John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

 

John begins his gospel account by identifying its central figure; the Lord Jesus Christ.  This first verse contains both a general description of Christ as the declaration of the message, and a concise statement establishing the deity of the Son of God.

 

John's use of the Word to denote the person of Jesus is not unusual in the collection of John's writings.  He begins his first epistle by referring to Jesus as the Word of life . . . "the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us."

In the original manuscripts, the Word is the Greek word "Logos", and can be expressed as a "saying", or even as a "message".  The word "logos" is used to account, designate, or classify.  It is also the root of the Greek words; to reckon, and to consider.  By designating Jesus as the Word, John infers that Jesus encompasses the whole saying, the entire account, the complete story; even the Messenger of Malachi 3:1b:

And the Lord, whom you seek,
Will suddenly come to His temple,
Even the Messenger of the covenant,
In whom you delight.
Behold, He is coming,”
Says the Lord of hosts.

Furthermore, by substituting the Word as a pseudonym instead of naming Jesus directly, John is expressing reverence for the person of Jesus; consistent with the custom of the Jews in referring to God as "the Name."  The recent discovery of Greek New Testament manuscripts reveals that for at least the first three centuries of the Church, the Christian scribes used three and four character abbreviations for the words; Jesus, Christ, Son of God, and even Son of man.

In the beginning was the Word.   John bears witness of the eternality of the Son of God.  Jesus already was, that is; He already existed at the time of the beginning.  Within the next several verses John will establish that the beginning is the very beginning of creation.

The Word was with God, and the Word was God.  Here is expressed together the individuality and the unity of the Godhead.  The Father and the Son are both distinct, and yet they are One.  The mystery of the plurality and unity of God is recognized in the opening verses of Genesis.  Let Us make man in Our image, in accordance with Our likeness.  The Old Testament includes further references to the Son of God.

From the Second Psalm vs 7-12:

I will declare the decree:
The Lord has said to Me,
"You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel."

Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear,

And rejoice with trembling,

Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

 

Proverbs 30:4d:

Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is His Son’s name,
If you know?

 

So in this first verse of John's Gospel we have established that Jesus is the living Word of God, that He is very God of very God, eternally co-existent with the Father, and yet distinct in His own Person.