In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. (John 1:1-2)
Matthew began his gospel in Bethlehem, Luke began in Jerusalem, and Mark began in Judea. John began his gospel in heaven’s timeless eternity: in the beginning. This refers to the timeless eternity of Genesis 1:1. John essentially wrote, “When the beginning began, the Word was already there.” The idea is that the Word existed before creation or even time. The Word has no beginning; He was there in the beginning, before anything was.
Here in John 1, Word translates the ancient Greek word logos. The idea of the logos had deep and rich roots in both Jewish and Greek thinking.
Jewish rabbis often referred to God (especially in His more personal aspects) in terms of His word. They spoke of God Himself as “the word of God.” In the mind of the ancient Jews, the phrase “the word of God” could be used to refer to God Himself.
The Greek philosophers saw the logos as the power that puts sense into the world, making the world orderly instead of chaotic. The logos was the power that set the world in perfect order and kept it going in that order. They saw the logos as the “Ultimate Reason” that controlled all things.
Therefore, in this opening John said to both Jews and Greeks: “For centuries you’ve been talking, thinking, and writing about the Word (the logos). Now I will tell you who He is.” John met both Jews and Greeks where they were at and he explained Jesus in terms they already understood.
John also revealed that the Word was with God, and the Word was God. With this brilliant statement, John 1:1 sets forth one of the most basic foundations of our faith – the Trinity. We can follow John’s logic:
There is a Being known as the Word.
This Being is God, because He is eternal (In the beginning).
This Being is God, because He is plainly called God (the Word was God).
At the same time, this Being does not encompass all that God is. God the Father is a distinct Person from the Word (the Word was with God).
So, the Father and the Son (the Son is known here as the Word) are equally God, yet distinct in their Person. The Father is not the Son, and the Son is not the Father. Yet they are equally God, with God the Holy Spirit making one God in three Persons.
For three years, John lived as close to Jesus as anyone did, and John began his story of the life of Jesus by plainly saying: “This man who lived, walked, and talked among us – this man was more than a man. He was and is also God.”
The Jesus who loves and saves; who died and rose again from the dead – the Jesus of the Bible – is God. He deserves our worship and trust today!
Click here for David’s commentary on John 1
Click Here for Daily Devotionals from David on Apple Podcasts