John 1

Introduction

Much of philosophy works their way backwards to discover the ultimate answer. They start with a problem, ask questions that dig deeper into the problem until they get to the ultimate cause. The problem with solving the great mysteries of our life or the universe is without having a firm foundation of the ultimate cause and answer, how we answer the great questions of life will be influenced by our experiences that provide insufficient variables to the equation.

Opposite of many philosophers, John starts with the ultimate answer to all of life questions, where all the answers will eventually be tethered to. He starts with God and moves forward, rather than backwards.

In the first 18 verses, known as the prologue is (JW) “a literary masterpiece. It is a carefully crafted work of art and revelation that has inspired believers for almost 2000 years.” several verses of John, we discover so much about who the Word is.

Eternality of the Word

John 1:1–2 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.”

In the first 2 verses, John unveils a mystery about God. God is monotheistic but not unitarian, He is trinitarian.

Our focus is John’s focus, this sermon will be more about the Word than the Father - seeing the Word is the subject of verse 1. As M. R. Vincent wrote: John is not trying to show us who God is but who the Word is. In verse 1 there are three clauses that identify the word:

Recently, I heard from a Christian that another Christian views pastors spending so much time with words in a verse with the intent of manipulating the text. Why can’t they just preach the verse. There are two main problems with their logic:

Sentences are made up of words. If you do not know what the word says then how can you know firmly what the verse means.

If you do not know what the word is or how the word participates in the sentence then how can you know what the context is.

In the first 3 verses we will focus on words, particularly small words that unlock the meaning of these verses and provides clear understanding who the Word is!

First, the word “was.” Greek verbs were mush more expressive than English verbs. In Greek, the focus is not just how something was done but when was done. The word “was” in John 1:1 speaks of an existence that had continuous action in the past. Meaning, the word never establishes a beginning but continuous existence. Every time we come across “was” in relation to “the Word” the meaning is continuous existence, until we get to verse 14.

The second word is “made.” In v. 3, the word “made” appears twice. the word means “to come into existence.” This word speaks of whatever exist has a beginning.

The third big word is “the.” Whenever you have two words that can be the subject, the word that has the articular adjective becomes the subject and the other subject-like word becomes the predicate nominative. We will see the importance of this with the third clause of v.1

With this said lets look at the meaning of v.1 so that we can glean application.

The Word was in the beginning. The word “was” speaks of continuous action in the past. The first question we need to answer is: When was the beginning? The phrase “In the beginning” mirrors Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” The “beginning” that Moses and John had in mind was when God created temporal time and temporal life. When God said: “Let there be,” the Word already existed. In the same way as God the Father, the Word has no beginning.

The Word was with God. Much like Greek verbs, Greek prepositions are more expressive than their English counterparts. The context reveals how expressive the word is. The prepositional word “with”in context means to have a personal and intimate relationship. This is how Paul used the word in 1 Corinthians 13:12 “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” The word “to” is the same word for “with” in John 1:1. The idea in 1 Corinthians 13:2 is when we are face to face with the Lord then I shall know “even as also I am known.” The word had a “face to face” relationship with the Father. This “face to face” relationship

The Word is God.