We need to understand why He was made flesh—and why John took us back to this earliest beginning.
Power to become sons of God
“That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not” (John 1:9-11). John didn’t spend any time pleading with evolutionists. But he did imply that they were rebels! Christ created mankind—and they rejected Him. That means the world rebelled and continues to rebel against Christ. There is something dangerously incomplete about man.
But notice: “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” (verse 12).
It takes power to become sons of God! The Word and God gave this power to you and me—and we must use it!
The word translated power also means right or privilege. And what a privilege it is. How can we not be excited about this right and privilege? We have a birthright to become sons of God! How deeply do we understand that?
God’s firstfruits are the most blessed people on Earth many times over! These words ought to rattle the universe! We have the right and the privilege to become sons of God and rule with God as the Bride of Christ for all eternity!
This is what John was trying to get everyone to see. What a future! How can we be Laodicean about that?
Look at a close relationship between a father and a son in a strong physical family. Take that up to the God level, and that is God and you—God and His son. That is wonderful times wonderful times wonderful!
Fiery, brilliant angels were never given the opportunity to become sons of God. This is the ultimate creation of God.
Man has now been given the transcendental potential to rule the entire universe forever—not as angels, but as sons of God!
We will be God beings like you read about in the first chapters of Ezekiel and Revelation. This vision should take our breath away.
To none of the angels—which are so powerful and fiery that we would faint if we saw them—did God ever say, You are my son (Hebrews 1:5). That potential is reserved only for men. What a calling we have!
Do we understand that truth as John understood it? It truly challenges our thinking!
The Word Made Flesh
“And the Word was made flesh …” John 1:14 begins. That statement is the essence of these first 18 verses in John’s Gospel.
The Word was made flesh. We need to understand why He was made flesh—and why John took us back to this earliest beginning.
That verse continues, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us ….” The Word became Christ, who dwelled, or tabernacled, on Earth as a flesh-and-blood man. He is not asking us to do anything He didn’t do. He became a human being and assumed a “temporary booth,” a physical, corruptible body, just like you and I have. He had to die, just as we have to die.
God became dust—so that we might become sons of God!
John was different from the other Gospel writers—and all of the biblical writers, for that matter—in a number of ways. He is the only one who wrote about the Word. John provided an overview and showed us how God views everything! John gives us a perspective from the Word—from God Himself! Christ helped him in a special way to achieve that perspective.
The Word was made flesh. Why? How wonderful and exciting this is!
Look at these events from God’s view, and it will just about make you faint. Imagine the God of Revelation 1, whose face is like the sun in its full strength, deciding to become dust! And why? So God could have a Family, and give people the right and the privilege to be a son of God! So His Family could extend His Work out into the universe, which scientists say is still expanding.
How do you describe a love like that? It should cause us to shout for joy! This is the love of God; there is nothing like it in this world—nothing to even compare it to. Look at the world and see what happens without God’s love: nothing but rebellion, chaos and destruction.
We now have a transcendent potential: The Messiah and the Father are re-creating themselves in men! Men now have the privilege and the honor to be sons of God. The problem is, we don’t see that as fully and as powerfully as we should.
This is revelation about two God Beings expanding to billions of God beings! Not an easy feat. The God of Revelation 1 became dust and risked His eternal life to make it happen!
This world has never understood God’s love. The Father took a chance on losing His only eternal Son so He could have a family of billions. The Eternal was made flesh that we might be made eternal Family members.
It takes the Holy Spirit to fathom this love of God.
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