(7) John Continues His Testimony

(Note: This post is part of a series on proof of the deity of Jesus in the New Testament & second on the first chapter of the Gospel of John.)

John has been very clear, but he is determined to make sure he is not mistaken so he states, “This one was in the beginning with God.” And here, John reaffirms the personality and the preexistence of Jesus.

That’s the glory of the eternally existing Word. In verse fourteen of John one, John declares,

The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The eternally existing Word who is God, “became flesh.” And in His taking on flesh, he displayed the glory of the one and only Son.

In some translations, “one and only” is translated, “only begotten” and so some would say this indicates that Jesus was created. The Tyndale Bible Dictionary helps us understand what the Greek actually means here.
"Only Begotten" is a phrase deeply entrenched in Christian language as descriptive of Jesus. The word traditionally translated "only begotten" does not carry the idea of birth at all. Literally, it means "only one of its kind," "unique." This can be readily seen in the way it is used in the New Testament and in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament).

In Hebrews 11:17, this same word is used to describe Isaac as Abraham's "favored" or "unique" son. Isaac was not Abraham's "only begotten," since he had other children, but Isaac was his favored and unique son fulfilling God's promise.

So, in verse 14, John declares the uniqueness and one-of-a-kind, elite status of Jesus. In verse 18, John again affirms the deity of Jesus.

No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.

Men like Moses and Isaiah had seen limited manifestations of God, but no one has ever seen the full essence and nature of God. But, Jesus, “the one and only, unique God” has made God known. The Greek word translated, “made Him known” carries the idea of explaining or revealing. John beautifully describes Jesus as being continually at the Father’s “Bosom.” William Hendriksen explains that “this added clause indicates a relation of abiding closeness between the Father-God and the Son-God.”

If there was any doubt of the deity of Jesus and His position as the second member of the triune Godhead, it has been shattered by the bold and precise declarations of the Apostle John. The magnitude of the witnesses, the evidence, the proof for the deity of Jesus has become downright staggering. Either Jesus is God or all of these great men were actually complete fools or unabashed liars! An accusation very few would be so brash as to claim.

Next:  (8)  The Glorious Son