Louisville, KY. 2007.

Levertoff, Paul P., Love and the Messianic Age in Hitherto Untranslated HasidicWritings with Special Reference to the Fourth Gospel. Episcopal HebrewChristian Church: London, 1923.

Missler, Chuck., The Gospel of John: A Commentary. Koinonia House: Coeord'Alene, ID. 1994.

Placher, William C., A History of Christian Theology: An Introduction. TheWestminster Press: Philadelphia, PA. 1983

Roberts, Francis J., Come Away My Beloved,The Intimate Devotional ClassicUpdated in Today's Language, Promise Press, Uhrichsville OH. 2002

Stern, David H. Jewish New Testament Commentary. Jewish New TestamentPublications, INC.: Clarksville, MD. 1999.

Strong, James, The New Strongs Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Thomas

Nelson Publishers, Atlanta GA. 1995.

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