John 1:1-2 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2This one was with God in the beginning.
Typically, authors start their works by introducing the central topic or theme of their writing. John does this in a creative and poetic way. His Gospel opens with a description of the Word. The identity of this Word is not named until verse 36. John describes Jesus in multiple ways, building to a subtle climax that shows all the descriptions are about Jesus. There is no birth narrative because John’s purpose is to show the identity of Jesus as the Almighty God incarnated in human flesh. Word (logos) was a widely used concept among many religions and concepts, particularly Judaism as represented through Philo, Stoicism, and Platonic thought as expressed through Gnosticism. the simplest idea behind it is communication.
The Greek word is also the translation of the Hebrew word used in Genesis, and John may simply be using the Septuagint in a creative way. Words describe ideas. In the Old Testament, when God speaks, things happen. There is ultimate and unimaginable holy power, love, and compassion behind God’s speaking. A word expresses the idea of the originator and can be spoken or written. The Word, as used by John, refers to God’s method of interacting with his creation, particularly humans.
The first significant idea John gives about Jesus in this chapter is his existence before creation. The Gospel begins with a similar phrase as Genesis 1:1. In the beginning marks both time and situation. The timeframe was the existence of only God. We cannot even use the word “time” because even time did not exist. Time came into existence at the point of the beginning when the Word was spoken that created heaven and earth (Genesis 1:1).
The situation was that nothing existed except what was with God. There was nothing in the beginning except the Word. The reason for this is that the Word was God. Verse 2 echoes and emphasizes this key thought. The Word was not created because the Word was God himself. God could not create himself. The conclusion is that the Word is eternal because it is divine and an aspect of God’s being. John could not start his Gospel with any greater statement than this.
Word used at the end of verse 1 is lacking the Greek article. The argument that Jesus is only an aspect of God or only one of God’s communications as “divine” is incorrect based on Greek grammar. There are many examples of a Greek noun in a predicate position like this lacking the article while still being definite. The Word is God in God’s fullness but has a uniqueness. This uniqueness was experienced by people in the first century and can be experienced today through faith. The form of Greek allows for a separation in person between Father and Son. This separation is necessary and critical for human salvation and the story that John will tell in his Gospel.
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