IN the Gospel of John, we have revealed to us the invisible God; such revelation being brought to us by our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Light. “No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him” (1:18)
It is therefore fitting and in keeping with the character of the Gospel that we have brought before us in the opening chapter, our Lord Jesus Christ in His seven glories that go, as it were, to make up the light.
The light of the sun from which this world derives all its life and warmth is divisible into seven distinct colors, as seen in the rainbow and also in the prism. So that we can see that when God placed the rainbow in the clouds as the reminder of His covenant with the earth after the flood, He had Christ before Him, for He is the only ground upon which God could enter into covenant relationship with anyone or anything.
The seven glories of the wonderful Person by whom God has been declared, and as given to us in this first chapter of John are as follows: ―
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The Word
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verse 1.
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The Only begotten of the Father
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verse 14.
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The Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world
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verse 29.
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The Son of God
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verse 34.
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The Christ
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verse 41.
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The King of Israel
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verse 49.
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The Son of Man
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verse 51.
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Each of these glories alone would bow our hearts in worship and would call forth our praise eternally, but it might be helpful if we look at each very briefly as they come before us in the chapter.
“In the beginning was the Word.” As has often been pointed out there are three references to “the beginning” in the Word of God. Genesis 1, which is the beginning of creation; 1 John 1, which is the beginning of the revelation of God in Christ. John 1, which we are now considering, is back to a moment before anything that had a beginning began to be. Then HE, who became flesh and dwelt amongst us, WAS a Person of the Godhead, designated as “The Word.” As we understand language when we give utterance to the thoughts of our mind, and express ourselves by words, so He is thus revealed to us as “The Word.” He is the glorious Person in the Godhead by whom all things were created and for whom they were created. He is the One by whom and in whom and through whom all that ever has been expressed of the God-head has been expressed. He is the Creator of the universe—He whom we know by the lowly Name of JESUS, our beloved Saviour and Lord.
But His relationship in the Godhead is made known to us in the second glory—the glory as of an only begotten Son with a Father. How our hearts move at the contemplation of that relationship and affection, a small picture of which we have set forth for us in the mutual love of Abraham and Isaac. We cannot understand, and we are not asked to understand, why there should be relationships in the Godhead, but the blessed Son of the Father came forth to make it known, and God the Holy Spirit delights to bring our hearts into the joy of it. There was the Father and the Son, and the Son came forth from the bosom of the Father to make known to us the love of that heart of the Father that we might share its joys with Him. But, oh! think of the preciousness of that One to the Father! How it enhances the greatness of His love for us, that it was the One who had such a place in the Father’s heart that was given for you and me. What a unique glory is this of JESUS; the most precious object of the Father’s heart! What a wealth of love between the Father and the Son has been expressed and brought into display at the Cross of Calvary! The Lord Jesus could say, “Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life that I might take it again.” The Father and the Son went on together in that tremendous work of redemption, but with one mind, one thought, one heart. “I and My Father are One.”
He who is the Father’s well beloved Son is the Lamb of God that beareth away the sin of the world. This is the third glory that comes before us. He is the One, who by His death and precious blood is the Taker away, from before God forever, of the sin of the world. As the result of His taking up and completing the work of redemption, the day is coming when every trace of sin will be removed from the universe of God, and the whole realm of creation will be filled with His praises; save that in the lake of fire will remain an eternal testimony to the awful reality of sin, and the glory of the Redeemer and redemption. Even those in the lake of fire will bow the knee to Him in accord with the mind and will of God.
If He is the One who redeems to God by His blood, He is the One who, in His own right, after having made purgation for sin, “sat Himself down on the right hand of the Majesty in the Heavens.” He is the Son of God. The One who, although He may stoop in lowly grace to be “led as a lamb to the slaughter,” nevertheless is in His Person, “The Son of God.” Though Man, He has a right in the glory of His Person to the throne of God. He is the Heir to the inheritance, and His title as Heir is that He is “Son of God.” The King of England at the present time has four sons, but it is not the bond of affection that exists between the father and the son that carries with it the right to the throne. That belongs to him who is the Heir, and the name of the heir in this case is the Prince of Wales. This may simply serve to show that there is a difference between the thought behind the well-beloved Son of the Father and the Name, Son of God. One refers to relationship only, whereas the other has reference also to tang up the inheritance by a Person displayed in time. That glorious Person is JESUS, our adorable Saviour and Lord.
The fifth glory is that of “The Christ.” It is not enough that He should take up the inheritance as God for the glory of God, but He is the blessed Man—the Man Christ Jesus—whom God hath anointed with the Holy Spirit, as the depository of all blessing for the universe and for man. Every blessing and everything that man and the universe needs centers in Christ, now at the right hand of God. He displayed this when here on earth, wherever He went He met every need, whatever it was. “He gave them bread from heaven,” He cared for the poor in the preaching of the glad tings of God. He is the Christ and there is no blessing of God to be obtained from any save JESUS.
The sixth glory is that He is the Heir to the throne of David—the King of Israel. God has not forgotten His promises to Israel and to David their King. Jesus is David’s greater Son who shall establish his kingdom and set it up before God forever. When the King of Israel is on the throne of David all nations shall be at peace; war will be known no more forever. All the present troubles of the world will vanish when He shall reign whose right it is. In this respect, God overruled that Pilate should inscribe on the Cross the words, “The King of the Jews.” Each gospel gives this most clearly, though there may be differences in other respects. He is the King of Israel.
The seventh title is that of “The Son of Man.” This name has a peculiar preciousness, for it is indicative that God has secured in Him all His thoughts for man. When He said, “Let us make man in our image,” it was not Adam that He had primarily before Him, but the last Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ. The first man departed from God and yielded nothing for His glory; but the Son of Man in His life yielded nothing else but glory to God. His life ever went up as a sweet smelling savor. In Him was fully expressed, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.” His life was, in the spirit of absolute dependence and subjection to God, the full outgoing of Love. He was the blessed Man who was fully alive to both good and evil, and, in a pathway of absolute perfection, did only that which was good. There was no unevenness in His life. His was the only life that was absolutely, altogether glorifying to God, and no other life but the life of JESUS, will do for God. How necessary it is to contemplate Him as the Son of Man and Ito feed upon Him as such. He Himself says, “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you” (John 6:5353Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. (John 6:53)).
Much more could be said on these wonderful glories of our blessed Lord. May He graciously lead us to consider them more deeply for ourselves, and thus draw our hearts out more and more to Himself.
J. F. English.