The Word Made Flesh Children of God
Jesus is the Word of God incarnate, which is an extension of God himself. John says that this Word of God always John uses the term to refer to all those whose belief in Jesus leads to an intense transformative religious experience, transforming them into
existed with God; it is part of God but also exists separately. John also says it was the Word of God which brought children of God, ‘to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God’. The term was used to refer to Jewish
all of creation into existence, ‘the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us’. The Hellenistic concept people, such as Adam and David, and was also used in the synoptics. In the Old Testament, the Jews were referred to as children of God
of logos refers to order and logic, not a person or being. The Greek god s were not gods made flesh, but demi- collectively. In Paul’s time, the concept of being reborn when converting to Christianity was replaced with child baptism, being reborn when
gods, while Jesus is both fully God and fully man. In Judaism, the Word of God referred to God’s voice and was actually born, ‘no one can see the Kingdom of God unless they are born again’.
personified as the concept of Holy Wisdom, which dwells among mankind to guide and inspire. John goes further Is this idea important?
to says that Jesus is the Word made flesh and is God, and he sees God face-to-face, so he speaks the truth and Yes – Jesus is the Son of God, but believers have the opportunity to be transformed into children of God which will transform their whole
replaces the Jewish law. lives.
Is this idea important? Yes – people aren’t capable of living by the law of Moses or the rules of Christianity without being transformed.
Yes – as the Word of God, Jesus has authority over the Torah, nature, and has the ability to forgive sins. No – it would be more helpful to the world if everyone tried to follow the moral code set out in the synoptics than undergo a personal
Yes – it could be based on Jewish ideas of wisdom, so would be something that early Christians could understand. transformative religious experience.
No – the synoptic gospels don’t have this concept.
No – if its origins are in the Greek concept of logos, this wouldn’t have been understood in Jesus’ time, so couldn’t
have originated with him. Debate over origins
There is debate over whether the Prologue was originally part of the gospel or if it was a later addition, which would make it unnecessary for
a full understanding of the gospel. Hooker says the Prologue was originally part of the gospel and the disconnect between the Prologue and
Life Law
the rest of the gospel is a common feature. Robinson says the same author wrote the gospel first and added the Prologue later, ‘the Prologue
When John speaks of life, he is referring to eternal life This refers to the law of Moses that was
is a later addition to the gospel, built like a porch onto the original structure’. Brown says the Prologue was a Johannine hymn, explaining the
which is available in the present to all those who given by God and governed Jews’ lives.
big difference in style and vocabulary. Bultmann says that the Prologue was a Gnostic hymn written to praise John the Baptist, however this
believe, which makes them a child of God. An encounter Through following the law, Jews hoped to
cannot be true as Gnostics disagreed with the idea of flesh, so wouldn’t have used the term ‘the word became flesh’.
with Christ has a transformative effect on a person; they preserve their faith and identity, ‘for the law
are reborn spiritually and have life. The whole basis of was given through Moses’. John says that
the gospel is that those who believe in Jesus will share in Jesus replaces and supersedes the Mosaic Light and Darkness
his eternal life, ‘whoever believes in him shall not perish law because Jesus has seen God face-to- The Prologue is important It was the Word of God which brought light out of
but have eternal life’. Just as the Word brought face, so Christians only need to believe in Hoskyns and Davey say the Prologue first draws attention to the key concepts which
the darkness is Genesis. John is clear on identifying
everything into being at the beginning of time in Jesus to receive eternal life. The law had the gospel can then expand upon to give a more complete understanding, ‘the Jesus as the light of the world; belief in him will
Genesis, so too now Jesus as the Word made flesh has been God’s gift to the chosen people. But preface to the fourth gospel is both an introduction and a conclusion to the whole
bring people out of darkness and into the light of
the power to bring eternal life, ‘in him was life, and that now he reveals himself more fully in the work’. Hooker says the prologue works as a key to unlock the main themes of the eternal life, ‘that life was the light of all mankind’.
life was the light of all mankind’. person of Jesus, ‘you are not under law but gospel that follows, and John’s Prologue is the ‘glorious key’ because it focuses on
In the Old Testament, light was associated with
Is this idea important? under grace’. Jesus revealing the glory of God. Barrett says, ‘the Prologue is necessary to the God, so John uses this to describe Jesus as the light
Yes – the whole basis of the gospel is that those who Is this idea important? gospel as the gospel is necessary to the Prologue’.
who brings true knowledge and understanding.
believe in Jesus will share in his eternal life. Yes – by saying that the law has been Those who accept this are children of light and have
Yes – the concept of eternal life is common to all four replaced by believing in Jesus, it was eternal life, but those who refuse to believe are
gospels, so it must be an important idea. possible for non-Jews to convert to Grace and Truth children of darkness. The Prologue makes
No – the synoptic gospels focus more on how living Christianity. Because Jesus is the Word of God in flesh, he most truthfully expresses the glory of references to John the Baptist, who is not the light,
moral lives now will bring a future reward, and as they No – Jesus and the disciples were Jews who God. Previously, the nearest Jews could get to experiencing God was in his word and but was preparing for the light, ‘he himself was not
are earlier than John, they are more likely to contain followed the law, so giving up the law seems wisdom expressed in the law, a great gift, but now God gives a greater gift in Jesus, the light, he came only as a witness to the light’.
Jesus’ original message. to not be from Jesus’ teachings. who reveals the truth of what God is really like, ‘grace and truth came through Jesus Is this idea important?
No – Schweitzer says that Jesus anticipated an imminent No – modern Christians haven’t given up Christ’. Yes – the symbolism of Jesus as the light expresses
end of the world, and early believers had to delay the obeying the law and think it should be Is this idea important? the belief that he is God.
coming of the kingdom. adhered to on some issues. Yes – Jesus replaces the law, the previous gift from God, and reveals the truth of Yes – John teaches that eternal life is available only
what God is really like. to those who have a spiritual understanding that
Yes – it explains why Jesus was rejected, as the logos had come from God to reveal Jesus is the light.
The Prologue is not important
the truth, but the religious authorities don’t believe. No – the moral teachings of Christianity are more
Reid says that although the Prologue is important, it is not vital, it simply summarises the rest of the Gospel;
No – so much of what is in Jesus’ moral teachings can be found in Judaism, they have important that gaining a spiritual understanding of
it gives knowledge but not understanding. The Prologue does not appear in the original manuscripts of the
no special sort of truth. who Jesus is.
fourth gospel, indicating that it cannot be vital to understanding the rest of the gospel. Harnack says the
Prologue is not the key to understanding the Gospel but prepares the Greek reader for that understanding.
Belief
Believing in Jesus is transformative and will give a person eternal life, transforming them into children of God so they are
Flesh and Spirit dramatically changed on the inside. It is not about believing about Jesus, but believing in him, as God wants faith and belief,
John’s teaching is that all humans are born physically into flesh, but those who believe in Jesus are spiritually reborn into children of not leading a moral life, charitable giving or prayer, ‘by believing, you may have life in his name’. John says that hew wrote
God. Those who are born not just of the flesh but of the spirit and are children of God receive eternal life. Flesh is linked to worldly the Gospel so that people will believe in Jesus and have eternal life, ‘but these are written that you might believe’.
identities, but spirit leaves all of that behind, ‘the spirit gives life, the flesh counts for nothing’. Jesus is critical of the Pharisees who Is this idea important?
were preoccupied with the worldly status, and focuses on who one is spiritually reborn as, ‘you judge according to the flesh’. John Yes – believing in Jesus transforms Christians into children of God who receive eternal life, following a set of rules isn’t
may have got this idea from the Greek concept of dualism, where the physical world was evil, and the spiritual world was good. transformative like this.
Is this idea important? Yes – it’s the basis of the Born-Again Christian movement, having a personal relationship with God is the focus.
Yes – the idea of being reborn into eternal life in the spirit runs throughout the Gospel and is an important idea in Paul’s writing. No – set beliefs avoid interpretation from any person, like how the Gnostic Christians interpreted John the Baptists as the
No – it encourages a dualistic outlook which leads to contempt for the physical world, against the Jewish and Christian belief that Messiah.
the world God created was good. No – set beliefs can be explored and discussed, while the Born-Again Christians are very conservative as they don’t have
No – it’s an idea from Greek philosophy so probably was not found in Jesus’ teachings. this opportunity.
