2020 FOCUSED on The Word, Part 2

Ryan Cox • February 8, 2020

Every word of the Bible is true, accurate, and inspired, which is why Jesus said in John 10:35, “the Scripture cannot be broken.” You can’t just take part of it and cast some aside; it’s an all or nothing deal.

But let’s one up it. Let’s take this to a level of awareness that transcends human/worldly reasoning and understanding that makes a difference in hearts and minds.

John 1:1-3 says, “ 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 came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”

Who or What is this Word? In John 1, the Greek word translated as “ Word ” is just full of meaning. It is the word logos.

In Greek literature, Socrates and Plato used this word logos not as a part of speech, but as the very thoughts of the gods that somehow made it down to man. The Stoics took logos to mean that it wasn’t just the gods’ thoughts, but that the thoughts and words of the gods took actual physical form in space and time (similar to Genesis 1; God spoke and, *BAM*, it was so).

Philo, a Hebrew scholar who was very Hellenized (of Greek culture), taught in the years before Jesus that the logos of the Old Testament was that which connected God to the world. It’s what allowed man to hear and understand God. It was the spoken word of God that became reality for us.

The Apostle John infuses these two concepts into this word to try the best he can under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to tell us about this supernatural Word that was before the creation of the world. In fact, in verse 1 the word “was” is in the Greek imperfect tense. That means this Word was, still is, and always will be. This Word is eternal! It was with God, meaning it was co-existent yet distinct with God, and yet the Word was God. Again, it was, is, and always will be God. God Himself!

However, in the Jehovah Witness Bible (called the New World Translation) they insert an “a” to say this Word was just “a god” of some kind. That is not found in one single manuscript of John’s Gospel ever discovered.

To emphasize the Word’s true identity even more, verse 3 says, “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”

Additionally, if you look at verses 2 and 3, what do you discover? Yes, this Word was the agent of creation in Genesis 1, but the Word is also a HE ! You might be thinking, “Yeah, God’s a ‘He.’ So what?” In verse two, He and God are both mentioned and are yet one and the same.

Verse 4 says that in Him, this Word, is life. You could not breathe nor exist today if it were not for this Word. But even more so, verse 4 says that this life is the “Light of men.” Psalm 119:105 states, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” That means this Word as the Light tells man what is moral, what is true, what is righteous, and what is holy. Therefore, the life that is through Him is also eternal.

He was, is, and always will be, and we follow Him because He made us and has offered us eternal life.

Skip down to verse 14 of John 1, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” This Word became a man!

So Who was this Word that, even though He is God the Creator and the Life and Light of man, He would leave that position, empty Himself (Philippians 2:7), and become like one of us? Granted, He would still be God; you just can’t quit that day job. But He would take on the form of one of us, full of its pains, aches and troubles, and come be with us so that we could know Him better than we could ever imagine.

John 1:16-17 proclaims, “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”

It’s Jesus!    Do you know Him?

After reading what God has told us about Him through John, don’t you think you ought to get to know Him? He’s made quite an effort for you to do so. In fact, if you go back and read it again, who is really the focus of the text?

It’s YOU! It’s ME! It’s EVERYONE!

Despite how awesome, great, and magnificent He is, He took time to make you and me, and then humbled Himself to become one of us that He might save us!

When you realize how badly He wants to know you, have you, save you, and be with you for all eternity, don’t you think that might change how you and I live? Don’t you think that might change what we as the Church do for Him?

If we got to know Jesus, if we were to fall in love with Him once again, if you were to get to know who He really is, what He’s really like, and He became a part of your life like no other companion could ever be, what do you think life would be like?

Don’t you think we’d have the best marriages, the best families?

Don’t you think we’d be the most loving, serving, caring, giving, and charitable people our communities ever met?

Don’t you think we’d be a truly praying church, as we would so badly want to talk with our Heavenly Father?

Don’t you think we would stand upon the Word no matter what would ever happen to us?

Don’t you think God would be well pleased with us?

When we finally see the Word, we finally see Jesus. The everlasting impact of seeing Jesus, of Jesus coming into focus in your life, is indescribable in its life-changing effect.

That is when you will have John 20:20 focus – “After He said this, He showed them His hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Signing the Mayflower Compact by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, 1899
By Ryan Cox March 19, 2026
EACH OF THESE ARTICLES ARE EXCERPTS FROM AMERICA’S EPIC ADVENTURE TM - CTF'S NEWEST VBS CURRICULUM From Lesson 1: The Pilgrims, Walking by Faith in the Lord – Proverbs 3:5-6
model train engine
By Matt Miles March 19, 2026
There are moments in life that we experience the Lord’s Providence, which is the continual guiding and caring of us for His purposes. We may go though trials and suffering now to refine our faith in preparation for eternity. Other times we may see it for the here and now, with the aligning of plans for His purpose in our life, maybe with the opening or closing of a door. Many times we see Providence only in hindsight, looking back on life and seeing His hand working, molding and inspiring us for His plans and to His glory. I can see the Lord’s Providence at many times over the course of my life. Early in my grade school years I developed a love for building models I was recently reminded, along with my father, that we built a train set together in our basement. Following that, I began to build model cars and airplanes. I now know that love of building, tinkering and problem solving was Providence preparing me for this ministry. The Lord taught me early on how to stay focused and pay attention to detail. What I thought was only a hobby at the time is now something I must use on a regular basis in things such as fossil restoration, building crates, trailer and vehicle maintenance for our mobile museum. Later in high school, while active in church, the Lord called me to serve our children’s church ministry. I began to help teach others about Jesus. It seemed insignificant at the time. I remember helping in lesson times and the puppet ministry. I even was cast as “Pastor Rufus” in one of our ongoing puppet skits. My opportunities to share Christ and be an example to those younger than I was tremendous. Again through His Providence, the Lord was guiding me and calling me to ministry. He developed in me the love of teaching His Word to others, priceless to me today. Then in college Providence brought Theresa and I together. The Lord knew exactly who I needed to be my bride for life. She is strong in my weakness and more Christ-like than anyone I know. She is the perfect helpmate and partner for me in ministry as well, which has so far been 34 years, to be exact. Many times the Lord has used her discernment to direct me through a situation that I did not see correctly. I am thankful every day for Providence that brought us together in life and eternal work. As I look back on my life, there are more Providential moments than I have space to write. Most of those times have directly guided me to this specific ministry and my call to preach and teach His Word. Looking back on life and identifying those moments of Providence from the Lord is humbling and awe-inspiring. Please take a moment to remember your own moments when Providence has been evident in your life. This ministry is about identifying Providence from the beginning. His plan from the start is us spending eternity in His presence. Our sin messed some things up, but not His plan. He always has and always will know exactly how to guide and care for us so that we bring Him the glory, now and eternally. There is not a month that goes by that we here at CTF don’t praise the Lord for His Providence through you, our supporters and sustainers. Join with me in thanks for His Providence each day, guiding as only our Creator and Savior could do. Psalms 31:3-5 Blessings.
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