What is the relationship between God, God the Father, and Jesus in John 1:18?
Who is who in the context of John 1:18?
John 1:18
ESV - 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.
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Asked October 12 2013
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Sandee Clement
Supporter
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JD Abshire
Supporter
Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three distinct personages yet one God/Godhead. John is declaring that Christ (The Word) always was in existence, was with God and actually was God. The "Word" or logos is all of the divine attributes of the Godhead wrapped up in human flesh, the incarnated Jesus Christ. John 1:18 "No man hath seen God at any time......." In John 4:24 The Lord Jesus told the Samaritan woman that God is a Spirit. Considering we cannot see spirits, God took on the form of human flesh in the body of Jesus Christ. Getting back to John 1:18 ".......he hath declared him". God was put on display. Read Colossians 1, especially v.13-19, 2:8, Hebrews 1:1-8, 1 John1-2.
Rotimi EWEDEMI
Supporter
Please permit me to quote John 1:18 from several translations: No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [him]. (ASV). No man has ever seen God at any time; the only unique Son, or the only begotten God, Who is in the bosom [in the intimate presence] of the Father, He has declared Him [He has revealed Him and brought Him out where He can be seen; He has interpreted Him and He has made Him known]. (AMP). No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. (KJV). 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. (NIV). No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. (NKJV).. 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. (NLT). God no one hath ever seen; the only begotten Son, who is on the bosom of the Father -- he did declare. (YLT). No one has ever seen God, not so much as a glimpse. This one-of-a-kind God-Expression, who exists at the very heart of the Father, has made him plain as day. (MSG). We can see from here that we need to read more than one version to know answer to your question. Let us also see John 17:1-5. Jesus said these things. Then, raising his eyes in prayer, he said, Father, it’s time. Display the bright splendor of your Son...You put him in charge of everything human So he might give real and eternal life to all in his charge. And this is the real and eternal life: That they know you, The one and only true God, And Jesus Christ, whom you sent. I glorified you on earth.By completing down to the last detail, What you assigned me to do. And now, Father, glorify me with your very own splendor, The very splendor I had in your presence, Before there was a world (MSG) Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, “as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was (NKJV) WHEN JESUS had spoken these things, He lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify and exalt and honor and magnify Your Son, so that Your Son may glorify and extol and honor and magnify You. [Just as] You have granted Him power and authority over all flesh (all humankind), [now glorify Him] so that He may give eternal life to all whom You have given Him. And this is eternal life: [it means] to know (to perceive, recognize, become acquainted with, and understand) You, the only true and real God, and [likewise] to know Him, Jesus [as the] Christ (the Anointed One, the Messiah), Whom You have sent. I have glorified You down here on the earth by completing the work that You gave Me to do.... Revelation 3:12 is instructive: He who overcomes (is victorious), I will make him a pillar in the sanctuary of My God; he shall never be put out of it or go out of it, and I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which descends from My God out of heaven, and My own new name. (Revelation 3:12 AMP) Conclusion? No one has seen God the Father, Yaweh, THE ONLY TRUE GOD, who also is the GOD AND FATHER of Jesus. The only one who has is the Son of God, the only begotten son, Jesus, whom the true God sent to the earth for our redemption. Jesus prayed to his God Yaweh, (Luke 6:12), whom Jesus said in John 14:28 is greater than himself.
Marvin Reynolds
Supporter
This description of John Chapter one and verses one and two must be considered by the use of "THE" and how this effects the translation in this section. Point best described is that Jesus and God the Father stood face to face and Jesus is a PART of THE Father. That is true of no Angel or Man other then existence which means we have a standard to meet where as Jesus does not.
Jack Gutknecht
Supporter
Jesus is "the Word" that explains. In the KJV of John 1:18 John says that Jesus (the Word) "hath declared Him." He is the one who "explained" the Father to believers. The Greek word is "exegeted" for "explained." Look up "exegesis" in Wikipedia and you will find: "Exegesis (/ˌɛksɪˈdʒiːsɪs/; from the Greek ἐξήγησις from ἐξηγεῖσθαι, "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text, particularly a religious text. Traditionally the term was used primarily for work with the Bible." Warren Wiersbe says it means "to explain, to unfold, to lead the way. Jesus Christ explains God [the Father] and interprets Him for us." We just can't understand God the Father without knowing His Son, Jesus Christ. And Warren W. Wiersbe's son, David W. Wiersbe, and father alike agree that "it is the science of revealing the substance and meaning of something--or Someone." God the Son only can express who God the Father is. We can start to know to a limited degree who God is and what He does. The two add, "we can resist Him [the Word, Jesus] and be in the dark or receive Him by believing and walk in the light. In Jesus, God speaks just the Word that we need." See "J Is for Christmas" (Daved W. and Warren W. WIERSBE) and The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament (Warren W. Wiersbe).
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