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18 No one has ever seen GOD, but the only begotten Son, who is in the bssom of the Father, has made Him known.

GOD is invisible. Before the Messiah came, people only knew GOD as He had revealed Himself in the Old Testament. Nobody really knew who or what GOD was like. Jesus made GOD's fatherly love understandable to people and showed through His life what true righteousness based on faith means. "In the father's lap" is a Semitic saying that expresses a special closeness and trusting relationship between two people; in this case between Jesus and GOD. The use of the participle being does not express an eternal binitarian unity, but rather the constant (spiritual) communion between the Heavenly Father and His human Son. In the bosom of the father refers to either the time after Jesus' birth or after his ascension to GOD.

The formulation born of GOD and begotten by GOD (John 1:13 / John 3,3-9 / James 1,18 / 1st Peter 1,3 + 23 / 1st John 3,9 / 1st John 4,7 / 1st John 5,4) refers to the second/new creation with Jesus as the firstborn. In contrast to this is the first/fallen creation that began with Adam. Jesus Christ was literally conceived by GOD, as a new man/new creation without any relation to the old creation. This makes Jesus unique among all people. For this reason, the New Testament calls Jesus the only begotten / unique Son (Old Greek: monogenēs huios). Hebrews 2,11 explains that both Jesus and believers come from GOD. They therefore have one and the same father (John 20,17). Just like every other human being, Jesus also had a beginning, namely through his birth. This is described in detail in the New Testament.

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The idea of ​​so-called “eternal conception”, which says that Jesus (“GOD the Son”) had no beginning, and the concept of “eternal sonship”, according to which Jesus must be GOD because he was begotten by GOD, do not come from the Bible. The idea that gods produce offspring who are divine in a metaphysical sense was widespread in Greco-Roman paganism and was later carried over to Christian belief by the so-called “Church Fathers.” Everywhere in the Bible where there is talk of conception or birth, what is meant is the creation or beginning of a person. GOD did not father Jesus as a (second) GOD, but as a human being. The Bible testifies that Jesus only became GOD's son and GOD his father at a certain point in time (Hebrews 1,5). In this respect, John 1 can be translated analogously as follows:

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1 In the beginning was the plan, and this plan came from GOD, and the plan contained a divine message. 2 This plan came from GOD. 3 Through this plan, GOD realized everything that is now reality. 4 The content of GOD's plan was eternal life, which would give hope (light) to humanity. 5 And this hope illuminates the darkness, and the darkness cannot compete with it. 6 There was a man named John, who was sent by GOD. 7 His commission was to announce the coming of the bearer of hope, so that everyone might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the bearer of hope, but he was to announce his coming. 9 This bearer of hope was the true hope for humanity. 10 He was in the world that GOD had created for his sake, yet the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to his people, but his people did not acknowledge him. (...) 14 And GOD's promise was fulfilled in a man who lived among us. And we beheld his glory as the heir (son) of GOD, uniquely begotten by GOD's Holy Spirit, full of grace and truth. (...) 18 No one has ever seen GOD; the uniquely begotten heir (son), who is in closest (spiritual) fellowship with GOD, has made known to us His will.

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Isa 53 / Joh 17,1 + 5 + 22 / Joh 8,58 / Phi 2,9 / Heb 12,2 / 1st Pet 1,11 f. / 1st Pet 1,20 f. / 2nd Pet 1,17

 

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John 1,22 f.

Isaiah 40,3

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22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’"

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This is a prophetic quote from the book of Isaiah. The word Lord (Old Greek: kyrios) refers here to GOD and not to Jesus, as is often assumed. John the Baptist was sent by GOD with the mission to announce the coming of the Messiah. In this way he prepared the way for GOD to carry out His purpose (John 1,1-18) for the redemption of humanity through the Messiah. Jesus came in the name of the LORD His GOD to carry out His plan and will. In the Old Testament we read in many places how GOD announces things that He plans to do, even though He uses people or angels to carry out His plans. Jesus is the way of the Lord (Yahweh), i.e. he is the fulfillment of the promise that GOD made to His people.

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Mt 21,9 / Lk 1,32 / Joh 5,43 / Joh 14,6

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John 1,29 f.

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29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of GOD, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’"

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The Greek word prōtos can mean both before in the temporal sense and first. There are many examples of this in Scripture (Matthew 20,27 / Matthew 22,38 / Mark 6,21 / Mark 10,44 / Luke 11,26 / Acts 28,17). The Greek word emprosthen means to be higher than someone else in a spatial sense as well as in position or rank, influence or honor. Therefore verse 30 can also be translated as he has surpassed me or he is superior to me. Jesus was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13,8). In this sense, Jesus has a more important meaning in GOD's plan of salvation than John the Baptist. It is said that John jumped for joy in his mother's womb when Mary visited Elizabeth because at that moment he was close to his Savior (Luke 1,41). Jesus was born approximately six months after John the Baptist (Luke 1,26). John knew that the Messiah was superior to him. Furthermore, John the Baptist explicitly calls the Messiah a man/human (Old Greek: anēr).

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In his statement, John refers to the one who comes after (Old Greek: opisa) him. Jesus used the same word when he asked people to follow him (Matthew 19,21) and when he told Peter to go behind him (Matthew 16,23). Since John the Baptist appeared before Jesus, Jesus was initially behind John. The Greek word gegonen is a form of the Greek verb ginomai, which means to be. It is in the perfect tense and means has become or has been. Jesus, who came after or behind John the Baptist, became the first before him because he is ahead of him in rank or has surpassed him. At one point, John was before Jesus. But in John 3,30, John says that he must decrease and Jesus must increase in return. The ministry of John the Baptist preceded that of the Messiah. But the ministry of Jesus was to replace that of John. Because Jesus is the Messiah, his ministry has always had greater significance than that of John the Baptist. Thus verse 30 can be rendered as follows:

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30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed (replaced) me because he was before me (in rank).’

 

 

 

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John 2,24 f.

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24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew them all. 25 He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in people.

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It is clear from Scripture that Jesus did not know everything, as he increased in wisdom (Luke 2,52) and had no knowledge of certain things (Matthew 24,36). Whenever the word everything (old Greek: pas) is used, it must be checked based on the context whether it is to be understood in the absolute or in the narrower or restricted sense. The apostle John writes that believers know everything (1st John 2,20). John does not mean that Christians have all knowledge, but that they have already understood the most important things regarding the gospel and the will of GOD. The statement in John 21,17 does not mean that Peter believed his Lord to be all-knowing, but rather that Jesus knew him well enough to know that Peter loved him. Jesus also only knew as much as he needed to know in order to be able to judge or assess people.

The claim that Jesus knew everything in his “divine nature” but was limited in his “human nature” falls short. GOD is omniscient, while humans have limited knowledge. Jesus cannot be omniscient and yet not omniscient at the same time. If Jesus had temporarily turned off his omniscience, he would not have been able to know everything. If Jesus had only hidden his knowledge, the statement that he did not know the time of his return, but only the Father, would be a lie, since Jesus in truth knew everything. The explanation that Jesus hid his omniscience as a human is also not credible because he apparently used his supernatural knowledge specifically, as in this case.

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There is no verse that says Jesus knew everything the same way GOD did. All wisdom that Jesus possesses comes from GOD. It is the Father who revealed everything important to Jesus in advance. GOD showed Jesus through the Holy Spirit what was in people's hearts, i.e. their true motives and intentions. Similarly, GOD revealed secrets to His prophets that a normal person could not know. The prophet Nathan knew of David's secret sin (2nd Samuel 12,7). The prophet Ahijah knew what Jeroboam's wife wanted and who she was, even though he was already blind at the time and she was wearing a disguise (1st Kings 14,4 + 6). Elijah knew that King Ahab had committed murder by falsely accusing Naboth (1st Kings 21,17-20). He also knew what the king of Israel wanted to know (2nd Kings 1,1-4). Elisha knew that his servant Gehazi was lying and about the greed in his heart (2nd Kings 5,19-27). Daniel knew Nebuchadnezzar's dream, although Nebuchadnezzar had not revealed it to anyone (Daniel 2,5 + 28-30).

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John 3,13

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4 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.

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The words recorded in John 3,13 do not come from Jesus, but from the author of the gospel. When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, he was not in heaven but on earth. Jesus himself speaks until only verse 12, while verse 13 is part of the author's narrative, as is most of the Gospel of John. Most chapters begin with a narrative; so does the third. This narrative continues from verse 13 to the end of the chapter. The past tense, used from verse 13 onwards, indicates completed events. The phrase who is in heaven (verse 13) makes it clear that at the time the gospel was written, Jesus had already ascended to GOD the Father in heaven.

The verb ascended (Old Greek: anabainō) is in the past tense in Greek. In verse 14, both verbs for increased (Old Greek: hypsōsen and hypsōthēnai) are also in the past tense. As the serpent Moses was lifted up, so the Son of Man must also be lifted up. Both the serpent and the Son of Man were exalted in the past. The verbs loved and gave used in verse 16 further show that Jesus' death is in the past. In addition, Jesus speaks in the first person until verse 12, while from verse 13 onwards the Son of GOD is only spoken of in the third person. Instead of saying everyone who believes in me (John 6,35 / John 7,38 / John 8,12 / John 11,25 f. / John 12,44 + 46) we read: everyone who believes in him.

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The phrases from heaven / sent from above / sent by GOD that Jesus uses in the Gospel of John mean that Jesus came on behalf of GOD to proclaim the heavenly / divine message of the Father, which brings eternal life to all who accept it. In John 17,18 and John 20,21, Jesus uses the same expression for his disciples when he says that he is sending them into the world as the Father sent him into the world. This means that Jesus commissioned or appointed the believers, just as GOD commissioned and appointed him. John the Baptist was also sent by GOD (John 1,6). Just like Moses and the prophets, Jesus received his instructions and revelations directly from GOD (figuratively: from heaven / from above), but to a far greater extent than any human being before him. James 1,17 says that every good gift comes from above. GOD promised His blessings to the people if they would give Him their tithes, saying that He would open the windows of heaven and pour out His blessings (Malachi 3,10). This does not mean that GOD literally makes things fall out of the sky, but rather that He is the source of all blessings. In Matthew 21,25, Jesus asks the Pharisees whether John's baptism was from heaven or from men. Here too, the expression from heaven means that John's baptism was given by GOD. Paul writes in 1st Corinthians 15,47 that the first (perishable) man is from the earth, while the second (glorified) man is from heaven. Because Jesus was the only human being conceived by the Holy Spirit of the Father in Mary's womb, he symbolically comes from above / from heaven / from GOD. Jesus is GOD's seed and therefore GOD's son.

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Ex 4,22 / Ps 89,27 / Mt 25,34 / Joh 8,56 / Joh 20,17 / Eph 1,3 f. / Eph 2,10 / Heb 4,3 / 2nd Tim 1,9 f. / Joh 15,19 / Joh 17,14-16 / 1st Pet 1,20 / Heb 4,14 / Rev 17,8

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John 3,27-35

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27 To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ 29  The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.” 31  The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 33  Whoever has accepted it has certified that GOD is truthful. 34 For the one whom GOD has sent speaks the words of GOD, for GOD gives the Spirit without limit. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands."

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John the Baptist begins his statement by saying that all power and authority that a person possesses is given to him from heaven or from above, i.e. given by GOD. GOD commissioned John the Baptist to call people to repentance, baptize them and point them to the coming of the Messiah. However, his authority was limited to these three tasks. In the following verses, John the Baptist explains that it is not he, but Jesus, who is the Messiah, and that GOD has given everything into his hands (verse 35). Paul writes that GOD subjected everything to Jesus (1st Corinthians 15,27 / Hebrews 2,8). Jesus receives all authority from the Father; even after his resurrection. This contradicts the assumption that Jesus himself is GOD, since GOD is all-powerful and already owns everything (Romans 11,35).

The statements of the one from above / who comes from heaven (verse 31) mean that Jesus is GOD's gift, as verse 27 also makes clear. GOD gives people His Son in order to bless them in him (Acts 3,26) and to give them eternal life through faith in him (John 3,16 f.). The expression is above all means that Jesus is not only above John, but also above all other people. GOD has made the Messiah Lord/King/Judge over all (Acts 2,36). The fact that Jesus is above everyone does not make him GOD. It means that Jesus has the highest authority (after GOD) in the entire universe and that his instructions must be followed. Anyone who does not want to obey Jesus, GOD's mediator, will be met with GOD's wrath (verse 36). Remarkably, the phrase from heaven is not used by any other apostle in reference to Jesus anywhere in the New Testament.

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In verse 32, John the Baptist explains that Jesus saw (Old Greek: horaō) and heard (Old Greek: akouō) things and testified to them. A similar phrase can be found in John 8,40. This does not mean that Jesus was in heaven as GOD before his birth. Rather, this expression is used for people to whom GOD has revealed certain insights that are not accessible to normal people. The fact that John the Baptist is from the earth and speaks earthly things compared to Jesus (verse 31) means that he did not receive the heavenly revelations from GOD like Jesus did. The Old Testament prophets also saw and heard things from GOD in the form of dreams, visions and other messages that GOD conveyed to them through His spirit and which they were supposed to proclaim publicly. For this reason, prophets in early times were also called seers (1st Samuel 9,9). But none of the previous prophets did GOD give such deep insights and revelations as His Messiah.

​​In verse 33 John the Baptist says that Jesus' testimony comes from GOD. In verse 34 he adds that Jesus speaks the words of GOD and that GOD's spirit - in contrast to all of GOD's other prophets - works without restriction in the Messiah. GOD the Father caused all wisdom and knowledge to dwell in His human Son so that He might reveal to us the entire will of the Father. Therefore, Jesus is the word or wisdom of GOD personified. Looking at verses 34 + 35 together, it becomes clear that John clearly distinguishes between GOD (the Father) and Jesus (the Son). A analogous translation is:

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31 The one who comes with divine/heavenly authority is superior to all. The one who has only earthly authority speaks only about earthly things. The one who comes with divine/heavenly authority is superior to all. 32 He proclaims what he has seen and heard, even if no one believes him. 33 But whoever believes him shows that GOD is trustworthy. 34 For the one whom GOD has sent proclaims GOD's words, because GOD's Spirit is at work in him without restriction. 35 And because GOD loves His heir, He has given him all authority.

 

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John 5,18

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18  For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling GOD his own Father, making himself equal with GOD.

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Jesus explained in John 10,31-38 that the term son was a common expression used to refer to those anointed and commissioned by GOD. The Jews’ assumptions about Jesus were therefore false. The Jews simply claimed that Jesus wanted to be equal to GOD. However, this was not Jesus' intention. In the Gospel of John there are several situations where the Jews either consciously or unconsciously misunderstood Jesus (John 3,4 / John 6,52 / John 8,27). Jesus, however, immediately refutes the accusations in verse 19 by making it clear that he cannot do anything on his own, but only does what the Father tells him to do. Jesus repeats the same statement in verse 30.

Furthermore, being equal to GOD does not mean having GOD'S nature, as is erroneously assumed. It means arrogating to yourself something that only belongs to GOD. Jesus, on the other hand, stated several times that he does everything with the authority of the Father. In addition, Jesus did not actually break the Sabbath, as the Jews accused him of doing, but merely overruled the Pharisees' self-made regulations, thereby placing heavy burdens on people without GOD ever asking for it (Matthew 23,4). If Jesus had actually broken a commandment from GOD, it would have been a sin. This in turn would have meant that the entire work of redemption would have failed, since Jesus had to be sinless in order to atone for the sins of humanity.

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Calling GOD father – as is continually done in the New Testament – ​​does not mean equating oneself with GOD. GOD was already called Father in places in the Old Testament (Isaiah 61,16 / Jeremiah 31,9). Even the Jews who argued with Jesus referred to GOD as their Father (John 8,41). If the Jews' accusations had been rational, they would have made themselves guilty of blasphemy, as they accused Jesus of doing in John 5,18. Instead, this shows that the Jews' accusations were not only false, but also full of contradictions. From the beginning, the Pharisees were driven by envy and hatred (Matthew 27,18). They were not concerned with truth, but only with power (John 8,44 f.). All the time they were looking for an excuse to accuse and kill Jesus, even though Jesus' actions testified that he was the announced Messiah. Recognizing Jesus as Messiah would have meant a loss of power for them. In this respect, the Pharisees' claim is not a confirmation that Jesus wanted to equate himself with GOD, but rather a slander against Jesus.

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John 5,22 f.

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22 "Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him."

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GOD the Father sent Jesus and appointed him as judge over people. In verse 23, Jesus explains that whoever does not honor the Son also does not honor the Father who sent him. Jesus, the Messiah, came in the name of GOD (John 5,43) to do His will (John 5,30 / John 6,38). Jesus is therefore the representative of the Father. In other words: Jesus, who is himself human, represents the heavenly Father before all people. Because Jesus is the mediator between GOD and people (1st Timothy 2,5) and therefore the only way to the Father (John 14,6). He speaks the words of the Father and does the works of the Father (John 14,10 f. + 24). Jesus emphasized that whoever believes in him believes not in himself but in GOD the Father (John 12,44).

If a king sends someone on his behalf to represent him before the people, he will expect that the people will honor that person as they would honor the king, and listen to him as they would the king himself If he rejects or treats badly the king's envoy who has come with royal authority, he is also dishonoring the king. GOD sent Jesus to bring the message of reconciliation to the people. It is GOD's express will that they honor the Messiah and obey His words, as if GOD Himself were speaking to people. In addition, it was not Jesus who gave himself this honor, but GOD, the Father, from whom Jesus receives everything (John 8,54 / Hebrews 5,5).

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Jesus’ disciples also act in his name in the same way (John 20,21 f.). Anyone who rejects them rejects Jesus and ultimately GOD, the Father (Matthew 10,40 / John 13,20). Since the Father has given the Son the power to carry out His divine judgment on humanity, one must honor the Son as one honors the Father. For the judgment that the Son carries out is the judgment of the Father (Romans 2,6 + 16 / Acts 17,30 f.). Therefore, the word honor (Old Greek: timaō) can be understood in the sense of recognition. This is not about worship, as only GOD the Father is entitled to. People should not only recognize GOD, the Father, but also Jesus as His Messenger and Judge. This honor does not belong to Jesus by nature, but is due to the authority that GOD has given to His Messiah. Therefore, the analogous translation is:

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22 For the Father judges no one, but has appointed the Son to be Judge, 23 so that all may acknowledge the Son, just as they acknowledge the Father. Whoever does not acknowledge the Son does not acknowledge GOD who sent him.

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John 5,26 f.

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26 "For as the Father has life in himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And He has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man." 

 

GOD the Father is the only one who exists in Himself and has immortality (1st Timothy 6,16). But because GOD knew that Jesus would be without sin, He gave the Messiah the privilege of being the first person to be saved from death. This makes Jesus the only person to whom GOD has so far granted immortality (Acts 2,24 f. / Romans 6,9). The fact that Jesus received this right from the Father shows that he did not have it by nature. In the same way, Jesus was given authority (Old Greek: didōmi) by the Father to execute judgment (verse 7). All the power that Jesus possesses has been given to him by the Father. In addition, GOD is spirit and cannot die. Jesus, on the other hand, died on the cross and was brought back to life by the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit (1st Corinthians 6,14 / Colossians 2,1).

 

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