John 1:1-5 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. 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.
Based upon these verses then Jesus is the Word of God - capital letters because that's his title and his name before he became flesh. Jesus was with God. Jesus was God - meaning the same as God, not different from, but the same as - identical. Jesus was with God in the beginning - The Word (Jesus) is eternal without beginning and without end. Everything was made through Him. When God spoke everything into existence, His Word (i.e. Jesus) went forth and brought into existence everything the Father spoke, thus God made everything through Jesus the living Word of God.
John 1:6-13 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. 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. 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.
Jesus is the Light and came to give light to every person. When we believe in him and receive him then we become born of God and are therefore children of God. Note: Everyone is a creation of God, but only those born of God through Jesus are children of God.
John1:14-18 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’” And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
Jesus (the Word) became flesh. Jesus was not created in Mary's womb because as we already saw he was God and was with God from the beginning. Jesus was placed into Mary's womb where he took on a human body. Notice John said that Jesus was before him. That's interesting because John was born six months before Jesus so John is referring to the fact that Jesus existed in heaven before. When it says he has declared the Father it means not by words only but by his very being - he is God who became a man and lived among us. We see this again in the following verses in John. Notice that they understood Jesus perfectly when he said he was God. They understood him so well that they wanted to kill him for saying that.
John 14:7-11...32-39 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?” The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’? If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.
Jesus said the works that he does proves that he is of God. Jesus continually emphasizes who he is throughout his ministry - he is the son of God - God in the flesh of a man.
John12:44,45 Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.
John 17:1-8...24 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. For You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
Notice above that he prays to be restored to the glory he had with God before when he was in heaven as the Word of God. Notice too he says that he had that glory before the world was created.
John 20:30.31 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 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.
God loves you and went to a lot of trouble to reveal himself to you. He came down from heaven and became a man. He did that to pay for your sins by shedding his blood as a sacrifice. That was necessary so you can receive the gift of eternal life. Without his sacrifice he could not offer you eternal life. Eternal life is not heaven. Heaven is a place. Eternal life is a kind of life. It is eternal having no end. It is his very own life. You can have it as a gift when you believe in Jesus and surrender yourself completely to him. Why not do that right now? You'll be very glad you did. God says...
For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but shall have eternal life. John 3:16.
Based upon these verses then Jesus is the Word of God - capital letters because that's his title and his name before he became flesh. Jesus was with God. Jesus was God - meaning the same as God, not different from, but the same as - identical. Jesus was with God in the beginning - The Word (Jesus) is eternal without beginning and without end. Everything was made through Him. When God spoke everything into existence, His Word (i.e. Jesus) went forth and brought into existence everything the Father spoke, thus God made everything through Jesus the living Word of God.
John 1:6-13 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. 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. 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.
Jesus is the Light and came to give light to every person. When we believe in him and receive him then we become born of God and are therefore children of God. Note: Everyone is a creation of God, but only those born of God through Jesus are children of God.
John1:14-18 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’” And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
Jesus (the Word) became flesh. Jesus was not created in Mary's womb because as we already saw he was God and was with God from the beginning. Jesus was placed into Mary's womb where he took on a human body. Notice John said that Jesus was before him. That's interesting because John was born six months before Jesus so John is referring to the fact that Jesus existed in heaven before. When it says he has declared the Father it means not by words only but by his very being - he is God who became a man and lived among us. We see this again in the following verses in John. Notice that they understood Jesus perfectly when he said he was God. They understood him so well that they wanted to kill him for saying that.
John 14:7-11...32-39 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?” The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’? If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.
Jesus said the works that he does proves that he is of God. Jesus continually emphasizes who he is throughout his ministry - he is the son of God - God in the flesh of a man.
John12:44,45 Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.
John 17:1-8...24 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. For You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
Notice above that he prays to be restored to the glory he had with God before when he was in heaven as the Word of God. Notice too he says that he had that glory before the world was created.
John 20:30.31 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 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.
God loves you and went to a lot of trouble to reveal himself to you. He came down from heaven and became a man. He did that to pay for your sins by shedding his blood as a sacrifice. That was necessary so you can receive the gift of eternal life. Without his sacrifice he could not offer you eternal life. Eternal life is not heaven. Heaven is a place. Eternal life is a kind of life. It is eternal having no end. It is his very own life. You can have it as a gift when you believe in Jesus and surrender yourself completely to him. Why not do that right now? You'll be very glad you did. God says...
For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but shall have eternal life. John 3:16.