John presents Jesus as “the Word,” or logos, to set forth His identity as God incarnate. In verse one of John’s Gospel, this personage called God became apparent and took form through Him in Jesus, but the latter is never all-inclusive and all-included within that personage called “The Word”. Though not synonymous with all that is true about him or her.
This opening statement of John’s Gospel directly refutes Gnostic teaching that there exists a third, separate God. Instead, John asserts that all existence was prior to Logos (Word). Furthermore, John establishes that Logos was with God from eternity – something central to Christian doctrine of Incarnation.
The Incarnation is an incredible mystery: an event which explains how God could manifest His eternal Son into human form to live among us and perform miracles, forgive sins and raise himself from the dead. Furthermore, it shows us that He does not abandon His people but becomes part of their everyday lives by remaining present among us all.
History has witnessed numerous models for how God communicates to humanity. One approach suggests that He reveals Himself through major events of salvation history such as Exodus or Jesus’s resurrection, such as recorded in Scripture and its text as witness. Furthermore, supernatural powers must play an integral part in divine revelation if its accuracy is to be guaranteed.
Another model of divine revelation emphasizes God’s interactions with humanity through Jesus. According to this view, Jesus is God incarnate, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah such as his virgin birth, sacrifice on the cross and miracles. Through incarnation God dwells with his people both individually and physically through churches as temples – something the individual church cannot achieve alone.
Jesus himself offers another model of divine revelation through His words and deeds. According to this view, His actions and words reveal God’s nature as well as His love for all humanity through their incarnation in Him; through which He can communicate directly with humans via Jesus himself so He may be understood both through natural laws of nature as well as human minds.
No matter which model is selected, it is vitally important that we acknowledge divine revelation as a gift from God and that the Bible serves as its vessel. This principle underpins ecclesial mediation whereby church congregations act as intermediaries between divine wisdom and humanity. Treating scripture with reverence and accepting its guidance for life on Earth are paramount components.
