John 1:1 states, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” This profound verse has been the subject of much discussion and debate over the centuries as Christians have sought to understand the full meaning and significance of the identity of the “Word” (Logos) in relation to God.
Here are several key truths we can draw from this pivotal verse:
1. The Word (Jesus) is eternal
John 1:1 tells us that “in the beginning was the Word.” This means that before time, space, and matter existed, the Word already was. The Word is therefore without beginning and is Himself eternal. As John 1:2 states, “He was in the beginning with God.” Jesus confirmed His eternal nature and pre-existence in John 8:58 when He said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” The Word has no origin point, but has forever existed outside of time and space.
2. The Word was fully God
The verse states not only that the Word was with God but that the “Word was God.” Everything that is true of the nature, attributes, and character of God was equally true of the Word. The Word possessed deity in Himself. As Colossians 2:9 confirms, “In him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” The Word was not merely a powerful being, but was fully and completely God.
3. The Word is distinct from God the Father
While the Word is fully God, John 1:1 draws a distinction between the Word and God. This distinction points to the reality that the Word is a separate Person within the Godhead. God has eternally existed as a Tri-unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As John 1:18 makes clear, the Word (Jesus) is “the only God, who is at the Father’s side.” From all eternity, the Word existed in perfect loving relationship with God the Father, yet as a distinct Person within the Godhead.
4. The Word is the agent of creation
John 1:3 elaborates on the role of the Word in creation: “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” As God, the Word created “the heavens and the earth” and everything in them (Genesis 1-2). The Word is the divine Person who brought the material universe into existence. By Him, through Him, and for Him are all things.
5. The Word reveals God and His truth
The term “Word” was familiar in both Greek and Jewish thought as a title for divine wisdom and revelation. The Word communicates (“utters”) divine truth and makes God known to mankind. As John 1:14 and 18 say, Jesus as the incarnate Word “made him [God] known” and “exegeted” Him. The Word reveals God through both creation and inspired Scripture (John 1:3; 2 Timothy 3:16).
6. The Word became flesh in Jesus Christ
While retaining His divine nature and oneness with the Father, the eternal Word added a human nature when He was miraculously conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:35). As John 1:14 states, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” The incarnation joins the eternally existent Word with genuine and complete humanity in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.
In summary, John 1:1 teaches that the Word is eternal, fully God, personally distinct from the Father, the agent of creation, the source of revelation, and took on human flesh in Jesus Christ. As the rest of John’s gospel makes clear, Jesus as the God-man came to reveal the Father and redeem the world by the sacrifice of Himself on the cross.
Some key implications of this seminal verse include:
- Jesus Christ is divine. As the Word, He is fully God and possesses all divine attributes. His claims to deity were not blasphemous but completely true (John 5:18; 10:30-33).
- There is plurality within the one God. From eternity past, the Word was distinct from the Father yet fully God within the Triune Godhead. This lay the groundwork for Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- Jesus is the mediator between God and man. As the God-man, Jesus reveals God to us and us to God. He alone can provide access to the Father (John 14:6).
- Jesus has authority over all creation. As the agent of creation, He is sovereign Lord over everything that has been made (Colossians 1:15-17).
- God expects us to respond to the Word. The incarnate Word calls for faith, worship, obedience, and devotion from all people (John 20:28; Luke 6:46).
John 1:1 teaches truths that should cause us to marvel at the glorious nature of Jesus Christ. He existed before time itself, yet stepped into human history to bring eternal life to all who place their faith in Him (John 3:16). The opening words of John’s gospel force us to come to terms with the identity of Jesus Christ as the eternal Word and Son of God.
7. The Word shares the same divine nature as God
Since the Word “was God,” He shares the identical divine nature and essence as God. Everything that is true of God’s divine attributes – His holiness, omnipotence, omniscience, eternity, etc. – are equally true of the Word. The Word possesses the totality of the divine being.
This is a radical claim that sets biblical Christianity apart from other religious perspectives. The Word is not merely a spiritual power or exalted being, but is fully and utterly God. As God, the Word shares the divine glory before creation (John 17:5). The power that created and sustains the universe is the power of the Word upholding all things (Hebrews 1:3).
8. The distinction between the Word and God lays the foundation for the Trinity
By distinguishing the Word and God in John 1:1, yet retaining full deity for both, John’s gospel establishes the basis for the later formulation of the doctrine of the Trinity. God exists eternally as three Persons, yet there is only one divine Being or Essence. The Word is God, yet personally distinct from God the Father. This distinction will also be clarified when John speaks later of the Holy Spirit as another divine Person (John 14:16-17, 26).
9. The Word is the visible image of the invisible God
As the divine but distinct Person who perfectly communicates and reveals God to the world, the Word is the “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). The Word makes the invisible attributes and nature of God visible and known to mankind. As the God-man, Jesus could declare, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). The Word is the radiance of God’s glory and exact representation of His nature (Hebrews 1:3).
10. The incarnate Word is fully human as well as fully God
In the incarnation, the Word added genuine humanity to Himself while remaining fully divine. This is an unfathomable mystery. In Jesus Christ, the eternal Word as a man exhibited the limitations of humanity (hunger, thirst, tiredness) yet remained the omnipotent God. The God who created Mary’s womb entered the world as a helpless infant through that same womb. Even in becoming flesh, the Word did not cease to be God.
The theological term for this truth is the hypostatic union – Jesus Christ existing as one divine-human Person. As fully man, Jesus identifies with our humanity. As fully God, He reconciles us to God.
11. The Word is the source of all spiritual life and light
John 1 highlights that the Word is the giver of spiritual life and illumination to mankind. Verse 4 states, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Jesus as the Word is “the true light, which gives light to everyone” (v.9). The Word enlightens people concerning God, righteousness, and our own identity and purpose. Those who reject the Word show they love darkness rather than light (John 3:19).
Without the life and light that the Word gives, we would remain in spiritual death and darkness. But all who receive Jesus by faith have eternal life (John 3:15-16) and become “children of light” (John 12:36). The Word grants spiritual life and understanding to those who believe.
12. The Word became flesh to offer Himself as a sacrifice for sin
A key reason the eternal Word added humanity to Himself was so that He might offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. As John the Baptist declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). The Word had to become human so that He might experience death and shed His blood on the cross to atone for our sins (Hebrews 2:14-17).
The sinless life and atoning death of the God-man, Jesus Christ, provides the only way for the holy God to pardon guilty sinners and credit righteousness to our account (2 Corinthians 5:21). Without the incarnation of the Word, we would remain forever cut off from God by our sins.
13. The incarnate Word is the ultimate revelation of God’s glory
The opening of John’s gospel declares that the Word became flesh and manifested the glory of God (John 1:14). The embodied Word is the greatest and fullest revelation of the glory of God that we could ever receive. God’s moral perfections, love, wisdom, power, and grace are seen in their most brilliant light in the Person and work of Jesus Christ.
The Life, teaching, miracles, death, and resurrection of the incarnate Word all serve to display the majesty and glory of God. As 2 Corinthians 4:6 says, “the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” illumines Christians. The pinnacle of divine self-disclosure is God taking on human form to redeem us.
14. The Word upholds all of creation by His powerful word
Not only did the Word create the universe, He continues to uphold and sustain it by His word of power. As Hebrews 1:3 says, “He upholds the universe by the word of his power.” The Word maintains the existence of all that He brought into being. The atomic forces and laws of physics that hold creation together all operate according to the upholding command of the Word.
The Word also governs the unfolding of history according to God’s sovereign purposes. As Revelation 19:13 declares, “his name is called The Word of God.” He ensures that the consummation of all things will occur as the Father planned.
15. The Word entered creation to restore fallen humanity
The eternal Word took on a human nature in Jesus Christ in order to save fallen people who had rebelled against God. As Paul explains in Philippians 2:6-8, though the Word was eternally “in the form of God,” He “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” Out of love for humanity, the Word humbled Himself and entered creation to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).
The sinless life, sacrificial death for sins, and triumphant resurrection of Jesus provides the only way for people to be rescued from slavery to sin and its dreadful consequences. The Word became flesh to purchase forgiveness and eternal life for all who turn to Him.
In conclusion, John 1:1 marvelously reveals that the man Jesus Christ is also the eternal Word, the Second Person of the Trinity. He is God Himself come into the world to make the Father known and redeem sinful people. Proper understanding of and response to the Word’s true identity is central to Christianity.
