Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. (John 1:16-18)

Through God’s Son, you have received “grace in place of grace already given.” The Greek phrase here can be interpreted as “wave after wave” of grace. The Law (and its inherent judgement) was given through Moses, but grace and truth came in the person of God’s Son – Jesus Christ. The law is good, and serves a purpose. But the law is not what is at the heart of God. To believe that is to continue to stare at the shadow after the light has fully revealed the object casting the shadow.

Note that the language in the verse above for the law is impersonal: the context is that it was given and God kept his distance. But the language for Jesus is personal: he came and “lived for awhile among us.” (John 1:14) Others have translated that part of verse 14 as “he pitched his tent among us” – indicating intimacy and familiarity.

The good news is that everything God wants you to know about him, he revealed in Jesus. Now that light has come, you can see plainly the truth of who God is and what is really important to him.

However, there is one vital concept you cannot miss: in order to understand God and what’s important to him, you must get to know Jesus.

The writer of the Gospel of John is determined to help you see him clearly by painting a picture in vivid colors of a personal Jesus that will surely break the mold of what you might expect God to be. (Read John 1:1-18)