John 1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
All came to be through him, and without him nothing made had being.
In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not suppressed it.
-from the Complete Jewish Bible
As I was coming into the Son of God revelation, John chapter 1 was a big question mark and one of my "WHAT ABOUT!??" passages.
We should include Colossians 1 and I will quote that below.
Like you, I had been taught "the WORD" was a person, Jesus Christ".
Then I realized words were also what God spoke "in the beginning"
in Genesis. ....
and as God SAID <i.e. spoke, expressed thought, the
action of saying with power...
... ”let there be.."
The phrase "and GOD SAID" is used 10
times in Genesis 1.
I considered the power and essence of God's utterance,
expressing with life and Spiritual power the words which brought forth the
physical creation.
Was that Jesus speaking with God or was that God Himself speaking?
4,000 years later Jesus said he spoke what he heard from God,
and that
"the WORDS that I speak, they are SPIRIT and they are LIFE".
God's Word thus
being life, Spirit, and a living word as it comes forth from Him.
The word that He
spoke conceived Christ and lived in Christ. "and the word became flesh.."
a. So now we look at 1Jn 1:1
👉That
which was from the beginning (i.e. God's Word),
("and the word became flesh..") which we have heard, which we have seen with
our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, the Word of
life; “OF” <means: of-from-by>
b. The "beginning" of a new creation through Christ, the "last Adam", (1 Cor 15) is also a second "beginning", beginning with the ministry of Jesus Christ, a man, and..
(2 For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and
bear witness, and to show you that eternal life, <the word> which was with the Father, and
was manifested to us;
Thus "God was in Christ" as the living WORDS as Christ spoke the words the Father gave him to speak.
John 8:40 But now ye seek to kill Me, a Man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard from God
John 6:63
The words that I speak to you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Because Jesus said he spoke what He heard from God.
again in John 14:10
Believe not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I speak not of Myself; but the Father that dwells in Me,
Again, John 6:35
It is written in the Prophets: ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’
Every man therefore that has heard and has learned from the Father comes to Me.
I am open to correction but that is how I now understand and
see John 1. And there is nothing there with a plain statement "Jesus is God",
-which is what people read into it when they look through the lens of traditional church thought.
John 1 is speaking of the new
creation, not the one in Genesis. John never wrote an explicit statement to believe "Jesus
is God",nor is it written anywhere in the Bible!
again, Jesus the through whom we are recreated, Galatians 6:15 For neither
being circumcised nor being uncircumcised matters; what matters is being
a new creation.
Again, "all were created by
Him and for Him'.
We are created for Christ, the HEAD of the Body, whose head is GOD.
The NEW creation was "in the
beginning", John 1, and began with Jesus Christ, the MAN born in Bethlehem.
The old passed away, Jesus is the author and finisher of the NEW creation.
"GOD" was not incarnated,
born, died, resurrected, only to become GOD again.
We know because the man
still calls God "MY GOD" in Revelation 40 years after
GOD raised the man from the dead.
The overlooked salutation is in
conflict with the trinity-oneness error, but when correctly understood, is in
harmony with what I have pointed out in the context.
In another essay, I show the truth about Colossians 1 and "by Him were all things created".
THE WORD WAS WHAT GOD SAID, and not a person.
The WORD WAS prophetically a man through the foreknowledge of God, that which conceived and begat the man, Jesus Christ in the womb of Mary.
God did not "incarnate" or become a man, His words became a man.
May we bless God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ forever and ever.
Part 2
Understanding the words...................
That Bible Word "logos" we all heard in John 1 as "The WORD",
translates as "in the beginning was the *word*.
The *word* was with GOD, and the *word* was God".
......................
Logos "word" defined and used, according to the Lexicon.
Logos Noun Masculine
- of speech
- a word, uttered by a living voice, embodies a conception or idea
- what someone has said
- a word
- the sayings of God
- decree, mandate or order
- of the moral precepts given by God
- Old Testament prophecy given by the prophets
- what is declared, a thought, declaration, a weighty saying, a dictum, a maxim
- a word
- discourse
- the act of speaking, speech
- the faculty of speech, skill and practice in speaking
- a kind or style of speaking
- a continuous speaking discourse - instruction
- the act of speaking, speech
- doctrine, teaching
- anything reported in speech; a narration, narrative
- matter under discussion, thing spoken of, affair, a matter in dispute, case, suit at law
- the thing spoken of or talked about; event, dee
- a word, uttered by a living voice, embodies a conception or idea
PART 3.
And so... Question,
Is John 1:1-3 "the word", a person?
We read the capitalized "Word" in John and since that was re-enforced by most teachers, we thought so.
But have we heard the wrong interpretation much-repeated from what other theologians said that the words mean, and why did the Bible translators capitalize "the Word" in John 1 only?
We look at our Bible and see a capitalized word in John 1: in the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same <i.e. the word> was in the beginning with God.
3 All *things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.
(FYI, *things" is not in the original text, "things" is not a Greek word and every use of it is an insertion into the text.
"Him" is also translated as "it" in some translations, and read as "all were made by it")
These are for you dear reader to note how these illustrations of use for the exact same "the Word":
(in the original language, the "word" is "logos", so I looked at it's definition and usages in a Lexicon)
Here are some examples of the word: "word":
Mark 7:13 thus making 👉𝒕𝒉𝒆 w𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝑮𝒐𝒅 of God of no effect 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, which you have delivered.
Matthew 13:22 He also that received the seed among the thorns is 👉he that hears the word;
Luke 8:11 Now the parable is this 👉 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 word 𝒐𝒇 𝑮𝒐𝒅.
John 15:3 Now you are 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 👉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 word 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒏.
Acts 13:7 He was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired 👉𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 word 𝒐𝒇 𝑮𝒐𝒅.👈
I could go on, because 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 332 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 "the word" 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 time 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐚𝐧 translators assigned 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐨 logos 𝐢𝐬 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝟏:𝟏-𝟑.
And NOT ONE of the preachers in Acts used "the Word" as a synonym for a person as they told people who Jesus is.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 "𝗨𝗡-𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱" 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝘀𝗿𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘄 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁, that included 𝗮 far-reaching command to "𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀" 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟳 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿/ 𝗨𝗡-𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱.
Since we are now "the house" of the Lord, both individually and corporately, when we find "leaven" we repent and thus put the leaven of corrupted Christianity OUT of our thinking. Just because we were called out of the church-buildings, a substitute false temple, does not mean we were then free of the "leaven of the Pharisees", i.e. the teachings of institutional Christianity.
John 1:3
All were made by it, and without it was made nothing that was made.
All <things> were created by him, and without him was nothing made that was made".
Let's offer you, dear reader, these views.
1. Because the word used as the "word" is "logos", is not once used as either a capitalized substitute for a person in any of the 332 places it was used in the New Testament! source: https://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/logos.html
That is a stunning fact.
So what is "logos" if it is not a person, i.e. Christ? The link to the Greek Lexicon above gives this:
The "𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃", i.e. "logos", is the 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 thought, plan, teaching, doctrine, reason, discourse.
God spoke through words from the Genesis beginning. Think on that.
"and GOD ***said***..."
God spoke words of course, but "said" is not capitalized. Nor is "word" capitalized anywhere and here is a prime example from the OT.:
Isa 9:8 The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel.
Ps 107:20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
Isa 55:11 So shall my word that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
Jer. 29:19 Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the Lord, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the Lord.
Because satan from the beginning added to and manipulated God's words to deceive Eve, why should we overlook the misuse of words in our time?
Today Christianity is awash in unscriptural word-isms, terms, phrases, and doctrines that are not direct from the mouth of God. But Jesus said "man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God".
But an error is like leaven the woman in the parable who adds hidden substitutes for the words for the "bread of life" by changing the "flavor" of a word or phrase.
2. "in the beginning was the word" can be shown to NOT be a person but according to the Greek definition of "logos" and use above, and this is addressed as to why, below.
The phrase In the beginning triggers the question -'Which one?"
Was it the Genesis beginning or the new creation through Christ?
*see addendum below.
I hope this has helped point out some of that leaven in order to get the mis-interpretation of John 1 out of our minds.
That is further underscored by the absence of the use of "the Word" as a person, i.e. Christ, from whom and through the Word of God came, when Jesus' own Spirit-filled witnesses went forth to preach the gospel and exactly WHO JESUS IS.
Thus, the FACTS are in ACTS where I found that none of the gospel preachers declared "Jesus is God" or Jesus is Logos to any people, city, or audience they preached to is either a glaring omission of a critical tenet of the faith, or the apostles knew better than our explanations..
- In fact, John wrote at the end of his book, "𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑮𝒐𝒅, and that believing, you might have life through his name.
SO with all my heart I believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. For there is ONE God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
ADDENDUM:
John 1: in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
(2. The same was in the beginning with God.
#3. All were made by Him, and without Him was not any made that was made.
(Remember, *things" was not in the original text, things" and not a Greek word, Every use of "thing" is an insertion into the text which can mis-lead.)
Let's take this to a bit deeper level.
Vs, 1, "the beginning" here was not necessarily the creation in Genesis!
Let's take notice of how the apostles referred to another beginning and
point to the beginning of the gospel. Their beginning of New Testament redemption was when Jesus became the 'the beginning, the firstborn from the dead".
Mark agrees from his beginning..
Mark 1:1 The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
and so does Luke. 1:2 even as they were delivered to us by those <the first apostles> who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word..
and John quotes Jesus:
John 15:27 And you also shall bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
And Colossians 1:18 And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all He might have the preeminence.
So through Jesus Christ, there is another NEW creation in him, also referred to as "the beginning".
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation
But in the Genesis beginning, God said WORDS, and the words were not another God-person, and God made creation
by and through His WORDS, -not a secondary God-being. Jesus affirms that in Mark 10:6
’But from the beginning of the creation, male and female made *HE* them.
Now give this a pause to consider, “in the beginning God said LET THERE BE..”, which are words He said, but ‘said‘ is not capitalized, nor is what He said even remotely alluded to as a person.
In all, TEN times the phrase "and GOD SAID" are used in the creation account in Genesis. Isaiah the prophet quotes GOD saying that "I stretched forth the heavens ALONE, and spread abroad the earth BY MYSELF".
How then is the words God said in the Genesis beginning another person?
( in another post, I address the "let US make man in our image". That link is Here:
Jesus agrees on who was the Creator in the Genesis "beginning":
Mark 13:19 For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created
Jesus does not ever take credit for creation, ever. He did affirm God the Father as the sole creator of the creation.
Genesis 1:27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Mat. 19:4 And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female,
Mark 10:6 But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.
The creation must have a Creator. Note: Rev. 3:14
And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
It is abundantly clear from both Testaments that God the Father is the sole Creator, not Jesus Christ who was the man born in Bethlehem, although He "pre-existed" (as some say), from the Genesis beginning in God's "FOREKNOWLEDGE", as "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."
If you do not understand how Christ "pre-existed" in God's "foreknowledge", and not as a separate God-person, here is a short post of the scriptures
where it is stated. LINK to "foreknowledge", a 3 minute read.
If you are able to receive the truth of the John 1 scripture here, rejoice and be thankful you are partaking of the wonderful "hidden manna" of Jesus Christ and a fresh understanding of scripture.
Revelation 3:12
He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My NEW NAME.
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