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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: 1c God With Us
The Word was God - “And the Word was [being] God.” He always was God! This statement could not be much clearer! In fact these four Greek words (theos en ho logos) may be the clearest declaration of the Godhood of Jesus Christ in all of holy writ! (As an a aside, given the profundity of this simple verse in English, surely it would be a passage every saint would want to treasure as precious gold in their heart!)
John Phillips - That is, in His essence, in what He actually is, in His nature, person, and personality, in His attributes and character, Jesus is all that God is. All the essential characteristics of deity are His. He exists in His own right, independent of all creation. Does God have the wisdom and power to create a hundred million galaxies and hold them whirling through space at enormous velocities on inconceivable paths, according to fixed laws, expending prodigious amounts of energy? So does Jesus. Such is the Lord's ineffable person. (Exploring the Gospel of John)
The Jehovah's Witnesses mistranslate this verse in their 2013 revised "New World Translation" - "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was a god." (Online perversion) This cult brazenly and falsely calls the Word or Jesus a god with a little "g." If Jesus was not God with a capital "G" then all of mankind is still dead in its trespasses and sins, for a little "g" god cannot effect redemption. Only the God-Man can fulfill the requirements of a Kinsman-Redeemer! (See refutation of the Jehovah Witnesses' blatant mistranslation on John 1:1) - Precept Austin
And the Word was God - Even more clarification, if taken at it's words then the first verse says volumes about Who God is and Who Jesus, the Word, is in God. As we see in the paragraph above, there are cult groups and this being a very good sign that someone or a collective is a cult, is who do they say Christ is? This is the question that I stop them with at my door, they always come with a Bible, say they are followers of Christ, so I stop them there and we cut to the chase, "Who is Jesus Christ?" If they say he came not in the flesh, but as a symbolic apparition, or that he came in someone else's flesh, an Avatar, in a long procession of appearances throughout history, including Buddha, Mohammed, and many other false prophets, self professed enlightened ones, then they are of a gnostic cult, the mystery religions, they like a hippie sort of Jesus. If they say they believe in Jesus, but Jesus is not God, that he is the brother of Lucifer, a created being then they teach a Jesus not found in Holy Scripture, and they preach a false gospel. So why is that? Why do they make up their own Jesus, twist Scripture, yet try to sell themselves often as being Christian? As I engage them it becomes more and more clear that we are using a lot of the same terms, the name Jesus, but our definitions points to two very different people. With the Mormons it becomes crystal clear that we don't share the same God at all, they believe that the Creator of this world was created by another god. So it is really quite simple to follow their logic. Look at the practices of their founders, Joseph Smith and many others were polygamist. The God of the Bible create them male and female in the beginning, and the two became one flesh, from this union comes all of mankind. In it's original state there was fidelity, but this was not the practice of Joseph Smith and many others, they believed, much like those in Islam, that more is better. If a Muslim dies in a holy war, doing some act of bravery, he gets 100 virgins in the after life. Mormons believe that they will become gods, each getting their own little planet to populate with many wives. They share the same problem as all fallen human beings, they want things that God says are vain, they don't want what God says, so they make up their own god. The Mormons would be moralist like the Pharisees, who also had issues with the after life. It comes down to motive, and more importantly whether someone has been born again.
23 On that day some Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to Jesus and asked Him a question, 24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother as next of kin shall marry his wife and raise up a seed for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers with us; and the first married and died, and having no seed, he left his wife to his brother; 26 so also the second, and the third, down to the seventh. 27 And last of all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her.”
29 But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” 33 And when the crowds heard this, they were astonished at His teaching. Matthew 22: 23-33
Another issue with all these groups is that they receive extrabiblical revelation, much like the modern Pentecostal movement where many have gone to modalism, and or down play the significance of who Christ is in favor of a prosperity gospel. All of these are seeking a reward here, even that which God speaks so firmly against. None of them like the gospel that Jesus preached, the call of self denial.
3If anyone teaches another doctrine and disagrees with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and with godly teaching, 4he is conceited and understands nothing. Instead, he has an unhealthy interest in controversies and semantics, out of which come envy, strife, abusive talk, evil suspicions, 5and constant friction between men of depraved mind who are devoid of the truth. These men regard godliness as a means of gain.…
6Of course, godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, so we cannot carry anything out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.… 1 Timothy 6: 3-7
1Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow in their depravity, and because of them the way of truth will be defamed. 3In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep.…
…4For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them deep into hell, placing them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; 5if He did not spare the ancient world when He brought the flood on its ungodly people, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, among the eight; 6if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction, reducing them to ashes as an example of what is coming on the ungodly;…
7and if He rescued Lot, a righteous man distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless 8(for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— 9if all this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.… 2 Peter 2: 1-9
So when it says the Word was God, how did Jesus, the Son of God, describe Himself?
…29My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30I and the Father are one.” 31At this, the Jews again picked up stones to stone Him.…
…32But Jesus responded, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone Me?” 33“ We are not stoning You for any good work,” said the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because You, who are a man, declare Yourself to be God.” 34Jesus replied, “Is it not written in your Law: ‘I have said you are gods’?… John 10: 29-34
…8Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” 9 Jesus replied, “Philip, I have been with you all this time, and still you do not know Me? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words I say to you, I do not speak on My own. Instead, it is the Father dwelling in Me, performing His works.… John 14: 8-10
…57Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?” 58“Truly, truly, I tell you,” Jesus declared, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59At this, they picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple area.… John 8: 57-59
In John 8:58 He uses the description that Jehovah uses in referring to Himself, and they clearly understand what He is saying, so they try to stone Him.
…13Then Moses asked God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ What should I tell them?” 14God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15God also told Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.… Exodus 3: 13-15
The Jehovah's Witnesses also come over with a King James Bible to try to show that they regard God's word and they use the name Jesus and Jehovah as well, but who is their Jesus? He, according to their literature, passed down by people who received extrabiblical revelation directly "from God", is Michael the archangel. Hmmm, that's interesting, because the Bible tells us not to worship angels, yet we are to worship the Son, and Jesus received worship and being referred to as God without correcting His followers. Jehovah's Witnesses have also received extra revelation through their pseudo prophets that predicted Christ's return several times on several dates and none have come true.
…21You may ask in your heart, “How can we recognize a message that the LORD has not spoken?” 22When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the message does not come to pass or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him. Deuteronomy 18: 21-22
1If a prophet or dreamer of dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you, 2and if the sign or wonder he has spoken to you comes about, but he says, “Let us follow other gods (which you have not known) and let us worship them,” 3you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. For the LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul.… Deuteronomy 13: 1-3
…7which is not even a gospel. Evidently some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ. 8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse! 9As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be under a curse!… Galatians 1: 7-9
John's own interaction with an angel:
…8And I am John, who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown me these things. 9But he said to me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!” 10Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of prophecy in this book, because the time is near.… Revelation 22: 8-10
…17These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ. 18Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you with speculation about what he has seen. Such a person is puffed up without basis by his unspiritual mind. 19He has lost connection to the head, from whom the whole body, supported and knit together by its joints and ligaments, grows as God causes it to grow.… Colossians 2: 17-19
…9“All this I will give You,” he said, “if You will fall down and worship me.” 10“Away from Me, Satan!” Jesus declared. “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’” 11Then the devil left Him, and angels came and ministered to Him.… Matthew 4: 9-11
…24Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen. 26For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.… Romans 1: 24-26
If Jesus is not God then there is something wrong here:
…27Then Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!” 29Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”… John 20: 27-29
…5For to which of the angels did God ever say: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father”? Or again: “I will be His Father, and He will be My Son”? 6And again, when God brings His firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all God’s angels worship Him.” 7Now about the angels He says: “He makes His angels winds, His servants flames of fire.”… Hebrews 1: 5-7
…9Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.… Philippians 2: 9-11
…32And when they had climbed back into the boat, the wind died down. 33Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God!” 34When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret.… Matthew 14: 32-34
Herbert Lockyer says "What a tremendous phrase this is—The Word was God! Language has no meaning if these four words do not clearly teach that Christ is "Very God of Very God."… He was not only a divine person, but the Source and Spring of all that is divine. He is not merely of God, and with God, He is God, and His Deity is one of the great themes of John's gospel. "My Father and I are one" (John 10:30)—they were one in substance and essence, and therefore the Son is to be worshipped with the same worship as is due the Father."… It is not said that He is the God, for such an assertion would ascribe to a Son "the totality of the Divine Being, and contradict the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. And He is not said to be Divine, which would lessen the emphasis. But He is said, distinctly and emphatically, to be God—'God manifest in flesh.'"… Christ, then, came not as a Word of God, but the Word—the only revelation of God to man, and He declared all God had to say to men. In Creation, He was the expression of divine power, but in His Incarnation He became the revelation of the divine character (Matthew 11:27; John 17:26)… May He, as the Word, dwell in us richly in all wisdom (Colossians 3:16)! He is the Word, cleansing from sin, and if hid in our heart, will keep us clean (Psalm 119:9-11).
'Tis the Father's pleasure
We should call Him Lord,
Who from the beginning
Was the Mighty Word.
Spurgeon - I know not how the Deity of Christ can be more plainly declared than in his eternal duration. He is from the beginning. In his glory he was “with God.” In his nature he “was God.”
Come, Thou Incarnate Word,
Gird on Thy mighty sword;
Our prayer attend:
Come, and Thy people bless,
And give Thy Word success,
Spirit of Holiness,
On us descend! - Precept Austin
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