The Word Became Flesh

(A Blog on John 1:1-5)

A Christmas Anchor for the Soul

The four Sundays leading up to Christmas are known as Advent — a word that means the coming. From the earliest days of the church, believers used this season to reflect on one of the most staggering truths of the Christian faith: the incarnation.

The incarnation declares that God did not remain distant. He took on human flesh through the virgin birth. He entered our world to live among us, to take our place, and to pay the penalty for our sin. It is a doctrine so profound that A.W. Tozer rightly said, “When we come to the mystery of the incarnation, we must not analyze; we must adore.”

In a culture that often debates who Jesus really was, Christmas gives believers an opportunity to stop arguing with skeptics and start celebrating the God who came near. But it also invites us to look carefully at what the incarnation actually means—and that is exactly what the apostle John helps us do.

John’s Starting Point: Eternity, Not Bethlehem

Unlike Matthew or Luke, John does not begin his Gospel with angels, shepherds, or a manger. Writing later than the Synoptic Gospels, John addresses false ideas already circulating about Jesus — especially early forms of Gnosticism that denied Christ’s true humanity and separated the spiritual from the material.

As Charles Swindoll observes, John begins with eternity past because he wants us to understand this staggering truth: the baby in the manger is the eternal God of the universe.

So John opens with a cosmic declaration:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

This was a monumental claim in John’s day — and it remains so today. What does it really mean that the Word became flesh? John gives us three life-anchoring truths that form the foundation for a deep, durable relationship with God — not only at Christmas, but all year long.

Anchor #1: The Incarnation Reveals the True Nature of Jesus

John 1:1–5

John describes Jesus as the Word — the Logos. To both Jews and Greeks, this term carried deep meaning. For Greeks, Logos referred to the ordering principle behind the universe –– the logic that brings order out of chaos. For Jews, it evoked the creative, speaking Word of the LORD revealed in Scripture.

John brings these ideas together and makes a bold claim:

• To Greeks: The ordering principle of the universe is not a force — it is a Person.

• To Jews: The Word who creates and speaks has now come in flesh.

When John says, “In the beginning was the Word,” he intentionally echoes Genesis 1:1. Jesus is not a created being. He is eternal. He is divine. He is personal. He is the Creator.

Swindoll explains it this way:

“John reaches into the philosophical and theological vocabulary of his day and announces that the ultimate explanation of God and of life itself has appeared in the person of Jesus Christ.”John MacArthur adds: 'Jesus Christ is the final, full revelation of God. Everything God wants us to know is demonstrated in Him.'"

From the earliest days of the church, false teachers tried to make Jesus more manageable — either fully human but not divine, or divine but not truly human. That same impulse still exists today. Many are content with a sentimental Christmas Jesus — an inspiring teacher, a seasonal symbol, or a cultural mascot.

But John will not allow that reduction. Jesus is not a god, nor merely like God. He is God. And in Him is life –– the only true source of light and truth for humanity.

Christmas reminds us to worship Jesus for who He truly is, not who we wish Him to be.

Anchor #2: The Incarnation Exposes Humanity’s Rebellion — and Christ’s Victory

John 1:5

John writes:

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Throughout Scripture, light represents revelation and truth. Jesus, as Creator, is the originator of both. When He entered the world, He shined light into a fallen, rebellious humanity that loved darkness rather than light (John 3:19).

That reality should not surprise us. The darkness we see in the world flows from the darkness in the human heart. Yet John offers hope: the darkness has not overcome the light.

The word John uses for overcome (katálambanō) means both to overpower and to comprehend. The darkness neither extinguished the light nor understood it. As MacArthur succinctly puts it, “The darkness is not able to overpower or extinguish the divine light.”

History proves this true. Empires have tried to destroy Christianity. Philosophers have predicted its demise. Persecutors have attempted to silence the gospel. Yet the light of Christ continues to shine. Darkness may make noise, but it cannot make progress against the light.

The incarnation assures us that evil does not get the final word. Through the cross and resurrection, Christ has already secured the victory.

Anchor #3: The Incarnation Reveals the Nearness of Grace and Salvation

John 1:11–14

John now brings us to the heart of the incarnation:

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

The word dwelt can be translated tabernacled. John is deliberately connecting Jesus to the Old Testament tabernacle — the place where God’s presence dwelled among Israel, yet remained veiled behind a curtain.

But when Christ came, the veil was removed. God was no longer distant or inaccessible. He walked among us. He revealed His glory. He came full of grace and truth.

C.S. Lewis once compared the incarnation to an author writing himself into his own story. Instead of sending a message from afar, God stepped onto the page and walked among His creation. History truly is His story.

Salvation, then, is not about climbing our way to God. It is about receiving the God who came all the way to us.

A Final Christmas Picture

On Christmas Eve in 1914, during World War I, something remarkable happened along the Western Front. Soldiers on opposing sides began singing Silent Night. Candles appeared above the trenches. Enemies climbed out, exchanged gifts, and even played soccer together.

For one night, light broke through the darkness.

The incarnation is God’s ultimate Christmas truce — His light entering humanity’s battlefield and refusing to let darkness win.

This Christmas, we can stop debating and start celebrating. The Word became flesh — and the light still shines.

Until next time…Stay strong in Lord!

Pastor Bob

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About Pastor Bob Moya, DMin.

Pastor Bob Moya has served as the lead pastor with his wife Candace at City Chapel in Arlington, Texas for over 24+ years. He recently graduated with a doctorate degree in Spiritual Renewal and Leadership in the spring of 2024. When not serving at the church, you'll find Bob enjoying a good read at Barnes & Noble, sipping a nitro cold brew or black coffee from Starbucks, or spending time with his family.