The Word of God

(John 1:1-18)

In The Beginning.

1. Alluding to Gen. 1:1 “in the beginning God created…”

2. In John 1:1 (Gk. Arche)

a. Sometimes is used to indicate the originator.

b. If not it says, ”in the beginning was…” The Word already existed when time, as we know it, started… Is uncaused /always existed.

What Does John Mean By The Term “Word” (Gk. Logos)?

Illus: The words that describe an article elevate its price. “Footwear” is higher priced than shoes. A “journal” is more expensive than a “magazine.” An establishment that has a “clientele” can be expected to charge more than one that has plain “customers.” A trip to a men’s “hair salon” may set you back twice what a jaunt to the barber will. Prison guards are now “security officers.” Hairdressers are “tonsorial artists.” Undertakers are morticians.” Garbage men are “sanitation engineers.” Rat-catchers are “rodent exterminators.”

Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations : A Treasury of Illustrations, Anecdotes, Facts and Quotations for Pastors, Teachers and Christian Workers (Garland TX: Bible Communications, 1996, c1979).

1. It is obvious when you look at vs. 14 “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” that John understood the “Word” here to be Jesus Christ.

2. People usually understand it literally as God’s speech. Genesis tells us that all God had to do was speak and our universe came into existence.

a. Interesting Note: Uni = Single Verse = Spoken word

UniVerse = single spoken word (God said…and there was…)

Story: Student at a Christian college put a sign on his bed that said “The Word”. So later, when friends ask, “Hey, where have you been” he could say, “I’ve spent the whole day in ‘the word’”.

3. John may have been speaking to a cultural/historical philosophy of the time.

a. Heraclitus (5-6th B.C.) used it to mean the ordering principle of the universe.

b. The Stoic philosophy of John’s time had a similar use of the term Word/Logos. In traditional Greek thought it carried a deeper meaning of the reason and rationality behind everything…The Logos/Word gives order to the universe and permeates all that exists. John is speaking to this thought and saying JESUS IS THE REASON, RATIONALITY OR TRUTH OF ALL THAT IS!!!

The “Word” Is Our Creator, Light And Life. Vs. 2-5

1. Creator - Even if this historical/philosophical connection is wrong vs. 2-3 tell us “He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” Colossians 1:16-18 says, “by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.”

2. Life – Note that this does not say that Jesus created life BUT He was Life!!! And that His life was the light (the truth bearer) to men.

3. Light –“light” Biblical context = TRUTH.

4. You see the creator of everything, the universe AND the laws of the universe must be the maker then of what is true and right. This is why Jesus could say, “I am the way, the truth and the life…” Jn. 14:6

5. I’ve had acquaintances say, “There is no absolute truth”. To which I say, “Are you absolutely sure?” You’ve heard it said, “Don’t tell me your way is the one TRUE way”. Some even say truth is up to the individually and say things like “that may be true for you but not for me”. BUT truth, by its very nature is exclusionary. We know for example, the world is round. Just because I say it’s flat isn’t going to make it flat. When referring to God or Jesus the Bible always seems to put truth in absolute terms. It does not say in John 14:6 that Jesus is “a” truth BUT “the” truth. Or in John 17:17 that God’s Word is “a” truth, or just simply “true” BUT it says, “Your Word IS truth.” Jesus claims to be ALL that truth can or ever will be!

Story: While on maneuvers, a battleship lookout noted a light in the dark, foggy night. After noting the light's coordinates, the captain recognized his ship was on a collision course with the other vessel. The captain instructed, "Signal the ship: We are on a collision course, advise you change course 20 degrees." The return signal countered, "Advisable for you to change course 20 degrees." The captain signaled, "I'm a captain, change course 20 degrees." The response was, "I'm a seaman second class, you'd better change course 20 degrees." By this time the captain was furious. His signal curtly ordered, "I'm a battleship. Change course 20 degrees." The reply: "I'm a lighthouse. You make the call." God's authority is never changing, it's always constant. Whenever change is required we must be the ones to make the correction.

* The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey, 1989, p. 32-33

False Teachings Concerning Jesus.

1. vs. 15 “and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father” Some will say Jesus is “begotten” therefore, He cannot be God Himself. This is a misunderstanding of ancient terminology. If we read Heb. 11: 17 – we see that Isaac “offered up his only begotten son” BUT the only problem is… Isaac was NOT the only son of Abraham. God's covenant purposes would be done through Isaac and this is a foreshadowing of Gods covenant being fulfilled through Christ in the N.T.

Benjamin Warfield "...'only begotten' conveys the idea not of derivation and subordination, but of uniqueness...Jesus is all that God is, and He alone is this."
Ron Rhodes, Reasoning from the Scriptures with the Jehovah's Witnesses Harvest House Publishers, 1993 pp. 134-135

“The word was ‘a’ god”??? - In Greek it reads Theos en ho logos. Theos = God is the predicate coming before the noun. Therefore, it is unnatural to translate it “a god”. John 1:1 emphatically claims that God and the Word (Jesus) are the same!

What Does This Mean For Me?

1. Jesus is your creator… We should find out why He made us! It seems to me it is to love, honor and glorify Him as our creator.

2. Jesus, IS the “Light of men”, the source of ALL truth to give us direction.

3. In Him IS life! God told Adam that when he ate from the tree he would surely die. This was NOT what God wanted for His creation. BUT He had a plan all along to redeem man from the corruption of this death. Jesus is the “life [that] was the light of men” John tells us that:

“He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. BUT as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:” vs. 10-12

The Word of God - Jesus is God