John & Genesis

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John’s Commentary on Genesis

John 1:1

There are two things I want us to gain from this discussion. 

  1. That God is the mastermind behind the Bible. It is an intricately, woven story that could only be from the mind of God. 
  2. That Jesus is to be found, as He claimed, in the scriptures ( John 5:39).

So what does John do? He goes back to the very beginning and shows us Jesus, in the scriptures. Remember, John only had the Old Testament, and the writing of Moses was most important. Just as our pastor prepares a message, he reads as Scripture and expounds upon it. So John does that here. Let’s follow along.

  1. In the beginning. What beginning is John talking about? 
    1. Beginning of God?
    2. Beginning in Genesis?
    3. Something unknown?
    4. (1) In the beginning.—The reference to the opening words of the Old Testament is obvious. It is the more striking when we remember that a Jew would continuously speak of and quote from the book of Genesis as Berēshîth (“in the beginning”). It is entirely in harmony with the Hebrew tone of this Gospel to do so, and it can hardly be that St. John wrote his Berēshîth without having that of Moses present to his mind, and without being guided by its meaning. Elliott’s Commentary of English Readers
  2. In John, what or who is the Word? Jesus, John1:14
    1. The plainest reason why the Son of God is called the Word, seems to be, that as our words explain our minds to others, so was the Son of God sent in order to reveal his Father’s mind to the world. What the evangelist says of Christ proves that he is God. Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
  3. Do we find the Word in the first few verses of Genesis? God said, Genesis 1:3
  4.  When God speaks, words proceed out of His mouth—words that change the world that change you and me.
  5. According to John, who created all things? Jesus, John 1:3,10
    1. According to Paul, who made all things? Jesus, Colossians 1:16
  6. What was the light? Life, John 1:4
    1. John uses light as a metaphor in his writings. Many instances light is used as a metaphor for truth or righteousness in the Scripture.
  7. “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil;
  8.  that put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
  9.  that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!).”
    1.  Isaiah 5:20
  10. The light in Genesis starts the process of life being generated on the earth
  11. In both passages, was the light in conflict with darkness? Yes, Genesis 1:4 & John 1:5
  12. Darkness is the opposite of light.
    1. What was the reason for the darkness in Genesis? The lack of order, Genesis 1:2
    2. What causes the darkness in John? Lack of order, John 1:5 & 1 John 5:6-7
  13. In Genesis and John, what started to bring order/life. Light, Genesis 1:4, John 1:9
  14. What caused the disorder in our World? Sin, Genesis 2:17, 3:6, Romans 5:12
  15.  I do not believe in a gap theory. The lack of order, in the beginning, was a starting place to bring about order.
  16. Does the Bible promise a new creation—a fix? Yes, Revelation 21:1, 2 Corinthians 5:17
  17. When did the new creation begin? 
    1. In Genesis on the first day
    2. In John, it starts on the first day/Resurrection, John 20:9
  18. When did the light come into our world in Genesis? First day. 
  19. Who will be our eternal light? Jesus, Revelation 22:5

Genesis is the beginning not just of our world, but of the Bible. It lays a foundation of imagery the is carried throughout the whole Bible. If the patters and metaphors are missed, a depth to the Scripture is hidden from one’s understanding. May this start a new and more in-depth journey into the Bible.