"In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God. And the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.

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In Him was life. And that life was the Light of man.

And the Light shines in the darkness. And the darkness has not understood it.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John.

One who came for a witness, to testify about the Light; so that through him all might believe.

He was not the Light, but bore witness of the Light;

that is, the true Light, which, coming into the world, lights all mankind.

He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not.

He came to His own, and His own received Him not.

But as many as received Him, to them He gave power to be children of God, to those who believe in His Name,

who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. And we saw the glory of Him, as the glory of the Only Begotten One of the Father, full of grace and truth.

John bore witness of him, and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me, is in front of me. For He was before me.’”

And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.

For the Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

No one has yet seen God at any time. The Only Begotten Son, Who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. ...


There was now a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus - a ruler of the Jews.

This man came to Jesus by night, and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher from God; for no one could do these miracles that You do, except God were with Him.”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born who is old? Can he enter into his mother’s womb again, and be born?”

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.

“That which is born of the flesh, is flesh. And that which is born of the Spirit, is spirit.

“Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

“The wind blows where it will, and you hear the sound thereof, but cannot tell from where it comes, and where it goes. So is every man who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus answered, and said to Him, “How can these things be?”

Jesus answered, and said to him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and know not these things?

“Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak that we know, and testify that we have seen. But you do not receive our witness.

“If when I tell you earthly things you do not believe, how shall you believe if I tell you of Heavenly things?

“For no one ascends up to Heaven, except He who descended from Heaven – the Son of Man, who is in Heaven.

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up;

“that whoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have eternal life.

“For God so loves the world, that He has given His only begotten Son; that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

“For God did not send his Son into the world that He should condemn the world, but that the world, through Him, might be saved.

“The one who believes in Him is not condemned. But the one who does not believe, is condemned already, because he has not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God.

“And this is the judgment: that the Light came into the world, and man loved darkness rather than the Light, because their deeds were evil.

“For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

“But the one who practices truth comes to the Light, that his works done according to God might be made visible.”...


“The One who has come from on high is above all. The one who is from the earth, is from the earth, and speaks from the earth. The One who has come from Heaven is above all.

“And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies. But no one receives His testimony.

“The one who has received His testimony, has sealed that God is true.

“For He Whom God has sent speaks the words of God. For God does not give the Spirit by measure.

“The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.

“The one who believes in the Son has everlasting life. And the one who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

John 1:1-18; John 3:1-21, 31-36 (RGT)

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 "Downward He descended to the stable—to the manger to the waters of Jordan—to the hunger and thirst of the wilderness—to the rejection, scorn, spitting, mocking and smiting—to the thorny crown, and to the darkness and abandonment of the cross of shame; but upward He has ascended as the risen Man to the pre-eminent place!—to the throne of God!—to the crown of glory and honour!—to exaltation above all the heavens! Having glorified God upon the earth He is glorified in God on high! Jesus the One who once died for our sins is now alive for evermore and sits enthroned, therefore grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life! Grace is triumphant!" 

From Grace Reigns

 

Sought and Bought

Saviour, by Thy spirit leading
I would celebrate in song
Thy compassions, far exceeding
Such as unto men belong.
 
Thou hast sought me,
Thou hast bought me
With a price all praise above.
Thou hast found me,
Thou hast bound me
To Thyself with cords of love.

Tho’ in nature’s night I wandered
In my sin and in my shame,
Tho’ my priceless days I squandered,
Days I never can reclaim,

Thou in matchless loving-kindness
Met me in my folly great,
Met with light my native blindness,
Met with love my cruel hate.

Grace and truth in Thee combining
Shed on me their quickening rays,
Light and love eternal shining
In Thy words and works and ways.

Deepest depths Thy soul has sounded,
Wrath endured in darkness lone
When the thunder deep resounded
From the everlasting throne.

Death with all its horrors met Thee,
Scoffing, spitting, mocking rude,
Hosts infernal fierce beset Thee,
Creature’s base ingratitude.

Rudely by the rabble taken,
Nailed like felon to the tree;
Earth was torn, creation shaken,
By the storm that beat on Thee.

Never evil thing deterred Thee
That upon Thy path arose,
Tho’ the night of wrath did gird Thee
With unfathomable woes.

For in death was hid Thy treasure;
Thou must enter death for me,
By that love that knows no measure,
Saviour, I belong to Thee!

Thou hast sought me,
Thou hast bought me
With a price all praise above.
Thou hast found me,
Thou hast bound me
To Thyself with cords of love.

 

By James Boyd, from Poems of Grace and Glory

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I'm a Christian saved by God, by His Sovereign grace. I want to encourage all to read, to hear, to believe, and to feed upon the only Words in all the world that are truly spirit and life, living and active; to know the One True God: God the Father, His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit; Who has graciously given us the Holy Scriptures
“All Scripture is God-breathed..."
2 Timothy 3:16–17; cf., John 3:31-36; John 6:63; John 14:26; John 17:3, 17; Romans 1:1-6, 16-17; 1 Corinthians 2:1-16; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 2 Peter 1:20–21; Hebrews 4:12-13. As for the commentaries I post and refer to; with much gratitude, as they have done for me, it is my hope and prayer that they serve to edify all who read them.

Shalom, beccaj
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