#1455 John 1 Part 1 Logos

 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it. John 1: 1-5 LSB

John 1:1

In the beginning - This is Creation, not only of matter, but also markedly of time and space. This is the point where the infinite introduces the finite, the edge of our meaning and detection. Something from outside of time and space is calling into being things that are not of themselves. The self existing is bringing about that which is dependent. In Matthew and Luke we saw them start with genealogies that revealed Jesus' claim to the throne of a human dynasty, the throne of David, one tracing His parentage through Joseph, Jesus' adopted father, and the other through Mary, His mother as unto the flesh. He was called the Seed of the woman as far back as the promise made in the garden to Adam and Eve, our parents regarding the flesh and our fallen natures, our parents unto entropy as all that is Created is not self existing, not eternal being. John's gospel is giving a different sort of genealogy that is complicated for finite minds, that of the eternal, the heavenly heritage, that of One Who was not called into being, but Is. This is the calling forth of One Who preexists time, the eternally begotten Son, the Word, to enter into time and space, be born of a woman, perfectly interweaving His deity with humanity. He is wholly God and wholly man, the perfect mediator. 

…16For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence.… Colossians 1: 16-18

…9You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You above Your companions with the oil of joy.” 10And: “In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. 11They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment.… Hebrews 1: 9-11

…2and Abraham apportioned to him a tenth of everything. First, his name means “king of righteousness.” Then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” 3Without father or mother or genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God, he remains a priest for all time. 4Consider how great Melchizedek was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder.… Hebrews 7: 2-4

Another verse in Scripture starts out this way, let's go back to Genesis.

1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.… Genesis 1: 1-3

The very first words in your Bible are a clear, and upon scrutiny, perfect scientific statement.

When Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” no one was confused by that. No one can possibly misunderstand what that means. It is so simple; except one of my grandchildren once, because she came home from class and said that her Sunday School teacher said, “God created everything. God created everything.” And she raised her little hand and said, “Oh, no He didn’t. A whole bunch of stuff is made in China.” So apart from her, no one is mystified by Genesis 1:1; and I had to try to recover the damage it did to my career as a pastor.

But as simple as that statement is, it is the first illustration in the Bible. Genesis 1:1 is the first illustration in the Bible of God’s immense ability to cover profound reality in a simplicity of words, the meaning of which is utterly unmistakable.

Scientist Herbert Spencer who died in 1903 did not believe the Bible, but he was one of the early architects of categories, scientific categories. He said, “Everything in the world can fit into five categories: time, force, action, space, and matter.” And he was hailed and given awards for those catalogs: time, force, action, space, and matter. That’s all in Genesis 1:1. In the beginning is time, God is force, created is action, the heavens is space, and the earth is matter. Sorry, Herbert, we were there before you. - J Mac

Was the Word - The Word, Logos, was there at Creation, and we also see in Gen. 1:2 the Spirit of God hovering. There is so much stuff here, but let's start with the Word, the Logos, John has chosen to use this word rather than the name Jesus or Messiah, this is Who Christ was before we knew Him as Jesus, before His incarnation into this world. This is reference to His eternal nature, the Son of God, existing with the Father and the Holy Spirit. There are aberrant "Christian" groups in the Pentecostal movement today that hold to a belief, a doctrine called modalism, where God is not 3 distinct persons, but rather 1 God with 3 modes, sometimes He is the Father, sometimes the Son and sometimes the Spirit, switching back and forth, but at Jesus' baptism we find the presence of all 3. I have talked to people who believe this way and they say it's because the Bible never uses the word "Trinity", but it also never uses the word modalism, but that it is just a word we use to describe the doctrine. The important thing is which does the Bible teach? Pentecostals receive, they believe they do but I don't, extrabiblical revelation, some of which contradicts God's proven revelation, His Word. All good doctrine should be derived Sola Scriptura, from the simple and clear teaching of Scripture, taking the whole counsel of God on any matter. Look here at both His entry (conception) into this world and His baptism:

18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, since he was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20 But when he had thought this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a Son; and you shall name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 Now all this took place so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: 23 “Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall name Him Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” 24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he named Him Jesus. Matthew 1: 18-25

…34“How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. 36Look, even Elizabeth your relative has conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called barren is in her sixth month.… Luke 1: 34-36

9In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 As soon as Jesus came up out of the water, He saw the heavens breaking open and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove. 11And a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”… Mark 1: 9-11

Back to the Logos. This is a Greek word which conveys expression, that of logic and reason, but in the tradition of some of the philosophers it would be impersonal, but here the Logos is being revealed as a person, the person and work of Jesus Christ, in Whom all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. The Greeks understood that there was a god or a force, but here the true God is made known, the Creator announces Himself in addition to the need of causation, in addition to what can be known by nature, here is His word of revelation.

Calvin - “The Evangelist sends us to the eternal sanctuary of God and teaches us that the Word was, as it were, hidden there before He revealed Himself in the outward workmanship of the world.”

John's introductory words "in the beginning" would have expected to be followed by the word "God" as in Genesis 1:1, but instead introduce the Word. And so even with this first phrase, John causes us to begin thinking that this "Word" is more that an abstract philosophical concept as seen in the Greek culture, but that the Word was divine, which he subsequently proves.

In the 2nd century, Clement of Alexandria wrote that one of the atheistic Platonic philosophers, said of John 1:1-3, “This barbarian hath comprised more stupendous stuff in three lines, than we have done in all our voluminous discourses.”

Milne - John’s contention is that at the point where we reach the boundary of all human conceptualizing we have to begin our speaking about Jesus Christ; he shares God’s eternity; he was with God in the beginning (2). ‘If we ask the fundamental question of the philosopher, “Why is there not nothing?” the answer is that in the “beginning was the Word” ’. Although he lived within time as a human being he is not bound by time. He predates all existence; ‘there never was when he was not’ (Athanasius). However far back we set the beginning of things, and whatever model we employ to describe that origin, according to John, Jesus was present as the presiding Lord of that moment and event (cf. Ge 1:3). This truth has major implications for the way we conceive God. Since Jesus is the eternal Word of God (14), and since ‘I [Jesus] and the Father are one’ (Jn 10:30) and ‘Anyone who has seen me [Jesus] has seen the Father’ (Jn 14:9), God is always Jesus-like! ‘God is Christlike and in Him is no unChristlikeness at all’ (A. M. Ramsey). This is important for the way we read the Old Testament. The significance of this opening phrase of John is that the God who speaks in the Old Testament, who entered into covenant with his people Israel, and inspired and moved the prophets, was none other than the God known in Jesus Christ. God has not changed or evolved. Jesus Christ was always at the heart of God. (The Message of John Bible Speaks Today) (Bolding added)

A W Pink - “In the beginning” is something we are unable to comprehend: it is one of those matchless sweeps of inspiration which rises above the level of human thought. “In the beginning was the word,” and we are equally unable to grasp the final meaning of this. A “word” is an expression: by words we articulate our speech. The Word of God, then, is Deity expressing itself in audible terms. And yet, when we have said this, how much there is that we leave unsaid! (John 1:1-13 Christ the Eternal Word) - Precept Austin

The Word (3055)(lógos/logos from légō = to speak with words; English = logic, logical) means something said and describes a communication whereby the mind finds expression in words. To the Greek philosophers Logos was the impersonal, abstract principle of reason and order in the universe. Logos referred "to the abstract conception that lies behind everything concrete-to the ideal." (Phillips) However, Jesus was not an impersonal source, force, principle, or emanation, but was a Person who because a Man (Jn 1:14). - Precept Austin

22Then Paul stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious. 23For as I walked around and examined your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore what you worship as something unknown, I now proclaim to you. 24The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands.… Acts 17: 22-24