John 1:2,3 All things were made through Him

He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

He was in the beginning with God.  John restates the fact that the Son of God was present with the Father at the time of creation.  This second verse is not meant to convey any new information, but it is rather an affirmation or logical conclusion to the first verse.  It might be prefaced with the thought, {Because it has been shown from the evidence presented in the first verse, therefore we understand that} "He was in the beginning with God."

This syllogism takes the form:

The Word pre-existed the beginning.

The Word and the Father abide together and both are God.

Therefore, He [the Word] was in the beginning with God.

All things were made through Him.  Jesus is the Lord of creation.  The celestial bodies were created by Jesus, as credited by Hebrews 1:1,2:  God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds. - Hebrews 1:1,2

All things; both all created things in the physical cosmos, and all created things in the spiritual realm.  The Apostle Paul states in Colossians 1:15-17:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.  All things were created through Him and for Him.  And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

All people, plants, places, and things; all angelic beings, principalities, spiritual authorities, heavenly creatures, heavenly places, and the ornamentations thereof; all were created through Him.  And just to make sure that it is understood that no created thing exists apart from the Son's direct involvement, John adds:

 

and without Him nothing was made that was made.  The entire work of creation was undertaken through the Son.  And without Him nothing was made that was made.  This truth prohibits any misconception that the Son Himself could be a work of creation.  For either Jesus is eternally begotten, and not made; or else, He would have had to make Himself.  Verse Three simply makes it impossible to acknowledge the existence of Jesus and to deny that He is set apart as Co-Creator; the eternal Son of the eternal Godhead.

This equality of the Son with the Father was prophesied by Isaiah:

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. - Isaiah 9:6

Paul records in his continued description of Christ in Colossians 2:9: For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.  And of Christ's humility in taking on bodily form to save us, Paul writes, Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. - Philippians 2:5-8

As we continue through the Gospel of John we will see that Jesus' words and works testified to His identity as the Son of God.  Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. - John 5:18

Correctly understanding the deity of Jesus is so important that John opens his gospel by devoting these first three verses to the concise yet sufficient declaration of Christ's true identity.  John's purpose for writing this gospel is that the reader might come to know and believe in Jesus.  Near the end of his book, John writes; And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. - John 20:30,31

All of the treasures of real life are in Christ.  In John 17:3 Jesus prayed, And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.  And knowing Jesus begins with knowing who Jesus is.

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.