Jesus Christ the Son of God

The Gospel of John opens with an introduction, but it contains no intimation of the purpose of the writer, and it is not until we reach the 20th chapter and 30th verse we find the statement of the writer’s intention, which we find in these words: “These are written that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, and that believing ye may have life in His name.”

In one brief sentence, he tells us He (Jesus) was God. Proclaiming that Jesus was the Son of God, manifest in the flesh. “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.” A fact restated for emphasis in setting forth what He was, the Creator. “All things were made through Him; and without Him was not anything made that hath been made.” As to the nature of his being He was the source of life and light. “In Him was life (14:6) and the life was the light of men.” (8:12) But as such, men failed to recognize Him, “And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehendeth it not.”

Nevertheless his identity was established through the witness of John the Baptist. “There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him.” Such was his mission, for “He was not the light, but came that he might bear witness of the light.”

Concerning His advent or coming into the world, he says, “There was the true light, even the light which lighteth every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him and the world knew Him not.” Men failed to recognize Him as their light, and knew Him not as their Creator. And as for his reception by men, “He came to his own and they that were his own received Him not,” thus those by whom it was expected he would be received, rejected Him, “But as many as received Him to them gave He the right to become children of God.” Thus He became to them their life. And the way in which He was received was through faith, “even to them that believe on His name.” By believing on Him they were born again, “who were born, not of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

As to the revelation of himself it was first through the medium of the flesh, “and the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father,) full of grace and truth.” Through the veil of his humanity His divine glory shone forth, and men beheld God. He was further revealed to men through the testimony of John the Baptist, and “John beareth witness of Him, and crieth, saying, This was He of whom I said, He that cometh after me is come before me, for he was before me.”

He was also revealed in what he imparted to those who believed on Him. “For of his fullness we all received,” having received the presence, power and riches of Jesus Christ, “and grace for grace,” or grace in abundance. Under the law the requirements were fixed and definite, and no favor shown, but in Christ the unmerited favor of God was shown to man. “For the law was given through Moses: grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” The one was a servant, while the other was the Lord himself who could show favor, and was truth itself. (14:6) He also revealed himself in his declaration of God, “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” Since no man had seen God, only the Son of God who had seen God could reveal or unfold God. This Jesus did both in his person and teachings. 1:1-18.

St. John continues to establish the fact that Jesus Christ was the Son of God.  The first of these testimonies is that of John the Baptist.  “..And he confessed, I am not the Christ.” (John 1:20)

Following the witness of John the Baptist comes a series of testimonies which he links together in a most natural manner. First is that of Andrew.  “One of the two that heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He findeth his own brother, Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah, (which is, being interpreted, Christ.)”

The next testimony presents him in still another light as the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. “On the morrow he was minded to go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip; and Jesus said unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was from Bethsaida of the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth the Son of Joseph.”

The next testimony very naturally follows the two preceding, and is the culminating one. “When Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” Surprised at the salutation which he receives, Nathanael very naturally asked, “Whence knowest thou me?” Having reason to believe, if not actually knowing that Jesus had never seen him before, led him to ask the question. To Nathanael Jesus gives an exhibition of his supernatural vision. “Jesus answered and said unto him, before Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.” Where he had been just before Philip had met him. The effect was such that it called forth the declaration, “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.” Here is the first recognition of him as king since his recognition by the wise men.

In these testimonies we have presented the four-fold character of Christ. In that of John the Baptist, testimony was given that he was the Son of God; in that of Andrew was declared to be the Messiah, in that of Philip witness was borne to his being the Son of Man, when he was spoken of as “the Son of Joseph;” and in that of Nathanael he is declared to be the King of Israel.