#53 CHRIST THE WORD OF GOD 8-29-26
John begins his Gospel by taking us farther back than Bethlehem. Before there was a manger, there was the Word. Before Mary held Him in her arms, He was with God. Before the angels sang over His birth, He was already the eternal Son. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)
Christ is the Word of God. He is God’s perfect expression, God’s eternal message, God’s living revelation. When God wanted humanity to know what He is like, He did not merely send another prophet with another message. He sent His Son. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14)
HE REVEALS GOD
We cannot climb our way into heaven and discover God by human wisdom. We need God to reveal Himself to us. And that is precisely what Christ came to do.
John says that “no one has seen God at any time,” but the Son has declared Him. (John 1:18) Christ came to make the invisible God known.
Philip once said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus answered, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” (John 14:8–9)
Look at Christ, and you see the compassion of God. Look at Christ welcoming sinners, and you see the mercy of God. Look at Christ confronting hypocrisy, and you see the holiness of God. Look at Christ weeping at the grave of Lazarus, and you see the tenderness of God. Look at Christ on Calvary, and you see the love of God.
Jesus did not merely talk about God.
Jesus revealed God.
HE REFLECTS GOD
Christ does not give us a distorted picture of the Father. He perfectly reflects Him.
Paul calls Christ “the image of the invisible God.” (Colossians 1:15) The writer of Hebrews says that He is “the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person.” (Hebrews 1:3)
A reflection reveals what is before it. Christ’s character, His holiness, His love, His righteousness, His mercy, His authority, and His compassion all declare the character of God.
There is no conflict between the God of the Old Testament and the Christ of the New Testament. The same holy God who judged sin is revealed in Christ. The same merciful God who called sinners to repentance is revealed in Christ. The same God who promised redemption is revealed in Christ.
Christ is not less than God.
Christ is not merely similar to God.
Christ is the perfect revelation of God.
If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus.
HE REACHES GOD
And then Christ does something that we could never do ourselves. He brings us to God.
Sin separated us from God. Our righteousness could never bridge that separation. Our religion could never climb high enough. Our works could never pay the debt. Our wisdom could never discover the way home.
But the Word became flesh.
The eternal Son entered our world. He took upon Himself humanity. He walked our roads, bore our sorrows, endured our temptations, suffered our rejection, and finally gave Himself upon the cross.
Peter said that Christ “suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.” (1 Peter 3:18)
There it is.
That He might bring us to God.
Christ reveals God to us, reflects God before us, and brings us to God.
He stands as the bridge between the holy God and sinful humanity. He is the Mediator between God and men. (1 Timothy 2:5) Through Him we have access to the Father. (Ephesians 2:18)
The Word who was with God came to where we were so that those who believe could be brought to where He is.
That is grace.
The One who came from heaven came looking for sinners on earth. The One who reveals the Father became our Redeemer. The One who shares the glory of God humbled Himself to the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:6–8)
So do not merely admire Christ.
Come to Christ.
Do not merely study His words.
Believe His words.
Do not merely acknowledge that He reveals God.
Receive the God He reveals.
Christ is the Word of God.
He reveals God.
He reflects God.
He reaches us to God.
And when we come to Christ, we have not merely found a teacher. We have found the One who was in the beginning, the One through whom all things were made, the One in whom life is found, and the One through whom sinners can come home to God.
The Word became flesh.
The Word dwelt among us.
The Word went to the cross.
The Word rose from the grave.
And the Word is still calling sinners to Himself.
Christ is God’s message to a world that needs to hear Him.
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Father, thank You for giving us Your Son, the eternal Word. Thank You that in Christ we can see Your character, know Your heart, and come into Your presence. Help us to look to Jesus when we want to understand You. Help us to trust Jesus when we are burdened by sin. Help us to follow Jesus when we do not know which way to go. And may our lives reflect the Christ who has revealed You to us and brought us near to You. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
BDD
