John 1:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

NIV: No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

NASB: No one has seen God at any time; God the only Son, who is in the arms of the Father, He has explained Him.

CSB: No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father's side --he has revealed him.

NLT: No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.

KJV: No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

NKJV: No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

In verse 18, "seeing God" is meant in the sense of seeing God the Father in a physical, literal sense. God chose to reveal Himself in certain forms in the past, but He is essentially a Spirit (John 4:24). The gospel of John describes Jesus as the "Word" of God, using the Greek word logos. Jesus is the message, or the definition, of God. Words are tangible symbols of ideas, both for our eyes and our ears. The fact that God came in human form is critical. Jesus is a human being who experiences our struggles (Hebrews 4:15), one to whom we can relate. Jesus is a message from God, in a language we all understand: relationship. Jesus explains God to us in a way we could never understand otherwise. Here, John also repeats the claim that Jesus is God. The Greek term monogenes is used here, as well as in verse 14 and John 3:16, both for the phrase "one and only." This word means Jesus is of the exact same "stuff" as God the Father. This is the first of seven "witnesses" to Jesus' divinity in the gospel of John, and the third of seven names: "The Son of God."

John 1:1–18 is a poetic introduction of Jesus Christ. Jesus is referred to using the Greek word Logos, meaning “The Word.” This passage clearly describes Jesus as identical to God, and co-creator with God. These verses summarize Jesus’ ministry and mission on Earth. The passage also explains how John the Baptist (a different John from the author of this gospel) was sent ahead of Christ to prepare for His arrival.

The first chapter of John introduces Jesus as “the Word,” from the Greek Logos. This chapter clearly describes Jesus as identical to God. After this prologue, the chapter describes Jesus recruiting the first of His disciples, as well as a conversation between John the Baptist and the Pharisees. There are seven names for Christ in this chapter, including “The Son of God,” “The Word,” and “The King of Israel.”

The first chapter of the gospel of John equates Christ with God, and introduces John the Baptist. The Baptist specifically points to Jesus as the Promised One. Jesus collects the first five of His disciples. In this chapter, Jesus is given seven descriptive names, including “The Word,” “The Son of God,” and “The King of Israel.” This chapter sets the stage for the rest of the gospel, by giving the reader a sense of who Jesus truly is, and why He has come. The rest of the gospel is an exploration of the claims made in this initial passage.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.

Accessed 4/30/2024 9:17:22 PM