I felt compelled to expand on the verses in John 1 cited in the last commentary, it is filled with the revelation of the nature and personhood of God. It is such a blessing to understand and to share with others that they may have that same understanding, knowing that in spite off all the hyperbole expounded on continuously by the media concerning mankind’s need to control the earth’s environment, which is born out of ignorant arrogance, that God is in final control of all things.
There has always been two differing views concerning the origin of the universe and specifically of this planet we live on called earth. There is the creationist’s concept that comes straight out of the bible in Genesis, and there is the evolutionists view some of which is based on scientific evidence and some on pure speculation. Both concepts may actually dovetail and simply be two halves of the whole story. Unfortunately human beings have a penchant for tunnel vision and doggedly hang on to their own theory while flatly rejecting the other entirely. They miss something important concerning the existence of the Intelligent Designer of the universe whose existence is not governed by time like that of human beings.
(Psalm 90: 2,4) Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. For a thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when it is past, And like a watch in the night.
In the very first pages of the bible we find an astounding account of how God spoke the universe and our world into existence by His “Word”. Take note of that Word as it is indicative of the second person of God’s tripartite personality, the Father, the Son and His Holy Spirit.
Genesis 1: 1 - 5) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.
(John 1: 1 - 3,14) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Here again in the first chapter of John in the New Testament we have an expanded view of creation as John, who was an apostle of Jesus Christ, had an intimate understanding of who Christ is and how the pre-incarnate Christ was in fact the Word of God who spoke the universe into existence and that the triune God does not operate independently of His own three personas.
(John 1: 4 - 5) In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
John goes on to expound on how Christ is the Author of life and that outside of His will men would not exist and that darkness will not exist when exposed to the light. Jesus had come to be a light to a world darkened by sin and all manner of evil and to reconcile mankind to the Father.
(Genesis 1: 26 - 27) Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
In Genesis we can clearly understand how the tripartite nature of God works in unison as one, as foreign it is to our finite minds to grasp consider our own human makeup. We have a physical body, then there is the soul which is usually referred to as the ego or the will, then there is the spirit of life in us given by God that will return again to God, that electric spark of life that speaks at times to our conscience and gives us empathy and a heart for others. So this in essence is our own tripartite nature made in the image of God.
(John 1: 10 - 11) He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
Here John expands on what he had said earlier in Vs 4 & 5. He was born to the Jews but they refused to acknowledge Him. The very idea that He is the incarnation of God Himself, the one who created the universe and everything in it was inconceivable to them. In spite of their religion, the trappings of the temple, it’s significance pointing to the sinfulness of man and the reasons for sacrifice had gone over their heads, their minds had been darkened. “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him”.
There are those that do acknowledge and receive Him, predominant among them are those of the gentile nations who have acknowledged their own sinful nature and a need for His salvation that was purchased by His own sacrifice on the cross which He offers freely to all.
(John1: 12 - 13) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
As we clearly see the coming of an end of an age it is incumbent on all to consider what the Risen Christ said to John who was in exile for his faith on the Isle of Patmos.
(Revelation 1: 7 - 8) Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”