Chapter 1

1) Return to the text and insert “Jesus Christ” everywhere it says “the Word.”

2) Return to the text and insert “God’s active and personal involvement everywhere it says “the Word.”

3) After going back into the text, notice how substituting the phrase changes the meaning of the context of the passage. Choose a few of the phrases that made an impression on you and then discuss how it changes the meaning for each substituted phrase. How does this change your understanding of God? How does this change your understanding of Jesus?

4) There is controversy in Christianity about the proper
time for baptism to occur. Neither Jesus nor His disciples laid down any rules about how baptism was to be done, nor did they provide much interpretation of its spiritual significance. As a result, many different beliefs and practices have developed within Christianity over the centuries. In certain Christian religions, babies are routinely baptized citing Acts 16:15 and Acts 16:33 as the basis for their reasoning. In other Christian religions the belief is held that a person should be “of age” and choose to be baptized for themselves.

In John 1:25-26, John the Baptist is baptizing people. Do you think there are adults only in the Jordan River or do you think people are bringing their children with them? Discuss your opinion. What is your belief about baptism? Do you think it makes a difference as to when a person is baptized? Or how a person is baptized? If you have been baptized, discuss the event.