John 1;3-17, Creation ex nihilo, In Him, John the Baptist, believe, Light, God Loves The World, receive Him, grace, Father

John 1:3-17
Creation ex nihilo; “In Him;” Who Is John the
Baptist?; That all might believe; The Light of the
world; God Loves The World; receive Him;
Unwilling; What is grace?; “Father;”
Great shot of downtown Anchorage this week. Dimitry Surnin photo.

BIBLE IN FIVE
Pastor Dave Kooyers
Valley Bible Fellowship
Box 433
Boonville CA 95415
http://www.slideshare.net/dkooyers
www.ValleyBibleFellowship.org
(707) 895-2325
God bless you as you examine His Word,
Your servant in Christ, 2Cor. 4:5
These Microsoft PowerPoint presentations are provided "for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ"
(Ephesians 4:12-15). To help Christians to "to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ." So that "we are no longer...tossed here and
there...by every wind of doctrine." They may be downloaded and modified free of charge.
Matthew 10:8 …Freely you received, freely give.

Jesus never claimed to be God?
http://gotquestions.org/is-Jesus-God.html
“The Bible never
records Jesus
saying the precise
words, “I am God.”
That does not
mean, however,
that He did not
proclaim that He is
God.” 3

Last Time
We Looked At;
• NAU John 1:1 In the
beginning was the
Word, and the Word
was with God, and the
Word was God. 2 He
was in the beginning
with God.

John 1:3
John 1:3 All
things came into
being through
Him, and apart
from Him
nothing came
into being that
has come into
being.

John 1:3, “creation ex nihilo”
• Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the
worlds were prepared by the word of God, so
that what is seen was not made out of things
which are visible.
• “creation ex nihilo, meaning "creation out of
nothing””

John 1:4, “In Him”
• NAU John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was
the Light of men.
• NAU in John uses the phrase “In Him” more
than any other Bible book by any other Bible
author. John uses it two and one half times
more than any other book (1 John is the
second largest use).
• John definitely wants us to understand our
unique position “in Him” and to proclaim that
opportunity to the world. 8

John 1:4, Light
• John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light
of men.
• John 8:12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I
am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will
not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of
life."
• Isaiah 2:5 Come, house of Jacob, and let us walk in
the light of the LORD.
• If you face the light, the shadows MUST fall behind
you.

NAU John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life
was the Light of men.

John 1:5, Light darkness
• “There is not enough darkness in all the world
to put out the light of even one small candle.”
Robert Alden
• Ecclesiastes 2:13 And I saw that wisdom excels
folly as light excels darkness.

John 1:5-9,
Darkness Did Not Comprehend
• John 1:5-9 The Light shines in the darkness, and the
darkness did not comprehend it….
• Isaiah 29:18 …the deaf will hear…the blind will see.
• Isaiah 32:3 Then…not be blinded…ears of …will listen.
• Isaiah 42:6 …I will appoint you as a covenant to the
people, As a light to the nations, 7 To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the dungeon, And those
who dwell in darkness from the prison.
• Matthew 15:31, 26:28

John 1:6, Who Is This Guy John?
• NAU John 1:6 There came a man sent from God,
whose name was John.
• “John” is used in this gospel 21X’s, and 9X’s in
John 1
• I think the Holy Spirit would have us to
understand that John the Baptist was truly a
prophet sent from God to testify concerning
the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

John 1:6, Who Is This Guy John?
• NAU John 1:6 …sent from God… John.
• Matthew 11:11 "Truly I say to you, among those born
of women there has not arisen anyone greater than
John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the
kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
• John 10:41 Many came to Him and were saying, "While
John performed no sign, yet everything John said
about this man was true.“
• How would you like that to be said about you, for all
eternity?
• I have used my Lord’s name in vain.

John 1:7, To give light
• NAU John 1:7 He came as a witness, to testify
about the Light, so that all might believe
through him.
• Luke 1:78-79 Through the tender mercy of our
God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath
visited us, 79 To give light to them that sit in
darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide
our feet into the way of peace.

John 1:7, “believe”
• NAU John 1:7 …so that all might believe through
him.
• John uses “believe” 5 X’s more than any other
book of the Bible
• Not one use of the word “repent" in any of its
forms in the entire gospel of John.
• The dozen or so uses of the root word of
“baptized” in the Greek, all are in the context
have a historical record of this early ministry.

John 1:7, We Must Witness
• Acts 23:11 …the Lord stood at his side and said, "Take
courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at
Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also.“
• Acts 26:16 ‘…I have appeared to you, to appoint you a
minister and a witness not only to the things which you have
seen…
• I have always been complaining that my work was constantly
interrupted, until I slowly discovered that my interruptions
were my work. Henri Nouwen
• Acts 20:24 "But I do not consider my life of any account as
dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the
ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify
solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.
• 1 John 1:2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and
testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with
the Father and was manifested to us--

Matthew 3:1 Now in those days John the Baptist
came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
saying, 2 "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is
at hand."
• John 1:7 He came as a witness, to
testify about the Light, so that all
might believe through him. 8 He
was not the Light, but he came to
testify about the Light.
• How many? “so that all might
believe”

John 1:7
• NAU John 9:5 "While I
am in the world, I am
the Light of the world.”
• John 8:12 Then Jesus
again spoke to them,
saying, "I am the Light of
the world; he who
follows Me will not walk
in the darkness, but will
have the Light of life."

John 1:7-9, Light Excels Darkness
• John 1:7-9…There was the true Light which,
coming into the world, enlightens every man.
• John 9:5 “…I am the Light of the world.“
• John 12:35-46…"While you have the Light,
believe in the Light… (2 Corinthians 4:6, 6:14,
Ephesians 5:8, 1 John 2:8-12, John 8:12).
• 1 John 1:5…God is Light…

John 1:7-9, Light Excels Darkness
• There is not enough darkness in all the world to put out the light
of even one small candle. Robert Alden
• Ecclesiastes 2:13 And I saw that wisdom excels folly as light
excels darkness.
• John 8:12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light
of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness,
but will have the Light of life.“
• John 12:35-46…"While you have the Light, believe in the Light…
(2 Corinthians 4:6, 6:14, Ephesians 5:8, 1 John 2:8-12).
• 1 John 1:5…God is Light…

NAU John 1:8 He was not
the Light, but he came to
testify about the Light.

John 1:9, God Loves The World
• NAU John 1:9 There was the true Light which,
coming into the world, enlightens every man.
• Acts 17:26-27…that they would seek God, if
perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him,
though He is not far from each one of us;
• John 12:32 "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth,
will draw all men to Myself.“
• John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He
gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes
in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
• 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is …not wishing for any to
perish but for all to come to repentance.

John 1:9, God Loves The World
• If God loves the world why are most humans
going to go to hell?
• NAU Matthew 7:13 "Enter through the narrow
gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad
that leads to destruction, and there are many
who enter through it… 21 "Not everyone who
says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom
of heaven, but he who does the will of My
Father who is in heaven will enter.
• Good question!

John 1:12, Treasure
Treasure this day,and treasure yourself.
Truly, neither will ever happen again.
Ray Bradbury
25

Children of God
• John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He
gave the right to become children of God, even to those
who believe in His name,
• Galatians 4:6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth
the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba!
Father!”
• Romans 8:14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of
God, these are sons of God.
• Romans 9:26 …they shall be called sons of the living
God.”
• Galatians 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith
in Christ Jesus.
26

John 1:12
Children of
God
Some say that we should not say
that Christianity is not a religion.
That's true if you look at the
definition of religion; “religion…the
belief in and worship of a
superhuman controlling power,
especially a personal God or gods… •
a particular system of faith and
worship…• a pursuit or interest to
which someone ascribes supreme
importance:…”
Christians however, focus on our
relationship with God.
27

John 1:12, Receive Him
• John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He
gave the right to become children of God, even to those
who believe in His name,
• John uses “receive” 14 X’s in NASU, and “received” 11
X’s, “receiving” 2 X’s, “receives” 3 X’s for a total of 30
uses. John would have you “lambano” Christ!
• John 5:40-43 …"I have come in My Father's name, and
you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own
name, you will receive him.
• John 13:20 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives
whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me
receives Him who sent Me."

John 1:12, Born Again
• “A lady once asked George Whitefield why he
so often insisted on preaching on these words:
"You must be born again." Whitefield replied,
"Because, Madam, you must.”
• --Sinclair Ferguson (In Christ Alone: Living the
Gospel Centered Life, Orlando: Reformation
Trust, 2007, 127)

John 1:12, They Were Unwilling
• NIVO John 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who
believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of
God--
• Matthew 22:3 "And he sent out his slaves to call those who
had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were
unwilling to come.
• Think, love relationship;
• Matthew 23:37 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets
and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to
gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her
chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.
• Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

John 1:12, Children
• Luke 11:13 "If you then, being evil, know how
to give good gifts to your children, how much
more will your heavenly Father give the Holy
Spirit to those who ask Him?” [Mark 10:14]

John 1:14, Jesus became a man!
• NAU John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt
among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only
begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
• NAU Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who
cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has
been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
• Philippians 2:6-9, …who, although He existed in the form of
God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant,
and being made in the likeness of men….

John 1:14, What is grace?
• NAU John 1:14 …from the Father, full of grace and
truth.
• Mac dictionary defines “grace” as;
• …#2 (in Christian belief) the free and unmerited
favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of
sinners and the bestowal of blessings.
• • a divinely given talent or blessing: the graces of the
Holy Spirit.
• • the condition or fact of being favored by someone:
he fell from grace because of drug use at the
Olympics.

John 1:14, What is grace?, by Matt Slick
• “Grace is the unmerited favor of God. It is where God shows us mercy,
kindness, and patience instead of the judgment that we deserve for sinning
against him. God's grace cannot be earned by our actions or sincerity. It
cannot be lost by our rebellion or sin. Grace is based on the character of God
and not on our sincerity, performance, or ability to keep the law of God.
Otherwise, grace would not be grace.
• Rom. 11:6, "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise
grace is no longer grace."
• Gal. 2:21, "I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through
the Law, then Christ died needlessly."
• 2 Timothy 1:9, "who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not
according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which
was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity."
• If it were not for God's grace, we would not ever be saved from his righteous
judgment. It was the grace of God that worked in Christ who bore our sins in
his body and the cross (1 Peter 2:24), so that we might be forgiven and
justified by faith (Rom. 3:28; 5:1). Because of God's gracious kindness to us all
who put their trust in his work on the cross will receive forgiveness, salvation,
regeneration, and the eternal love of God. Again, God's kindness to us is based
on his character not on ours. His grace to us is completely and totally an act of
his free will and not based on any ability, merit, or performance of our own….”

John 1:14, God’s Glory
by Karl Poppelreiter
• “Once the glory of God resided over the Ark of the
Covenant before Israel, then in the Holy of Holies. John
noted the glory of God is now made visible in the Son
(John 1:14) So by falling short of the glory of God, we
fall short of,the glory, who is Christ. Another very cool
study is the Greek verb tenses of "have sinned" & "fall
short” [in Romans 3]. "Have sinned" is aorist, pointing back
to Adam's sin as the federal representative of all
mankind. "Fall short" is present tense, indicating our
present condition of failing to meet the standard of
perfection of the Glory of God ... that is, Christ Jesus…”
35

John 1:14, “Father”
• NAU John 1:14 And the Word became flesh,
and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory,
glory as of the only begotten from the Father,
full of grace and truth.
• Only the book of Genesis has more uses of the
word “father,” and it has three chapters (5, 10,
11) almost completely given over to
genealogies. John uses “father” 101 times in
the his gospel, in the NAU. It clearly is “The
Father Gospel” 36

Use of the father in John
• John chapter 1, John chapters 14 through 17 were
almost half of the verses of the father and John are
found. These chapters cover Jeshua's last hours on
earth where He is focusing on returning to the
father
37

Law And Grace
A Rock and a Soft Place
• NAU John 1:17 For the Law was given through
Moses; grace and truth were realized through
Jesus Christ.
• A Rock and a Soft Place
• Anna Zogg tells that, “Soon after my brother
moved, he made a point of meeting his new
neighbors. He found that a Christian family lived
on one side and an attorney on the other. My
brother remarked,
• "We've got law on one side and grace on the
other."
38

What is grace?, by Matt Slick
• What is grace?
• by Matt Slick
• Grace is the unmerited favor of God. It is where God shows us mercy, kindness, and patience instead of the judgment that we deserve for sinning against him. God's grace cannot be earned
by our actions or sincerity. It cannot be lost by our rebellion or sin. Grace is based on the character of God and not on our sincerity, performance, or ability to keep the law of God. Otherwise,
grace would not be grace.
• Rom. 11:6, "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace."
• Gal. 2:21, "I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly."
• 2 Timothy 1:9, "who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all
eternity."
• If it were not for God's grace, we would not ever be saved from his righteous judgment. It was the grace of God that worked in Christ who bore our sins in his body and the cross (1 Peter 2:24),
so that we might be forgiven andjustified by faith (Rom. 3:28; 5:1). Because of God's gracious kindness to us all who put their trust in his work on the cross will receive forgiveness, salvation,
regeneration, and the eternal love of God. Again, God's kindness to us is based on his character not on ours. His grace to us is completely and totally an act of his free will and not based on any
ability, merit, or performance of our own.
• God's grace is manifested to the unbelievers also. Ultimately, all people deserve the judgment of God because all people have sinned (Romans 3:23). But, God does not execute his judgment
upon all people right away. Instead, he is exceedingly patient and kind towards them. Please consider what Jesus said regarding loving our enemies even as God loves the unrighteous.
• Matt. 5:43-48, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ 44 “But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you 45 in order
that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 “For if you love those
who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same? 47 “And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the
same? 48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
•
• False Religious Views of Grace
• Roman Catholicism
• Meriting Grace to attain eternal life: Catechism of the Catholic Church 2010, "Since the initiative belongs to God in the order of grace, no one can merit the initial grace of forgiveness and
justification, at the beginning of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification, for the increase
of grace and charity, and for the attainment of eternal life. Even temporal goods like health and friendship can be merited in accordance with God's wisdom. These graces and goods are the
object of Christian prayer. Prayer attends to the grace we need for meritorious actions.”
• Meriting Grace to attain eternal life: CCC 2027, "No one can merit the initial grace which is at the origin of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit, we can merit for ourselves and for others all
the graces needed to attain eternal life, as well as necessary temporal goods.”
• Mormonism
• Saved by grace alone is evil: "One of the most fallacious doctrines originated by Satan and propounded by man is that man is saved alone by the grace of God; that belief in Jesus Christ alone
is all that is needed for salvation” (Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, p.206. See also The Book of Mormon Student Manual Religion 121 and 122, 1996, p. 36).
• Justification by faith alone is evil: "The Sectarian Dogma of Justification by Faith Alone has exercised an influence for evil. The idea upon which this pernicious doctrine was founded was at
first associated with that of an absolute predestination, by which man was foredoomed to destruction, or to an undeserved salvation,” (James E. Talmage, Articles of Faith, 1984, p. 432).
• Christian Science
• Grace is spiritual understanding: "Philosophical links, which would unite dead matter with animate, Spirit with matter and material means, prayer with power and pride of position, hinder
the divine influx and lose Science,— lose the Principle of divine metaphysics and the tender grace of spiritual understanding, that love-linked holiness which heals and saves,” (Miscellany, p.
206).
• Grace is understanding God: "All this is accomplished by the grace of God, — the effect of God understood,” (Christian Science vs. Pantheism, p. 10).

David Hocking
HFT Connect
• THE CREATOR OF ALL THINGS
• One of the great needs among Christians today is a clear graspand understanding of the One we call "CREATOR." Feel free to use these notes with family and friends.
•
• 1. HIS UNIQUE PERSON!
• Col. 1:15a - "imageof the invisible God"
• Col. 1:19 - "in Him should all fullness dwell"
• Col. 2:9-10 - "For in Him dwelleth all the
• fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are
• complete in Him, which is the Head of all
• principality and power"
•
• "IMAGE" - John 1:18; 14:8-9; I Timothy 1:17;
• Hebrews 1:3; 11:27
•
• John 1:18 - "No man hath seen God at anytime; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosomof the Father, He hath declared Him."
•
• John 14:8-9 - "Philip saith unto Him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, HaveI been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayestthou then, Shew us the Father?"
•
• I Timothy 1:17 - "Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen."
•
• Hebrews 1:3 - "Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express imageof His Person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high."
•
• Hebrews 11:27 - "By faith he (Moses)forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing Him Who is invisible."
•
• 2. HIS EXALTED POSITION!
• Col. 1:15b - "the firstborn of every creature"
• Greek: prototokos - used 9 times
• (does NOT meanfrom the standpointof time)
• cf. Romans 8:29; Ephesians 1:19-21; Philippians 2:9-11; Hebrews 1:6 and Revelation 22:8-9
•
• Romans 8:29 - "For whomHe did foreknow, He also did predestinateto be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn (prototokon) among many brethren."
•
• Ephesians 1:19-21 - "And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenlyplaces, far aboveall principality and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come."
•
• Philippians 2:9-11 - "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a NAME which is aboveeveryname: That at the NAME of Jesus every knee should bow; of things in heaven,and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongueshould confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
•
• Hebrews 1:6 - "And again, when He bringeth in the first begotten (prototokon) into the world, He saith, And let all the angels of God worship Him."
•
• Revelation 22:8-9 - "And I John saw thesethings, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angelwhich shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: WORSHIPGOD."
•
• 3. HIS MIGHTY POWER!
• Col. 1:16-17 - "all things created"
•
• Colossians 1:16-17 - "For by Him were all things created, that are in heave, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist"
•
• (1) The ORIGIN of that power
• v. 17 - "beforeall things"
• cf. John 1:1; 8:58
•
• John 1:1 - "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God"
•
• John 8:58 - "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abrahamwas, I AM."
•
• (2) The OPERATION of that power
• Col. 1:16 - "byHim were all things created"
•
• John 1:3 - "All things were madeby Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made."
•
• Col. 1:17b - "by Him all things consist"
•
• Hebrews 1:3 - "Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express imageof His Person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high."
•
• (3) The OBJECT of that power
• Col. 1:16 - "all things were created by
• Him and FOR Him"
•
• Romans 11:36 - "For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things, to Whom be glory forever. Amen."
•
• Ephesians 1:9-10 -"Having madeknow unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasurewhich He hath purposein Himself: That in the dispensation ofthe fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven,and which are on earth; even in Him."
•
• 4. HIS SPECIAL PLACE IN THE HEARTS OF
• ALL BELIEVERS!
• Colossians 1:18-19
•
• Colossians 1:18-19 - "And He is the Head of the body, the church: Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead;that in all things He might have the preeminence. For it pleasethe Father that in Him should all fullness dwell."
•
• (1) He is the LOVE we need!
• "the Head of the body, the church"
• cf. Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:15-16
•
• Ephesians 1:22-23 - "And hath put all things under His feet, and gaveHim to be the Head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all."
•
• Ephesians 4:15-16 - "But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the Head, even Christ: From Whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measureof everypart, maketh increase of the bodyunto the edifying of itself in love."
•
• (2) He is the LIFE we have!
• "the beginning, the firstborn from the
• dead"
•
• (3) He is the LORD we worship!
• "that in all things He might havethe
• preeminence...forit pleased the Father
• that in Him should all the fullness dwell"
• ("all the fullness was pleased to dwell
• in Him")
•
• 5. HIS WONDERFUL PLAN TO BRING US
• TO GOD! - "reconcile"
•
• Colossians 1:20-23 - "And having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometimealienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled - in the bodyof His flesh through death, to presentyou holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from
the hope of the gospel, which ye haveheard, and which was preached to every creature which is underheaven;whereof I Paul am made a minister."
•
• II Corinthians 5:19 - "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation."
•
• (1) Our PROBLEM - "alienated and enemies
• in your mind by wicked works"
•
• Ephesians 2:12-13 - "Thatat that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are madenight by the blood of Christ."
•
• (2) His PART - "having madepeace through
• the blood of His cross"
•
• Colossians 1:22 - "in the bodyof His flesh through death"
•
• Romans 5:10-11 - "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom we havenow received the atonement (reconciliation)."
•
• (3) His PURPOSE - "to presentyou holy and
• unblameableand unreproveablein His
• sight"
•
• Ephesians 1:3-7 - "Blessedbe the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenlyplaces in Christ: According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in
the Beloved (One). In Whom we haveredemption through His blood, the forgiveness ofsins, according to the riches of His grace."
• David Hocking
HFT Connect

Is the “Sinner’s Prayer” Essential to Salvation?
R. Larry Moyer
President / CEO
EvanTell, Inc.
• Is the “Sinner’s Prayer” Essential to Salvation?
• R. Larry Moyer
• President / CEO
• EvanTell, Inc.
• Gospel presentations often conclude with a prayer. You may have heard it called the “sinner’s prayer”.
• In that prayer, the person trusting Christ acknowledges he is a sinner placing his faith in Christ to save
• him. Some prayers have clearer terminology than others. The question is, “Is that prayer essential to
• salvation?”
• Let’s back up. What did Christ accomplish on the cross? He satisfied the wrath of a holy God against our
• sin. As He died as our substitute, He declared, “It is finished.” (John 19:30) Through His death and
• resurrection, He paid for all the wrongs we have done. Our sin account was paid in full. That is why God
• can now extend eternal life as a gift – completely free of charge. Christ did not make the down payment
• for our sins. He made the full payment.
• A gift though can be rejected or received. So how does one receive the gift of eternal life?
• The answer to that question can be found in the book God specifically wrote to tell us how to receive
• eternal life – the book of John. We are told in John 20:31, “But these are written that you may believe
• that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” Ninety-eight
• times in the book of John, the word “believe” is used. John 1:12 reads, “But as many as received Him, to
• them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” John’s best
• known verse reads, “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)
• The word believe means to trust. Acknowledging that I am a sinner, I must come to God recognizing
44

"How can salvation be not of works when
faith is required? Isn't believing a work?"
• Question: "How can salvation be not of works when faith is required? Isn't believing a work?"
• Answer: Our salvation depends solely upon Jesus Christ. He is our substitute, taking sin’s penalty (2 Corinthians 5:21); He
is our Savior from sin (John 1:29); He is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). The work necessary to
provide salvation was fully accomplished by Jesus Himself, who lived a perfect life, took God’s judgment for sin, and rose
again from the dead (Hebrews 10:12).
• The Bible is quite clear that our own works do not help merit salvation. We are saved “not because of righteous things
we had done” (Titus 3:5). “Not by works” (Ephesians 2:9). “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10). This
means that offering sacrifices, keeping the commandments, going to church, being baptized, and other good deeds are
incapable of saving anyone. No matter how “good” we are, we can never measure up to God’s standard of holiness
(Romans 3:23; Matthew 19:17; Isaiah 64:6).
• The Bible is just as clear that salvation is conditional; God does not save everyone. The one condition for salvation is faith
in Jesus Christ. Nearly 200 times in the New Testament, faith (or belief) is declared to be the sole condition for salvation
(John 1:12; Acts 16:31).
• One day, some people asked Jesus what they could do to please God: “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
Jesus immediately points them to faith: “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent” (John 6:28-29). So,
the question is about God’s requirements (plural), and Jesus’ answer is that God’s requirement (singular) is that you
believe in Him.
• Grace is God’s giving us something we cannot earn or deserve. According to Romans 11:6, “works” of any kind destroys
grace—the idea is that a worker earns payment, while the recipient of grace simply receives it, unearned. Since salvation45

Genesis 1:10 Exodus 7:19
miqveh, Jewish Baptism
46

Light and Darkness in Jewish
Tradition
• http://r.a.d.sendibm1.com/73uct9uzmzf.html
• For a long time it has been mistakenly thought that the ideas expressed in these three verses of John's prologue are
unique to Christianity. It was erroneously believed that this statement constituted nothing less than a ground-breaking
departure from Judaism. However, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, it is not until verse 14 “and the Word
became flesh,” that an innovative idea, though not contradictory to Judaism, was first introduced. What we read in these
first three verses should enable us to clearly understand that the author of this Gospel was a committed Jew,
entrenched in the rich concepts of the Judaism of the Second Temple period. His deep Jewish consciousness is evident as
he structures his prologue thoroughly within the Israelite interpretive traditions of the time.
• First, the author roots his narrative in the foundational verses of the Torah – “In the beginning God…” (Gen. 1:1) and
“…God said.”
• Therefore, the notion that the Gospel of John is a Christian document, set in opposition to Judaism, makes no sense in
the light of John's own priorities. For John, perhaps even more than for the other Gospel writers, everything begins with
the Torah. Secondly, the idea of the Word (Logos/Memra) of God possessing extraordinary qualities and functions in
relationship to God Himself, was not new to Second Temple Judaism. For example, Philo, an Alexandrian Jew who was
roughly contemporary with Jesus, but probably never met him, wrote: “…the most universal of all things is God; and in
the second place the Word of God.” (Allegorical Interpretation, II, 86); “…the shadow of God is His Word, which He used
like an instrument when He was making the world…” (Allegorical Interpretation, III, 96); “This same Word is continually a
suppliant to the immortal God on behalf of the mortal race, which is exposed to affliction and misery; and is also the
ambassador, sent by the Ruler of all, to the subject race… neither being uncreated as God, nor yet created as you, but
being in the midst between these two extremities…” (Who is the Heir of Divine Things, 205-6)
• To visit the Jewish Gospel of John website click here - www.JewishGospelOfJohn.com
• Philo of Alexandria was not the only Jew in the first century who had a highly developed concept of the Word (Logos) of
God. The Jerusalem Targum, in translating and expanding the original Hebrew of Genesis 3:8, states: “…they heard the
voice of the Word of the Lord God walking in the garden… and Adam and his wife hid themselves from before the Lord
God among the trees of the garden” (Jerusalem Targum). When translating Genesis 19:24, the same 47

salvation prayers, Question: "What
is the prayer of salvation?"
• Question: "What is the prayer of salvation?"
• Answer: Many people ask, “Is there a prayer I can pray that will guarantee my salvation?” It is important to remember
that salvation is not received by reciting a prayer or uttering certain words. The Bible nowhere records a person’s
receiving salvation by a prayer. Saying a prayer is not the biblical way of salvation.
• The biblical method of salvation is faith in Jesus Christ. John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his
one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Salvation is gained by faith
(Ephesians 2:8), by receiving Jesus as Savior (John 1:12), and by fully trusting Jesus alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12), not by
reciting a prayer.
• The biblical message of salvation is simple and clear and amazing at the same time. We have all committed sin against
God (Romans 3:23). Other than Jesus Christ, there is no one who has lived an entire life without sinning (Ecclesiastes
7:20). Because of our sin, we have earned judgment from God (Romans 6:23), and that judgment is physical death
followed by spiritual death. Because of our sin and its deserved punishment, there is nothing we can do on our own to
make ourselves right with God. As a result of His love for us, God became a human being in the Person of Jesus Christ.
Jesus lived a perfect life and always taught the truth. However, humanity rejected Jesus and put Him to death by
crucifying Him. Through that horrible act, though, Jesus died in our place. Jesus took the burden and judgment of sin on
Himself, and He died in our place (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus was then resurrected (1 Corinthians 15), proving that His
payment for sin was sufficient and that He had overcome sin and death. As a result of Jesus’ sacrifice, God offers us
salvation as a gift. God calls us all to change our minds about Jesus (Acts 17:30) and to receive Him as the full payment of
our sins (1 John 2:2). Salvation is gained by receiving the gift God offers us, not by praying a prayer.
• Now, that does not mean prayer cannot be involved in receiving salvation. If you understand the gospel, believe it to be
true, and have accepted Jesus as your salvation, it is good and appropriate to express that faith to God in prayer.
Communicating with God through prayer can be a way to progress from accepting facts about Jesus to fully trusting in
Him as Savior. Prayer can be connected to the act of placing your faith in Jesus alone for salvation.
• Again, though, it is crucially important that you do not base your salvation on having said a prayer. Reciting a prayer
48

Bethany Beyond the Jordan: John
1:6–51
• Uncertainty has surrounded the exact location of “Bethany beyond the Jordan.” Recent archaeological investigations on
the east side of the Jordan River have revealed that Wadi el-Kharrar could be the site. Wadi el-Kharrar is located near the
Jordan River about six miles (10 km) east of modern Jericho. Archaeologists have ascertained this area was revered as
the place of Jesus’ baptism from shortly after His crucifixion and resurrection. Christian pilgrims mention the site in their
writings until the time of Joannes Phocas in AD 1185. It is also clearly identified on the famous Madaba Map, a sixth-
century mosaic found in St. George Greek Orthodox Church, once a Byzantine Church, in Madaba, Jordan.
• In Wadi el-Kharrar, numerous springs, one of which is even named “John the Baptist,” join together and flow into the
Jordan River. Remains of Christian churches from the Roman and Byzantine periods have been identified. Greek
Orthodox monks who occupied portions of the area between the 12th and 18th centuries revered it as the location of
Jesus’ baptism.
• The Bible explains that John was teaching at “Bethany beyond the Jordan” before Jesus came to him to be baptized.
John’s teaching resulted in a large following, but John had collected his share of critics as well. The Bible states people
came from as far away as the Galilee to watch, hear, be taught and baptized. We read that among the crowd who came
to see and hear John were Sadducees and Pharisees, undoubtedly from Jerusalem (Mt 3:5), who debated and tested
John’s message.
• When asked if he was the Messiah, John made it clear he was not. He then explained he was baptizing “with water for
repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize
you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” (Mt 3:11)*
• At this point, we twenty-first century folks might ask, “Why would Jesus need to be baptized?” If you are Christian, you
know Jesus was not a sinner and did not need to be baptized as a “remission of sin” as is done in the modern Church.
But, ritual water immersion during the period of the Gospels was used for different reasons, purification being only one
of several. For example, a person could undergo baptism as a way of identifying with a particular doctrinal perspective,
such as John’s. The Apostle Paul tells when individuals came to John for baptism, he “told the people to believe in the
one coming after him, that is, in Jesus” (Acts 19:4). Jim Martin provides the following explanation:
49

Dr. Eli at eteacherbiblical.com
• ISAIAH PROPHECY
• In Isaiah 40:3 we read: “ ‫ֹול‬ ֣‫ק‬‫א‬ ֵ֔‫קֹור‬‫ר‬ ָּ֕‫ב‬ ְ‫ד‬ ִּ‫מ‬ ַּ‫ב‬‫ּו‬ּ֖‫נ‬ַּ‫פ‬‫ְך‬ ֶ‫ר‬ ֶ֣‫ד‬‫ָ֑ה‬‫ְהו‬‫י‬ּ֙‫רּו‬ ְ‫ַּש‬‫י‬‫ה‬ ֵ֔‫ב‬‫ֲר‬‫ע‬‫ב‬‫ּ֖ה‬‫ל‬ ִּ‫ס‬ ְ‫מ‬‫ינּו׃‬ ֵֽ‫אֹלה‬‫ל‬ ”
• The first part of the sentence can be translated either as “voice calling in the wilderness”
or as “voice of the one calling in the wilderness.” The Judeo-Greek Septuagint Translation
takes the second option, imagining a particular person (Φωνὴ βοῶντος). It translates the
original Hebrew as “voice of the one crying in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the
Lord, make straight the paths of our God”. This translation decision by the Jewish sages of
Alexandria was accepted by the gospels (Mark 1:3).
• QUMRAN INTERPERTATION
• Qumran (or Dead Sea Scrolls) community was persuaded that it was not John the Baptizer,
but their secluded community that was the fulfillment of this Isaianic prophecy (1QS 8.12b-
16b). Their entire religious life was a response of protest to what they saw as corruption of
the Jerusalem Temple (in this they agreed with the early Jesus followers). John’s emphasis
on the water purification ceremony, his priestly origins, his ascetic life-style, his near
identical missional statement, his dietary practice, his apocalyptic message as well as his
general location argue that his ministry first developed in association and later in direct
opposition to the Qumran community.
50

http://www.dts.edu/media/archive/?PersonID=
91444ce4-cfab-48e1-9bd6-da2526fd41e0
• J. Dwight Pentecost
• Introduction to Series
• What John Says about Christ (John 1)
• The Bread of Life (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51)
• Christ the Light of the World (John 8:12; 9:5)
• I Am the Door (John 10:7, 9)
• I Am the Good Shepherd (John 10:11)
• I Am the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25)
• I Am the Way (John 14:6)
• I Am the Truth (John 14:6)
• I Am the Life (John 14:6)
• I Am the Vine (John 15)
• Truths About Christ 51

• http://www.dts.edu/media/
52
Click on browse by speaker,
Choose which speaker,
Choose a recording
Sovereignty and Prayer (Matthew 7:1-12) from
the previous list was not there

John 17, What in the World Are We
Doing Here?
• http://www.dts.edu/media/play/what-in-the-world-
are-we-doing-here-j-dwight-pentecost/?audio=true
• What in the World Are We Doing Here?
• J. Dwight Pentecost on August 29, 2003 in DTS Chapel
• Dr. Dwight Pentecost, senior professor of Biblical
Exposition, addresses the Lord's commission for
today's believers from John 17:13-18.
53

http://www.dts.edu/media/play/follo
wing-him-pentecost-j-dwight/
• Following Him
• J. Dwight Pentecost on September 1, 2011 in
DTS Chapel
• Dr. Dwight Pentecost, Distinguished Professor
Emeritus of Bible Exposition; Adjunct Professor
of Bible Exposition, DTS, reflects on what it
means to abide and follow Him.
54

• http://www.dts.edu/edia/
55
Click on browse by speaker,
Choose which speaker,
Choose a recording
Sovereignty and Prayer (Matthew 7:1-12) from
the previous list was not there

• http://www.dts.edu/media/archive/?PersonID
=91444ce4-cfab-48e1-9bd6-da2526fd41e0s
56

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=lW4i-sz8yv8
• Published on Oct 2, 2015
• Overview of the book of John. Suitable for
young and old. Recorded by Dr. Andy Woods
October 02, 2015. Andy is a professor of Bible
and Theology at the College of Biblical Studies
in Houston, Texas, USA. He also the Senior
pastor of Sugar Land Bible Church. For more
videos visit
http://bestmin.org/biblestudyvideos/
57

“the Jews”, The Jewish Gospel of John:
Discovering Jesus, King of All Israel,
Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg
58

use in John 5:17, Father
• Why the emphasis on father in John's Gospel?,
By Bill Feiss, page 24. "John's Gospel uses the
term father a whopping 250 times! That's about
12 uses per chapter.
• John five, 13 uses
• John eight, 19 uses
• John 14, 21 uses
• NAU uses “father” 100 times, more than any
other book except Genesis and it has two long
genealogies. 59

One Central Purpose Of John's Gospel

Why study the book of John?
• John is the best-selling biography of all time.
• John is specifically written for the best purpose
of all time, NAU John 20:31 but these have
been written so that you may believe that
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that
believing you may have life in His name.
61

New post on DR. RELUCTANT
The Divine Logos (Pt. 2)
by Paul HeneburyPart One
The Roles of the Logos
• New post on DR. RELUCTANT
• The Divine Logos (Pt. 2)
• by Paul HeneburyPart One
• The Roles of the Logos
• Although the wording is brilliantly simple, an examination of the Prologue furnishes for us a great deal of help concerning what might be called the “roles” of the Logos. To begin with, the prologue places in front of us these facts:
• The Logos is a Person (1:3, 4, 14).
• Ÿ There are three relations of Christ the Logos recorded in these opening verses. First, there is His relation with the Father “In the beginning” (1:1-2). Second is His relation to the world (1:3, 10). The third relationship of theLogos is that
which He bears to humankind (1:11-14).
• Ÿ The Logos was active with (Gk. pros) God (the Father). Ridderbos says that this designation “is intended as an indication not only of place but also of disposition and orientation.”[1] Thus, in all respects the Eternal Logos was and is to be
identified with God (1:1-2), though not the Father but the Son (1:18).
• Ÿ This means that God, in the Person of the revealing incarnate Son (1:14, 18), is the Subject of John’s Gospel.
• In addition to the above, three readily identifiable roles can be located within the Prologue. They center upon the great schemes of creation, revelation, and redemption.
• Creation[2]
• The link with creation is established right off with the very first words of John’s Gospel, “In the beginning was the Word” The Apostle is taking the reader back to the creation account in Genesis 1:1ff., and showing that theLogos was directly
involved in the creative process. To those who assert that John’s stress is not upon creation as such, but upon the pre-existence of theLogos prior to the creation, we do not think we are forced into a choice between the two. The Genesis
narrative implies a creatio ex nihilo doctrine which would necessitate a complimentary doctrine of Divine pre-existence and perlocutory action. John is telling us that the Logos is this same creative God (1:1-2).
• Then in the third verse comes a clear statement about the creative role of the Logos: “All things were created by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.” (1:3). The Logos is a Person (N.B., “by Him…without Him”), not
an organizing principle or a personified divine utterance. He is the cause of the ontological status of everything, and nothing which came into existence in the creative week owes its being to anything else.[3]
• Along with His work as Creator, the Logos is also the Upholder of that creation. The necessary imposition of the curse after the fall meant that God’s providential care of the world was mitigated by the consequential out-workings of sin in
history. The world-system (kosmos) in its pride and rebellion does not recognize its Creator, even when He stands before them (1:10). Mankind may not want to acknowledge its Maker (Rom. 1:18-22), but it remains true that without the
power of the Logos, there would be no light or life (Jn. 1:4), for as Gerhaardus Vos stated, “By universal consent the furnishing of life and light to the world belongs to the very essence of theLogos' task.”[4]
• Hence, John is restating a function that had already been confirmed before he wrote (cf. Col. 1:16-17; Heb. 1:2-3). The power behind the vast spiraling galaxies, the fiercely burning stars in their motions, and the numberless operations of our
planet – including all life, is not Matter, it is the Word! This world was created by Him and is sustained by Him (1:3-10). He is thus both what Vos termed the “organ of omnipotence”[5] and the Framer of Reality (and, therefore, of
Meaning).[6] We shall let Vos sum it up for us:
• “The normal relation to the world by Him who acted as the Mediator of creation, was such that thereafter the world and mankind were dependent for their life and light on Him. He was the Logos in providence, just as He had been
the Logos in creation.”[7]
• Revelation
• The Prologue also calls our attention to the Logos as revelation. As the Author of the life and light of men (Jn. 1:4, 10), He has fashioned them in the image of God, and in so doing has constituted men and women in such a way that man
himself reveals his Maker. Perhaps nobody has pointed this out better than Cornelius Van Til. He paints a striking picture in order to get his point across:
• “Even when man, as it were, takes out his own eyes, this act itself turns revelational in his wicked hands, testifying to him that his sin is a sin against the light that lighteth every man coming into the world…Creatures have no private
chambers.”[8]
• Because mankind is in spiritual and therefore epistemological darkness, they do not acknowledge the Logos of God (Jn. 1:4-5; 9-11). Unless men realize this there will always be a chasm between man’s own self-identification and a right
understanding of his true significance and purpose. The great lexicographer Cremer makes the point that Christ is “Him in whom had been hidden from eternity, and specially from the beginning of the world, what God had to say to
man.”[9] The Logos is “the true Light” because He is the one who has placed the sense of creatureliness inside of us; the realization of which we seek to suppress and to run from (Jn. 1:5, 10-11; Cf. Acts 17:28; Rom. 1:18-20).[10] This is why
Van Til can write:
• By the idea of revelation, then, we are to mean not merely what comes to man through the facts surrounding him in his environment, but also that which comes to him by means of his own constitution as a covenant personality. The
revelation that comes to man by way of his own rational and moral nature is no less objective to him than that which comes to him through the voice of trees and animals. Man’s own psychological activity is no less revelational than the laws
of physics about him. All created reality is inherently revelational of the nature and will of God.Even man’s ethical reaction to God’s revelation is still revelational.[11]
• One of the transformations wrought by the new birth is that God, “has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son” (Col. 1:13); so that we who were partakers of darkness, are now “light
in the Lord.” (Eph. 5:8; cf. 1 Thess. 5:5). Thus, as the Psalmist has it, “In Thy light we shall see light” (Psa. 36:9). This brings us to the third aspect of the Prologue’s description of the Logos, the redemptive function.
• Redemption
• The revelation of God is not given for the purpose of condemnation only (cf. Jn. 3:17). The most astounding truth in the Prologue is that the eternalLogos, “was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” (Jn. 1:14), and that He was “the Lamb of God,
who takes away the sin of the world.” (Jn. 1:29). Vos expressed it well:
• “The unique feature of the Prologue consists in this, that it views the cosmical function of the pre-existent Christ as a revealing function and places it in direct continuity with His revealing work in the sphere of redemption.”[12]
• This is an important point as it emphasizes the fact that Christ as the Logoswas active in revelation prior to His incarnation, but that His assuming human form (en morfh) was “in direct continuity” with that prior activity.[13]
• Read more of this post
• Paul Henebury | 1 December 2014 at 4:40 pm | Categories: Uncategorized | URL:http://wp.me/p8lMv-X9

Andy Woods has a series on John
• Andy Woods
• 9 hrs · iOS · Edited ·
• Are you confused about what the Bible means
by the term "kingdom"? Then this sermon
entitled "Clarifying Kingdom Confusion" from
John 18:33-36 is for you.
• SermonAudio.com - Media Player
63

Genesis 1:1, Space, Time, and
Matter
• THE AMAZING FIRST VERSE OF THE BIBLE - You
MUST see this film!
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV0hUldr
Yp4&ebc=ANyPxKqAoP_-
OUMbUerKeDpUm01I-
EcRTf1bSPFuNccHcV6pf1GbawOzm0v2-
0UlewsLop9uqcFx-wGKRL4UkF5lWLciq-pBPQ
64

65
John, Believe And Live, Elmer Towns, Mal Couch
and Ed Hindson, Twenty-First Century Biblical
Commentary Series, page
John, Believe And Live, Elmer Towns, Mal Couch and Ed
Hindson, Twenty-First Century Biblical Commentary
Series, page

66
Series, page

67
Series, page

The Four Faces of Jesus, by Jack Kelley
• The Four Faces of Jesus
• Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014Israel
• Old Testament
• Past Featured
• Prophecy
• A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
• Scoffers and skeptics often ask, “Why four gospels” Couldn’t Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John have agreed on their stories and written just one?” Liberal scholars further confuse the issue by calling Matthew, Mark and Luke the
“synoptic” gospels claiming that Mark wrote his first and the others all relied on it in developing their accounts. Then there’s the “Q” document theory holding that an undiscovered “quelle” (Latin for source) document upon
which all the writers relied for their information was actually the earliest gospel account.
• Remember that these hypotheses are advanced by critics who dispute the Bible’s supernatural origin and whose primary goal is to deny the importance of literal interpretation. They prey on our ignorance so their opinions are
easily put to naught when we discover the underlying purpose of the four Gospels. First we need to understand that none of them was written solely to provide an accurate historical account of the life of Jesus. Each is directed
at a specific audience with events portrayed in such a way as to be meaningful to that audience. The role of Jesus, the use of phraseology, the inclusion or exclusion of events, and the emphasis on first and last miracles are all
meant to underscore the point of the particular gospel. I’ll show you what I mean.
• Who Was He?
• Matthew was written to the Jews. His purpose was to demonstrate who Jesus was; presenting overwhelming evidence that Jesus was Israel’s long awaited Messiah: The Lion of Judah, the King of Israel. The genealogy in
Matthew begins with Abraham and runs through King David (Matt 1:1-17). The most frequently used phrase in Matthew’s Gospel is “it was fulfilled.” There are more references to events foretold in Old Testament prophecy and
fulfilled in the Life of Jesus in Matthew than in any other gospel account. Partial copies discovered in the caves at Qumran suggest that Matthew may have originally been written in Hebrew. The first miracle in Matthew, the
cleansing of a leper, was highly symbolic for Israel. Leprosy was viewed as a punishment for sin, and cleansing a leper signified taking away the sin of the nation. Matthew’s gospel ends with the resurrection signifying God’s
promise that David’s Kingdom would last forever.
• What Did He Do?
• Mark’s gospel is actually Peter’s account and was written to the Romans. His purpose was to portray Jesus as the obedient servant of God. Since no one cares about the heritage of a servant there is no genealogy in Mark. The
most frequently used phrase in Mark’s Gospel is “straight away” sometimes translated immediately, so Mark is called the snapshot gospel, giving us picture after picture of Jesus in action. The first miracle is the casting out of a
demon, demonstrating that the God whom Jesus served was superior to all other gods, a matter of great importance in Rome’s polytheistic society. Mark’s gospel ends with the ascension, signifying that the servant’s job was
finished and He was returning home.
• What Did He Say?
• Luke’s account portrays Jesus as the Son of Man, a title Jesus often used of Himself, and was written to the Greeks. It presents the human side of Jesus and emphasizes his teaching. Greeks were famous for their story telling
form of oratory, so the most frequent phrase in Luke is “and it came to pass.” Most movies of the life of Jesus rely primarily on Luke’s gospel because of its flowing narrative form. Luke’s genealogy traces Jesus all the way back to
Adam, the first man (Luke 3:21-38). Since the Greeks, like the Romans, were a polytheistic society, Luke used the casting out of a demon as his first miracle, and ended his gospel with the promise of the Holy Spirit, uniting man
with God.
• How Did He Feel?
• John wrote to the church describing how Jesus felt about peoples’ reaction to His ministry. His gospel is the most unique, based upon 7 miracles, 7 “I Am” statements and 7 discourses. John pays little attention to chronology,
sometimes placing events out of order (like the Temple Cleansing in Chapter 2) for their effect in presenting Jesus as the Son of God. John’s gospel covers only about 21 days out of the Lord’s 3 1/2 year ministry. 10 chapters are
devoted to one week and 1/3 of all the verses in John describe one day. His genealogy begins before time and identifies Jesus as the Eternal One Who was with God and Who was God (John 1:1-2). The most frequently used
phrase in John is “Verily, verily”, or truly, truly. His first miracle was changing water into wine, an act of enormous symbolism by which He “revealed His Glory and His disciples put their faith in Him” (John 2:11). John’s Gospel
ends with the promise of the 2nd Coming. So why four gospels? Because no single one is big enough to contain all of the attributes of Jesus. It took all four to show His four faces as The Lion of Judah, the Obedient Servant, the
Son of Man, and the Son of God. Trying to put all four perspectives into one account would have left us hopelessly confused. Understanding all of Who Jesus was and is requires reading all four Gospels.
• Let’s Get Mystical
• In views of the Throne of God four powerful figures called cherubim are shown guarding the throne. Sometimes it appears that each of the four has a different face, and sometimes it seems that all have four faces, but the faces
are always those of a Lion, an Ox, a Man and an Eagle (Ezek. 1:10 & Rev 4:7). When the Jews camped in the wilderness after leaving Egypt, they were instructed to set up in 4 sub-camps, one for each point of the compass with
the tabernacle in the center. The first was called the Camp of Judah and included Issachar and Zebulon. Members of those 3 tribes would look for the ensign of Judah, a flag with a large lion embroidered on it, to locate their
campground. It was always due east of the tabernacle. The second camp was named after Ephraim and included Manasseh and Benjamin. It was positioned opposite the camp of Judah to the west of the tabernacle. Ephraim’s
flag depicted the figure of an ox. The third camp was headed by Reuben and included Simeon and Gad. Reuben’s flag showed the face of a man. They were located south of the tabernacle. The fourth camp was that of Dan with
Asher and Napthali included and was located in the North. Dan’s flag pictured a large eagle.
• Looking down from above, God would see the camp of Israel with the tabernacle in the Center and the 4 sub-camps around it. The large flag waving in the East pictured the Lion, and opposite it in the West was the Ox. To the
south was the face of a Man and in the North was the Eagle. Some say God was modeling His throne in the Camp of Israel with the tabernacle representing His throne in the center, the four flags representing the four faces of
the cherubim and the four sub-camps extending along the four points of the compass, forming a cross.
• Some also see the four gospels symbolized in the four flags; the Lion for Matthew, the Ox for Mark, the Man for Luke, and the Eagle for John. In this view the tabernacle is seen as a model of Jesus, at the center of the four
gospels.
• How you see these models, or if you see them at all, is secondary to my main purpose in writing this. My main purpose is to encourage you to delve into all four gospels. It’s really the only way to get a good look at the four
faces of Jesus.
• http://gracethrufaith.com/topical-studies/tough-questions-answered/the-four-faces-of-jesus/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gracethrufaith+%28GraceThruFaith%29

http://archive.org/details/Dr.MalCouchJohn
-introduction
• http://archive.org/details/Dr.MalCouchJohn-introduction

John 1:1,
• ….Ray Pritchard
Keep Believing Ministries
Dallas, Texas
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
Hebrews 10:5-7
•
I’m sure most of us are familiar with the famous poem by Clement Moore that begins this way:
’Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.
In many homes this has become a Christmas tradition. I remember hearing it read at school when I was a little boy, and I’ve heard it read many times since then on various Christmas TV specials. I’ve never tried to memorize it, but I’m sure I know most of it by heart anyway.
It happensthat I am writing these words on ChristmasEve. In just a few minutes we will make our way to churchfor the Christmas Eve service. While is quite true that we do not know the exact day of Christ’s birth (see When Was Jesus Born?), we take one day each year to celebrate the fact that hewas born. I ran across these words that put the birth of Jesus in very personal terms:
Little Jesus wast Thou shy
Once and just as small as I?
And what did it feel to be
Out of Heaven and just like me? --Francis Thompson
If we take the words of Clement Moore (minus St. Nick) and combine them with Francis Thompson, we are presented with a very good Christmas Eve question:
What was happening in heaven as Jesus was being born on the earth?
We know of course about the angels and the shepherds and we know about Caesar’s decree that led to Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem. We know about the manger and the Wise Men and the star that led them from the east. We even know about Herod’s evil plan to kill the baby Jesus. But here is a part of the Christmas story we may not know.
Christmas According toJesus
What was on our Lord’s mind as he was being born?
You may be surprisedto know that the Bible actually gives us an answer to that question. Hebrews 10:5-7 gives us a prayer of the baby Jesus as he was coming into the world. It is the declaration of the eternal Son of God as he stepped out of heaven and entered this world through a virgin’s womb.
This is the Christmasstory accordingto JesusChrist. We know Luke’s version and Matthew’s version. In Hebrews 10:5-7 we get the Christmas story from the lips of Jesus Christ. This is what he was thinking on the “night before Christmas” 2000 years ago.
Hebrews 10:5-7 quotes Psalm 40:6-8 and applies it directly to the coming of Christ. If we want to know what Christ was thinking before he was born, these verses provide a glimpse:
Therefore, as He was coming into the world, He said:
You did not want sacrifice and offering,
but You prepared a body for Me.
6 You did not delight
in whole burnt offeringsand sin offerings.
7 Then I said, “See—
it is writtenabout Me
in the volume of the scroll—
I have come to do Your will, God!”
What does our Lord emphasize in these verses?
He Did Not Begin at Bethlehem
They tell us first of all that our Lord’sexistence did not begin at Bethlehem.Verse 5 stresses that fact when it attributes these words to Christ “as he was coming into the world.” They speak to us of the preexistence of Christ in heaven. When I was a young man, I heard a preacher explain this great truth by speaking of the “councils of eternity.” He meant by that the divine agreement among the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit that the Son would enter the human race and offer himself as Savior.
Our Lord did not “begin” at Bethlehem. As the 2nd Person of the Trinity, he had no “beginning.” That’s what Jesus meant when he declared, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58).
Someone asked me recently why the birth of Christ is recorded only in Matthew and Luke but not in Mark and John. The answer goes back to the purpose ofthose two gospels. Markwants to emphasize Christ as the great servant who came to give his life for others. In that context it does not matter where a servant comes from, only who sent him and how he serves others. By contrast John’s gospel goes back to the
ultimate beginning, far beyond Bethlehem. It starts with the eternal preexistence of Jesus as the true Word of God:
“In the beginningwas the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).
There are many mysteries to all of this, but let us remember one important fact. Christmas marksthe human birth of the Lord Jesus,but it does not markthe beginning of his existence. As the Son of God, he existed with the Father long before he was conceived in Mary’s womb.
He Came to Take Away Our Sins
Second,he came to replace the failed Jewish system of animal sacrifice. Verse 5 says it very explicitly: “You did not want sacrifice and offering.” That would have come as a shock to the Jewish priests who for centuries had offered bulls and goats as God had prescribed in the Old Testament. They did that because they sincerely believed that is what God wanted from them. They were not wrong in what they did, but
they did not understand the truth of Hebrews 10:4, “For it is impossible for the blood of bullsand goats to take away sins.” Drop down to verse 11 and you can grasp the futility of the old system:
“Every priest stands day after day ministeringand offeringthe same sacrificestime after time, which can never take away sins.”
Priests in the Old Testament spent their days in a routine of sacrifice and offerings--one after the other, morning, noon and night, day in and day out, week in and week out, month in and month out, year after year, decade after decade, century after century. During the 1500 years from the time of Moses to the time of Christ, tens of thousands of lambs and goats and bulls were offered on the altar before God to
make atonement for the sins of the people. That’s what he means when he says “day after day” and “time after time” the same sacrifices were offered.
Suppose you took all the blood offered on all the Jewish altars,
Over all those centuries,
Offered by priests doing God’s will,
Obeying God’s law,
Sincerely doing what God told them to do,
Sacrificing bulls and goats until there was a
River of blood flowing from the altar.
What does all that animal blood amount to?
How many sins could it forgive?
Not one!
That’s a shocking fact, a stunning reality, and a sobering truth.
In 1709 Isaac Watts wrote about this in a hymn called “Not all the blood of beasts”:
Not all the blood of beasts
On Jewish altars slain
Could give the guilty conscience peace
Or wash away the stain.
Then he gives the gospel answer in the next verse:
But Christ, the heav’nly Lamb,
Takes all our sins away;
A sacrifice of nobler name
And richer blood than they.
That’s entirely right. Jesus came to do what the animal sacrificescould never do. He came to deal with our sin once and for all.
We can see this in Hebrews 10:5, “You prepared a body for me.” On one level this means that Christ’s birth was no afterthought in God’s plan, but the fulfillment of all the promises made in the Old Testament. At a deeper level it means that his body was prepared for him so that years later he could offer himself as the once-for-all sacrifice for sin when he died on the cross.
Just as the lamb was prepared for sacrifice,
Jesus comes as the Lamb of God to take away our sin….

John 1:1, 14, Special/General Revelation
• Question: "What is general revelation and special revelation?"
Answer: General revelation and special revelation are the two ways God has chosen to reveal Himself to humanity. General revelation refers to the general truths that can be known about
God through nature. Special revelation refers to the more specific truths that can be known about God through the supernatural.
In regard to general revelation, Psalm 19:1-4 declares, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after
night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” According to this
passage, God’s existence and power can be clearly seen through observing the universe. The order, intricacy, and wonder of creation speak to the existence of a powerful and glorious
Creator.
General revelation is also taught in Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being
understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” Like Psalm 19, Romans 1:20 teaches that God’s eternal power and divine nature are “clearly seen” and
“understood” from what has been made, and that there is no excuse for denying these facts. With these Scriptures in mind, perhaps a working definition of general revelation would be
“the revelation of God to all people, at all times, and in all places that proves that God exists and that He is intelligent, powerful, and transcendent.”
Special revelation is how God has chosen to reveal Himself through miraculous means. Special revelation includes physical appearances of God, dreams, visions, the written Word of God,
and most importantly—Jesus Christ. The Bible records God appearing in physical form many times (Genesis 3:8, 18:1; Exodus 3:1-4, 34:5-7), and the Bible records God speaking to people
through dreams (Genesis 28:12, 37:5; 1 Kings 3:5; Daniel 2) and visions (Genesis 15:1; Ezekiel 8:3-4; Daniel 7; 2 Corinthians 12:1-7).
Of primary importance in the revealing of God is His Word, the Bible, which is also a form of special revelation. God miraculously guided the authors of Scripture to correctly record His
message to mankind, while still using their own styles and personalities. The Word of God is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). The Word of God is inspired, profitable, and sufficient (2
Timothy 3:16-17). God determined to have the truth regarding Him recorded in written form because He knew the inaccuracy and unreliability of oral tradition. He also understood that the
dreams and visions of man can be misinterpreted. God decided to reveal everything that humanity needs to know about Him, what He expects, and what He has done for us in the Bible.
The ultimate form of special revelation is the Person of Jesus Christ. God became a human being (John 1:1, 14). Hebrews 1:1-3 summarizes it best, “In the past God spoke to our forefathers
through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son … The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his
being.” God became a human being, in the Person of Jesus Christ, to identify with us, to set an example for us, to teach us, to reveal Himself to us, and, most importantly, to provide
salvation for us by humbling Himself in death on the cross (Philippians 2:6-8). Jesus Christ is the ultimate “special revelation” from God.
Recommended Resource: The Moody Handbook of Theology by Paul Enns.
• GotQuestions.org via icontact.com

John 1:1, One God, One Christ
• CCC2782, 795, 1689 Becoming Christs, capital "C", diety,
priests are divine, CCC460, shared divinity
• CCC 2782 We can adore the Father because he has caused us
to be reborn to his life by adopting us as his children in his
only Son: by Baptism, he incorporates us into the Body of his
Christ; through the anointing of his Spirit who flows from the
head to the members, he makes us other “Christs.” (1267)
• God, indeed, who has predestined us to adoption as his sons,
has conformed us to the glorious Body of Christ. So then you
who have become sharers in Christ are appropriately called
“Christs.”34… CCC 2783 Thus the Lord’s Prayer reveals us to
ourselves at the same time that it reveals the Father to us….
“Our Father,” so that you may merit being his son.37

John 1:3, Who created everything? Dr Jobe
Martin
• NAU John 1:3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
• Biblical Discipleship Ministries
• 2212 Chisholm Trail, Rockwall, TX 75032 (972) 771-0568
• The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.Psalm 19:1
• And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was
so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and
God saw that it was good.26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and
over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in
his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Genesis 1:24-27
• I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens,
and all their host have I commanded. Isaiah 45:12
• For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or
principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: Colossians 1:16
• For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it;
he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited:
I am the LORD; and there is none else. Isaiah 45:18
• But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:
8 or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
9 Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? 10 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all
mankind. Job 12:7-10
• I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. 9 Behold, the former things are come to
pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. 10 Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth,
ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. 11 Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the
villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. 12 Let them give glory unto the LORD,
and declare his praise in the islands. Isaiah 42:8–12,

John 1:3
All things were made by Him
• 3. HIS MIGHTY POWER!
• Col. 1:16-17 - "all things created"
• Colossians 1:16-17 - "For by Him were all things created, that are in heave, and that are in earth, visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: and He
is before all things, and by Him all things consist"
• (1) The ORIGIN of that power
• v. 17 - "before all things"
• cf. John 1:1; 8:58
• John 1:1 - "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God"
• John 8:58 - "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM."
• (2) The OPERATION of that power
• Col. 1:16 - "by Him were all things created"
• John 1:3 - "All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made."
• Col. 1:17b - "by Him all things consist"
• Hebrews 1:3 - "Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His Person, and upholding all things by
the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high."
• (3) The OBJECT of that power
• Col. 1:16 - "all things were created by
• Him and FOR Him"
• Romans 11:36 - "For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things, to Whom be glory forever. Amen."
• Ephesians 1:9-10 -"Having made know unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath
purpose in Himself: That in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ,
both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him."
74

John 1:4, Bible and Spade, Lamps
• 2 Samuel 22:29 "For You are my lamp, O LORD; And the
LORD illumines my darkness.
• 1 Kings 15:4 But for David's sake the LORD his God gave
him a lamp in Jerusalem, to raise up his son after him and
to establish Jerusalem;
• Mark 4:21 And He was saying to them, "A lamp is not
brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is
it not brought to be put on the lampstand?
• Bible and Spade, Vol. 26, No. 4, Fall 2013, page 98, The
Lamps of Khirbet el–Maqatir, by Brian N. Peterson

John 1:7, Light/Distance
• If the earth is only 6,000 years old, then how can we see light from stars that are
millions of light years away?
• Einstein's scientifically accepted Theory of Relativity shows that time is relative to gravity
and speed. Time simply varies depending on the amount of mass, acceleration and
gravity.
Therefore, any knowledgeable scientist will admit that in the extra-terrestrial spaces,
creation light could have traveled at unfathomable speeds.
In the Biblical model,Adam and Eve, as well as the trees, plants and animals, were created
with the appearance of age. Even though they were only a few minutes old, they looked
and acted like full-grown adults.
Therefore scripture supports God simply preforming another miracle. If He could create
the earth in 6 days, He certainly could create a light beam from the stars to earth!
"It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with
My hands, and I ordained all their host." Is. 45:12
• "He stretches out the north over empty space, and hangs the earth on nothing. Job 26:7

John 1:11, What If They Had Accepted Him, The
rejection, rejected, No Church Age
• John 1:11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.
• What If They Had Accepted Him?
• Saturday, April 12th, 2014End Times
• Q. I have often wondered what would have happened if the Jews had truly and officially accepted Jesus as Messiah; if the Lord’s reception on Palm
Sunday had permeated the entire nation of Israel. Based on your broad knowledge and understanding of what Scripture reveals, can you speculate
what would have been the course of history in the past 2,000 years?
• A. Had the Jews accepted Jesus as their Messiah on that first Palm Sunday, they would have allowed Him to die for their sins as the Scriptures foretold
and God’s Law required. We know that the Old Testament remedy for sin was only temporary until the Messiah came to provide the permanent
remedy. Therefore, their rejection didn’t cause His death, it merely rendered His death meaningless to them.
• Upon His resurrection three days later they would have hailed Him as their eternal King and together they would have set about expelling the Romans.
• In the process Daniel’s 70th week would have been fulfilled and a new Temple would have been built, as prophesied in Ezekiel 40-43. They would
have received the New Covenant with joy and begun exporting it into the nations. Soon salvation would have come to the gentiles and the whole
world would have accepted the Lord as their King. Those nations who resisted would have been defeated. The curse would have been lifted with
everything restored to the condition it was in when Adam was created.
• The 2,000 year Church Age would never have happened because the history of man would have gone from the Old Testament directly into the
Kingdom Age, or Millennium, as we call it. By now the Kingdom Age would have ended and eternity would have begun.
• But because they didn’t accept Him, the clock on Daniel’s prophecy paused seven years short of its scheduled duration, a pause which continues to this
day. During that time the Church has come into existence, and you and I have been privileged to be part of God’s greatest demonstration of the
incomparable riches of His grace.
• http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/what-if-they-had-accepted-
him/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gracethrufaith+%28GraceThruFaith%29

John 4:42, 10:38, 16:30, 1:10, Know
• No other New Testament book (NAU) has more uses of the word
“know” than the book of John. Only the book of Ezekiel has more
uses (6 more in NAU). However Ezekiel has 394 verses. John has
the greatest concentration of the word “know” in the entire Bible.
John wants us to know certainly;
• NAU John 4:42 and they were saying to the woman, "It is no
longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have
heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of
the world."
• NAU John 20:31 but these have been written so that you may
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing
you may have life in His name.
• NAU 1 John 5:13 These things I have written to you who believe in
the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have 78

John 17:25, Know, Known
• NAU John 17:25 "O righteous Father, although the world has not
known Thee, yet I have known Thee; and these have known that
Thou didst send Me; 26 and I have made Thy name known to
them, and will make it known; that the love wherewith Thou
didst love Me may be in them, and I in them.”
• NAU 1 Corinthians 8:3 but if anyone loves God, he is known by
Him.
• NAU Galatians 4:9 But now that you have come to know God,
or rather to be known by God… [an intimate personal
relationship]
• NAU Romans 11:2 God has not rejected His people whom He
foreknew… [God predetermined His love for them]
79

John 1:12, All The Prophets
• Acts 10:43 All the prophets testify about him that
everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of
sins through his name."
• Who is “all the prophets”?
• Who is “everyone who believes in him”?
• John 1:12, 3:16
• 2Pet 3:9 not wishing for any to perish but for all to
come to repentance.
• 1 Timothy 2:4 who desires all men to be saved and to
come to the knowledge of the truth. (NASB)

John 1:12, Regeneration, Born Again
• How Could Nicodemus Understand?
• Saturday, April 19th, 2014Interpreting Verses
• Salvation
• Q. Before Jesus was crucified and resurrected, he preached the gospel. He told Nicodemus that he
must be born again. I wonder what this meant to the people who heard him as the Holy Spirit had
yet to be poured out on believers. How could someone be born again when at that time
regeneration by the Holy Spirit was not possible yet?
• A. Regeneration by the Holy Spirit is not what makes a person born again. It’s what happens after a
person is born again. Being born again comes from believing that Jesus died for our sins and rose
again (John 1:12-13).
• Remember, Jesus was critical of Nicodemus for not understanding Him, saying,“You are Israel’s
teacher, and you do not understand these things?” (John 3:10). Therefore He expected Nicodemus
to understand the concept of being born again from the Old Testament. I believe He was referring
to Ezekiel 36:25-26.
• “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities
and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from
you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
• http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/nicodemus-
understand/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gracethruf
aith+%28GraceThruFaith%29

John 1:12,Is Faith A Form Of Work?
• Is Faith A Form Of Work?
• Monday, February 17th, 2014Q. I have a question about faith versus works. I am very much a “by
faith alone, in Christ alone” believer (who also believes in OSAS). But, to be perfectly honest, I find
myself wondering if faith itself isn’t a form of works. Believing is something you have to do to be
saved. In other words, if you don’t “work” it by believing and receiving you won’t be saved. Isn’t
that works?
• A. Then they asked Him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent” (John 6:28-29).
• In the Greek language believe and faith come from the same word. Therefore if faith is a “work” it is
the only one that God requires.
• In Romans 4:5 Paul said, “To the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his
faith is credited to him as righteousness.”
• And in Ephesians 2:8-9 he said we’re saved by grace through faith and not by works. In both these
places He differentiated between faith, which is required, and works, which are not.
• Therefore, it’s reasonable to conclude that having faith (believing) is the only thing we can do that’s
not counted as work, and in fact if faith wasn’t required, then everyone would automatically be
saved.
• http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/faith-form-
work/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gracethrufaith+%
28GraceThruFaith%29

John 6:53, 1:13, The Blood
• The Blood
Hopefully soon it will be time to reveal the Ark of the Covenant to the entire world. When the Lord says, "It is time," some
humble man will return and re-enter that cave and take along with him a camera crew and one or more genetic
scientists. We will see them take a sample of Christ's blood (there is a dried pool of it on the Mercy Seat!), and we will see
the test results of that extremely unique blood! Ron has already tested his own sample and he knows what the results will be.
Remember, Ron works as an anesthetist in several hospitals and he has seen lots of blood.
• Christ's blood has only 24 chromosomes!!! Normal human blood has a total of 46 chromosomes. When a child is conceived,
23 chromosomes come from the mother (all of these are "X" chromosomes), and 23 come from the father. If a child is to be a
male child a "Y" chromosome is provided by the father and that chromosome designates the child will be a male. Christ's
blood has only 24 chromosomes! There are 23 from his earthly human mother and only one "Y" chromosome from His
heavenly Father! No other human blood like this has ever existed on the earth! The scientific term for this is "ploidy" or
"haploidy." There have been known examples of females born with only half the normal chromosome count - 23 - but never a
male child, because the father has to provide that distinctive "Y" chromosome! Praise the Lord! God will scientifically prove
beyond all reasonable doubt that Jesus was no mere "good teacher" or "just a good man." Jesus Christ was the divine Son of
God!
• The key to understanding what the Ark is and its significance to us today lies in studying the sacrificial system which was
established by God when man fell and was cast out of the Garden of Eden.
• All of the objects in the earthly tabernacle, in the Sanctuary, were "patterns of things in the heavens." Hebrews 9:23. The Ark
represented God's throne where His presence was evident among the people. This throne was a copy of the great throne in
heaven. The Ark resided in the second apartment of the Sanctuary - "The Most Holy Place.“
• DLK asks, “Since Jesus is 100 % human, and 100 % divine, the monogeneas Son of God, and since God created man from dust,
and breathed life into him, is it possible that God gave Jesus all 46 chromosomes? Hebrews 4:15, John 1:13 who were born,
not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 1:14, What is grace?, by Matt Slick
• “Grace is the unmerited favor of God. It is where God shows us mercy, kindness, and patience
instead of the judgment that we deserve for sinning against him. God's grace cannot be earned by
our actions or sincerity. It cannot be lost by our rebellion or sin. Grace is based on the character of
God and not on our sincerity, performance, or ability to keep the law of God. Otherwise, grace
would not be grace.
• Rom. 11:6, "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer
grace."
• Gal. 2:21, "I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ
died needlessly."
• 2 Timothy 1:9, "who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity."
• If it were not for God's grace, we would not ever be saved from his righteous judgment. It was the
grace of God that worked in Christ who bore our sins in his body and the cross (1 Peter 2:24), so that
we might be forgiven and justified by faith (Rom. 3:28; 5:1). Because of God's gracious kindness to
us all who put their trust in his work on the cross will receive forgiveness, salvation, regeneration,
and the eternal love of God. Again, God's kindness to us is based on his character not on ours. His
grace to us is completely and totally an act of his free will and not based on any ability, merit, or
performance of our own….”

John 1:14, Jesus became a man!
• Today is January 25, 2013
• Verse of the Day -- John 1:14 . . . the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us . . .
• THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
• Jesus did not simply appear like man—He became one!
• MINI BIBLE STUDY FOR THE DAY
• This is probably the strongest verse in the New Testament for declaring the deity of Jesus. By coming to the earth as
a man, humanity was added to Christ's deity. Yet Christ's becoming a man did not change His deity. The word "flesh"
in this verse means a human nature, not sinfulness or weakness.
• God's becoming human means the flesh He dwelt in ("dwelt" means "tabernacled" or "pitched His tent") had
voluntarily accepted human limitations in time and space, as well as having to endure human emotions.
• For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all
things as we are, yet without sin. — Hebrews 4:15 The glory of God, once restricted to the tabernacle ("Then the
cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. — Exodus 40:34 ), was now visible
in Jesus. This assertion would have stunned Greek scholars of the day, who always viewed the divine and the
mundane world as completely separate. This was also new to the Hebrews. They expected a Messiah, a
man&mash;not God incarnate!
• DLK added;
• Philippians 2:6 -9, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be
grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men….

Jesus never claimed to be God?
http://gotquestions.org/is-Jesus-God.html
• Question: "Is Jesus God? Did Jesus ever claim to be God?"
• Answer: The Bible never records Jesus saying the precise words, “I am God.” That does not mean, however, that He did
not proclaim that He is God. Take for example Jesus’ words in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one.” We need only to
look at the Jews’ reaction to His statement to know He was claiming to be God. They tried to stone Him for this very
reason: “You, a mere man, claim to be God” (John 10:33). The Jews understood exactly what Jesus was claiming—deity.
When Jesus declared, “I and the Father are one,” He was saying that He and the Father are of one nature and essence.
John 8:58 is another example. Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth … before Abraham was born, I am!” Jews who heard
this statement responded by taking up stones to kill Him for blasphemy, as the Mosaic Law commanded (Leviticus
24:16).
• John reiterates the concept of Jesus’ deity: “The Word [Jesus] was God” and “the Word became flesh” (John 1:1, 14).
These verses clearly indicate that Jesus is God in the flesh. Acts 20:28 tells us, “Be shepherds of the church of God, which
he bought with his own blood.” Who bought the church with His own blood? Jesus Christ. And this same verse declares
that God purchased His church with His own blood. Therefore, Jesus is God!
• Thomas the disciple declared concerning Jesus, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). Jesus does not correct him. Titus
2:13 encourages us to wait for the coming of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ (see also 2 Peter 1:1). In Hebrews 1:8, the
Father declares of Jesus, “But about the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever, and righteousness
will be the scepter of your kingdom.’” The Father refers to Jesus as “O God,” indicating that Jesus is indeed God.
• In Revelation, an angel instructed the apostle John to only worship God (Revelation 19:10). Several times in Scripture
Jesus receives worship (Matthew 2:11; 14:33; 28:9, 17; Luke 24:52; John 9:38). He never rebukes people for worshiping
Him. If Jesus were not God, He would have told people to not worship Him, just as the angel in Revelation did. There are
many other passages of Scripture that argue for Jesus’ deity.
• The most important reason that Jesus has to be God is that, if He is not God, His death would not have been sufficient to
pay the penalty for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2). A created being, which Jesus would be if He were not God, could
not pay the infinite penalty required for sin against an infinite God. Only God could pay such an infinite penalty. Only
God could take on the sins of the world (2 Corinthians 5:21), die, and be resurrected, proving His victory over sin and 87

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