Pastor Ralph Posted August 7, 2014 Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 To help you internalize and apply what you’re learning from John’s Gospel, I’ve included several Discussion Questions in each lesson. These are designed to help you think about and ponder the most important points. Don’t skip this. It’s best to write them out. You can post your answers – and read what others have written – by going to the online forum by clicking on the URL below each question. (Before you can post your answer the first time, you’ll need to register. You can find instructions at http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/instructions.htm Q1. (John 1:1-3) According to the Apostle John, is Jesus fully God? What does it mean that Jesus is the “Word”? What does this say about him and his ministry? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen Posted August 23, 2014 Report Share Posted August 23, 2014 Yes Jesus is fully God, one with the Father. "Matthew Henry says that Word is two-fold:Word conceived and Word Uttered. There is the word conceived, that is thought, which is the first and only immediate product and conception of the soul. There is the word uttered that this is speech. Christ is fitly called the Word." Jesus has existed in the beginning with God, He was sent to reveal God to us (I don't believe we will ever know all there is to know about God), to fulfill Old Testament prophecy about Him to give His life for our sins to draw us to God, to reveal God's glory. God Bless Jen Numbers 6:24-26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickledilly Posted August 23, 2014 Report Share Posted August 23, 2014 Jesus pre-existed the beginning of creation. John clearly stated in these verses and others that Jesus was with God as a part of the triune Godhead before anything was made. Everything that was created was made through Him (therefore, He Himself could not have been created, but is the self-existent I AM). Yes, Jesus is fully God! Jesus is identified here by the name of Logos, the Word. This distinguishes Him as the expression of the mind and thoughts of God to His creation. Jesus is the One who communicates what God has to say to us. There is such power in The Word that what He speaks contains the energy and capacity to create, to infuse life. The Word took on human flesh and came to earth to show us who God is and to speak only the mind of God to us. This makes every word He has spoken to humanity of utmost importance and every action He took of unequaled significance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindycat2011 Posted August 23, 2014 Report Share Posted August 23, 2014 I feel overshadowed here by the responses so far. Jesus is Fully God, and existed since before creation. He was present at creation and participated in this action. Jesus is the Word (Logos). This reflects that He is God, and what He says, and will say, and has said, do will do, and has done throughout time are fully God's Word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindycat2011 Posted August 23, 2014 Report Share Posted August 23, 2014 His words are the most important words ever spoken, and his action are the most important actions. He came to bring us back to God, we may never know all there is to know about God, but we needed Jesus to show us the way Home. In the story of the son who squandered his inheritance that person is us, the Father in the Story is Jesus, and all we need to do is come back home, and ask for forgiveness, and all is forgiven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godchick63 Posted August 23, 2014 Report Share Posted August 23, 2014 Hi everyone, this is where I get a great big headache!!! How can jesus be God when He sits on the right side of His father? Also, how can Jesus hand back the kingdom to God, if Jesus is God? And somewhere in the scriptures Jesus says to someone, why do you call me good, when there is only one who is good and that is God? The trinity will always confuse me!!! I get that Jesus is the son of God, but that He is God totally scrambles my brain!!! Can anyone explain in simple terms please? Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow Posted August 23, 2014 Report Share Posted August 23, 2014 Q1. (John 1:1-3) According to the Apostle John, is Jesus fully God? What does it mean that Jesus is the “Word”? What does this say about him and his ministry? According to Apostle John, Jesus is fully God. In the beginning was the "Word" and the "Word" was with God. Jesus is the "Word." Everything that is made came from God and Jesus was God wrapped in the flesh when he walked amongst men to teach them the Word of God. No one has ever seen God, but has seen Jesus as a the light or representation of God. God's light shined through Jesus because God is light and as we believe in God's Word and/or believe in Jesus the Christ, we inherit that Light which gives us power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Many people separate Jesus from God, because they have difficulty in comprehending God's ways and his thoughts, but his ways and thoughts are not like ours. God's power is incomprehensible. God had a reason to wrap himself in flesh as Jesus the Christ. Thank God for Jesus and His ministry. Jesus words came directly from God and not from man and Jesus knew His mission was to be about His Father's business. Evangelist Snow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow Posted August 23, 2014 Report Share Posted August 23, 2014 Yes, I agree with you Jen, we will never know all there is to know about God...therefore, sometimes when I am questioning God or questioning "Why" I have to stop and accept the Word as it is and believe in Him and do His will. God answers us in His own way and in His own time. Evang. Snow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanks Posted August 24, 2014 Report Share Posted August 24, 2014 Q1. (John 1:1-3) According to the Apostle John, is Jesus fully God? What does it mean that Jesus is the "Word"? What does this say about Him and His ministry? Yes!! Jesus is fully God. John states that Jesus did not have a beginning but existed from all eternity – before creation. He was never created. The Bible teaches us that there is one God and that there are 3 Persons in the Godhead – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is God the Son. He is God, the exact representation of God, the full revelation of God, the complete expression of God in a human form. When God spoke, that was a creative, awesome moment. In Genesis 1:3 we read, “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” Also in Genesis 1:26, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness … ‘.” In Isaiah we read, “ … My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it”. So we read in Scripture the power of God's creative Word which is Jesus. As Pastor Ralph states, the Word means that Jesus is an ‘independent personified expression of God.’ The way by which God announces and declares His will and issues His commandments. This is confirmed in Hebrews 1:3 where we read that Jesus by the Word of His power upholds all things. He speaks and His powerful Word sustains life, holds matter together, and maintains the universe in proper order. Also in Colossians 1:15-17 we read that Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. And that all things were created by Him and for Him. Also that He is before all things and in Him all things hold together. All this supports what John has written ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.’ There is such intense power in these few words! We need to meditate on them and let them sink in so that we can somehow try and comprehend their full meaning. We can know for sure that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is fully God! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puritu Posted August 24, 2014 Report Share Posted August 24, 2014 Hmmm Jesus is God. He is part of the trinue God, He is the Word. The word made flesh and dwelth amongst us. God's purpose in revealing 'the Word' would be for us to know how powerful our spoken word is once spoken from a place of faith and union with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus' ministry was demonstrating the power of the word so we too could follow his example and lead. What did he teach 1. Time in prayer with the Father, 2. Total dependence on the Father's will, 3. Faith and trust that his plan was perfect, 4. Believing in His Father's timing...basically his union with God was his source that was his ministry and he flavoured it all with HUMILITY. Although his state was divine he empitied himself to assume the condition of a slave..even to accepting death on a cross Philippians 2:6-11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebeccaMallinson Posted August 24, 2014 Report Share Posted August 24, 2014 According to John is Jesus fully God? Yes, he makes it very clear that Jesus is a part of God (the Word was with God and the Word was God’) and all things are made ‘through him’. It is not therefore possible to separate God and Jesus although they are at the same time distinct from each other. What does it mean that Jesus is the Word? In the beginning God spoke and the world was created through his words. The actual words spoken gave life where before there had been nothing. This was an entirely supernatural event. Our own words are just so much hot air and have no means of doing anything without actions to back them up. This is not the case with God, whose own words are life. I once read that it is not surprising that Jesus rose from the dead because he is the Word, which is life itself. It was therefore impossible for him to be killed permanently. What does this say about him and his ministry? Jesus’s ministry, unlike the ministries of the prophets before him, has total authority as he is God himself. It is therefore a divine ministry. The message is of Salvation and Eternal Life, which is very fitting as his Word is life itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann Lee Posted August 24, 2014 Report Share Posted August 24, 2014 The concept of a triune God can be confusing but this helped me. God is a God of intention. When He speaks His Word reveals His intention then His Spirit activates and His intention becomes visable in time and space. All 3 parts of the trinity are shown in Genesis. Christ is God's intention made flesh and Jesus makes a way for God's Spirit to be active in believers. When God Spoke His intention to reveal light, light was revealed, etc. through the Gensis account of creation. In Jesus God spoke His intention to reveal Himself as flesh and Spirit in time and space that we might know we have eternal life in God's reality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar Jim Posted August 25, 2014 Report Share Posted August 25, 2014 Q1. (John 1:1-3) According to the Apostle John, is Jesus fully God? Most definitely. It does take a moment to decypher, for want of a better word, John's vocabulary . . . but yes, he is saying that Jesus is God, the same as God. What does it mean that Jesus is the “Word”? God is a Spirit. When He created the Heavens and the earth, He spoke words and it all just happened. No scientist will ever be able to explain how it happened without stating the blatantly obvious: God spoke the universe into being. John also says that without Jesus, nothing was made that was made. Jesus is the very word, the Being of God. This is really hard to understand with earthly minds. Father and Son working together to create everything. What does this say about him and his ministry? Jesus came to earth to pay the sacrificial penalty for our sins. God is holy, completely and utterly holy and cannot look upon sin. It must have been agonizingly difficult to make His Son, a very part of Himself, sin itself to be sacrificed to atone for the sins of mankind. IN the thirty-odd years Jesus was on Earth, He would have been aware constantly of His impending fate. Mercifully, God the Father removed certain knowledge from Jesus while He was on Earth. We know this because Jesus told His disciples He didn't know the day or hour of His next coming. I believe God also "blocked out" some of the knowledge of Jesus' coming death on the cross in order for Jesus to focus on His earthly ministry of teaching, healing, and preparing His disciples. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sassyblue8 Posted August 25, 2014 Report Share Posted August 25, 2014 Yes, the Word was God. How straight forward could this be. Being the "Word" of God Jesus speaks for God literally. What God wants to say to mankind He says through His Word who is Jesus. Since Jesus is God's Word then we should listen to him. Seems like Jesus' ministry would be one of speaking the very words of God. This is my beloved Son hear ye him. One has to speak in order for others to hear. Jesus is the verbalization of God, so to speak. I have always loved the gospel of John and especially this very chapter. I remember sitting in church on Christmas day and listening to this Gospel being preached as a child but not understanding at the time but when the time came for my revelation at the age of 29 years old how extremely enlightening this chapter became to me. I believe it is one of the most profound chapters in the whole of the bible and the gospel of John is so very awe inspiring as everytime I read it I cry tears of understanding, thankfulness and love for my oh so Great Savior Jesus Christ God's very Word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarence Posted August 25, 2014 Report Share Posted August 25, 2014 Hello everyone: I was interested to read in the study notes and had never thought of it this way before, that John is writing the prologue of the book in a similar style to how Genesis opens "In the beginning God..." (Gen 1:1). And that nothing was made without him. In addition calling the Mesiah "the Word". God spoke and everything was created in Genesis 1. Likewise Jesus, "all things were made through him and without him was not anything made that was made" (John 1:3 RSV) Yes I agree with others concept of the trinity is hard to understand and yes we will never know everything about God while we are restricted to the flesh here on earth. However, the bible says one day we will know him. See 1 John 3:2 and 1 Corinthians 13:12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blezed Posted August 25, 2014 Report Share Posted August 25, 2014 According to the Apostle John, is Jesus fully God? What does it mean that Jesus is the “Word”? What does this say about him and his ministry? Yes, Jesus is fully God. Jesus was the Word from the beginning and there was nothing made without Him. Jesus created everything, there is and nothing exists that He did not make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delivered Posted August 25, 2014 Report Share Posted August 25, 2014 Q1. (John 1:1-3) According to the Apostle John, is Jesus fully God? Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (God is plural, el-o-heem') Gen 1:2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (God the Holy Spirit, the wind or breath of God) Gen 1:26 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 creep upon the earth. (Plural, let us) Gen 2:4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. (LORD is singular for Jehovah, Jewish national name of God Almighty) while (God is plural). Right from the beginning we see the “Three in one God”- LORD, Jehovah who sits upon the throne, from where all authority stems from, God the Son, the radiance of, literally, God’s Sh’khinah glory, and God the Holy Spirit, the Wind or Breath of the LORD. Throughout the Gospel, John teaches that the Father is God, and the Son is God; yet he distinguishes between the Son and the Father, so that we cannot say that the Son is the Father, yet fully understanding the Son is deity so we will not be fooled - (Col 2:8-9) Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, “theotes” which means “deity”—Being forewarned that the Messiah is deity. Salvation comes through “faith” believing on God Almighty, that The Father did send His Son, that the Father raised him up from the dead, who was delivered for our offences, raised up for our justification. (Romans 5:1) Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God, (theos) through our Lord, Yeshua, Jesus Christ. (Luke 1:35) And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the “Son of God”. What does it mean that Jesus is the "Word"? “Word” translates Greek logos, which corresponds to Aramaic “memra” (also word), In the Septuagint logos translates Hebrew davar, which means not only “word” but “thing or matter”; in the beginning was the “Real Thing” Thus the Messiah, Jesus existed before all creation, (Colossians 1:16-17) For by him (God The Son) 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: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLD GARY Posted August 25, 2014 Report Share Posted August 25, 2014 The "WORD" makes Jesus God in the writings of John. The book starting out as does Genesis gets ones attention and then stating Jesus is the word is a statement that leaves no doubt as to John's thoughts. These are the inspired words of God so this is the way God wanted John to express who Jesus is. What a exciting beginning of Johns message. It can only get more exciting as we follow John an his writings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highohfaith Posted August 25, 2014 Report Share Posted August 25, 2014 Q1. (John 1:1-3) According to the Apostle John, is Jesus fully God? What does it mean that Jesus is the “Word”? What does this say about him and his ministry? 1.) Yes,Jesus IS God come to life. 2.) It means that Jesus is fulfilling prophecy, that He has always been with us, but at this time He is being revealed in the flesh. 3.) Jesus is sent to purify and save us from sin. The main purpose of Jesus' ministry is to be our Savior and extend to us eternal live as the children of God. We are made righteous, and sanctified only through His blood. One sovereign brotherhood, saved from sins, and the sins of the world,by the grace of Our Lord, Jesus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanMary Posted August 25, 2014 Report Share Posted August 25, 2014 Q1. (John 1:1-3) According to the Apostle John, is Jesus fully God? a. Yes, He is. Fully God (Co-Creator, with God the Father and the Holy Spirit), was always and is now God forever) and fully man. (He was hungry, He became weary, He wept, etc.) What does it mean that Jesus is the “Word”? b. Jesus is the essence of God's revelation as He lived in this world....the Word become flesh, or the Logos. What does this say about him and his ministry?. c. He came down from Heaven, born of a virgin (no sinful blood in His veins since a child's blood comes only from the father, none from the mother, and His Father is God), was born to die as the perfect sinless sacrificial lamb for the sins of all mankind, to arise from death and ascend into Heaven seated at the right hand of the Father....After living on earth in fulfillment of the prophecies of His first coming as the suffering servant to save mankind (whosoever will may come). He showed us the Father (the Father and I are One...If you've seen me you've seen the Father....I only do what I see the Father doing...) He fulfilled the Law (since the Law was only a mirror to show us the impossibility of being Holy through our efforts) and the prophets (lived out all pertaining to His first coming and will fulfill all concerning His second coming when He returns to earth as reigning Messiah and King). He opened the door to eternal life and gave birth to His Bride...the Church. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammie7 Posted August 25, 2014 Report Share Posted August 25, 2014 Yes Jesus is fully God. It's God the father, God the son and God the Holy spirit It means that without Jesus there word be not word because he is the word.It says that He was there at the beginning. He had to come to earth for our sins and to be a example for his followers on how to go through different tests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parkerslope Posted August 25, 2014 Report Share Posted August 25, 2014 According to the apostle John, is Jesus fully God? When John writes "the word was God", in English grammar, when using the word "was" between two words, makes the two words equal to each other. Thus saying that "word" and "God" were equal or the same. I believe that God treats us like children, because our skulls are so thick, nothing seems to get through. In Genesis 1, when God spoke, "Let there be light", many say it was the Word that spoke, which is Jesus. So I think that God is ONE and that Jesus is portrayed as God's Son so we humans can put the nature of God into our own quality of thinking. Just like the Holy Spirit is God, that is, it is the Spirit of God that works in us. God is still One. What does it mean that Jesus is the "Word"? Jesus spoke the words of God, the Father. In the gospels, Jesus says that He speaks only what He hears the Father saying. What does this say about Him and His ministry? As I was saying in the first question, God is speaking through "Jesus" to inform the Jews what God the Father is like and wants of His people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty10 Posted August 26, 2014 Report Share Posted August 26, 2014 Yes-- Jesus was fully God In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. Jesus was the full expression of God in the flesh.. the logos of God, His personified expression, from the beginning. Jesus's ministry is Gods ministry spoken by God expression through Jesus. I like the fact that Jesus's self awareness of and His teaching of his preexistence was pointed out in the study text. I did not put that together until now. I hope I am understanding this correctly. good teachings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vangogh357 Posted August 27, 2014 Report Share Posted August 27, 2014 Beloved king JESUS is fully God! The son is part of the Father. JESUS is called "The Word" , "The Word of GOD" to describe him and consider our king as the full expression of our Creator, father GOD. JESUS ministry is about showing people expressions of who God is. Also about his ministry, JESUS is the prototype of how we, as human beings on earth should act as sons and daughters of father GOD. Thank you. Blessings! I'm learning a lot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeanc Posted August 29, 2014 Report Share Posted August 29, 2014 Q1. (John 1:1-3) According to the Apostle John, is Jesus fully God? What does it mean that Jesus is the “Word”? What does this say about him and his ministry? a. Yes Jesus is fully God. He was with God in the beginning, before the creation of the world. - Gen.1. Jesus name is the Word of God Rev. 19.13 Johns Gospel tells of Jesus Pre existence. He was with God before the beginning of creation b.Johns Gospel starts with the same words as Gen 1. and tells us Jesus is the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. WORD in Greek is LOGOS. c.Jesus ministry was as the suffering servant to do the will of His Father. Jesus said 'if you have seen Me , then you have seen the Father' Jesus says 'I only do what the Father tells me' . He came to this world to save us. and to redeem us from our sins by His crucifiction in our place on the cross, so that we would receive His gift of eternal life spent with Him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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