(John 1:1-12, 14, 18, 29-321In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (John 1:1‑12)
14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
18No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. (John 1:18)
29The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 30This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. 31And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. 32And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. (John 1:29‑32))
Let us adoringly meditate a little on this blessed theme.
First. The glory of His Person in all the deep depths of it comes before us. The first twelve verses have been called, and appropriately, too, “the golden preface” of this gospel; the Lord Jesus is here set before us in all that is personal, so that with reverent and holy love we may contemplate His glory, “a glory as of an only begotten with a father, full of grace and truth.” It were difficult to exaggerate the blessedness of such true, reverent contemplation, the Spirit of Christ alone can be the operator in, and power of this. The mind is here above all an intruder; when it asserts its usurped rights, within this sacred enclosure, it does so with an eagle eye and icy heart, proving itself, as it ever does, entirely destitute in regard to love and hope and joy, reveling in analysis and glorying in dissection. But our blessed theme just now is entirely apart from all this; we are dwelling on the glory of His Person in all its positive blessedness; it is what He is in Himself, as has often been remarked, He is not set before us here in His relative character. Another has said that Christ was the earliest thought from God that rose upon the moral darkness and chaos of apostate man. The Christ of God was the earliest revelation that arose upon the ruins and darkness of Adam, and though for a season that divine depositary of all light, that great source of all vivifying beams, remained unmanifested, yet effulgence worthy of Him, and which belonged to Him, came forth to cheer and guide.
Let us further remark in our contemplation of Him how it is said, “In the beginning was the Word.” At the beginning of all things He was there without any beginning; this, as it is said, is formally expressed in the words with which the chapter opens: so that we are now here in presence of the eternal existence of Himself. “In the beginning the Word was.” How blessed thus adoringly to dwell, Lord Jesus, on Thy Person as “from everlasting!” In connection with this we are also told of His distinct Personality and the eternal nature of the Word. “The Word was with God, and the Word was God.” I feel it of great moment on this subject to quote here the words of another.
The distinct personality of the Word was not as people have wished to make it, a thing which had a beginning. “In the beginning the Word was with God.” His Personality is eternal as His nature. This is the great and glorious basis of the doctrine of the gospel and of our eternal joy, what the Savior is in Himself, His nature, and His Person.
So that in our adoring contemplation of Himself we can say in His existence He is eternal, in His nature divine, in His Person distinct.
Now let us dwell on another glory here, even the revelation of God and the Father in Him: this we have in verses 14 and 18 of our chapter: this is connected with what the eternal Word became (,(,<,J@) up to verse 14. We have what He was as well as the state of the sphere in which He was manifested: at verse 14, as is said, historical Christianity begins. The Word became flesh; it was not an appearance as in olden days, but a real man in the midst of men; then we are introduced by the Spirit to the two great things resulting from His becoming man, first grace and truth have come in Him; secondly, the only Son in the bosom of the Father reveals Him as known by Himself in that position. Oh how well it is that we can say as here we wonder and worship, that there is nothing like that, and how surpassing all knowledge is the thought of it! Further, how much higher (if we are permitted so to speak) is this to what Rev. 19 or Psa. 45 unfold to us; in these we are instructed as to His relationship to man in government, but in what our hearts are now contemplating, we see Himself in His essential relationship to the Father; and may we not again say that as we behold Him so revealed and revealing as in it, the bosom of the Father, we fall at His blessed feet and worship and adore. The third glory found here is that of His blessed work in its two parts.
He is the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world, this is its blessed first aspect; it is well to note that this passage does not treat of the guilt in which men are, that is a subject of the deepest moment and interest, and has its own place as such in scripture; but here we are instructed as to the state of things before God. The majesty and holiness of God both demand that sin be removed from before His eyes. Jesus is the Lamb of God, He comes, as it were, from God’s side, He was perfectly suited to the glory of God, He and He alone could establish it, and that too where sin was found. Another has most blessedly thus expressed it:
The cross is the basis of this blessing. All the moral elements of good and evil have been clearly brought to light, and have been shown each in its proper place, and Christ is at God’s right hand, as Man, in the divine glory, in virtue of having resolved every question that was thus raised.
How blessed thus to contemplate with adoring heart and affection His glory as the Lamb of God; its full import is most preciously set forth in the words, “And I beheld, and lo in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy . . . for thou wast slain, &c.”
How precious to the heart that has been taken into His love, are these words, “Thou art worthy . . . for thou wast slain”; and in its worshiping homage, it delights to treasure up the fact that has been stated, namely, that as in His deepest humiliation, His glory was not veiled from the opened eye, so the glories of His heavenly throne do not conceal the tokens of His sufferings. Thank God, He never can be hid, be the scene what it may.
The other aspect of the glory of His work is that He baptizes with the Holy Ghost, and this of course implies His ascension into the heavens and His being glorified. Oh how blessed to contemplate Him in this, from the “lower parts of the earth” to “far above all heavens,” so that as Man victorious, Man in the glory of God, He might receive the Holy Ghost for others, and thus the blessed Spirit of God, third Person of the adorable Trinity, He Son of God, in due season did shed forth on others. Lastly for His own the deep significance of this second aspect of his blessed work is apparent; it is thus they are brought into an entirely new position, and this too as the result of His glory as the ascended Man. Now may we not ask, What subject could be more precious than this to the hearts of His own? Oh that the affections of all that are His may be not only called forth, but also detained in true worship and adoration, as each part of His glory passes before our souls.
“Yet sure, if in Thy presence
My soul still constant were,
Mine eye would more familiar
Its brighter glories bear.
And thus Thy deep perfection
Much better should I know,
And with adoring fervor
In this Thy nature grow.”