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John, writes J.I. Packer in The Glory of Christ, "wants his book to take all his readers into the full depth of his own understanding of Jesus. But if its opening words were, 'In the beginning was the Son' or 'the Son of God,' Jewish readers, who knew these phrases as titles for Israel's king, would take John to be affirming the preexistence of a human Messiah. Gentile readers, knowing Greek mythology, would think he was talking of a hero like Hercules, who had a divine father and a human mother. So a different way of starting had to be devised."

John 1:1-18

1. What do you learn about the One John calls "the Word" in verses 1 through 4?
2. What does John say (v. 14) happened to the Word?
3. How can you tell that the divine Word and the human Jesus are one and the same (vv. 15, 17)?
4. What is the significance of the term "the only Son of the Father" in verse 14?
5. How is the only Son's status different from those who have become "children of God" (v. 12) by believing and accepting Christ?
6. How did Christ's coming in human form (v. 18) make it easier to comprehend God's nature?

Thank God for the core truth of Christmas: that the only Son entered space-time history as a human to make God tangible and to die a substitutionary death.

1 In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and he was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn't make.

4 Life itself was in him, and this life gives light to everyone. 5 The light shines through the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. 6 God sent John the Baptist 7 to tell everyone about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony.

8 John himself was not the light; he was only a witness to the light. 9 The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was going to come into the world. 10 But although the world was made through him, the world didn't recognize him when he came. 11 Even in his own land and among his own people, he was not accepted. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

13 They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan—this rebirth comes from God. 14 So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. 15 John pointed him out to the people. He shouted to the crowds, "This is the one I was talking about when I said, 'Someone is coming who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before I did.'"

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Prayer for the Week

Lord, keep my familiarity with the trappings of Christmas from blinding me to its quiet but explosive significance.

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