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Who Jesus Really Is: Jesus is the Eternal God (Part 1)
- Dr Alfonse Javed
- 6 days ago
- 10 min read
Tell others that your God is not distant; He is not an impersonal God, but God who chose to come down to die for you to redeem, restore, and renew you.
John 1:14-18 - 14 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. 15 (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.’”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; God the only Son, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.
Have you ever felt that Christianity is too easy? I have heard that from Muslims and Hindus and even many who have abandoned Christianity. Most recently, I heard that from an imam. This Muslim priest mocked Christianity and said that it doesn’t make any sense that all it takes to be Christian is to believe in the person of Jesus Christ.
The problem is that every religion teaches some sort of works to reach God. So, some climb mountains and others meditate for years hoping God will draw near. It is because that’s what the founders of those religions did and hoped for.
For example, the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, climbed a mountain to meditate in a cave, Hira, to hear from Allah. Buddha meditated under the Bodhi Tree for six years to reach Nirvana. In Hinduism, gods attain their divine status through tapsia, which is intense penance and meditation for years on mountains, in temples, and in the wilderness. People need to know Christianity is different because Christ is different. It seems easy because we didn’t do anything; rather, everything was done for us by our God in the person of Jesus Christ.
As we continue to explore “Who Jesus Really Is,” so far, the prologue in John 1:1-18 has revealed that Jesus is like no one else. After revealing that He is the Eternal Word, Eternal Life, and Eternal Light, it declares that Jesus is the Eternal God.
The big idea is, the One who spoke the universe into existence stepped into creation in the person of Jesus Christ. Christianity is not like any other religion because Jesus didn’t bring a revelation of God; rather, He is the revelation of God, the logos, the Word that took on flesh and became man so that in Jesus, God may draw near to us and we may experience His presence, His person, and His purpose. Today, we will begin with John 1:14 that reveals God took on flesh so that the presence of God is experienced.
The Presence of God is Experienced
John 1:14 ESV reads, “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.” Before we dive into this verse, let me say this: today, at times, if the sermon feels more academic or theological, please be patient because misunderstanding what this verse is and is not teaching can lead to heresies of the past.
John 1:14 is one of the most theologically profound verses in the entire Bible and is a concise summary of the Gospel itself. Also, all major Christian doctrines find their foundation in this single verse. It encapsulates the mystery of the incarnation, the revelation of God’s glory, and the fullness of His grace and truth in the person of Jesus Christ. When we examine each clause, we discover that seven major Christian doctrinal truths emerge from this single verse:
the truth of incarnation, in the phrase “the Word became flesh.”
the truth of the divine immanence, in the phrase “dwelt among us.”
the truth of the divine revelation, in the phrase “we have seen his glory.”
the truth of the trinity, in the phrase, “glory as of the only Son from the Father.”
the truth of divine grace, in the phrase, “full of grace and truth.”
the truth of the sufficiency of Christ, in the phrase, “full of grace and truth.”
the truth of the atonement, implied.
Each of these doctrinal truths is central to the Christian faith and essential for understanding who Jesus really is. Today, we will focus on the first two of the seven doctrinal truths and will finish the remaining five next time.
First, the Doctrinal Truth of the Incarnation
The word “incarnation” means “the act of being made flesh.” Like the word Trinity, incarnation is not in the Bible, yet it is clearly taught in the Bible, especially here in verse 14, in the phrase, “The Word became flesh.” The Eternal Word that was in the beginning with God and was God in John 1:1-5, and the Eternal Light that shines and darkness cannot overcome Him in John 1:6-13, took on flesh to become man in John 1:14.
Some time ago, someone said, “How could man be a god. That does not make any sense.” I said, “You are right, man cannot be God, but if God decides to become man, what stops Him?” You see, the man Jesus didn’t become God; God became man Jesus. The problem is that this central truth of Christianity does not make sense to people because God’s Word in 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” First Corinthians 1:18 tells us it is because “… the word of the cross is folly [that is foolishness, nonsensical] to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
More than any other doctrine of the Christian faith, this one doctrine has troubled believers and unbelievers. They cannot understand why the Creator would enter His own creation. God did this so that we can know Him, see Him, and experience Him. The Author entered His own story, not as one of the characters in the story, but as the Author of salvation.
It is in taking on human flesh that Jesus was able to live a life without sin and offer a pure and perfect sacrifice for sinful humanity. This made atonement possible for every soul. Through incarnation, He was born under the law to fulfill the law on our behalf (Galatians 4:4-5) and shed His blood for the remission of sins (Hebrews 9:22). Therefore, the One who spoke creation into being wrapped Himself in our frailty. The Infinite became an infant to make the invisible visible, tangible, and knowable. This is precisely why the Gospel of John didn’t begin with a scene of a manger or shepherds but with eternity itself.
The most profound mystery of the Christian faith is the incarnation of God in which the second person of the Triune God became what He was not, without ceasing to be what He always was. Whoever gets it right is saved and whoever gets it wrong is lost forever. Jesus is not half-God and half-man but fully God and fully man. This is known as the hypostatic union— two natures, divine and human, joined in one Person forever. This is clearly taught in Philippians 2:6-8 and Colossians 2:9 which says, “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,” yet throughout history, many heresies surrounding incarnation have plagued the church.”
What is a heresy? It is a clear biblical error that denies the truth of the Bible, in this case, the doctrine of the Incarnation that the eternal Son of God, the divine Word, logos, took on human nature without ceasing to be God. You have heard those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. However, many of us don’t even know the history of the church and how the church repeated these heresies. Let me illustrate that by briefly highlighting seven heresies surrounding the incarnation of Jesus:
a. Docetism – It denied the full humanity of Jesus Christ and said that He only appeared to have a human body like ours and he only appeared to die on the cross. This is what Islam believes about Jesus too. Notice, our text does not say, the Word appeared as flesh or seemed like flesh; it says, “The Word became flesh.”
b. Apollinarianism – It taught that Jesus’ two natures, human and divine, could not co-exist in the same person. So, though Jesus was a man, apparently, he did not have a human mind; and His mind was solely divine.
c. Nestorianism – It taught that Jesus Christ exists as two persons sharing one body and His divine and human natures are completely distinct and separate. That goes against the hypostatic union that Christ is fully God and fully man in one indivisible person.
d. Eutychianism – It taught that Christ’s divine and human natures were so intermixed that He was not fully human and not fully divine. Furthermore, the human nature of Christ was absorbed into His divine nature in a way that both natures were changed to some degree, which resulted in a third nature being formed.
e. Arianism – It denied the full deity of Jesus Christ. It taught that Jesus was a created being and he was not fully divine. This heresy continues to be taught by modern-day Jehovah’s Witnesses.
f. Sabellianism – It taught that God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three distinct persons but different manifestations of God.
g. Modalism — It also denied the three distinct persons within the Godhead and taught Christ to be a different mode of God. The modern example of that is Oneness Pentecostalism.
Application
Never allow anyone to dilute the doctrine of incarnation because it reveals that God understands our pain, weakness, and suffering because He personally experienced them (Hebrews 4:15). In the incarnation, we experience both God’s humility and His love. The eternal Word entered human history to redeem humanity from within. As one of the early church fathers, Athanasius famously wrote, “He became what we are, that He might make us what He is.” That does not mean we become God, but it does mean we become more like Christ, and through Christ, His children.
Second, the Doctrinal Truth of Divine Immanence
It is to say God is present in time and space and He is near to His people. This truth is captured in Jesus’ prophesied name Immanuel, God with us. This doctrinal truth is in the next phrase of John 1:14, “...and dwelt among us.” In Greek, e skénoó, is to pitch a tent— meaning “tabernacled among us.” In the Old Testament, God chose to reside first in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple. Just as God’s presence filled the Tabernacle, in incarnation, His presence fills the person of Jesus Christ. In doing so, God has come near and He has made Himself accessible to His people.
A good illustration for that is the difference between a phone call and a personal visit. In the past, God spoke through prophets, but now He has come in person.
Application
In the Garden of Eden, God wanted to dwell with His people, in the Tabernacle, He wanted to dwell with His people, and even today He wants to dwell among and in us through His Son Jesus. In Christ, He has come close to us so that we may know Him personally. We don’t need to climb holy mountains, go to pilgrimages, sit under trees, or go to any holy city to meet God because Jesus Himself is the meeting place between God and man.
Closing Thought
As I close, imagine if you were among the shepherds who were sitting in the field when suddenly angels appeared to tell them Christ, the Son of God, is born in Bethlehem, would you have believed them? Today, we do not need the angels because all that God needed to communicate to us has already been revealed in His Word. All we need to do is believe and where we lack, we need to ask Jesus to help us with our unbelief.
Action Step
Know the Word and make it known to the World because John 1:14 says, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” In Matthew 28:20, He promised, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” He is here with you and will never depart from you.
Appeal
If you are trying to get closer to God, don’t fall for any religion and religious practices; just believe in the Son of God— He is your salvation. Christianity may seem easy because you don’t have to climb a mountain to meet God because He came down to tell us what we must do: believe, and live for Him. He knows your pain, your humanity, your temptations, your tears. He “dwelt among us,” so you might dwell with Him forever. So, take pride in telling others that your God is not distant, He is not an impersonal God, but God who chose to come down to die for you to redeem, restore, and renew you.
Inductive Bible Study: Observation, Interpretation, Application
Observation: What Does the Text Say?
1. Why is it important that John says “became flesh” instead of “appeared as flesh?” What does this tell us about God’s willingness to identify with humanity?
2. The word “dwelt” literally means “tabernacled.” What does this Old Testament connection teach us about God’s desire to be among His people?
3. According to the Sunday (Nov 9) message, why do many Muslims, Hindus, and followers of other religions believe Christianity is “too easy?”
4. What is the “big idea” of the sermon section on John 1:14–18?
Interpretation: What Does It Mean?
5. In your own words, what does the phrase “The Word became flesh” teach about Jesus?
6. How does the phrase “dwelt among us” point to the doctrine of divine immanence?
7. What does it mean that “we have seen His glory?” How does this relate to the doctrine of revelation?
8. How does the phrase “glory as of the only Son from the Father” reveal the relationship within the Trinity?
Application: How Does It Apply to Us Today?
9. How does knowing that Jesus tabernacled among us change the way you think about God’s nearness?
10. What areas of your life feel distant from God? How does the doctrine of divine immanence speak to those areas?
11. How does the truth that “God came down to us” challenge any tendency in your life to try to earn God’s favor?
12. What is one specific way you will respond this week to the truth of the incarnation?
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