Jesus is the Word

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:1-5

John 1:1-5 resounds with theological significance. Truly, few passages in Scripture are as packed with statements so core to our faith. And as such, it is important that we sit and soak in these truths. The beginning of John’s Gospel has much to teach us.

Right away, in verse 1, we get one of the clearest claims in the New Testament to Christ’s divinity. The Word, Christ Himself, is God. He is, and has always been, one person of our triune God. Our God being triune, and existing eternally as Father, Son, and Spirit, is no small or superfluous statement. The Trinity is, without any need for exaggeration, the bedrock of Christian thinking. It is the driving dogma of our faith. To quote author and theologian Michael Reeves, “…it is only when you grasp what it means for God to be a Trinity that you really sense the beauty, the overflowing kindness, the heart-grabbing loveliness of God. If the trinity were something we could shave off God, we would be shearing Him of precisely what is so delightful about Him. For God is triune, and it is as triune that He is so good and desirable” (Delighting in the Trinity, 9). The beginning of John clearly emphasizes this trinitarian doctrine. Jesus Christ, the Word incarnate, was not made or created. He did not show up on the scene. Jesus Christ was “in the beginning.” He was “with God” because He is God. One God, three persons. We can delight that the Word has always been.

John does not stop there. Not only does he state that the Word is divine, one person of the triune Godhead, but he also clarifies in verse 3 that “all things were made through Him.” Paul too reminds us of such, saying in Colossians 1:15-17 that Christ “is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

This should be a source of great comfort for us. Every atom and electron, every planet and solar system, all of it hinges on the sovereign reign of our Creator and King, Jesus Christ. None of it is out of place. As heir of all things, Jesus upholds the universe by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:2-3). It is all in His hands. Everything that is not God is made and sustained by our Savior. The same Christ that is interceding for us at the right hand of the Father, is the one who fashioned our very existence (Romans 8:34). 1 Corinthians 8:5-6 reiterates, saying, “For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many 'gods' and many 'lords'—yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist” (1 Corinthians 8:5-6). We are both from and for Jesus.

Finally, in verses 4-5, John tells us that life and light are found in the Word, Jesus Christ. This will be again echoed by Christ’s own statement later in John 8:12, “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” This too should fill us with gospel confidence. Life, true life, is not found in a set of rules or commandments. It isn’t found in moral living or church attendance. Life is found in a person. Life is found in Jesus Christ. This life has the radiance to shine out from the darkness. No matter how dark our world might seem, the light of life is never extinguished. This is reason for much rejoicing.

John 1 opens with a beginning, echoing that of Genesis 1. In both, we see the triune God at work, shaping all of creation as a stage for His glory. Our response should be joy and praise. The eternally existent, omnipotent God of the universe came to dwell with us. We are His, and He is ours.