A Study of John's Gospel

John 1:15-18: Grace and Truth Through Jesus Christ

A study of John 1:15-18

"(John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'") For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known."

‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭15‬-‭18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Definitions of the original language in the context of this passage:

-Bore Witness (Testified): "martyreō", "μαρτυρέω"; verb - to bear witness concerning one: concerning man, i. e. to tell what one has himself learned about the nature, character, conduct, of men, followed by direct discourse.

-Cried Out: "krazō", "κράζω"; verb - call out aloud, speak with a loud voice; of those who utter or teach a thing publicly and solemnly, followed by direct discourse.

-Ranks Before (Higher Rank Than): "emprosthen", "ἔμπροσθεν"; adverb - before, denoting rank, to have obtained greater dignity than another.

-He Was (He Existed): "eimi", "εἰμί"; verb - to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.

-Fullness: "plērōma", "πλήρωμα"; neuter noun - abundance.

-Grace: "charis", "χάρις"; feminine noun - of the various blessings of Christ experienced by souls.

-Law: "nomos", "νόμος"; masculine noun - of the Mosaic law, and referring, according to the context, either to the volume of the law or to its contents.

-[Father's] Side (Bosom): "kolpos", "κόλπος"; masculine noun - figuratively, the closest and most intimate relation to the Father.

-He Has Made [Him] Known: "exēgeomai", "ἐξηγέομαι"; verb - to unfold, to declare; namely the things relating to God.

Observation/Summary(short explanation of what the passage says in your own words):

John the Baptist (JB) testified about "the Word Who became flesh," Jesus, before Jesus began His earthly ministry. Although JB bore witness about Jesus before Jesus revealed Himself, he made it clear Jesus is far higher in rank than he. Even though Jesus was born shortly after JB, JB declares that Jesus "was before," or in other words, existed eternally before he did. From Him, the eternally existent, all creating Word, we have all received "grace upon grace." God gave Israel the Law through Moses, but then came Himself to give grace and truth. Jesus Christ, who is fully God and One with the Father, came to reveal to us our unseen, eternally existent God who no one has ever seen.

Implication (what does this mean to us):

John the apostle writes here that John the Baptist (JB) "bore witness" and "cried out" about Jesus, meaning he publicly taught about the coming of Jesus before Jesus began His ministry on earth. When Jesus did appear, JB knew by the power of God, that Jesus was the One he was sent to prepare the way for. John records three very similar statements of JB about Jesus in verses 15, 27 and 30 of this chapter, and all of them speak powerfully of the greatness and preeminence of Jesus. Just as JB "cried out" and "bore witness" of Christ's coming, we too should take every opportunity to graciously proclaim the second coming of the Lord Jesus, and that everyone will be saved from the righteous and terrible judgment that accompanies His second coming if they repent and place their faith in Him.

The statement here in verse 15, just like in verse 30, speaks of the eternal pre-existence of Jesus as JB says, "...he was before me." JB knew he was sent to proclaim the coming of the King of the Universe, the eternally existent God of all creation. JB made sure to make it clear that he was merely a messenger, and the One he had been sent to herald the arrival of, had come. This statement of the pre-existence of Jesus also carried in itself an understanding of wisdom and greatness in the ancient world. For much of history mankind has viewed the people who lived before as wiser than themselves. But nowadays, most people think our generation is smarter and wiser than the previous generations. Overall, we lack the humility of these previous generations today, and many of us view ourselves as wiser than those who came before us. But we would do well to humble ourselves and look to "he who was before" us, just as JB did.

JB's quote ends in verse 15 and John continues in verse 16 by saying, "from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace." This is a continuation from verse 14 which John ended by saying he had witnessed the glory of Jesus that was "full of grace and truth." Fullness in this verse means an abundance of divine blessing. In other words from Jesus we have all received an endless supply of "grace upon grace", or undeserved blessing after undeserved blessing. Each blessing is subsequently replaced by the next. And "we have all received" this grace upon grace. Even those who do not believe in Jesus experience God's common grace, but it is most of all the people of God, those who trust in Him alone, who have an infinitely greater experience of the grace abounding from His fullness.

In this chapter and moving through verse 16 to 17 John is intentionally emphasizing the grace of God that has come to mankind in a new way in Jesus Christ in contrast to the Mosaic Law. The Law given through Moses was a good gift, but with the law only comes condemnation for those who violate it, which is all of mankind. While the Law was given through Moses, and it is a good gift, "grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." This is further explanation of the "fullness" of Jesus and the grace that flows from Him. While the Law condemns us, Jesus came to fulfill the Law perfectly on our behalf, not abolishing the Law, but rather, upholding the truth and holiness of the Law, and graciously fulfilling it on our behalf. John is telling us that Jesus came to establish a new order, or we might say "a new covenant". Israel failed to fulfill the old covenant, and none of us could fulfill it either, so Jesus, God, the "Word who became flesh," came to fulfill humanity's side of the covenant, and brought the ministry of mercy and grace through which we are saved by faith instead of perfect obedience, which is impossible for us with our sinful natures.

Lastly for this passage, John states what has been stated elsewhere in verses such as Exodus 33:20, Deuteronomy 4:12 and 1 Timothy 6:16, which is, "No one has ever seen God." God is incorporeal. He is Spirit. But John is telling us something remarkable has happened now. The invisible God, the eternally existent Word, took on human flesh and revealed Himself to mankind in the person of Jesus Christ, who is Himself fully God and fully human too. This revelation of Himself in Jesus Christ is something never seen before and would never even have been dreamed of. That the God of the universe would take on human flesh and come to live shoulder to shoulder with us in this fallen world is a concept almost too extraordinary to comprehend. But John essentially tells us here, "Yes friends, the invisible, eternally existent, all-creating, incomparably glorious Word, full of grace and truth, has come to us in human form and His name is Jesus. This Jesus is the "Christ," the promised Messiah." He is the only God Who is at the Father's side, meaning, in the fullness of His Deity, He has perfect unity with the Father. And in so coming, He has made Him[self] known. The "Word," or "Logos," who Jewish Rabbis and Greco-Roman philosophers wondered about for so long, has come and revealed Himself to us through His teaching, life, death and resurrection.

Application (How does this change how I think, act and pray?):

From this passage we learn to think of Jesus as the God of all creation who came to earth as fully God and fully man to bring us grace and truth. The truth of the Law condemns us, but the grace of Jesus fulfills the Law on our behalf and saves us from eternal death, and for eternal glory. This should cause us to act by responding to His gracious and free offer of salvation with humble repentance, grateful acceptance, and adoring worship. This should also cause us to pray for our friends and family to be given the eyes to see and hearts to accept the free and gracious gift of the Lord Jesus Christ, their Creator and God, to be reconciled to Him and brought into His tender, loving protection; as well as cause us to thank the Lord each and every day for His endless love for us.

Self Reflection:

What steps can I take to follow the example of John the Baptist in proclaiming the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in the time and place God has sent me into?

What physical and spiritual blessings ("grace upon grace") have I received from God's fullness that I can thank Him for?

Do I realize how profound and magnificent the coming of Jesus Christ in flesh is? God has no obligation to reveal Himself to us, but because of His infinite love and grace He not only revealed Himself to us, He became a man, and paid the penalty not only for my sin, but for the sin of the whole world (1 John 2:2). This is a God worthy of my complete trust and devotion. Hallelujah to the risen Lord Jesus Christ!

#JesusChristisLord #graceandtruth #OneTrueGod #love #faith