A Deeper Teaching with Pastor Kenton Cheek
“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; God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”
From the beginning of this chapter, we know that Jesus is the Word and He is God. Now we are seeing John unpack Christology a little further by letting us know that Jesus is fully God and became fully man; the Son of God and the Son of Man. The Spirit affirmed this through the Apostle Paul in Philippians 2:6 when he wrote, “[Jesus] Who, being in very nature God…” and also with regards to Him being fully human, the author of Hebrews explained, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”
We also see the trinitarian relationship of God the Father and God the Son. From a plethora of other Scriptures from the Old Testament which is the Jewish Bible, we know that there is only one true God. Therefore, the doctrine of the Trinity is not a problem, but rather it is a theological solution. One God in three Persons, three in one. John the Baptist’s statement about Jesus ranking before him “because He was before me” is echoed later by Jesus when He was explaining to the religious leaders that “before Abraham was, I AM.”[1] This concept of Jesus not only being fully God but also fully man is further elaborated on in Colossians 2:9-10, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.”
By the Law of Moses, our sinful condition and our need for God’s intervention in our lives is revealed. Paul explained in Romans 7:7, “What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’” No one can keep the Law perfectly except for Jesus who is perfectly holy in all that He does. Through Jesus we have grace, the undeserved favor of God and truth, the promises of the Father come true in bodily form.
The riches of His glorious goodness and grace are poured out upon us through His all-sufficient sacrifice and resurrection. By the Spirit of the Living God, we can partake of His divine nature and become all that God has created us to be; through relationship with Jesus, we can reach our full potential. John reveals that, “No one has ever seen God; God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” God the Son has revealed the heart of the Father to us by living a sinless life as our perfect example. As we follow Him, learn from Him, and put His Word into action in our daily lives, we become more like Him and are remade into His image.
“Lord God, I am eternally grateful for revealing Yourself in the Person of Jesus Christ. Thank You for Your goodness and mercy in my life. Your forgiveness means everything to me. I ask that You would increase my sensitivity to the insights and guidance of Your Holy Spirit. Empower me to live out Your truth in my life and become all that You have created and called me to be. In the Name of Jesus I pray these things, Amen.”
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
—I Peter 1:3-4
[1] John 8:58
Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God 
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