John 1 - Johnny Come Lately

John 1

The Book of John (or the Gospel According to John) is a unique book in the way which it presents the Good News of Jesus Christ. Right away you will find out on the opening chapter, let us read it together.

The Word Became Flesh

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 
2 He was with God in the beginning. 
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 
4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

"Logos" in Greek

The Word John is referring to is none other than Jesus of Nazareth. Now when you read this first five verses of the first chapter of the book of John and consider that Jesus IS the Word, then you will be able to continue reading this book and start to understand it.

The Book of John was written in Greek and the Greek word used for Word here is "Logos".

Let's continue.

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 
7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 
8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

John is of course writing about another person named John.

And stating that this John saw and experienced these things. And he is saying that Jesus is the Light. (This John os John the Baptist, son of Elizabeth, cousin of Jesus).

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 
10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 
11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 
12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 
13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

Again talking about Jesus when he lived among us on earth, the world didn't recognize him. But when you do see him for who He is then you could start to believe. And when you do believe, then you become co-heirs with him.

Jesus is the Son of God. When we believe in Him, we become his brother and we too become children (sons or daughters) of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”)
16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

Here John, the writer is saying that he is an eye-witness to this man called.Jesus. He saw His glory, He actually saw Jesus transfigured right before his eyes. This os why he wrote that he has seen His glory, because he actually did.

He continued that John the Baptist said that the Law was given through Moses, as in the 10 commandments.

But that God's grace and truth was given through Jesus. Im fact Jesus was the truth and through Him we get mercy and grace or forgiveness for our transgressions of God's Law.

John the Baptist Denies Being the Messiah

19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was.
20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”

21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”

22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’

24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent
25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

26 “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know.
27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

The Jewish leaders, the Pharisees, the priest and the Levites were the religious and community leaders of their day. They did not recognize Jesus, much less did they recognize John the Baptist who was of the last Prophet.

All the previous prophets that God called were all rejected by these religious leaders, the same thing they were doing with John. 

John Testifies About Jesus

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’
31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 
34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

Here is why John the Baptist is called John the Baptist. He, himself baptized Jesis and when he did, heaven opened. And the three Persons of God, the Trinity manifested -- God the Spirit, God the Father and Jeaus, God the Son.

John’s Disciples Follow Jesus

35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples.
36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.
38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”

They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”
So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.

40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus.
41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).
42 And he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).

Here, John the writer narrated how Jesus called His first disciples.

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”

44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.
45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.

47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.”
51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

John continued with narrating how the other disciples were called.

Jesus is still calling His disciples until today, through His Word and through His Spirit.

Romans 1 - Friends, Romans, Countrymen Lend Me Your Ears

Romans 1

That is correct, today we are all Romans. We are all friends and we are all countrymen and women.

So let us delve into the Book of Romans, this is a long essay and one which is considered largely offensive in today's "politically correct" world. It may just be a matter of time when one can be put in jail, or attacked, or at least shunned for reading this book aloud in public.

Nevertheless, we shall read this book in the privacy of our small world, in it's entirety with an open mind verse by verse.

The Book of Romans

1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 

2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures

3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David,

4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 

5 Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. 

6 And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. 

7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the introduction to the believers in Romans. As you can see in verse 6, it is also written to you if you are a Gentile (non Jew) and believe in Christ. Indeed, grace and peace be with you.

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.
9 God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you
10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.
11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 
12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. 
13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.
14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 
15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

In verse 14, Paul (the writer of this book) stated that he is to teach to both the Greeks and non-Greeks, and both to the wise and the, okay unwise. In that day the people of Greece or Rome were philosophers or are wise. And they constantly debate over philosophical things. So today even if are are Greeks or not, or even if we are wise or not, these same "teachings" are to be taught.

Now, this is where is starts to be dicey.

18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 

19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 

20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 

22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 

23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

Well, if you read this (or even reread this) with an open you can actually see that what is being said is accurate. Now for the bombshell.

24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 

25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 

27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 

I told you it will become potentially and dangerously risky. I will just let you think about this by yourself and decide what you want to. But let us continue and finish the first chapter of the book of Romans.

29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 

30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 

31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.

32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Remember this was written roughly over 2,000 years ago. And curiously is still relevant today. Actually, what is happening today is just a reflection of what happened that long ago and people say "history repeats itself", and well this is true for this.

This essay could have been written today and it would read like news or a op-ed piece.

What do you think?