John 1:1-2
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse emphasizes not just the Word's eternal existence ("In the beginning was the Word") and His intimate relationship with God ("and the Word was with God"), but critically, His very nature: "and the Word was God." This third statement is not merely a reiteration but the crescendo, asserting the Word's full divine essence, not just a divine attribute or a lesser deity.
John begins his Gospel by harkening back to the very first words of creation, echoing Genesis to establish a point of reference before time itself. He then immediately introduces "the Word," not as a created being, but as an eternal, divine entity that existed in perfect communion with God, and indeed, was God Himself. This foundational statement sets the stage for everything that follows, explaining that this Word is the source of all life and light, and is ultimately the one who will be revealed in human form.
The verse begins with 'In the beginning,' echoing Genesis. But John takes us further back than creation itself – into an eternity that has no beginning.
Beyond the Clock
John 1:1 starts with "In the beginning," a phrase that immediately recalls God's creation of the heavens and the earth in Genesis 1:1. However, John uses this familiar starting point to launch us into a concept far grander than just the start of our world.
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The verse makes a stunning declaration: 'the Word was God.' This isn't just saying the Word acted like God, but that He was God.
More Than a Messenger
John doesn't just present the Word as a divine messenger or a powerful agent; he unequivocally states the Word's divine nature.
Understand the original words
archē · Greek Noun
Refers to the primordial origin of creation. In this context, it points to a time before creation, emphasizing the pre-existence of the Word.
logos · Greek Noun
A divine title for the Son of God, representing the communication, revelation, and creative expression of God to humanity. It identifies Jesus as the embodiment of God's self-revelation.
theos · Greek Noun
The Supreme Being and Creator of the universe. In this context, it affirms the distinct personhood of the Word in relation to the Father, while also asserting his divine nature.
John deliberately echoes the opening of Genesis ('In the beginning') to place the Word at the very start of creation, but even before it, highlighting the Word's eternal existence prior to anything being made.
Proverbs 8:22-31This passage personifies Wisdom as being with God before creation, participating in the creation process, mirroring the description of the Word in John 1:1 and showing an Old Testament concept that foreshadows the Logos.
John 17:5Jesus prays to the Father to restore Him to the glory He had 'with You before the world existed,' reinforcing the pre-existence and eternal communion of the Word with God before creation.
Colossians 1:15-17Paul describes Christ as the 'image of the invisible God,' the 'firstborn of all creation,' through whom all things were created and in whom all things hold together, directly paralleling the Word's role as creator and sustainer mentioned in John's prologue.
1 John 1:1John references 'that which was from the beginning,' which his readers had heard, seen, and touched, directly linking the eternal Word to the person of Jesus Christ who became manifest.
vincentJohn 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
In the beginning was (ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν)With evident allusion to the first word of Genesis. But John elevates the phrase from its reference to a point of time, the beginning of creation, to the time of absolute pre-existence before any creation, which is not mentioned until John 1:3. This beginning had no beginning (compare John 1:3; John 17:5; 1 John 1:1; Ephesians 1:4; Proverbs 8:23; Psalm 90:2). This h…
expositorsJohn 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
Chapter 1THE INCARNATION. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that hath been made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not. There came a man, sent from God, whose name…
The verse emphasizes not just the Word's eternal existence ("In the beginning was the Word") and His intimate relationship with God ("and the Word was with God"), but critically, His very nature: "and the Word was God." This third statement is not merely a reiteration but the crescendo, asserting the Word's full divine essence, not just a divine attribute or a lesser deity.
John begins his Gospel by harkening back to the very first words of creation, echoing Genesis to establish a point of reference before time itself. He then immediately introduces "the Word," not as a created being, but as an eternal, divine entity that existed in perfect communion with God, and indeed, was God Himself. This foundational statement sets the stage for everything that follows, explaining that this Word is the source of all life and light, and is ultimately the one who will be revealed in human form.
John begins his Gospel by harkening back to the very first words of creation, echoing Genesis to establish a point of reference before time itself. He then immediately introduces "the Word," not as a created being, but as an eternal, divine entity that existed in perfect communion with God, and indeed, was God Himself. This foundational statement sets the stage for everything that follows, explaining that this Word is the source of all life and light, and is ultimately the one who will be revealed in human form.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God." — The verse emphasizes not just the Word's eternal existence ("In the beginning was the Word") and His intimate relationship with God ("and the Word was with God"), but critically, His very nature: "an…
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