It is often necessary to look at the broader purpose of Scripture to begin to understand the actual meaning and purpose of Scripture.

In this study we will attempt to portray the purpose of Jesus, which is to reveal the Nature and Personality of God, and to enable fellowship with Him.

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"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."

Genesis 1:1

God created the whole ball of wax, everything that was in heaven and everything that was in earth.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

"The same was in the beginning with God.

"All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."

John 1:1-3

Here again is the truth that all things were created by God. He was in the beginning, and nothing was made that He did not make.

This includes Jesus Christ.

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

John 1:14

"Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;"

Romans 1:3

"But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, "

Galations 4:4

Yes, Jesus Christ was made all these things. His beginning, his origin, was for the purpose of fulfilling God's will and thus reveal a loving, forgiving God to fallen man.

He was made, like Adam, in the image of God. An image is not the thing itself, but a similitude.

People cannot see God. They could see Jesus Christ, a man, God's son. The Word reveals Jesus and thus reveals God.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

John 1:1

The word "with," as in "the Word was with God," is in the Greek text "pros," usually translated "to." "The Word was to God."

Well, of course. Who else, in the beginning, was there? Certainly not Jesus. It means God was speaking to Himself. Was Jesus in the beginning with God?

"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;"

Mark 1:1

 Mark records the beginning of the good news, the gospel, of Jesus as being what occurs during his earthly ministry. The beginning of the gospel of Jesus does not include some previous time when he was with God creating things.

"The former treatise (the book of Luke) have I made, O Theophilus, of all Jesus began both to do and to teach,"

Acts 1:1

Luke records that his first letter, the Gospel of Luke, recorded the beginning not of some of his work, or his earthly work, but the beginning of all the works of Jesus.

So "in the Beginning was the Word, the Word was to God (since all He had to talk to was Himself) and the Word was (as much) God" (as your words are you.)

It is a wonderful and poetic way of saying God had a lot to say, and only Himself to say it to.

"The same was in the beginning with God."

John 1:2

God was by Himself, having much to say ("Word" is "logos," meaning "expression of thought" or "communication.") But He would now correct this solitude.

"All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."

"In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

"And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."

John 1:3-5

All things were made by who? By God, since thus far "God" is the only proper noun mentioned that this could refer to, "Word" being used as a noun but not a proper noun. But once “all things,” including spirit beings and people, were made, God now has someone other than Himself to communicate to.

And in Him, God, was light, the life of men. Darkness could not "comprehend" (the texts read "overcome") this light. Darkness, a rebellion in Creation led by God’s top angel, tried but failed to overcome the Light of God.

"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

"The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

"He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light."

John 1:6-8

God was the Light of men, not John. John was sent merely to herald the Light of God.

"That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world."

John 1:9

See? God, Who has been the only one thus mentioned by name other than John, and who is the only one this can refer to, is the Light that lights every man with life.

"He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not."

John 1:10

God was in the world, which He made, but the world knew Him not. Why? John 4:24 says God is spirit. Spirit cannot be seen by fallen Man. Corinthians says that the natural man understands not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are spiritually discerned.

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

I Corinthians 2:14

This is why the world knew Him not. God wanted to be known, but He is Spirit. He has to reveal Himself through "revelation," by manipulating something in the physical realm to reveal His spiritual presence.

God can make bushes burn, or asses talk. But He does not possess men’s minds. So He reaches out to spiritually dead Man through manipulation of the world around them. To those who believed, He would “put His Holy Spirit upon them,” so that He could “speak” directly to His chosen prophets.

He, God, gave revelation to His people Israel through the prophets of Israel. But Israel flatly rejected Him.

"He came unto his own, and his own received him not."

John 1:11

Who were God's own? Israel. How did He come? Through prophets, through written revelation, through the Law, with a mighty hand of power and deliverance. Yet as the records indicate, He, God, was rejected by Israel. But some accepted Him.

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

"Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

John 1:12-13

Has any of this mentioned Jesus yet? No. As many of Israel received the Light, the Logos of God, these were adopted as children of God. All this took place before Christ was sent, before Christ was made in the image of his Father.

But now we will, for the first time in this record, find mention of Jesus.

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. "

John 1:14

Now and only now is the Word made flesh. Does God mystically become flesh? No.

When the Word is printed, and "the Word is made (into a) book," does the Bible which is also the Word actually become God? No. It is a figure of speech, a simile, which means that the Logos, the thing to be communicated, is "recorded" in the mind and life of a man.

"John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. "

John 1:15

John bare witness of God Who is the Light of men, and bare witness of "he that cometh after me (that) is preferred before me."

See, Jesus being before John was in "preference," not in a temporal sense. Just as he, Jesus, was "preferred" before Abraham and before David, but did not in real time exist prior to their existence.

"And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace."

John 1:16

John, writing to Christians who have already received the fullness of the purpose of Christ thus far granted men, reveals that the Christian has received the grace through Christ fully. God has been lighting men throughout time, but only when Christ actually came and fulfilled the Word was grace fully realized.

"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."

John 1:17

God lit the world, but while darkness could not overpower the Light, many followed darkness, for they could not see God. Many prophets spoke of God, but...

"No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him."

John 1:18

Scripture reveals that "no man cometh unto the Father" but by Jesus Christ.

Men could believe God, men could come to God through the bits and pieces they saw through the Law, and through the prophets of old.

But no man comes to the Father, no man knows God AS a Father, but through Jesus Christ.

The purpose of Jesus Christ then was to declare the God no man had seen.

When did Jesus declare God? When was he in the bosom of the Father? Back when "in the beginning was the Word?" No.

Right when John was writing, and right now, Jesus is in the bosom. It speaks of Jesus declaring the Father right now.

And so while Jesus came to do many things, and accomplished many things, a most important purpose of Jesus the Lord is to reveal the invisible God to you.

“All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.” Matt. 11:27

To know God as a Father, you have to go through Jesus.

God not only has others to communicate with, but He has Jesus to communicate through. Once Jesus introduces you, however, the barriers are torn down.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places 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.

“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

“Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

“Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:” Eph.1:3-9

Once you are in the Family, you have a right to know the truth, for God already made known to us His mystery regarding us. He has already abounded to you in all wisdom and prudence.

He revealed these things through Jesus, who God gave for us as a payment for our failures and shortcomings.

For Jesus IS the Word made flesh, he IS the one who is in the bosom of the Father and he IS the one who gave himself to die, and trusted to be raised again as Lord, for your sake.

This was his purpose to us, and it is now our job to get to know him through the revelation God gave of his son, and through the revelation Christ gave his servants about himself for our sake.

But understand, in our personal fellowship with the Father, there are no more barriers. We lift our voices to the Father, casting all care, knowing He cares for us.

But as we minister, we know Jesus is head of the Body. We need a relationship with our Lord to flourish in our ministry as much as we need our relationship with God to flourish as children of His.

Thus we lift our voices and our faith, that in the studies ahead and in our lives to follow, we study not as students of men, but of the Man, the Master, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen?

Amen!

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