Chapter # 1 Paragraph # 6 Study # 1
March 12, 2023
Broadlands, Louisiana
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Thesis: The "elevation" of Jesus' identity to the level of "The Son Of The God" is the apex of Witness-John's "witness".
Introduction: As we have been working our way through Author-John's record of the "witness" of Witness-John, we have seen that the
first issue is that the message contained in "written words" is an
accurate record of the "Message of God" as expressed by "The Word of God" Who "became flesh and pitched His tent among us". The
second issue is that the man named by God as "John" is the precursor of "The True Light" so that his message lays the foundation for "faith in Jesus of Nazareth as The Lamb of The God". The
third issue is that Witness-John's first words of "witness" were that Jesus is the Infinite God with respect to His existence as "infinite" (no beginning, no end, no limitations posed by creation realities). The
fourth issue is that the "witness" of John progressively moved
from clarifications regarding his own identity as "the voice" in Isaiah's prophecy of a precursor who would have a "wilderness" ministry of calling upon the people to "repent"
to a specific focus upon Jesus as God's "Lamb" Who would "justly" address the issues of "Justice" so that "forgiveness of sins" could be proclaimed as the Good News. All of this "movement" through these issues has had a particular claim in mind for the issue of "faith" as an attitude of heart that would lead to sinful people becoming the children of God.
This morning we have come to the climax, in a sense, of Author-John's record of Witness-John's "witness". That record begins, and comes full circle, with Jesus of Nazareth being declared to be "The Son Of The God". This is the major "point" of Author-John's record of the "witness that leads to a sinner being able to be called a child of God".
- I. The Beginning Of This Record Was The Declaration That "The Word was God".
- II. The Full-Circle Conclusion Of This Record Is That Jesus Is That "Word" And Is The Son Of The God.
- A. This is the point of 1:34.
- B. But to get to this "point", we must travel down "the straight road" of Witness-John's words.
- 1. In 1:26 John told those sent by the Pharisees that there was One Who had taken His stand in their midst, but they did not know Him.
- 2. Now, in 1:31 he admitted that he, himself, did not originally "know" Him.
- 3. Thus, he set about to address how he came to "know" Him so that he could legitimately perform his "baptism ministry".
- a. His explanation began with the claim that he saw The Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven and "settling" upon Jesus.
- b. He reiterates the fact that, until this point, he did not know that Jesus was The One Who was to baptize with the Holy Spirit.
- 1) This is a new issue that has not been mentioned to this point in Author-John's record.
- 2) But, it contains the issues: the Spirit From Heaven cannot be the agent of "baptism" until The Lamb of God function has been completed (Justice before Grace).
- c. Then he says that he had been told that this sight of the Heavenly Dove settling upon a man would be the "sign" that that particular man is the Agent of the Baptism of the Spirit.
- d. Then he announces that this "Man Who Baptizes With the Holy Spirit" is, in fact "The Son of The God".
- 4. This "witness" as to how he came to know Jesus of Nazareth as The Son of The God is given as the foundation for faith in his words of hope.
- a. Author-John's contention is that Witness-John's claim that Jesus of Nazareth is The Son of The God is the most crucial aspect of The Witness.
- 1) This is borne out by 20:31.
- 2) Jesus, Himself, said, "...if ye believe not that I AM, ye shall die in your sins" (8:24).
- 3) And in just a few more verses in chapter one, we are going to come to the response of Nathanael to Jesus in 1:49 where it is recorded that he told Jesus, "...You are The Son of The God..." and Jesus called that response "believing" (1:50).
- 4) Additionally, John 10:33 declares that the enemies of The Truth wished, and intended, to kill Jesus and were using the excuse that He, being a man, put Himself forth as God.
- b. Author-John is fully aware of the fact that Witness-John's "witness" must be believed in order to result in the new birth, so he gives credible evidence for such "faith" even though such evidence will not persuade those who do not wish to be persuaded.
