God’s accomplishments on the bridge of time from creation to the building

John chapter 1 is an amazing chapter, speaking of at least five major things that God accomplished as He stepped out of eternity and onto the bridge of time.

First of all, in the beginning, when there was no time, there was the Word with God and as God. You can’t explain how He was, where He was: God just WAS.

Then God stepped on the bridge of time to create the whole universe, and everything He created was in Christ and through Christ.

After approx. 4000 years God became a man by being born of a man and putting on human flesh. He lived a perfect human life, full of grace and reality, and of His fullness, we all received grace upon grace.

After thirty-three and a half years, Christ died as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world. Then, He came as the dove, as the Spirit, to regenerate us, transform us, and unite us for His building.

Ultimately, in John 1 we see that God will gain a building, a habitation, through Christ as the ladder joining earth to heaven.

Lord, open our eyes to see Your major accomplishments on the bridge of time!

God’s Work on the Bridge of Time: Creation

The God who was in the beginning, even before time existed, at one point created all things by simply calling things not being into being (Rom. 4:17; John 1:3). God created everything through and in Christ as the instrument of creation, and the purpose of creation is to produce man to receive God as life.

The heavens are for the earth, earth is for man, and man has a spirit to contact, receive, and enjoy God (see Zech. 12:1).

Man is the VIP of the universe since everything is created by God for man to exist and be open to God to receive Him as his life. Man has a receiver, a receptacle – his human spirit – to receive God and contain God so that God may fulfill His purpose in and through man.

God’s Work on the Bridge of Time: Incarnation

God not only created all things but at one point in time He became a man through incarnation. The infinite God stepped out of eternity into time to become a man, putting on the human nature.

God was wrought into man, and the man Jesus was the God-man living on the earth throughout His human life. In Christ God was incarnated and divinity and humanity became one unit.

Through creation things came into being, and through incarnation God was brought into His creation.

This is the greatest miracle of all, that God became a man and was mingled with man! The Word became flesh, and He tabernacled among us – and the disciples beheld His glory, which was the glory of the Only-begotten of the Father (John 1:14).

God’s Work on the Bridge of Time: Redemption

After living on the earth for thirty-three and a half years, this God-man without sin but with perfect human blood went to the cross to die for our redemption. The Lord Jesus was the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

Through redemption, the Lord recovered the fallen man and separated him from sin. The entire old creation was terminated on the cross and brought with Christ in the tomb, and a new creation was produced in resurrection with Christ as its head.

Now whoever confesses his sins, the Lord is faithful and righteous to forgive the sins and cleanse from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

Hallelujah for the Lamb of God who recovers us, redeems us, brings us back to God, and removes sin!

God’s Work on the Bridge of Time: Transformation

Where do we see transformation in John 1?

As the Lord Jesus came out of the water after being baptized by John the baptizer, the Holy Spirit as a dove descended upon Him (John 1:32). The Spirit as the dove comes to regenerate man, impart life into man, transform man, and unite man for the building.

We as human beings can apply the Lord’s redemption and believe into Him and we are regenerated with His divine life to become children of God (John 1:12-13). After regeneration, we need to be transformed into stones for God’s building, and these stones need to be united and built up as God’s dwelling place.

This is what God as the Spirit does on the bridge of time today: He regenerates us, transforms us, and unites us for God’s building.

God’s Work on the Bridge of Time: Building

The last step – the final step – God takes on the bridge of time, as seen in John 1, is to obtain a building (John 1:42, 51).

We are not only transformed to be precious stones and living stones, but we are being built up together to be the house of God, the building of God, the dwelling place of God.

As typified in Jacob’s dream at Bethel in Genesis, the Lord Jesus is the ladder bringing the earth to heaven and the heavens to earth, and in Christ we become the corporate Christ as the building of God, the house of God.

This is what God is after: He wants a dwelling place, a resting place, and He will obtain Him by His work on the bridge of time and in humanity!

The consummation of God’s economy (see a review of the Economy of God via holdingtotruth) is that God would have the New Jerusalem, the building of God into man and of man into God to mutually indwell one another and live together for eternity!

The entire Triune God is working and operating in time to create, be incarnated, redeem, transform, unite, and build His chosen people to be His habitation, His dwelling place.

Lord, thank You for stepping out of eternity and into time to reach us and come into us! Thank You for creating everything in the universe for us to enjoy and live in for Your purpose. Lord, we praise You for our human spirit. Keep us contacting You and receiving You as life. Thank You for Your redemption – You take away our sin and remove it! Lord, continue to transform us and build us up for You to gain a dwelling place in man! Gain Bethel, Your house, Your habitation in humanity!

References and Further Reading

• Sharing inspired from the life-study of John (msg. 5), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of the Minor Prophets, week 9 (entitled, Christ’s “Goings Forth” from the Days of Eternity).
• Hymns on this topic:
  # In the Holy Bible / Is a central line, / Truths and revelation / Span the bridge of time.
  # Christ is everything, I need Him. / He is everything you need, believe Him. / Life is a person, receive Him
  # Just as I am, Thy love unknown / Has broken every barrier down; / Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone, / O Lamb of God, I come, I come!