“The Miracle of Christmas” (John 1:14-18)

I. Incarnation (Latin “becoming flesh”, v14)

1. “The Word”- (vs. 1). God Who has spoken, now speaks or communicates through a unique Person. “became”- v3 “All things came into being through Him…” Now He entered into the world He created. “flesh”- He took on a full human nature with all of its weaknesses & limitations & yet without sin (4:6-7, 11:33,35, 12:27, Lk. 2:52, Mark 4:38). He became what He was not previously, but didn’t cease to be what He was before.

2. “The act whereby the eternal Son of God, the 2nd Person of the Holy Trinity, without ceasing to what He is, God the Son, took into union with Himself what He before that act did not possess, a human nature and so He continues to be God & Man in distinct natures and one Person, forever.” (Westminster Shorter Catechism) He is one Person with 2 natures.

3. “dwelt”- pitched His tent, fulfillment of the OT tabernacle, “beheld”- to see with the eyes but view attentively & with moral & spiritual perception. The unseen was seen; the eternal enters time/space. People could see this through His whole life, teaching, miracles, transfiguration, death & resurrection.

4. “glory as of”- not just a simile, but an actual unique relationship (Matt. 7:29, Philemon 9). “only begotten”- unique, one of a kind, Who alone can uniquely reveal the Father. “full of grace & truth”- there is a completeness of what He gives of undeserved kindness & reality in contrast to falsehood. Through an encounter with the God/Man, the undeserving experience His favor and the deceived discover the truth.

II. Confirmation (v15)

1. John the Baptist (vs. 6-8 sent to testify about the Light) testified that this Person was superior to him (v29f gives details). “testified”- present, “cried out”- pf. still valid.

2. “comes after”- in birth & ministry, but a higher rank in position, place & dignity. “existed before me”- in time, ήν- imperfect used in vs. 1-4. Malachi 3:1 implies this.

3. This forerunner clearly identified the Word Who became flesh. ROAD SIGNS

III. Salvation (v16-17)

1. v16,“fullness”- the Divine completeness (Col. 1:19,2:9). “we”- emphatic, Every Christian can testify to this: being spiritually empty, but drawing from His unending fullness to be filled.

2. “grace upon grace” άντι could be taken “in return for” (exchange) meaning new grace for the old (New Covenant, v17) OR “in place of, instead of” (substitution), grace after grace poured out in abundance, BAG “poured forth in ever new streams”, Ryle “unfailing, abundant grace, continually filling up & supplying our need”

3. v17, Superior to the Law- Moses was the human instrument that gave Israel the Law. It had grace & truth (Ex. 20:2f, 34:6-7), but its purpose was to silence us in our guilt before God (it commands, demands & threatens) & act as a tutor to lead us to Christ.

4. The fullness of grace & truth comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ. “The Word” is identified with “Jesus” (personal name) “Christ” (office of Messiah). God’s grace (undeserved kindness) & truth (reality) entered the world in an unparalleled fashion. We cannot handle truth without grace, while grace without truth is empty.

IV. Revelation (v18) INFRARED RAYS SHOWN ON PHOTOGRAPHIC PLATES

1. “God” is first & emphatic, no article- speaking of His essence. “has seen” pf. No human could look on God in all His glory (Ex. 33:20, I Tim. 6:16). “the only begotten (vs. 14) God”- as in verse 1 claiming deity. 2. “bosom” 13:23, Lk. 16:23 intimate relationship & close association, “is”- present, timeless eternal relationship, even when He was on earth. He is perfectly qualified to show the Father.

3. “He” έκεινος emphatic (v8), “explained”- to draw out in narrative, relate, fully explain (Acts 10:8). The eternal Son of God has done this for the un-seeable God through His time on earth. You can experience God through Him.

4. The New Testament records this revelation so people can turn to the God/Man & experience grace & truth.