Today's Bible reading is the 1st chapter of the Book of John. You can read it here at Bible Gateway: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1&version=NASB

As we continue reading through the New Testament, today we find ourselves in the first chapter of the beloved Apostle John's Gospel. The Book begins with those famous words, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Inspired by God, John begins to set before us the wondrous truth regarding the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. I suppose that there has been an untold number of things that have been written by men as they have studied the first fifty-one verses of John's Gospel contained in this chapter. In my hope to write just a few short thoughts, I do not discount the wealth of material contained here.

The apostle writes of John the Baptist, saying that he "was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light". Let us consider how it was that John the Baptist "testified" of Jesus, the Light of the World. Speaking of Him, John said, "He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me." He is recorded as repeating this truth a second time with almost the same words when he said, "After me comes a man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me. Scripture teaches us that Jesus and John's mothers, Mary and Elizabeth, were cousins. We know that John was actually born before Jesus by approximately six months. John's statement that Jesus existed before him is an affirmation of the deity of Christ. He was simply proclaiming the truth spoken of by the apostle himself. He existed "before" John as He was "with God" and He "was God" in the beginning. This is also indicative of the "higher rank" He possesses. It is the higher rank of His being the Sovereign Creator God. As such, John would humbly proclaim that he was "not worthy to untie" the thong of the sandals Jesus wore upon His feet.

Twice we read that John proclaimed that Jesus was "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." And although John himself was baptizing with water, when God revealed Jesus to him by the Spirit descending "as a dove out of heaven" and remaining upon Him, God would speak to him saying, "this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit". And lastly, having seen Him with his own eyes, John would say of Him, "this is the Son of God." No, John was not the light but he did indeed testify of the Light.