The Gospel of John is alone among the synoptic Gospels for its outstanding manner of presentation of Jesus Christ. The prologue John 1:1-18 upholds the counsel for the remainder of the Johannine Gospel. The writer uses imagination to exemplify the subjects in his work, he used the elements of creative activity to symbolize the Godhead being of God. Light that shine out of darkness by the word of God in the beginning ( Gen 1 ) , and the ‘word ‘ that is both light and life revealed the truth of the unseeable godly nature of God. The prologue is presented in a poetic signifier, it besides summarizes the item of the ‘Word ‘ which was with God in the really beginning of creative activity and came into the universe. The writer presented the Word as the Son of God send into the universe that the glorification of God might be disclosed to human existences in their sort. The prologue revealed the writer ‘s intended his readers to detect an penetration of his idea of line as he unfold the Godhead disclosure in his message.[ 1 ]The writer did non present himself in the prologue instead he introduced John the Baptist who proclaimed and witnessed the coming of the true visible radiation into the universe. The writer revealed the divinity of the Son, it is clear from the prologue and the remainder of John ‘s Gospel that Jesus Christ is non merely a adult male ; He is besides the ageless Son of God. The massage of John ‘s Gospel was addressed to new Christians and non-Christians, therefore the prologue absolutely build the religion and assurance in Jesus Christ, as they progress in farther readings in the Gospel they may believe that Christ is genuinely the Son of God.
The word
The clearest and most expressed statement in the New Testament refering the incarnated word is in the prologue of John ‘s Gospel. The writer applied the term ‘Logos ‘ or ‘Word ‘ to Christ in depicting the personification and relationship with God. The word Son had a scope of significances in the Hellenistic and Hebrew universe of the first century. The word was known in the Hagiographas of Philo a Jew descend who was Mach influenced by the instructions of the Greek philosopher Plato. Philo ‘s Son had no personality neither did he implied anything like embodiment to the word, his Son referred to philosophical idea and ground.[ 2 ]John ‘s descriptions of the ‘Word ‘ or ‘Logos ‘ had the original definition from the Judaic construct of Divine Wisdom from the Old Testament, the Wisdom of God was personified in wisdom literature ( Ps 33: 6 ) and some prophetic book of the bible ( Joe 1:1 ) . The word was known to be in the beginning before the creative activity of the universe in the Genesis history ; the Word played a alone function as agent in creative activity. The word in the Old Testament construct is God self-expression in brooding among work forces in disclosure, these understanding makes it more suited for the writer of John ‘s Gospel to use the ‘word ‘ as God ‘s self-disclosure in His lone begotten boy.[ 3 ]
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The gap words of the prologue raised the writer ‘s Christocentric apprehension when he said that the word was with God which implied the differences and relationship between the word and God. Clearly the word is understood as God ‘s active agent in creative activity, and the word demo the Godhead progressive nature of God. Jesus the incarnated word continues to exert the exact nature of God proclaimed in the Old Testament.[ 4 ]
The visible radiation
John ‘s prologue raises several subjects that will go on throughout the Gospel: visible radiation, belief, truth, informant, and the individuality of Jesus. Light is one of the greatest symbols that the writer of John ‘s Gospel used figuratively to demo the exact significance of the godly property of God the boy. The author identified the visible radiation with the Old Testament context of the godly presence of God brooding among His people, this analogy can be seen in the Shekinah glorification experienced in ( Exod.13:21 ) , from this transition it is understood that the cloud of the Lord was upon the Tabernacle by twenty-four hours, and fire by dark, these fire produced light during the darkest hours in the sight of Israel throughout their journeys.[ 5 ]In other histories such as the combustion shrub, Moses saw the visible radiation, for the fire was firing but did non consumed the shrub ( Exodus. 3: 1 1-9 ) . There is a bound relation between fire and visible radiation, the psalmist gave a perfect imagination in ( Ps. 104:2 ) where visible radiation is seen as a fabric covering the self-manifestation of God. The author of John ‘s Gospel metaphorically used the visible radiation in the manifestation of God ‘s Godhead presence which is besides in the personification presence of Jesus Christ. The author said in the prologue that as the light radiance and darkness disappear, he personified both light and darkness in poetry ( 5 ) for the darkness will non be able to overmaster the visible radiation, the transition reflect the laterality of visible radiation over the darkness. Christ gives visible radiation to every adult male, as the visible radiation of the universe He shines on every human being in disclosure and of redemption ( John I: 9 )[ 6 ]
The word became flesh and lives among work forces.
The first four poetries of John ‘s Gospel ( 1:1-4 ) together with poetry 14 ( 1:14 ) provides the organic structure of Christ, the Church with a clear proviso of cardinal apprehension of the Christian religion through the incarnated word of God in Jesus Christ. The author focused on the visible radiation and life that brought redemption to mankind in this dispensation of grace. He relates light to the disclosure that illuminates the head of those that are saved through religion, and associate life to the new birth, the religious birth that every truster receives through the grace of the Godhead Jesus Christ. The light removes the darkness of wickedness from the lives of evildoer. John the Baptist testified the nature of Jesus Christ ; he indicated the beginning of God ‘s visible radiation through His boy to salvage the darkness of this universe. Although the universe was created through Christ as the writer put it, the universe did non acknowledge Him. From the 14th poetry to the terminal of the prologue the author made a distinguishable look of the incarnated word that had became flesh and made His home among human. From the Old Testament illustration of the Tabernacle ( Ex 25:8-9 ) dwelled among God ‘s people gave the exact apprehension of Christ brooding among His people in individual. The prologue made it clear that in Christ, God revealed Himself in a manner that could be seen as any other human being.[ 7 ]
The Law of Moses and Christ
In the last two poetries of the prologue the writer laid greater accents on the contrast between the jurisprudence and the Gospel. In kernel the Law bear informant to Christ, the jurisprudence is a usher that lead to redemption in the Son of God, the author clearly stated that through Christ glorification is expressed as agencies of grace and truth. The Ten Commandments is the word of God written on a rock tablet given to Israel through Moses on Mount Sinai represented the old compact and Christ is God ‘s word in flesh represented His likelihood in the new compact. God gave the Law to Israel through His servant Moses, these is recorded as one of the greatest among the old compact epoch as the Son of God is recorded the greatest of all in the new compact. The both the jurisprudence and grace are the godly facets of God ‘s nature that trades with adult male. The jurisprudence was given to Israel as a usher to the coming Messiah and it was destine and fulfilled in Christ. The author reveals the singularity of the lone Son of the male parent at the terminal of the prologue ; he one time once more affirmed the nature of the Father and the Son. Jesus did non merely proclaimed grace and truth, He presented it because He was portion of the Godhead being with God, He was the message and acted as a courier in order to salvage world, He bear informant to the male parent and proclaimed the truth.[ 8 ]
Decision
The prologue is a attractively constructed transition it introduced and outlines the Gospel of John in thematic signifier. In merely 18 verses the author introduced his reader from Godhead being to humane apprehension of incarnated word that revealed God ‘s redemptional program for humanity through Jesus and by the terminal of the prologue the author had already revealed the singularity of the true boy of God. Christ the ageless word of God played a critical function in deity and humanity in creative activity from the beginning, He is the really beginning of visible radiation and life to adult male. Although the visible radiation is surrendered with darkness yet it can non get the better of the visible radiation. Jesus brought visible radiation and life to mankind as He revealed the glorification and grace of God. John ‘s Gospel is addressed to both Christians and non-Christians a good apprehension of the prologue will assist and admit the readers of this Gospel to construct their religion and assurance in the Lord Jesus Christ.
