“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.” – John 1:1-3
We believe just what God’s Word says: God created all things. Heaven, earth, sun, moon, stars, plants, animals, and as the crown of creation He made man.
As John tells us throughout His Gospel, our God is a triune God: Father, Son, and Spirit. “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – John 1:4-5
Our God is a God of life. And this is How He made men: to be children of life and light. There is no source of life apart from the One, true God, and apart from God there is only death and darkness.
“The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.”
Even though we were made through such life and made for life, we fell from God’s image and glory when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3). Ever since this fall into sin, all mankind has lost the light and life of God. We fell into sin. Now, instead of worshipping and following God as creator and the light and life of the world, man does not know God and, when left to his own devices, man will actively rebel against God and refuse God and His Word. This is a problem! Apart from God there is no life, so we are left dead in our sinful flesh.
As Paul says in His letter to the Romans as he quotes the Psalms: “No one is righteous, no, not one; no one understands, no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good. Not even one.’ ‘Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.’ ‘The venom of asps is under their lips.’ ‘Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.’ ‘There feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.’ ‘There is no fear of God before their eyes.” -Romans 3:10-18
Taught throughout the entire bible is this horrible truth: ever since the fall men are unrighteous, are foolish, are constantly deceiving, constantly acting evil. They do not live under God, the creator and giver of life, as they should, and they do not live in love toward neighbor as they should but constantly go after their own desires at the detriment to others. And now in this sin and having separated ourselves from God, who is the only source of life, we are destined to die.
But God, our loving creator, does not leave us in this sin and death.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” – John 1:14
God the Son, the Word of God, who we were created through and who is the source of life, took on human flesh and dwelt among us. But the question is why? What does His dwelling among us do for us?
“Behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” – John 1:29