In the Beginning was the Word
We begin reading John’s Gospel in today’s Bible reading. The beginning of John reads like the beginning of Genesis, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” John says, “In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God … The word became flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:1, 14)
Think about that for a second: The word was God. The word became flesh and dwelt among us. God became flesh. John says, “God lived among us in the flesh.” “God walked with us.”
John makes no apologies. He doesn’t brag. But he just puts it out there: God walked with us.
That is a tremendous truth claim. No other religion dares to make such a claim. None. And it either happened, or it didn’t.
If it’s true that God — the Creator of the universe, the Creator of all that is — showed up on a planet He created — this planet — and walked around among His creation, that’s a pretty big deal. And like I said, no other religion has dared to make such a claim. All the others — Buddhism, Islam, Taoism, Shintoism, Hinduism — have important teachings, but none features a teacher who makes the kinds of claims that Jesus or His followers made.
Application
What kind of God would visit His creation? What does it say about a God Who would visit His creation? What are some of the repercussions of a creation-visiting God? What difference would it make on your life if it’s true?
(Pssst… it IS TRUE!)