Killing Time

Read John 1:1-18

1) Compare the first few verses of John chapter one with the first few verses of Genesis chapter one. What strikes you as significant?

2) John uses the term “word” in a similar way in 1 John 1:1, and Revelation 19:13. What insight do these verses add to what John means by “the Word”?

3) The Old Testament also refers to the “word of the Lord” more than 1200 times, mostly in reference to messages received from God by one of the prophets. However, there are a couple of instances that show a remarkable similarity to the idea that John is communicating here. Look up Genesis 15:1-6, 1 Kings 18:31, Genesis 32:24-30. What do these scriptures indicate about the existence of the “word of the Lord” in Old Testament times?

4) Compare verse 3 with Psalm 33:6. Keeping the other verses in mind, how was the Old Testament understanding of the “word of the Lord” similar to or different from these opening verse of John?

5) Compare John 1:1-4, Colossians 1:15-17, and Hebrews 1:1-3. What similarities or differences do you see in these scriptures?

6) Based on the above scriptures, how would you describe “the Word”? Who is the Word? How do you know this?

7) Look up Genesis 2:7, Job 33:4, Psalm 36:9, John 5:26, John 11:25, John 14:6, Acts 17:25, 1 John 1:1-2, 1 John 5:11-12. How would you describe the difference in the life we have and the life that John says was in Jesus?

8 ) What do the light and the darkness in verses 4 and 5 represent? (See John 3:19-21, 8:12, 9:5 for help in answering this question.)

9) Why did the darkness not comprehend the light?

10) Look up Luke 1:5-17, Isaiah 40:3, Malachi 3:1, and Malachi 4:5-6. What was John the Baptist’s role to be?

11) In verse 9, when John talks about the “true light that lighteth every man”, what does he mean? (See scriptures from question 8 again.) Is everyone lighted in the same way?

12) In verses 10 and 11, who is being referred to by “the world”, and who is being referred to by “his own”? What is similar or different about how these two groups responded to the light of verse 9?

13) What does it mean to receive Jesus? What does it mean to believe on His name? Is it possible to believe without receiving?

14) According to verse 13, how does one become a son of God?

15) In verse 14, John says that the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and then, for the first time, refers to the “only begotten of the Father.” What does begotten mean?

16) Look up Psalm 2:7 and Hebrews 1:5-6. According to these scriptures, the Word, who is God and was with God from eternity, was begotten in time – “the Word was made flesh”, “this day have I begotten thee”. How could you use this understanding to discuss the nature of Jesus with someone who believes that Jesus is a created being and not God because of the words “only begotten Son”? (On an unrelated note, Paul also interprets Psalm 2:7 as referring to Jesus’ resurrection from the dead in Acts 13:32-35. Psalm 2:7 is also referred to again in Hebrews 5:5.)

17) Continuing with verse 14, why is it important that God came to dwell among us? (See Hebrews 4: 14-16 and 5:5-9.)

18) Look up 2 Corinthians 3:6-11 and Galatians 3:23-26. What is the relationship between the Law given by Moses and the grace and truth the has come by Jesus Christ?

19) Look up Genesis 32:30, Exodus 33:11, Deuteronomy 5:4, Deuteronomy 34:10, and Judges 6:22. Are these verses a contradiction of John 1:18? Why or why not?