L. UNDERSTANDING THE MESSAGE OF THE BIBLE

A sailor in the Navy came aboard the ship and was totally unaware of Bible teaching and clarity of who Jesus was and is. He was eager to learn about the Bible. Over the cruise of 6 months, he decides to get to know Jesus and begin to follow him. He studied the Bible and seemed to grow in his faith. After the cruise, he left for his hometown, where he ran into a group of people who believed that all religions were unified and that Jesus was not God. He rejected his faith and began to live a self-centered life. We never heard from him again. What places in the Bible can help answer the doubts this sailor experienced?

John 1:1-14

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. ⁸ He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

⁹ The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹² Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling 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.

1. What does it mean in the beginning?

2. What is the meaning of “the Word”?

3. What does it mean that the Word was God?

4. How did the Word make all things?

5. What does this tell us who the Word is?

6. What does “the true light” tell us about who the Word is?

7. In verse 11, what clues do we discover about the Word being Jesus?

8. When it says, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, who is this?

1. What did you discover about Jesus from this author who knew him personally?

2. Would you be interested in readying the rest of John and discovering more about who Jesus is?

3. When would be a good time to start that reading?