The beloved Apostle John speaks this regarding the appearing of Jesus.
John1:16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
John the Baptist had just screamed out that Jesus was the One of whom he had been talking about. This is the testimony of the Holy Spirit regarding Jesus.
It says of His fullness we have all received!
It does not say that we receive a portion of His fullness. It does not say that we receive a partial deposit of His fullness. It says of His fullness!
Then it goes on to say and grace for grace! Wait a minute here. We get what? Grace for grace! Now that is mind bending.
But it goes on to help us process the point. For the law was given but grace and truth came! Grace and truth are wrapped up in a person. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ!
Now this is not some deep mystical revelation I am speaking of here. This is super basic truth meant to be understood and believed by every one who is in Christ.
Verse 18 is meant to put some tennis shoes on our understanding. No one! What does that mean? No one! Randy used to use this line on his kids and now I use it on mine, “how old are you? 18 well I knew what you know now 28 years ago and I’ve been adding to it ever since.”
Here the Holy Spirit is letting everyone know right off the bat, religious leaders and common folk alike. No one has seen God at any time! News flash if anyone dares to say they have seen God at this point they have just been told by the Holy Spirit they are deceived.
I love the Cosby Show. I just enjoy the humor of Bill Cosby and the way they portrayed family life with a twist of wholesome humor. Bill would always make fun of how his wife Clair the lawyer would say, “let the record show.”
But in verse 18 we have the Holy Spirit declaring let the record show and he is not joking around. What is it the record is to show?
VS18b The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
Jesus would often say, “if you have seen me you have seen the Father.” There is no more authoritative revelation regarding the heart of God for mankind than what Jesus demonstrated and spoke.
About The Author
- Tim Atchley
- Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
- I currently serve as Senior Pastor of Harvest Church in Knoxville, Tn. I was sent out from Trinity Chapel of Knoxville in 1993 accompanied by my wife Sheila our four children Sarah, Hannah, Josiah & Isaac and a handful of bold, brave and committed believers determined to plant our first church. Pioneering is hard work but well worth the journey. That is why we desire to make disciples of Christ who will, like us, also embrace the call to plant churches.
