In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
This verse is a 3-step increasingly-greater revelation of the “Word.” First we see that He was in the beginning, then we are shown that He was with God, and lastly that He is God. It speaks of the Word’s eternity in three different aspects:
- eternal existence = “In the beginning was the Word”
- eternal position = “and the Word was with God”
- eternal identity = “and the Word was God.”
“In the beginning” sounds a lot like Genesis 1:1 which speaks of the beginning of the old creation. The Word came to earth to begin a new creation (2 Cor 5:17).
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
“Beginning” can have 2 meanings:
- In reference to time, it could be speaking of the beginning of history. In this case, it would mean that the Word always was. (Rev 1:8)
Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” - If it is denoting position then it is referring to being at the root of the universe, which would make this mean that all things depend eternally upon the Word. (Col 1:17)
Colossians 1:17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
“In the beginning the Word already was” is the correct translation of the tense of the Greek word “to be.”
Question: why is Jesus called the “Word?”
- Because neither “Jesus” nor “Christ” even begin to expound who He really is; they speak only of particular aspects of His nature. Jesus did not exist in the beginning and neither did Christ; the Word did. The Word later limited Himself by taking on these roles. When John, who was the best friend of Jesus and was so close to Him that he laid his head in His lap at the last supper, later saw Him as the Word, he fell at His feet as if he were dead. (John 13:23-25; Rev 1:10-18)
John 13:23-25 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.” Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”
Revelation 1:10-18 On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.” I turned round to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I sawseven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone “like a son of man,” dressed in a robe reaching own to his feet and with a golden sash round his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. - A man’s word is the means by which he reveals what he is thinking. It is the nature of God to reveal Himself and He does this through His Word. The Word is God’s message to man (Heb 1:1-2) and we are to listen to Him (Mt 17:5).
Hebrews 1:1-2 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.
Matthew 17:5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” - “Word” for the Jew and the Greek represents the ruling factor of the universe.
- For the Jew, all things were created by God’s word (Gen 1:3, 6, 11, Psalms 33:6); Targums (Aramaic) translate YHWH as “the word” (memra).
Genesis 1:3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Genesis 1:6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.”
Genesis 1:11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so.
Psalms 33:6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. - For the Greek the “word” was the rational principle governing the universe and expressed by all natural laws. Heraclitus thought everything was in a constant state of change. His illustration was that it is impossible to step twice into the same river since the water you first stepped into has now flowed on downstream. To Heraclitus and the Greek, the only thing that keeps the universe from being total chaos is the Word.
- For the Jew, all things were created by God’s word (Gen 1:3, 6, 11, Psalms 33:6); Targums (Aramaic) translate YHWH as “the word” (memra).
“with” shows that the Word was with God before time began (Gen 1:26, John 16:28, 17:5).
Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make an in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” (emphasis added to highlight the plural)
John 16:28 I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”
John 17:5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
The word “with” is “pros” in the Greek and literally means towards. This shows intimacy of being face to face. The Word was face to face with God. It also shows that the Word is separate from God the Father.
“the Word was God” is a clear statement of the deity of the Word. The Word:
- Possesses divine attributes
- Possesses divine character
- Did divine works
- Received worship (which is reserved for God alone)
- Was called YHWH
- In Joel 2:32 YHWH (the Name of God) is translated as “Lord” and refers to Jesus when quoted in Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:9-13.
Joel 2:32 And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls.
Acts 2:21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
Romans 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
The order of the words “the Word was God” is important. The article in the Greek is used of the Logos (Word), making it the subject and there is no article in front of theos (God). John says the Word was God, not that God was the Word. The latter would have meant that the Word and God were identical, which would be impossible since the Word was with God.
The Logos is the revelation of God. It is part of a continuing revelation of Him. First, He revealed Himself to man in nature, secondly He revealed Himself more fully in the written record of scripture, and thirdly He has completely revealed Himself in the Personage of Jesus Christ (John 14:9). It is only as we look at Jesus that we can truly see what God is like.
John 14:9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?