Christmas Day
John 1:1-14
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
December 25, 2024
Do you know what the word abiogenesis means? Abiogenesis is the theory that the earliest forms of life on earth developed from nonliving matter. A-bio-genesis. A negates the bio. Bio comes from the Greek for life, βίος. It’s where we get the word biology, the study of life, or biography, a writing of one’s life. Genesis means beginning. Abiogenesis is how atheists think life came to be. It is the greatest downfall in their theory, because even if evolution were true, and more complicated life forms could be produced from lesser complicated life forms over millions of years of random mutations, you still need to start with a life form. Abiogenesis fails, because life cannot come out of non-life. It is impossible. This is because life is too complex. There is no such thing as a “simple” life form. Life at its simplest form has too many irreducibly complex components. A small life coming into existence from nonlife is a miracle, just as it is a miracle for God to form a man from dust and breathe into him the breath of life.
And here we get our answer to abiogenesis. “In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God. All things were made through Him and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life.” Now, this word for life is different from bio (βίος). Here John uses the word ζωή (zoe). While βίος refers to living things, ζωή refers to vitality, that is, the power to live and grow. Bio life can be plural, such as the lives of different people and animals. Zoe life is only singular: Life.
The Word is the Son of God. In Him is life, that is, in Him is all vitality, all the power to live and grow. So, in a sense, we do believe in abiogenesis. When God created the heavens and the earth, there was no living life form on earth, no bio. But the Word, in whom is all life (ζωή), He created life (βίον) where previously there was no life (βίος). Yet, nonlife (abio) did not create life (bio). Rather, He in whom is all life created life where previously there was none.
God created all things through His Word. Yes, this means that He spoke. It also means that He created through His Son, the eternal Word. The Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, created all things. All life finds its genesis in God. In the Word is Life.
Jesus was born of a virgin. That goes against nature. Humans cannot produce offspring without a man and a woman coming together. Yet, God is the source of all life. He who was able to create a living man out of the virgin earth can certainly create a living man out of a virgin womb. Christ’s conception by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary is the prototype of our regeneration apart from blood or the will of the flesh or the will of man. As God created life out of nonlife, and as He caused Christ to be conceived in a virgin womb, so He causes us to be reborn, that is, regenerated to new life not by the power of man.
The prologue of John’s Gospel, which serves as our Gospel lesson for Christmas morning is filled with tragedy. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness does not comprehend it. He came into the world, but the world did not know Him. He came to His own, but His own people did not receive Him. This is a tragedy, but it is expected. Life cannot come from nonlife. Just as rocks and dirt did not have in themselves the power to create life out of nonlife (abiogenesis), so neither does fallen man have the power in himself to welcome God and receive Him in his heart. St. Paul tells us that by nature we are dead in sin (Ephesians 2). The dead cannot raise themselves. Rocks cannot make themselves living creatures. And in our fallen state, we are worse than dead bodies or rocks. The dead and rocks do not resist; they are just incapable of helping. But in our fallen state, we resist the Holy Spirit, following the course of the world and its ruler, Satan.
So, as the primordial rocks and water in the newly formed earth did not have power in themselves to produce life, and as the virgin womb could not conceive of its own power, so much less could we give ourselves spiritual life. But in the Word is life (ζωή). As He created all things and gave life to all living things, as He created a new human being in the womb of the Virgin Mary without the contribution of a man, so also, He can give life to our souls. And He does.
But to those who did receive Him, who believed on His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. This Christmas we celebrate the Word becoming flesh, the Word in whom is all life. By becoming flesh, the Word restored life and immortality to our race. He became flesh, so that He could give life to our spiritually dead race. When we celebrate that the Word was made flesh in the womb of the Virgin, we celebrate that that Word has granted us life from death. In the fall of Adam, man lost his righteousness. He lost the image of God. He lost his spiritual life. Christ became the second Adam by joining our human race. Not only does He return that spiritual life to a man, Himself. He brings this spiritual life to many men. John the Baptist preached to the Jews, who were confident in their spiritually dead flesh, saying, “Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.” (Luke 3:8) And so, He has. Out of us spiritually dead stones, God has made children of Abraham, children of God.
The Word became flesh, so that God in human flesh could obey the Law in our place and thus fulfill all righteousness. He became flesh, so that having fulfilled all righteousness, He might suffer and die in our place for our sins. Being God, His death is an eternally sufficient price for the debt of our sins. He truly has paid the ransom of every human being. Yet, Christ did not remain dead. In Him was life. That dead body in the grave was the dead body of the Word made flesh, the Word in whom is life and the source of all life. This is why St. Peter says it was impossible for the pangs of death to hold Him (Acts 2:24).
And this is what we pray for ourselves. The one who gives us spiritual life is the one who created life out of non-life, who created life in the virgin womb, who created life in the tomb. He gives life that cannot be undone by death. When we become children of God by receiving the Spirit of Life from the Word, who is with God and is God, we receive a life that death cannot undo. This is why we have such confidence in our dead, who died in faith. In them is life that undoes death. Lifeless rocks give up life when He moves them. Lifeless wombs give up life when He visits them. Tombs and graves tremble and break and give up their dead to life when He touches them. In Him was life, and the life was the light of man. Blessed are those who have received His light. Death shall have no power over them. Merry Christmas. Amen.
John 1:1-14
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
December 25, 2024
Do you know what the word abiogenesis means? Abiogenesis is the theory that the earliest forms of life on earth developed from nonliving matter. A-bio-genesis. A negates the bio. Bio comes from the Greek for life, βίος. It’s where we get the word biology, the study of life, or biography, a writing of one’s life. Genesis means beginning. Abiogenesis is how atheists think life came to be. It is the greatest downfall in their theory, because even if evolution were true, and more complicated life forms could be produced from lesser complicated life forms over millions of years of random mutations, you still need to start with a life form. Abiogenesis fails, because life cannot come out of non-life. It is impossible. This is because life is too complex. There is no such thing as a “simple” life form. Life at its simplest form has too many irreducibly complex components. A small life coming into existence from nonlife is a miracle, just as it is a miracle for God to form a man from dust and breathe into him the breath of life.
And here we get our answer to abiogenesis. “In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God. All things were made through Him and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life.” Now, this word for life is different from bio (βίος). Here John uses the word ζωή (zoe). While βίος refers to living things, ζωή refers to vitality, that is, the power to live and grow. Bio life can be plural, such as the lives of different people and animals. Zoe life is only singular: Life.
The Word is the Son of God. In Him is life, that is, in Him is all vitality, all the power to live and grow. So, in a sense, we do believe in abiogenesis. When God created the heavens and the earth, there was no living life form on earth, no bio. But the Word, in whom is all life (ζωή), He created life (βίον) where previously there was no life (βίος). Yet, nonlife (abio) did not create life (bio). Rather, He in whom is all life created life where previously there was none.
God created all things through His Word. Yes, this means that He spoke. It also means that He created through His Son, the eternal Word. The Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, created all things. All life finds its genesis in God. In the Word is Life.
Jesus was born of a virgin. That goes against nature. Humans cannot produce offspring without a man and a woman coming together. Yet, God is the source of all life. He who was able to create a living man out of the virgin earth can certainly create a living man out of a virgin womb. Christ’s conception by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary is the prototype of our regeneration apart from blood or the will of the flesh or the will of man. As God created life out of nonlife, and as He caused Christ to be conceived in a virgin womb, so He causes us to be reborn, that is, regenerated to new life not by the power of man.
The prologue of John’s Gospel, which serves as our Gospel lesson for Christmas morning is filled with tragedy. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness does not comprehend it. He came into the world, but the world did not know Him. He came to His own, but His own people did not receive Him. This is a tragedy, but it is expected. Life cannot come from nonlife. Just as rocks and dirt did not have in themselves the power to create life out of nonlife (abiogenesis), so neither does fallen man have the power in himself to welcome God and receive Him in his heart. St. Paul tells us that by nature we are dead in sin (Ephesians 2). The dead cannot raise themselves. Rocks cannot make themselves living creatures. And in our fallen state, we are worse than dead bodies or rocks. The dead and rocks do not resist; they are just incapable of helping. But in our fallen state, we resist the Holy Spirit, following the course of the world and its ruler, Satan.
So, as the primordial rocks and water in the newly formed earth did not have power in themselves to produce life, and as the virgin womb could not conceive of its own power, so much less could we give ourselves spiritual life. But in the Word is life (ζωή). As He created all things and gave life to all living things, as He created a new human being in the womb of the Virgin Mary without the contribution of a man, so also, He can give life to our souls. And He does.
But to those who did receive Him, who believed on His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. This Christmas we celebrate the Word becoming flesh, the Word in whom is all life. By becoming flesh, the Word restored life and immortality to our race. He became flesh, so that He could give life to our spiritually dead race. When we celebrate that the Word was made flesh in the womb of the Virgin, we celebrate that that Word has granted us life from death. In the fall of Adam, man lost his righteousness. He lost the image of God. He lost his spiritual life. Christ became the second Adam by joining our human race. Not only does He return that spiritual life to a man, Himself. He brings this spiritual life to many men. John the Baptist preached to the Jews, who were confident in their spiritually dead flesh, saying, “Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.” (Luke 3:8) And so, He has. Out of us spiritually dead stones, God has made children of Abraham, children of God.
The Word became flesh, so that God in human flesh could obey the Law in our place and thus fulfill all righteousness. He became flesh, so that having fulfilled all righteousness, He might suffer and die in our place for our sins. Being God, His death is an eternally sufficient price for the debt of our sins. He truly has paid the ransom of every human being. Yet, Christ did not remain dead. In Him was life. That dead body in the grave was the dead body of the Word made flesh, the Word in whom is life and the source of all life. This is why St. Peter says it was impossible for the pangs of death to hold Him (Acts 2:24).
And this is what we pray for ourselves. The one who gives us spiritual life is the one who created life out of non-life, who created life in the virgin womb, who created life in the tomb. He gives life that cannot be undone by death. When we become children of God by receiving the Spirit of Life from the Word, who is with God and is God, we receive a life that death cannot undo. This is why we have such confidence in our dead, who died in faith. In them is life that undoes death. Lifeless rocks give up life when He moves them. Lifeless wombs give up life when He visits them. Tombs and graves tremble and break and give up their dead to life when He touches them. In Him was life, and the life was the light of man. Blessed are those who have received His light. Death shall have no power over them. Merry Christmas. Amen.
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