-The “WORD” Understood Through Words
| • Almighty • Amen • Alpha And Omega • Advocate • Angel Of The Lord • Branch • Bread Of Life • Chief Shepherd • Chief Corner-Stone • Counselor • Day-Spring • Door • Emmanuel • Everlasting Father • Good Shepherd • Great High Priest • Head Of The Church • I AM • Jesus • King Of Kings • Lamb Of God • Messiah • Morning-Star • Prince Of Peace • Redeemer • Rock • Savior • Servant • Son Of God • True Vine • Way • Wonderful • Word • Word Of God • Word Of Life | Language is fascinating! According to Webster’s Dictionary it is the “systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings by the use of conventional signs, sounds, gestures or marks having understood meanings. The very words of the three parts of John 1:1 were selected by the Holy Spirit to communicate to us who God is. In the first sentence of his gospel, John explains that God has chosen to communicate Himself through “the Word.” |
“In the beginning was the Word”
The “Word” in Greek is logos, and it is derived from a verb meaning “to pick out or select.” It refers to selecting words to express one’s thoughts, as well as the concept or idea which those words express. When John refers to Jesus as Logos we are to understand that Jesus is the total concept of God. Deity speaks through the Son of God, not in parts of speech as in a sentence composed of words, but in the human life of a divine Person.1 “The Word” has the responsibility of clearly expressing God from eternity past to eternity future. Not only was Jesus the Word when He came into the world, but He was the expression of God before anything was created (Jn. 1:2-3).2Notice that “the” appears before “Word.” Jesus is not just one of many concepts of God, but He is the concept of God, “the One and Only” (Jn. 1:18 NIV) or “the only begotten Son” (Jn. 1:18).
“Begotten” adds another insight into the uniqueness of the Word. The word translated “begotten” is only used of Jesus. He is not only the sole Son of God, but as God the Son He is the only one of His kind, unique and in eternal union with the Father in the Godhead. Jesus Christ proceeds by eternal generation from the Father as the Son, and because eternal, birth never took place. Jesus never started to be God’s one and only Son – He was always His Son in eternal existence with Him (Jn. 1:2).3
“And the Word was with (the) God”
The root meaning of the Greek word “with” is “near, facing.” When used with persons, it means not only proximity of position, but also close fellowship, companionship and mutual intimacy. Additionally, “the” appears before the word “God” in the Greek, indicating that fellowship is with the Father. Just as the adjective “begotten” suggests the thought of the most deeply affectionate relationship (Jn. 1:18), so also the preposition “with” suggests the most intimate of relationships between God the Word and God the Father. Who could better make known all that the Father is than His Son, the Eternal Word? 4
“And the Word was God”
Here the word “God” is not preceded by “the” in the Greek. This sentence structure emphasizes quality or character. In other words, John teaches us that the Word possesses the same nature as God the Father. Jesus of Nazareth, the carpenter, the teacher, is one with God the Father in His attributes and characteristics – He is very God.5
The language which God has chosen to express Himself to man is found in the Person of His one and only Son, the Word of God. How gracious of God not to use lengthy, elaborate and explicit theological and philosophical expositions to describe Himself to us, but instead to communicate who He is through one Word – the eternal life of His Son, Jesus Christ. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14).
END NOTES
1. Kenneth Wuest, Golden Nuggets, Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1940, p. 50.
2. J. N. Darby, The Collected Writings, Caps Printing, London, England, 1962, vol. 21, p. 95.
3. Wuest, p. 85.
4. Wuest, p. 51.
5. Wuest, p. 52.
With permission to publish by: Sam Hadley, Grace & Truth, 210 Chestnut St., Danville, IL., USA. Website: www.gtpress.org
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