John 1:18 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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John 1:18

Comments

This is how God reveals himself and the only way he has ever revealed himself to man – through the only begotten Son. Some saw divine manifestations, they did not see God. They saw the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ long before his incarnation, the great theophanies of the Old Testament. They did not see his divinity, though they were told that he was God. ‘The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father.’ The picture is very likely derived from the way in which in ancient times they would recline at a meal on a carpet or sheet, and people who were close together would lie very close to each other as they ate and reclined. It is closeness which is mind, the closeness of Father and Son, the closeness which enables Christ to declare, or reveal, or make known the Father and the whole Godhead. He is the author of the Bible; by his Spirit he wrote every word from the very beginning. He also revealed the Godhead in the perfections of his teaching, and in the vast number of his compassionate miracles which displayed the divine attributes.

Application

Questions

Today, there are many people who make the mistake of thinking, ‘No, it is the Holy Spirit. What I need is to have a personal, direct impression and experience of his touch and his power. That will make my soul tingle. That will lift me up and elevate me. I need a special baptism of the Spirit.’ No, the baptism of the Spirit is all part of your conversion. ‘But, I want something more. I want a direct subjective taste or experience of some divine power from the Spirit.’ That is not how it works. The one who declares, who makes known the Godhead to you is Christ. So it is by his word, and by appreciating him, and by obeying him that you derive all your spiritual impressions, and all your spiritual joy and experience. The Holy Spirit’s part, the retiring Spirit, is to effectively bring that to life in your heart. Say rather, ‘Oh, Holy Spirit enable me to love Christ and appreciate and feel him more’, and as you read about Christ in the Scripture your heart will be strangely warmed, and your feelings will overwhelm you. The Holy Spirit is the one who enables that to happen. All your spiritual experiences will be connected to the love and obedience of Christ and his word.

Deuteronomy 34:10 tells us, ‘There arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face’. Does this mean that he saw God contrary to what John says here? No, for what Moses saw was a representation of the power of God, and in Exodus 33:20 God tells him, ‘Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.’ Therefore God covered Moses with his hand while he passed by.

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John 1:18 Commentary and Bible Study