The Only Son

The Word Became Flesh

John 1:14-18

This past weekend, JD and I traveled to Maine so I could teach on longevity in ministry at a pastor’s conference. Maine is a beautiful state with so many trees and water. It actually has the same amount of coastline as California because of how jagged the coastline is. When the conference was over and I tried to check in for our return flights, they could not find my trip info. So I called the airline and they told me that JD's last name was different. He was incorrectly listed as JD Kiwhn. Knowing we would be pressed for time between flights, I asked if they could change the W to an E to avoid any problems. They said, “No.”

“But he is my son, my only son.” 

They needed proof. We had to go to the ticket counter, and they had to see his passport. They need documentation. They had to test my claim that he was my son, my only son. The Gospel of John is like JD’s passport. It verifies the identity of the son, the only Son from the Father. At the end of his letter, John tells us 

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:30–31

These are written so that you will know the identity of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Just as JD’s passport identified him as my son and allowed him to fly home, knowing the identity of Jesus Christ will allow you to have eternal life in his name. 

If you are here and have yet to put your faith in Christ, I pray you will look at John’s documentation and verify the identity of Jesus as the only Son from the Father. John wants you to know that Jesus is God because knowing His identity has drastic implications for your life. Let’s consider John’s argument in the prologue as he sets the stage for the rest of the book. We will consider six statements of Jesus' identity, and then we will share the implications. 

1. Jesus is the Word made Flesh

Certain statements are so familiar to us that they often lose their impact, but when John wrote these words, it was like a firecracker being lit in the living room. It would have caused everyone to jump. John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh.” The Logos, the Eternal Word, became flesh. John recalls the Word from the opening verses.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. John 1:1–3

John has already argued that Jesus is God. He was with God in the beginning, and He was and is God. He is the Creator of all things, and this eternal God, the everlasting Creator, became flesh. Jesus took on human form. Jesus is the only 200% person. He is God, and He is Man. He is fully God and fully Man. He took on flesh. 

Don’t miss John’s argument. He believes Jesus to be God. The eternal God who made the world took on flesh. 

2. Jesus is the True Tabernacle  

John continues to build his argument regarding the divinity of Jesus by identifying Jesus with the tabernacle, the place of God’s presence. John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Literally this means, “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.” As 21st century Christians, this may not ring in our ears, but for the original audience, it would have been like dropping a plate in a silent restaurant. Using that word would have caught their attention because the Tabernacle was the center of Israel’s worship in the wilderness. By connecting Jesus to the tabernacle, John is telling his audience that Jesus has become these six things like the Tabernacle:

First, just as the tabernacle was the center of the camp, Jesus is the center of our lives. As ancient Israel moved from one place to the next, they would set up their encampment from the outside in so that the tabernacle was the center of the camp. Jesus should be the center of our lives as Christians.

Second, just as the tabernacle preserved the Law, Jesus preserved it perfectly. The two tablets that held the Ten Commandments were placed in the Tabernacle to keep and protect the law. Jesus perfectly kept the law just as he stated in John 8:29, “for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”

Third, just as the tabernacle was the dwelling place of God, Jesus is now where and by whom God dwells with his people. John declares that Jesus Himself is the true dwelling place of God, fulfilling what the Tabernacle in the wilderness only foreshadowed. In Christ, the holy presence of God is no longer hidden behind a curtain.  It is made visible, approachable, and full of grace and truth for His people.

Fourth, just as the tabernacle was where God spoke to his people, Jesus is now the one who speaks for God.  Hebrews 1:1–2a, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.” 

Fifth, just as the tabernacle was where sacrifices were made, Jesus became the atoning sacrifice that would take away the sin of the world. John makes this explicit in a few verses, John 1:29, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” In John 1:14, John is lifting our minds to why Jesus came. He came to save His people from their sins through His sacrifice on the cross. 

Sixth, just as the tabernacle was where Israel worshiped, Jesus is now our place of worship. John 1:14 shows us that Jesus Himself is now the true meeting place between God and His people. In Him, we no longer come to a tent or a temple, but we go directly to the living Christ, where worship is centered on His person and work, and every Lord’s Day, we gather to worship in His name. 

What may be lost on us would not have been lost on Israel. “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us,” would have been pregnant with meaning. Jesus has become Immanuel, God with us. 

3. Jesus is the Revealer of Glory

After drawing his hearers to the tabernacle, John now draws people to the place where God revealed himself to Moses in the Old Testament. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  In Exodus 33:18, “Moses said, ‘Please show me your glory.” 

And Lord said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” Exodus 33:19–20

A few verses later, listen to how the Lord gives Moses a glimpse of His glory and think about Jesus.

The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”  Exodus 34:5–9

John is telling Israel that Jesus is God. Jesus is the glory of God. Paul confirms this is what the church believed when he wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:6, 

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Jesus mediates the glory of God to the world. Jesus solves the problem facing Moses and Israel, “No one can see God and live.” Then we hear John declare in verse 18, “No one has seen God; God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” Because Jesus has revealed God’s glory to man, we can know God. 

Again, don’t miss John’s argument. He is clearly stating that Jesus is God. In this paragraph, John is explicitly telling his audience that Jesus is God. He wants them–and you–to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and, by believing, to have life in His name. 

4. Jesus is the only Son from the Father

This language is repeated twice in this paragraph in verse 14, “glory as the of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” and verse 18, “God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” The phrase “only Son” underscores the absolute uniqueness of Jesus’ relationship to the Father. He is the eternal Son, the one who shares fully in the Father’s divine nature. This language affirms His deity. He is of the same essence as the Father and, therefore, able to reveal God perfectly. John connects this to the glory revealed in the incarnation, making it clear that, when we look to Jesus, we are not catching glimpses of a messenger or prophet, but we are beholding the very radiance of God Himself. Later in the Gospel, this comes to full expression in Jesus’ words to Philip.

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. John 14:8–11

 To confess Jesus as the “only Son” is to bow before the mystery that the eternal God has made Himself known in the flesh of Christ.

For believers, this truth is not only doctrinally essential but deeply comforting.  In Him, we do not have to wonder what God is like. Because Jesus is the only Son, He alone can bridge the gap between the holy God and sinful people. This is not only comforting for believers, it’s comforting for those who have yet to believe. John will use the same language about Jesus a few chapters later in John 3:16–18, one of the most famous passages in Scripture,

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. John 3:16–18

All the grace and truth of the Father flow to us through His Son. This means that our worship, our confidence, and our hope are anchored in Christ alone. When we behold Him, we behold the Father’s heart; when we trust Him, we rest in the Father’s love; when we follow Him, we walk in the light of the God who has drawn near in His “only Son.”

Again, the “only Son” language communicates that Jesus is God. He is the exact imprint of the Divine nature. He has made God known. This is why John the Apostle mentions John the Baptist’s testimony here.

(John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”)  John 1:15

John will play a key role in testifying to the divinity of Jesus. By saying “He was before me”, John the Baptist is communicating that Jesus is the promised eternal Son who was sent to save His people from their sins.

5. Jesus is the Giver of grace and truth

 In verse 14, John testifies that Jesus is full of grace and truth, but in verse 16, he shows how that grace is mediated to us. 

For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:16–17

In John 1:16-17, John moves declaring that Jesus is “full of grace and truth” (v. 14) to showing how that fullness works for us: “From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” 

In verse 16, the text uses the word “we”. In one sense, all grace in this world is received through Jesus Christ. Because He is the Creator, the sunshine for warmth and the rain for the crops is a gift from His hand. But John is highlighting the grace that is received through faith in Jesus Christ as we saw in verse 12,

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,. John 1:12

Believers aren’t given a one-time gift; they partake continually of grace in increasing measure, anchored in the incarnate Word who brings truth, not merely in proposition, but in person. The grace upon grace is the unending cascade of blessings from Christ’s fullness. Through faith in Christ, we receive grace upon grace in ways both immediate and eternal. The grace of forgiveness washes us clean from every sin, giving us peace with God. The grace of adoption welcomes us into God’s family, granting us the right to be called children of God. The grace of sanctification works in us daily, shaping us into the likeness of Christ and sustaining us with fresh mercy for every trial. 

DA Carson makes an observation from the original language that is helpful to our understanding of the context: grace and truth in Jesus do more than supplement the law—they supersede it, fulfilling and replacing what Moses foreshadowed, because the law itself was already an expression of God’s grace, but in a preparatory way. It is a longer quote but helpful for us to hear in full. He writes, 

The particular preposition that is used here is the preposition which in this case really must be taken to mean something like exchange or substitution. From his grace, from his fullness, we have all received a grace instead of a grace. That’s what it says. A grace replacing a grace. The explanation is given in the next verse, introduced by for. “From his fullness, we have all received a grace replacing a grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth …” That pair of words again. “… grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

This is not saying that there is no sense whatsoever in which the law of Moses continues. It is saying that the whole law covenant is now being replaced. The law covenant as a covenant was a great grace from God. It was a graciously given gift, a wonderful thing. But that law covenant is now being replaced by a new covenant, by a superior grace, the fulfillment of that grace, Jesus Christ himself, the fullness of grace and truth. Grace and truth came through Moses. Grace and truth came through the law. Grace and truth were given by God and shown to him at that wonderful display at Sinai, but grace and truth par excellence? It came through Jesus Christ.

The grace of the law has been superseded by the grace that has come through Christ. The law was merely preparing the way for us to see Christ. 

6. Jesus is the reigning Lord

In John 1:18, when John describes Jesus as the one “who is at the Father’s side” (or “in the bosom of the Father”), he is emphasizing the Son’s eternal intimacy and unity with the Father. The phrase evokes the closeness of reclining at a table with someone, picturing Jesus as the one who dwells in perfect fellowship, love, and knowledge of the Father. This means that Jesus is uniquely qualified to “make Him known,” because He alone shares the Father’s inner life and reveals Him without distortion. The significance is profound: to see and know Jesus is to encounter the very heart of God because Jesus comes from the place of deepest communion with the Father to bring that grace and truth to us.

When John says that Jesus is the one “who is at the Father’s side,” he is not only pointing to the Son’s eternal communion with the Father, he is foreshadowing the vindication that would come through His resurrection. The crucified Son did not remain in the grave. He was raised and exalted to the Father’s presence, confirming that His revelation of God is true, and His work is complete. The risen Christ now dwells in unbroken intimacy with the Father and, from that place of glory, He continues to make God known to us. This gives the church unshakable hope: the One who has seen the Father and returned to His side is the same One who intercedes for us and assures us of a place with Him forever.

What does his identity mean for us?

As John closes this prologue, he not only reveals who Jesus is, but he also presses home what that identity means for us. The incarnation is not just a truth to admire but a reality that calls for response, shaping the way believers live and challenging unbelievers to reckon with Christ. Knowing that the eternal Word became flesh and dwelt among us leads to real implications, eternal ones, that we cannot ignore. Here are seven implications of His identity. 

1. For the Christian – Jesus must be the center of life. If the eternal Word became flesh and tabernacled among us, then He cannot be pushed to the margins of our priorities. Just as Israel arranged their camp with the Tabernacle at the very center, so we must arrange our lives with Christ at the center. He is not a Sunday addition or a religious ornament, but the One around whom everything else revolves. Our time, our families, our ambitions, our resources–all must be ordered around Him. To treat Jesus as anything less than the center is to miss the point of His incarnation. Is He the center of your life?

2. For the Christian – Grace defines our standing with God. John says, “From His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” The law was a gift, but in Jesus we have received an even greater gift–an unending supply of grace that never runs dry. This means that our relationship with God is not built on our ability to keep up appearances or perform religious duties. Instead, our hope rests on Christ’s finished work. The Christian life is not lived from a place of insecurity but from a place of abundance. Jesus wants us to have life in His name. We don’t strive for acceptance; we serve because we are already accepted in the Beloved. Grace is not a small stream but a rushing river that carries us all the way home.

3. For the Christian – Worship has been redefined. No longer do we go to a tent or a temple to meet with God. In Christ, the true tabernacle, we encounter the very presence of God Himself. That means every Lord’s Day gathering is a holy meeting, not because of the building, but because of the Savior who is in our midst. This is why the Lord’s day gathering should be a priority for every believer. 

Every prayer we utter, every song we sing, every moment of fellowship we enjoy is centered on Jesus, the One who brings us into communion with the Father. Worship is no longer about a sacred place but about a sacred Person. It is deeply relational. When we gather as the church, we meet with the living Christ together.

4. For all – The incarnation affirms the value of every human life. When the eternal Word became flesh, He dignified humanity itself. Jesus came, not as an angel, but as a man, in order to save men and women—showing us that every life bears eternal worth. This means that Christians cannot treat life as disposable or insignificant, whether at its beginning, its end, or anywhere in between. Every face we see carries the stamp of God’s image, and every soul is a person for whom Christ came. The tragic loss of life—whether in public figures like Charlie Kirk or in someone less known to the world but no less precious, like Iryna Zarutska—reminds us of the fragility of our days and the immeasurable value of each person. The incarnation calls us to mourn such losses with gravity, to cherish one another with deeper love, and to proclaim with urgency the One who came in flesh to redeem all who will believe.

5. For the Christian – The church embodies the incarnation through deep relationships. Since the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, the church is called to embody His presence by dwelling with one another in real, sacrificial love. This means we are not merely striving to be a “friendly church” that offers surface-level smiles and handshakes. Instead, we are called to be a family of deep friendships, a people who know each other’s burdens, who rejoice in each other’s joys, and who walk together through suffering. Just as Jesus drew near to us in the flesh, so we draw near to one another in authentic, Christlike relationships. In a world of loneliness and isolation, the church becomes a living testimony to the incarnation when we embody grace and truth in our friendships with one another.

As I spoke with some members this past week, it became clear that we are doing a good job entering into people’s pain by providing for needs when people have them, but we need to grow more in rejoicing with those who rejoice. This may reveal our need for deeper connection with each other. If something great happened to you, who would you want to tell? Who would you want to share that moment with? Those are often your deeper relationships. The incarnation should push us to an even greater depth. Jesus came to be with us, so we should be with one another. 

As I spoke on pastoral friendship yesterday, this is what I told those pastors: even Jesus chose friendship. Jesus invited Peter, James, and John to watch and pray with Him in His darkest hour, showing us that even perfect strength sought human companionship. He wept at Lazarus’ tomb surrounded by friends who grieved with Him. He shared meals, laughter, and sorrows with the Twelve, teaching them not only through sermons but through shared life. When He rose again, His first appearances were to those very friends. If the sinless Son of God wanted His friends with Him, how much more should you? 

All that to say, the incarnation speaks to our need for more ‘withness.’ I think the desire is there, but we must work to cultivate it. How can you go beyond friendliness to friendship? Let me give you three ways: Time, Intentionality, and  Vulnerability.

 Time - Friendship cannot be microwaved; it requires hours logged together. Jesus spent years walking, eating, and traveling with His disciples and, through that shared time, their love grew deep. In the same way, if we want incarnational friendships in the church, we must be willing to slow down, rearrange our schedules, and give one another the gift of presence.

Intentionality - Deep relationships don’t just happen by accident; they are cultivated with purpose. Jesus deliberately invited His disciples into His life, teaching them not only by what He said but by what He let them see. Likewise, we must choose to pursue people, ask real questions, and take the first step toward the kind of fellowship that reflects the nearness of Christ.

Vulnerability -  True friendship requires honesty about our weaknesses and struggles. Jesus, though sinless, opened His heart to His disciples in Gethsemane, confessing His sorrow and asking them to watch and pray with Him. If the incarnate Son of God was willing to be vulnerable with His friends, then we, too, must risk letting others in, trusting that grace and truth will meet us there.

6. For the non-Christian – Neutrality is impossible. John makes it clear: whoever believes in the Son has life, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already (John 3:18). There is no neutral ground with Jesus. To reject Him is to reject God Himself, for He is the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. If you have not yet believed, the testimony of John’s Gospel confronts you with a choice—you can either receive Him as Lord and Savior or you can turn away. But know this: your response will have eternal consequences.

7. For all people – Hope is offered in the risen Son, the only Son from the Father. The One who is at the Father’s side, the One who came down in flesh and was lifted up on the cross, has gone through death and risen in glory so that sinners can know the Father’s heart. For the Christian, this is the anchor of assurance—because Christ lives, we too shall live. For the non-Christian, this is an open invitation—today is the day to turn from sin and receive Him, to be welcomed into God’s family by faith. The risen Son stands at the Father’s side even now, interceding for His people and offering life to all who will come.

When I stood at that airline counter pleading, “He is my son, my only son,” I needed proof, documentation that showed JD belonged to me. John has given us that proof for Jesus. Page after page in this Gospel is His passport, His documentation, His testimony, so that we may know with certainty that He is the Christ, the Son of God.

Now what do we do with such a revelation? We bow. We worship. We marvel that the eternal Word took on flesh, that the invisible God made Himself visible, and that Jesus has given us an even greater grace. John’s call is not merely to know the identity of Jesus, but to see His glory and to be undone by it—to worship the Son who reveals the Father.

So, Christian, lift your eyes from the distractions and pain of this world and fix them on the glory of the Word made flesh who tabernacled among us, and if you have never believed, see Him now, receive Him, and find life in His name.