The Pre-Existent Word

Open: Opening words are very important and they carry great significance. A well-worded beginning of a document echoes in the mind of the reader and often cements the memory with the specific work.

Fourscore and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation . . . (Gettsyburg Address)

When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds . . . (declaration of Independence)

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . . (A Tale of two cities)

A case can be made that the most famous and most read first line is found in the Bible: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” ()

The Apostle John, writing thousands of years later, begins his Gospel of Jesus with a declaration that reaches back to the Genesis record. “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” ()

Transition: With those words we begin our journey through the Gospel of John. It will be a fascinating journey in which our assumptions will be challenged, our faith strengthened, and our zeal to serve the Master will be increased.

The Apostle John wrote his Gospel account of Jesus much later than the Synoptic Gospels. The first three, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, were written between the mid 50’s and AD 70. John wrote from the city of Ephesus sometime around AD 85. His account of the life of Jesus differs from the Synoptics (having a common view), because his purpose is different.

John presents his purpose for writing at the end of his Gospel, but it bears mentioning now at the beginning of our journey.

John 20:31 ESV

but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

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While traveling with the disciples, Jesus took an opportunity to question them as to who the people considered Him to be (Matt 16:13-20). After several responses, Jesus then asked the disciples who He was. Peter’s answer, given by Divine Revelation, is remarkably similar to the phrasing found in John’s purpose statement.

These first 5 verses of the prologue to the Gospel will help us answer the question, “Who is Jesus?”

Jesus is the Pre-existent Word ()

Explanation: John contextualizes his presentation of Jesus by referring to Him as the Logos (The Word). John’s Greek audience would be very familiar with the concept of the Logos as pure Reason / Wisdom. John, however, does not present an abstract metaphysical concept; he presents Jesus as real and personal.

The Hebrews would have an understanding of the Word drawn from the pages of the OT. In the OT, the Word of God was dynamic and powerful. God spoke and things happened.

Argument: The phrase, “in the beginning” speaks to the time prior to Creation, Eternity Past. John presents Jesus for who He truly is, the Eternal One, the One who was, and is, and always will be. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today and forever.” ()

Jesus did not come into existence at the manger. He did not come into being at His conception. He is without beginning or end. As the church father Athanasius declared, “There never was a time when He was not.”

Application: Align your understanding of Jesus with biblical revelation. He is not just a good man. He transcends humanity.

Jesus is God (John 1c -2)

Explanation: The first verse of this Gospel is packed with wonder and theological significance. John tells his readers that not only is the Word Eternal, The Word is God! This is an incredible statement that modern readers gloss over. John is presenting an explicit truth that was only shadowed in the OT. The Jews were monotheists - they believed in and worshiped ONE God, Yahweh, the Living God. Now they are being told that The Word, who is Eternal and who was with God in the beginning is also Equal to God! And John is not referring to some abstract force or concept. He uses the pronoun “He,” not the impersonal “it.”

Argument: Jesus is God and is therefore worthy of worship. The Bible is true and we are called to trust, even when we lack full comprehension.

And John is not referring to some abstract force or concept. He uses the pronoun “He,” not the impersonal “it.”

“Hear O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one

“and the Word was with God, and the Word was God

Both of these statements are true, so they must be harmonized, and that leads to the understanding that the Godhead is a plurality of persons, with an essence of unity. This leads to the Trinitarian concept of God.

Jesus is the Creator of the Kosmos ()

Explanation: John now informs his readers that this Eternal, Pre-existent Word who has personhood and equality with God is also the Creator of the Kosmos. To John’s audience of Greeks and Romans, this was strange indeed. They had a pantheon of gods and goddesses, and all kinds of creation myths. With the force of one sentence, John does away with all of that and declares that Jesus is Creator, and that creation is ex nihilo - out of nothing! The Word spoke and creation became!

Argument: There are only two options when dealing with Creation. The first is God is Eternal, the Uncaused Cause who brought the Universe into existence by His Word. The second option is that matter is eternal. Both are faith presuppositions. The biblical account destroys evolution. There is nothing random or accidental about God’s creative work.

This statement also displays the Transcendence of God. He is outside the box! Jesus is not part of His creation. He stands outside of time, and is not bound by time. The created world had a beginning, but He was before the beginning!

Application: Believers should actually live out their faith. We profess to believe the Bible, and that means all of it, which includes the opening chapters of Genesis. Stop accommodating psuedo-science in the matter of origins

Jesus is the Source of Life and Light ()

Explanation: John also tells his audience that “In Him” was and is the source of life. There are 2 Greek words for life. Bios refers to physical life, while Zoe “refers most often to the supernatural life that belongs to God and that the believer now shares through faith in Christ.” (EBC Vol. 10, John, by Robert Mounce, page 369)

This light is the light of men. The life of Jesus is the light that illuminates God’s self-revelation. God is holy and pure and lives in unapproachable light (). Jesus came in the Incarnation to show us the Father.

Argument: The world we live in is full of darkness. While this is apparent in the physical tragedies that take place around us, the darkness is most prominent in the spiritual realm. The Apostle uses light and darkness as symbols for good and evil throughout his biblical writings. His contrasting uses of the terms is not to be viewed as a cosmic dualism with opposing forces. Darkness does not, and cannot overcome the Light.

Application: Jesus is the Eternal Son of God who came into the world to show us the Glory of the Father. He is not only the giver of physical life, but He also gives Eternal Life. ()

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