◆“Who Jesus Is, and Who I Am” (John 1:1-5) October 26, 2025

Today, I would like to share a message based on John 1:1-5. The theme is, “Who Jesus is, and who I am.” Through today’s message, I hope those of you who are seeking to understand your identity in Christ will gain clarity, and those who already know their identity in the Lord will reaffirm it.

Some parts may be a bit complicated. Sometimes it seems John wrote with a sophisticated intellectual audience in mind, but let us patiently listen to His Word.

Who is Jesus? Is He the founder of Christianity, one of the world’s major religions? Or is He a great moral teacher? Perhaps a failed social reformer? There are many perspectives. But ultimately, the question is not what people think or how history interprets Him. The question is, according to the Bible, who is He? That is the point.

Who Jesus is is the theme of the entire Bible, but today’s passage expresses it clearly and yet somewhat mysteriously. When reading for the first time, you may wonder: “What does this mean? What does ‘the Word’ refer to? What does it mean that He existed ‘in the beginning’?” Let us explore each part carefully.

This is Jesus’ self-introduction. How do we know that “the Word” refers to Jesus? In verse 2, He is called “the One”; in verses 5 and 9, “light” and “the true light”; in verse 14, He “became flesh” and is identified as the only Son. Verse 17 then clearly reveals that this is Jesus Christ.

It begins, “In the beginning was the Word.” First, what does “beginning” mean? The beginning of today, the beginning of this year, the beginning of my life, the beginning of your life? I have even heard the phrase, “today is the beginning of the rest of your life.” However, in John’s Gospel, “the beginning” has no article, signifying the absolute beginning—before time itself started. We can only imagine such a moment.

Jesus exists beyond time, eternally. This means He is God. In Exodus, God described Himself as “I AM WHO I AM” (Japanese Colloquial Bible). He is always, transcending time, present everywhere—this is unique to God. Jesus also said of Himself, “I am.”

In John 18, when people came to arrest Jesus, He asked, “Who are you looking for?” They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus replied, “I am He.” Verse 6 says, “When Jesus said, ‘I am He,’ they drew back and fell to the ground.” Why? Because Jesus declared He is God. The Shekinah glory, the presence of God, appeared, and people could not stand before it.

It is also written, “The Word was with God.” Does this mean He is someone other than God? No. This indicates an intimate relationship with the Father, and not only intimate but one with Him. It is a profound mystery that cannot be fully explained.

For example, the term “holistic” is common today. It means “whole-person.” Holistic medicine cares for the body, soul, and spirit, not just the physical body. Holistic education nurtures knowledge, emotions, and physical development—the whole human being. As the Bible teaches, we exist with body, soul, and spirit. The soul, though invisible, interacts with the body. When the heart hurts, appetite may vanish.

The Word, Jesus, is God and one with the Father. The message of God rests on this truth. Salvation comes through Jesus’ death. The sinless God became human, bore our sins, and forgave us. If Jesus were not God, the cross would merely be the death of a sinner.

Verses 3-4 say, “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.” Not “existed,” but “made.” The Word, Jesus, is the Creator, not a created being. Everything else, including us, was made through Him. “Made” here means bringing into being from nothing, not assembling materials. You were not born by chance; you were made through the Word, desired and created. You did not descend from apes or amoebas. Evolution may occur within species, but the ultimate beginning was by God, through Jesus.

This creation leads to a new creation—being born as children of God. Verse 4 says, “In Him was life.” This life is not mortal but eternal life itself. When we are united with this life, we become new creations, forgiven of sin, made children of God, and destined to live forever.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” Romans 6:3-8 teaches similarly: through baptism, we are united with Christ’s death and resurrection, so our old self is freed from sin, and we live a new life.

In other words, this new creation occurs at the cross. Jesus bore our sins, faced God’s judgment, died, and was resurrected for us. When we recognize and confess this, we are made new before God.

In summary, Jesus is with God and is God. All things were made through Him, including us. And through the cross, we, sinners, are forgiven and made children of God. Let us be children of God. Receive Jesus, claim this as your own experience, and confess it. For those who already have, let us once again give thanks for Jesus’ works.

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Sermon script modified based on proofreading and translation with ChatGPT.