Gospels Part 058
Why does John often emphasize that Jesus was God who had come in the flesh as a human being? Some historical background sheds light on this.
In John 1:14 we see John returning to the theme of Jesus Christ as the divine Being who came to earth in human form,
“Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us” (New English Translation [NET]).
We discussed this in detail when covering previous verses. But why does John emphasize this theme of Jesus becoming a flesh-and-blood human being? It helps when we understand one of the factors John was dealing with at the time of the writing of his Gospel.
One of the purposes of John’s Gospel was to combat Gnosticism. This system of belief gained considerable ground in the latter half of the first century, not long after the founding of the Church. One of the foundational ideas of Gnosticism was that anything that was physical was evil because it was created by an evil power, and anything that was spiritual was good because it was created by God—at least their idea of God. We see a heavy emphasis on Jesus becoming flesh several times in John’s writings. The general agreement is it was written near the end of the first century, several decades after the other Gospels, when gnostic beliefs had become powerfully influential in that part of the world.
In gnostic belief, Jesus wasn’t really human; He was a spirit, phantom or apparition only appearing to be flesh—because again, physical flesh was evil while spirit was good. This powerful philosophical movement heavily influenced the dominant form of Christianity that developed in the early following centuries too.
This is where the origin of practices such as the celibacy of the priesthood of a particular denomination came about—because sex, being physical and pleasurable, was viewed as evil. From this arose the monastic movement where groups of men (or women in the case of nuns) would separate themselves in some remote place cut off from the world. They would live off bread, beans and water, denying themselves normal food and drink and living accommodations that were comfortable and pleasurable. They thought this was the path to true spirituality, and this powerful movement that began developing near the end of the first century has continued on to our day.
In combating this, John emphasizes that Jesus was God who came in the flesh. The Gnostics would have denied that Jesus was the Messiah because He was a physical human being. John spends a lot of time countering that throughout his Gospel and in his three letters of first, second and third John. John writes a lot about Jesus’ humanity. He shows that Jesus was a human being who grew tired. He describes a Jesus who became thirsty. He tells us that Jesus felt emotions, and relates times when Jesus was troubled. John tells us of when Jesus broke down in tears and that Jesus truly loved people.
Notice what he writes in 1 John 1:1-3,
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—that which we have seen and heard we declare to you . . .”
John tells us here that he and others were eyewitnesses (“which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon”) of these things, that they listened to Him teach (“which we have heard”) and that they physically touched Him (“and our hands have handled”). He is proving that they knew without a doubt that He was a physical person like other human beings. All these things were very much opposed to what Gnosticism taught, so John emphasizes these truths throughout his writings. The other Gospel authors wrote their books several decades before John and therefore do not include this emphasis because Gnosticism had not yet grown into such an influential heresy when they compiled their accounts.
The root of Gnosticism is the Greek word gnosis, meaning “knowledge.” Adherents of Gnosticism thought they were closer to God because of their specialized knowledge of many arcane subjects that really had little to do with a truly spiritually converted mind. This theme shows up several times in Paul’s letters, as he also was countering this growing movement and its influence on the early Church.
This human weakness has affected God’s people down through the centuries, where some improperly shift their thinking to emphasize insignificant minor issues at the expense of far more important matters. Jesus Christ Himself drew this contrast in Matthew 23:23-24:
“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more important in the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things without neglecting the others. Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel!” (NET).
The prophet Jeremiah reminds us what our true focus should be in Jeremiah 9:23-24.
“‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,’ says the Lord.”
Jesus Christ personified these traits throughout His life here on earth. Let us strive to follow that perfect example!
© 2026 Scott Ashley. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
UYA Team | uya@ucg.org
United Young Adults (UYA) primarily serves the 18–32-year age group for the United Church of God. There are three main areas of contribution to the lives of the young adults: Promoting Spiritual Growth, Developing Meaningful Relationships and Making the Most of Your Talents. The Know Your Sword series is a daily expository message introducing God’s Word from a trusted perspective.
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Scott Ashley
Scott Ashley was managing editor of Beyond Today magazine, United Church of God booklets and its printed Bible Study Course until his retirement in 2023. He also pastored three congregations in Colorado for 10 years from 2011-2021. He and his wife, Connie, live near Denver, Colorado.
Mr. Ashley attended Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, graduating in 1976 with a theology major and minors in journalism and speech. It was there that he first became interested in publishing, an industry in which he worked for 50 years.
During his career, he has worked for several publishing companies in various capacities. He was employed by the United Church of God from 1995-2023, overseeing the planning, writing, editing, reviewing and production of Beyond Today magazine, several dozen booklets/study guides and a Bible study course covering major biblical teachings. His special interests are the Bible, archaeology, biblical culture, history and the Middle East.
