And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known (John 1:14-18, ESV).

Introduction

We have one of the most glorious and beautiful passages in all Scripture. The Word of God, who is God, did not leave men alone in the darkness. He became one of us and lived among us every day until He was taken into glory.

Some of us might think we would be blessed if we had a wealthy man, a celebrity, or a head of state as our neighbor. Yet, God left His throne to live among us, and no one bats an eye. He did not come to give us more rules or commandments. He came to give us the grace we desperately need for our sins, the grace of God, which comes from the only God.

Thesis

Jesus Christ, the eternal Word of God, who is God, has made God known through his grace and truth. One must repent and believe in Jesus for who He is to be saved. This will be seen in the Word becoming flesh, the Son of God’s glory, and the Son of God’s Grace and truth.

The Word Became Flesh

John, the apostle, just explained how the Light, who is the Word, who is God, came into the world (John 1:1, 4, 9). He just explained the Light had come into the world, was rejected by the world, and adopted those who received Him as children of God by the will of God. John did not explain how the Word became flesh. He assumed the virgin birth, which was taught in Matthew and Luke.

No story can be illustrated which can come close to what Jesus did. He emptied himself of his glory to take on the role of our substitute as a man who was an impoverished slave of God (Philippians 2:6- 11). The only thing that comes close is that of a king taking off his royal robes. Afterward, taking on the clothes of a slave and walking around town, paying the debts of all who would acknowledge him as king and be loyal to him. Yet, Christ did not only fulfill our fines. He died in our place, satisfied the wrath of God, rose from the dead, and is seated at the right hand of God to intercede for his people.

Like God dwelling among the Israelites in the desert in a tent, Jesus walked among his people. He called them to repentance, teaching about the kingdom of God. Then he incited the wicked religious rulers to inadvertently do the will of God by putting Jesus to death to pay for the sins of His people. This is the grand hope of Christianity. God became a man to redeem a people for himself!

The Son of God’s Glory

God’s glory is seen in His goodness, truth, and grace. This was the shekinah glory Moses saw from Mt. Sinai.

Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.” (Exodus 33:18-23, ESV).

Moses saw God’s goodness, truth, and mercy pass before him. The supreme glory of God that passed by Moses and lit up his face was the attributes of God mentioned in John 1:14.

 Who embodies these attributes? It is none other than Jesus himself. When Jesus walked the earth, he was the embodiment of God’s goodness, truth, and mercy. That is the embodiment of God’s glory. This is proof that Jesus is God. This is further evidenced by John the Baptist’s testimony of Jesus being before him, which will be fleshed out in verses 19-37.

The Son of God’s Grace and Truth

Again, John reveals his Jewish background when he mentions Moses. Moses did bring the Law of God to the people of Israel. His face was illuminated by witnessing the afterglow of the glory of God. Yet, as Paul shows, “Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end” (2 Corinthians 3:13, ESV). Moses’s glow from the glory of God was not permanent. It also brought rules and statutes the Israelites would not be able to live up to.

The Law could only condemn the Israelites for their inability to keep the Law; however, Jesus came to bring grace and truth. The grace Jesus gave saved those who received Him by faith. This saving grace enables those who received Him by faith to be adopted as God’s children.

The truth Jesus gave revealed God in a way never shown before. God showed his glory in drowning the old world with a flood and saving Noah’s family on the ark. God showed His glory in the Ten Plagues, which destroyed Egypt but freed the Israelites from captivity. God revealed in the bellowing thunder and fire on the looming Mt. Sinai when he gave the Law to Moses. Yet, all of that was minuscule, mere droppings of God’s power, compared to Him taking on human flesh: a human body, spirit, and mind; walking among us. He revealed His tremendous power of goodness, overwhelming grace, and great truth in the God-man Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

Jesus is the God who became a man and lived among His people. He came to conquer the darkness and save those who trust in Him from sin. He revealed to us God’s glory, God’s grace, and God’s truth. Jesus saves us by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-10). We were sealed with the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity when we heard and believed the gospel (Ephesians 1:13-14). This means we can trust God because He has revealed His grace and mercy in Jesus Christ. We need to live a life that reflects this great truth.

If you want more biblical resources on studying the Scriptures, check out the store at strivingforeternity.org/store. There are also a lot of other articles on the website to encourage you to dive deeper into God’s Word. Please also check out Apologetics Live at strivingforeternity.org/apologeticslive, where Andrew Rappaport, Anthony Silvestro, and Justin Pierce answer your questions and teach you how to defend the faith. It is on from 8pm – 10pm EST. Also, do not forget to check out the Rapp Report, where you can hear the teaching of Andrew Rappaport and the Christian Podcast community. Lord bless you.