The Gospel According To John
by Richard St.James
The Trinity
Bible 1611.Com / Old Paths Bible Ministries © 2008“In the beginning was the Word,”
To view with the eye of faith the genesis [“In the beginning”], we must go to: The Book of BEGINNINGS.
[Genesis 1:1] “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” GOD [singular] Then in Genesis 1:26-27: “And God said, Let us make man in our image [PLURAL], after our [PLURAL] likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
This is a mystery! The mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ … The Trinity! Three PERSONS in ONE! The FATHER, The SON, The HOLY GHOST are ONE!
[1 John 5:6-8] “This is he that came by water and blood,
even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it
is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For
there are three [THREE] that bear record in heaven, the Father,
[FATHER] the Word, [SON] and the Holy Ghost [HOLY GHOST]: and these
three are one. [ONE] And there are three [THREE] that bear witness
in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three
agree in one.” [ONE]
In that great prayer chapter John seventeen, we find the persons of
the TRINITY in communication via words.
[John 17:1-5] “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his
eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son,
that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power
over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou
hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee
the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have
glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou
gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own
self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."
In the book of Hebrews we find GOD talking to
GOD! The Mormons, and Jehovah Witness’s just hate
this chapter in THE BOOK.
[Hebrews 1:3-10] “Who
[JESUS CHRIST - The SON] being the brightness of his
glory, and the express image [the express image] of his person,
[The FATHER] and
upholding all things by the word of his power, when he
[The SON] had by himself purged
our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being
made so much better than the angels, as he
[The SON] hath by inheritance
obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the
angels said he [GOD - The FATHER]
at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And
again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And
again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he
saith, And let all the angels of God worship him
[The SON]. And of the angels he
saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of
fire. But unto the Son he [GOD - The
FATHER] saith, Thy throne, O God,
[GOD - The SON] is for ever and
ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou
hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God
[GOD - The SON], even thy God
[GOD - The
FATHER], hath anointed
thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord
[GOD - The SON], in the
beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are
the works of thine hands:”
Comparing Scripture with Scripture, this the safe way! We go to the
New Testament verse [Colossians 2:2], “That their hearts
might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches
of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of
the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;"
In the beginning the Father and The Son and The Spirit were together in eternity past. The BOOK further shows, it was THE SON who created “the heaven and the earth.” Again COMPARING Scripture with Scripture, we see this very truth confirmed. “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.”
HE [Jesus Christ] is THE WORD.
“In the beginning was the Word,”
The plural form of word … words is found in the King James Bible 512 times. God communicates [or reveals] to us by words. Thus speech in any language is composed of words. [Man] We need to keep His words. And why is this so? [John 14:23] “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” [DO you love Jesus Christ?] Again if we “love” the LORD we will need to keep His “words”. [Do you keep His words?]These “words” [or “word”] are POWERFUL. Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The word of God WORKS! [1 Thessalonians 2:13] “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.”
These “words” [or “word”] are TRUTH. [Colossians 1:5-6] “For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:”
Now, the singular form “word” appears 675 times in the King James Bible. The capital W - Word appears SEVEN times of out of the 675 instances of "word", three times in verse one and once in verse fourteen, then again in 1 John 1:1-3, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” And again in 1 John 5:7, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” And lastly in [Rev 19:13] “And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.”
Seven in the Bible is the number of completion. Heaven and earth was made in six days and God ceased from His work on the seventh day. There are seven days in a week. There are seven weeks before the Feast of Pentecost, and there are seven months before the Feast of Tabernacles and Day of Atonement. In the Book of Revelation, there are seven churches, seven bowls, seven vials, seven trumpets, seven candlesticks and seven spirits. God has divided time into seven dispensations in the Bible. Seven is, therefore, the number of completion in the Bible.
John 1:1b “and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing
made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”
Jesus Christ is GOD!!! Jesus Christ is GOD
“manifest” in the flesh! REVEALED
[1 Timothy 3:16] “And without controversy great is the
mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in
the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on
in the world, received up into glory”. This where many have
stumbled to their demise. This is where many have broken their
necks! From Webster's 1828 dictionary, we have this definition: The Unitarians! UNITA'RIAN, n. [L. unitus, unus.] One who denies the doctrine of the trinity, and ascribes divinity to God the Father only. The Arian and Socinian are both comprehended in the term Unitarian. The Jehovah Witnesses are the modern day Arians who deny Jesus Christ’s deity. They deny that Jesus Christ IS JEHOVAH! The Arian heresy claims that Jesus Christ is a created god.
From Webster's 1828 dictionary: A'RIAN, Pertaining to Arius, a presbyter of the church of Alexandria, in the fourth century; or to his doctrines. A'RIAN, n. One who adheres to the doctrines of Arius, who held Christ to be a created being, inferior to God the father in nature and dignity, though the first and noblest of all created beings; and also that the Holy Spirit is not God, but created by the power of the Son. The Watch Tower Society got it all wrong with their perverted New World Translation, which is based on the corrupt Alexandrian Text of Westcott and Hort, and which is the same text underlying the text of all the modern translations including the NASB and the NIV.
The answer of SCPIPTURE is this: [Colossians 1:15-17] Jesus Christ the SON of GOD is the image of GOD the Father. “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”
The Arians hate THE BOOK … the King James Bible. They hate 1 John 5:7. “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”
During the Civil War the Confederate army experienced a spiritual revival with men getting saved by the droves. It was because godly men preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Yea, they were constrained to preach because of the influence of men like Thomas "Stonewall Jackson". In the book called the: Life and Campaigns of Lieutenant General Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson by Robert Lewis Dabney, we have this account:
"One of the measures adopted was the preaching of the gospel at the head-quarters of General Jackson, and under his immediate countenance, every Sabbath, while the troops were in their camps. For this end, a place in the open field was prepared, near Hamilton's crossing, (to which General Jackson removed his quarters soon after,) with rude seats and a temporary pulpit, where public worship was held in the open air. The example of so famous a warrior, always potent among soldiers when sustained by official rank, the curiosity to see him and the galaxy of celebrities who came to worship with him, the eloquence of the preachers, and the purer motives which the great religious awakening now began to propigate far and wide, soon drew a vast congregation to this spot on the Sabbath days. From hundreds it grew to thousands, until the assemblage surrounded the preacher in a compact mass, as far as his voice could be distinctly heard. Here, on a bright, Sabbath in the spring, might be seen the stately head of the Commander-in-Chief, with a crowd of Generals, whose names had been borne by fame across the ocean, and of legislators and statesmen, bowed along with the multitude of private soldiers, in divine worship; while the solemn and tender wave of sacred emotion subdued the great and the unknown alike before it. At these scenes, which were so directly produced by his instrumentality, General Jackson was the most unobtrusive assistant. Seated in some retired spot amidst the private soldiers, he listened to the worship and the preaching' with an edifying attention, and watched the power of the truth upon the great congregation, with a glow of elevated and tender delight. Never, since the days when Whitefield preached to the mingled crowd of peers and beggars in Moorfields, has the sky looked down upon a more imposing worship.” Stonewall Jackson
Battle scenes depicted by paintings during the war testify of southern soldiers being baptized in a river after receiving Jesus Christ as their Savior while the northern soldiers looked on at first in curiosity, then with admiration. Just prior to the war the northern states were entertaining a movement in their churches and schools that rejected the Bible-believing roots of their past. Unitarianism (Arianism) killed the North! Get back to THE BOOK!
A Triune GOD is REVEALED in THE BOOK!
[Colossians 2:9] “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” Read on![1 John 5:8-13] “And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”The Apostle Paul gave it this way to the superstitious humanists of Athens. They as their counterparts do today … sit in darkness. [Luke 1:79] “To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Look at Acts chapter seventeen, verses twenty-three thru twenty-nine: “For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To The Unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.” [Acts 17:23-29]
John 1:5 “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness
comprehended it not.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that
all men through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into
the world.”
When Adam sinned almost six thousand years ago, the human mind was darkened. That is what sin does. To disobey God... is to turn from God with the tragic result that the human heart (that part of the mind) becomes darkened.
Satan is the one who "blinds" or darkens the mind. He is the master of this. "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them" (2 Corinthians 4:4).
Why has Satan been given permission to do this? "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened" (Romans 1:21). Concerning Israel: "According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear; unto this day" (Romans 11:8). And in verse ten of this same chapter: "Let their eyes be darkened." Sad, but this is true.
God's word (which in the English language is the Authorized Version of the Bible [The AV1611) commonly called the King James Version] teaches as inviolate truth, the following principle. TURN FROM GOD...AND GOD WILL GIVE YOU UP! Do not believe me. Read it for yourself in Romans 1:21-26.
Paired with this principle is this one. TURN TO GOD AND GOD WILL MEET WITH YOU! See Revelation 3:20 for the most wonderful invitation ever given!
For six thousand years, men with sin-darkened eyes have loved the darkness. This brings the question: why do they love the darkness? "And this is the condemnation, that the light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19). Have you got that? Their deeds were evil! That means you and I love the darkness because our deeds are evil. Come on now, do you believe the Book? It is the truth! This brings to mind an illustration.
Years ago while I was attending Bible college, we lived in a little mobile home. Let me tell you something. Though that mobile home was as neat as a pin during the day, it turned into a veritable zoo at night. I would get up at night and turn on the light to check on my daughter who was sleeping in the next room in her crib. In that first instant of brilliant light, which drove the darkness out of that room, something was revealed. Myriads of huge orange-brown cockroaches were scurrying everywhere to get out from under the light. Cockroaches hate the light! WE are like the cockroaches in this way. We would rather run from the light. Now what is this light? The incarnate and almighty Son of God is THE LIGHT! Amen! Amen! Praise God!
Jesus Christ is THE LIGHT!
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not" (John 1:1-5).The darkness comprehended it not! Adam's sin has darkened our eyes (passed from generation to generation). We are as dead men walking around. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Romans 5:12). One day, Old DEATH will grab you by the shoulder for a little journey. Are you ready? What direction are you going, my friend? That BOOK (The A.V.1611) is God's word in the English language. You can count on it. Jesus Christ is THE LIGHT.
Jesus Christ came to this earth two thousand years ago so that men … like you and I … might believe. This was the witness of John the Baptist. "The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe" (John 1:7). Every man and woman will have no excuse at the Great White Throne Judgment. Romans 1:20 makes that plain.
Do you want to argue with God over the matter? Go ahead if you want to, but I will fear for you, my friend. The very creation of the world which is understood "by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead" renders man, so that he "is without excuse" concerning Jesus Christ being that light. "That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world" (John 1:9). Every man has had that light, and every man has the responsibility about what he does concerning THAT LIGHT. What will you do with Jesus Christ? That is the big question, and it is the most important question you and I will ever face in this life.
Now, we have come to the chief issue and purpose of life, and to repeat: that the heart of every man and woman and child in the world who ever lived, or now lives, must deal with that number ONE ISSUE: What is to be done with JESUS CHRIST? The requirement for you ... is to go through the narrow gate ... which is the Son of God. This will require you … to put your trust in the shed blood of the Lamb of God who was slain on Mt. Calvary almost two thousand years ago. This will require you … to put your trust in Him to save you from the wrath of God to be revealed at the end of this age.
This will require you … to put your trust in Him to keep you from the eternal blackness and torment of Hell, which will be thrown in the Lake of Fire. (There will be no light from this fire!) The Big Question is, Will you come to Jesus Christ, THE SON OF GOD, for the gift of eternal life? This is ... THE SO GREAT SALVATION ... of Hebrews chapter two! Listen. There is no other way to be saved. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" (Ephesians 2:8).
Yet, what ... is a free gift to all men, cost so much to The Son Of God, Jesus Christ! Then, why do men everywhere, and every day, refuse to believe The Gospel given so clearly in I Corinthians 15:1-4, and so simply and sweetly in John 3:16? "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." They refuse to come because they love darkness. They refuse to come because their deeds are evil. "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." [John 3:18]
The Stumbling Block
Return To Home
Return to King James Bible Study Index
The Gospel According To John
John 1:1 In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God.
John 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any
thing made
that was made.
John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
John 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness
comprehended it
not.
John 1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
John 1:7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light,
that all
men through him might believe.
John 1:8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that
Light.
John 1:9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that
cometh into
the world.
John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and
the world
knew him not.
John 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to
become the
sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
John 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the
flesh, nor
of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we
beheld
his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of
grace and
truth.
John 1:15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he
of whom I
spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was
before me.
John 1:16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for
grace.
John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came
by Jesus
Christ.
John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son,
which is
in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
John 1:19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests
and
Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
John 1:20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not
the
Christ.
John 1:21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he
saith, I am
not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
John 1:22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an
answer
to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
John 1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness,
Make
straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
John 1:24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.
John 1:25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou
then, if
thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?
John 1:26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but
there
standeth one among you, whom ye know not;
John 1:27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me,
whose shoe's
latchet I am not worthy to unloose.
John 1:28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where
John was
baptizing.
John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith,
Behold
the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
John 1:30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is
preferred before me: for he was before me.
John 1:31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to
Israel,
therefore am I come baptizing with water.
John 1:32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending
from
heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
John 1:33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with
water, the
same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending,
and
remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy
Ghost.
John 1:34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
John 1:35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his
disciples;
John 1:36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the
Lamb of
God!
John 1:37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed
Jesus.
John 1:38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto
them,
What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being
interpreted,
Master,) where dwellest thou?
John 1:39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where
he
dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
John 1:40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him,
was
Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.
John 1:41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto
him, We
have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
John 1:42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he
said,
Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which
is by
interpretation, A stone.
John 1:43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and
findeth
Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.
John 1:44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
John 1:45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have
found him,
of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of
Nazareth, the
son of Joseph.
John 1:46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come
out of
Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
John 1:47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him,
Behold an
Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
John 1:48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus
answered
and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast
under the
fig tree, I saw thee.
John 1:49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the
Son of
God; thou art the King of Israel.
John 1:50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto
thee, I saw
thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater
things than
these.
John 1:51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Hereafter
ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and
descending upon
the Son of man.
