The Word - March 9, 2012 - THE ONE AND ONLY SON

"And the Word became 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. For of His fulness we have all received, and grace upon grace" (John 1:14,16).

John 1:14 refers to Jesus Christ, the Word, as the "only begotten of the Father," and going ahead to verse 18, He is referred to as "The only begotten Son." The Greek word that is translated "only begotten is also used in John 3:16, God gave His only begotten Son."

What this means is that The Lord Jesus Christ is the one and only Son of God. By very nature He is God. He possesses every attribute of God. But when the eternal Son of God, God manifest in the flesh, He became a man forever! The incarnation was not a quick flash of deity taking on humanity. The God-Man lived among us. His glory was visible. His moral glories, His sinlessness, and His perfections were seen throughout His life on earth.

In the Old Testament, God dwelt in the midst of His people, and His glory was seen, focused on the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle. But now with the coming of the Messiah, the glory of God was focused and seen in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, who became man forever!

"Of His fulness we have all received, and grace upon grace." Grace upon grace means one blessing after another! Verse 14 says that the Lord Jesus Christ is "full of grace and truth"-and that grace has been extended to us, not only in salvation, but also blessings every day, even in the midst of the trials of life!

How thankful we should be that God has brought waves of grace--one blessing after another, into our lives, even when we do not deserve them. So I would remind us all, "So then, just as you have received Christ as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness" (Colossians 2:6-7).