Thoughts on John 1:1

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1.

This is one of the greatest openings in all of the New Testament. It opens one of the best known gospels in the New Testament—the Gospel of John. John begins with the relationship of the Word [Jesus] to God. It declares three truths about God and Jesus.

1. John begins with a striking allusion to Genesis 1:1. This allusion is the first step of connecting Jesus with creation. It notes the Word’s existence at the time of creation. “In the beginning.” This would be a well-known phrase; almost every Jew would know it. The Gospel opens with a Jewish tone and with the purpose of explaining Jesus.[1] The word beginning has the essence of origin. The word “was” has the idea of existence before the beginning, and indicates that the Word was present at the beginning. Godet notes that the word “was” is imperfect, and must designate simultaneousness, thus the existence of the Word was at the same time as the beginning.[2] It points beyond the beginning. Therefore it speaks of His pre-existence as the Word before and at creation. “There never was a time when the Word was not.”[3]
2. The Word was present with God. The preposition “with” denotes accompaniment and relationship. The Word in eternity past was in the presence of God, and had a relationship with God. The Word is seen to be a separate personality from God the Father, not a mere extension of the Father. It emphasizes Jesus’ intimacy with the Father; a repeating theme in John 3:2, 8:29; cf. 8:38; 16:32.
3.  “He was God.” It speaks of His full deity. The Jehovah Witnesses hold that it should be translated “He was a God,” denying the full deity of Jesus Christ. They argue that the absence of the Greek definite article (the) means that Jesus is a semi-deity, a god. They deny the deity of Christ.  However, the Greek has the word God first, and literally reads “God was the Word.”[4] The word God is in the emphatic position, making it needless for the definite article before the word God. McLeod notes that to put the article before the word God would mean that “The Son was the Father,” which would contradict the second clause of the verse.[5] This is not what John is doing. Rather, he is making the character and essence of Jesus and God the Father one. The two have the same nature. He is saying that the Word is deity.

John’s intent with this opening is to make clear the deity of Jesus Christ. He is God. He wants us to understand He alone is God who became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). It is a proclamation of the finality, centrality, and supremacy of Jesus Christ. This has practicality to the believer because it makes God knowable. God is like Jesus; Jesus is like God. Thus, knowing Jesus is the same as knowing God.

---

[1] Graig S. Keener, THE GOSPEL OF JOHN: A COMMENTARY, 1:365.

[2]  Frederic Louis Godet, COMMENTARY ON JOHN, 244.

[3]  Leon Morris, NICNT: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN, 65

[4]  MARJORITY TEXT & THE NESTLE TEXT.

[5]  David J. McLeod, “The Eternality and Deity of the Word: John 1-2” BIBLIOTHECA SACRA, January 2003, 60.