John 1:1-3

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By Mike Mathews

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.” – John 1:1-3 (ESV)

In American society, it is very easy to forget the kind of God we worship. I know that I have slipped into this trap many times. We tend to look at God as a friend. Someone to walk beside us and comfort us when we are sad. While this is true of God, He is our friend in Christ and He comforts us through the Holy Spirit, this is not the whole picture. God is not just our comforter. Jesus is not just our friend. I believe that a proper view of God is vital to our spiritual walk and our relationship with Christ.

Christ is what is called Transcendent. This means that He is so great and powerful that nothing we have can come close to or even describe the glory, majesty and greatness of our God. John gives us a glimpse of this power. He tells us in these verses that He is Eternal, He is creator, and He is God. We must understand this. He is totally beyond our ability to reach Him. He is totally beyond our ability to find Him. He is totally separate from our world. We cannot reach God. Many of us hear this and cringe. “But Jesus loves me and I talk to Him through prayer,” some might say. This is true. We can talk to God and have a relationship with him. However, we do not do this on our own. In fact, we can’t do this at all. Understanding this makes Christ’s gift and sacrifice so much more meaningful.

When Christ died on the cross, He didn’t just save us from our sin. He didn’t just allow us access into heaven. He gave us access to God that we couldn’t reach. The Bible says that Jesus now sits at the right hand of God interceding on our behalf. It is Christ that gives us the ability to pray to God. Christ also saved us from our sin: the thing that kept us from God. It is Christ that gives us the ability to have a relationship with God. Outside of the Cross, there is no relationship.

September 16, 2024