Why does John call Jesus “the Word”? In John 1:1-18, the Gospel opens not with a manger but in eternity: “In the beginning was the Word.” In this study, Dr. Toby Holt introduces the Gospel of John and its central claim — that Jesus is God in the flesh. John writes as an eyewitness — one who saw, heard, and touched Jesus — grounding the faith in history, not legend. Dr. Holt explains why John calls Jesus “the Word”: He is God’s fullest self-revelation, the One through whom all things were made. John also calls Him “the light” that shines in the darkness, though people often love the darkness instead. The wonder of the passage is its center: “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” — the eternal Son entered our world to save us.

Questions this study answers:

1. Why does John call Jesus “the Word”? Because Jesus is God’s fullest self-revelation — God speaking and showing Himself to us — and the One through whom all things were made.

2. What does it mean that Jesus is “the light”? He brings truth, life, and clarity into a dark world, though many prefer the darkness because their deeds are evil.

3. Why does it matter that John was an eyewitness? Because the Christian faith rests on history, not myth. John reports what he actually saw, heard, and touched. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” — John 1:14 (NKJV)

Speaker: Dr. Toby Holt is the President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, a Reformed seminary in Colorado Springs. He is known for clear, down-to-earth Bible teaching, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio. Listen and go deeper: This sermon is part of the John Explained study from New Geneva Theological Seminary. Find more verse-by-verse teaching across the Bible at newgeneva.org. To support this teaching ministry, visit newgeneva.org/give.

Who was John the Baptist, and why did he baptize?

In John 1:19-34, John the Baptist points away from himself to Jesus: "Behold! The Lamb of God." Dr. Toby Holt explains John's one great mission — to prepare the way for the Messiah. Asked who he is, John refuses every title, calling himself only "a voice crying in the wilderness." Because Jews normally baptized only Gentile converts, baptizing Jews implied Israel itself needed to repent. He names Jesus the Lamb of God, pointing to the Passover lamb and the cross.

Questions this study answers:

1. Why was John baptizing people? As a call to repentance. Because Jews usually baptized only Gentile converts, his baptism implied that Israel too needed to turn back to God.

2. Why did John call Jesus "the Lamb of God"? Because Jesus is the true Passover Lamb who would die in the place of sinners, taking away their sin.

3. What was John the Baptist's mission? To prepare the way for the Messiah and point people to Jesus — never to himself.

"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" — John 1:29 (NKJV)

Dr. Toby Holt is President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio. Find more verse-by-verse Bible teaching at newgeneva.org; support this ministry at newgeneva.org/give.

Why does John call Jesus the Lamb of God?

In this sermon on John 1, Dr. Toby Holt explains the weight behind John the Baptist's words when he points to Jesus as the Lamb of God. The sermon moves through John's testimony, the broken religious system around him, the meaning of Passover, and the truth that animal sacrifices could only point forward to the Son of God who would die in the place of sinners.

Questions this sermon answers:

1. What was John the Baptist saying about himself and about Christ?

2. Why does the language of lamb and sacrifice matter in John 1?

3. How does the Passover point forward to the atonement of Jesus?

John 1 teaches us to behold Christ as the true Lamb, the promised Savior, and the Son of God.

Dr. Toby Holt is President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio. Find more verse-by-verse Bible teaching at newgeneva.org; support this ministry at newgeneva.org/give.