The Necessity of Jesus

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." John 1:1-5

Why do we need Jesus? Judging by the way the world is today, we don't need Jesus. We are Americans. We can do everything by ourselves. We have drive. We have ambition. We are going to be the next (fill-in-the-blank). We don't need Jesus. We don' t need anyone. Everything we have in our life is because we earned it. If someone lacks, it is because they did not work hard enough. It is their own fault. So, why do we need Jesus?

In the first few verses of the book of John, the apostle makes it quite clear who Jesus is, what He has done, what His purpose is and why He is necessary. This passage tells us that Jesus is necessary. Why? There are three reasons why Jesus is necessary.

Jesus is necessary because He is God. (v.1-2)

The first verse explains it all. In the beginning was the Word. The Word of God existed in the beginning. This phrase "in the beginning" is a reference to the first verse of the first book of the Bible, Genesis. In the beginning...The Word of God existed in the beginning. In the beginning of what? The beginning of time! How can we comprehend that?

Not only did the Word exist in the beginning but the Word was with God, who created the world. But here is where things get tricky...the next phrase says "and the Word was God." Excuse me? How does that work. Well, we know from other parts of scripture that the Triune Godhead is made up of the Father (God), the Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit. Thus, the Word (which we will see later is Jesus) was God. Jesus said himself "I and the Father are one." Therefore, Jesus is necessary because He is God.

Philippians 2:6 says Jesus "who, being in very nature God.." Jesus himself prayed in John 17:5 "And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began." The verdict is clear: Jesus was God and was with God at the dawn of creation. Jesus is necessary for our lives because without him there would be no beginning. There is another reason that Jesus is necessary for our lives.

Jesus is necessary because He is the Creator. (v.3)

Verse 3 says "through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." Jesus had a very proactive part in creation. Most of the time we think of the Father creating everything but Jesus and the Holy Spirit just kicking back while he did the work. But, Jesus was active. He was active because He is God. Is your mind blown yet? I know mine is.

Jesus is necessary for us because He created the world, and he created us. John makes no mistake about it. Colossians 1:15-17 says "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in Heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."

The reason John was so clear about this is because he was battling a heresy called Docetic Gnosticism which questioned Jesus credentials. Our present day is not much different. Jesus' credentials are questioned everyday. It is a wonder that as much as 33% of the world claims to be some sort of Christian. That means that 2/3 of this world don't see Jesus as being necessary. Jesus is necessary because he created the world - he even created those 66% of people who don't think He is necessary. There is a third reason that Jesus is necessary.

Jesus is necessary because He contains eternal life.

Verse 4 says "in him was life..." In Jesus exists eternal life. When we are born, we sin. Sin seperates us from being able to fellowship with a perfect God for eternity. However, in Jesus existed the potential for life for us after death. That potential was realized when Jesus came to earth and died on the cross for our sins, thus trading his Godly perfection for our sinful imperfection. In Jesus is life. This life is the light of men. The light (our hope of salvation) shines in the darkness that is a world that does not see the need for Jesus. And as a result of this 'no need for Jesus' the darkness "has not understood it."

Why do we need Jesus. We need Jesus because without him, we are living a life in the dark that leads to eternal death. Praise God for Jesus!