Introducing the Word
John Chapter 1 verses 1 to 5
In the beginning carries our thoughts beyond the beginning of creation in time to eternity. There is no argument here to prove the existence of God any more than in Genesis. It is simply stated that God exists and is the Creator of the universe.
Was: three times in this sentence John uses this imperfect of eimi (to be) which conveys no idea of origin for God or for the Word, simply continuous existence. Quite a different verb (egeneto, became) appears in verse 14 for the beginning of the Incarnation of the Word. The distinction is sharply drawn in chapter 8:58 "before Abraham came (genesthai) I am" (eimi, timeless existence).
The Word: translation of the Greek Logos (the Hebrew equivalent memra was used in the Targums, Aramaic versions or interpretations of the Hebrew scriptures, for the manifestation of God like the Angel of Jehovah, and the Wisdom of God in Proverbs 8:23). The Greek term means:
- a thought or concept;
- the expression or utterance of that thought.
As a designation of Christ, therefore, the Word implies that:
- in Him are embodied all the treasures of the divine wisdom, the collective thought of God (1 Corinthians 1:24; Ephesians 3:11; Colossians 2:2,3) and,
- He is from eternity, but especially in His incarnation, the utterance or expression of the Person, and thought of Deity (John 1:3-5, 9, 14-18; 14:9-11; Colossians 2:9). In the being, person, and work of Christ, deity is fully expressed. The personal pre-existence of Christ is mentioned again in chapter 17:5, and in the epistles (2 Corinthians 8:9; Philippians 2:6; Colossians 1:17, Hebrews 1:2).
With God: Though existing eternally with God, the Word was in perfect fellowship with God, on a plane of equality and intimacy, face to face with each other.
And the Word was God: By exact and careful language it is made clear that all of God was not expressed in the Word, which would be understood if the sentence had been God was the Word (similarly, God is spirit, not spirit is God in John 4:24 and God is love, not love is God in I John 4:16). The Word was eternally God, fellowship of Father and Son.
He was in the beginning with God: repeated for clarity, linking together into one phrase two of the ideas already stated separately, "in the beginning he was with God", "afterwards in time he came to be with man". The Word's pre-existence before incarnation, His personality and deity is in this way clearly stated.
All things were made by him: All things came into being. Creation is thus presented as a becoming (in contrast with being) by means of Him as the intermediate agent in the work of creation. The Word is the explanation of the creation of the universe (see also Hebrews 1:2, and Colossians 1:16-17). The Father is the primary source, and the Son the intermediate agent (1 Corinthians 8:6). This proves that he is God, for he that built all things is God (Hebrews 3:4). The God of Israel often proved himself to be God with this, that he made all things (Isaiah 40:12, 28).
Without Him nothing was made that was made: Not even one thing was ever made without Him, from the highest angel to the meanest virus. This also excludes the ability to create anything by any of His creatures, heavenly or earthly.
In Him was life: That which has come into being (verse 3) in the Word was life. The power that creates and sustains life in the universe is the Word (John 11:25, Colossians 1:16, Hebrews 1:3). Usually in John life means spiritual life, but here the term is unlimited and includes all life; it is not manner of life, but the very principle or essence of life, also personal intelligence and power.
And the life was the light of men: in the Greek construction of this sentence, the light was the life of men is also true. That statement is curiously like the view of some physicists who find in electricity (both light and power) the nearest equivalent to life in its ultimate physical form. Later Jesus will call himself the light of the world (chapter 8:12). These words life and light are found a lot in John's Gospel, Epistles, and the book of Revelation. They are here combined to picture the relation of the Word to humankind in particular before the incarnation. He was then and is now the Life of men and the Light of men.
And the light shines in the darkness: This is an evident allusion to the darkness brought on by sin. The Word, the only real moral light, keeps on shining both in the pre-incarnate state and after the incarnation (1 John 2:8). Jesus Christ is the Creator of life, and his life brings light to mankind. In his light, we see ourselves as we really are (sinners in need of a Saviour). When we follow Him, the true Light, we can avoid walking blindly and falling into sin. He lights the path ahead of us so we can see how to live. He removes the darkness of sin from our lives.
And the darkness did not comprehend it: to overtake or to overcome seems to be the idea here. The light kept on shining in spite of the darkness, as the Old Testament and archaeological discoveries in Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Crete, Asia Minor show. The darkness of evil never has and never will overcome or extinguish God's light.
R David Jones
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)
The same was in the beginning with God. (John 1:2)
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:3)
In him was life; and the life was the light of men. (John 1:4)
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. (John 1:5)