John 1:1-3

The Gospel of John - Lesson One

John wants his readers to know something right off the bat.  Jesus was the Word of God.  But not only that, the Word was with God in the beginning.  That is a very striking comment, perhaps not for us today in the 21st century, but it would have been for John's readers.  If you were fluent in the Septuagint you wouldn't miss what John was saying...not in a million years.  For the same three words begin the Old Testament 'in the beginning'.  John's readers would have been instantly transported back to the Garden of Eden where 'in the beginning' GOD created.  The beginning of John and Genesis are linked in an unbreakable bond, signifying the eternal presence of God's Son.  Many people find this hard to believe, but this is what John is trying to get us to understand before we go any deeper into his book.  The first three verses speak volumes.  You cannot read the first 3 verses of John and come away with any different understanding than this - Jesus is God.  Lets look at some translations and how they handle John 1:1-3...Here are 5 different translations:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. NIV

In the beginning the Word already existed.The Word was with God,and the Word was God.He existed in the beginning with God.God created everything through him,and nothing was created except through him. NLT

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 came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. NASB

In the beginning, the Word existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. Through him all things were made, and apart from him nothing was made that has been made. ISV

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God;  this one was in the beginning with God;  all things through him did happen, and without him happened not even one thing that hath happened. Young's Literal

As you read each of the versions notice carefully that John is stressing that through the Word (Jesus) all things were created.  And nothing that has ever been created came into existence apart from the Word.  What did John want his readers to know about Jesus?  Take some time and read each of these translations and try and get into John's mind and what he was trying to get his readers to understand.

Who was 'in the beginning' with God?

Was the Word God, or was He with God, was he separate from God?

How can the Word be 'with' God, and be God?

Who existed in the beginning 'with' God?

Who did God create everything through?

Was anything made without the Word?

If you look at these verses you might be a bit confused, but you needn't be.  John is just introducing you to an idea that he has had his whole life.  Jesus is God.  But there also seems to be someone with Jesus who also was God.  We have 2 choices...either there were 2 Gods here spoken about, or there is only one God spoken about, but two persons make  up that God.  If you read carefully, you will come to understand there are two persons being talked about and only ONE GOD.  "The Word was WITH God, and the Word WAS God."  For John, it is critical that you understand this, apart from this truth you cannot understand the rest of what John is trying to tell us.

Jesus was pivotal as the connection between the Old Testament and the New Testament.  He was crucial in relating the Old Covenant and the New Covenant to one another.  Jesus alone turned the world upside down  and everyone had an opinion of who He was, and what He was.  History would hold onto all of these ideas, and John wanted his voice heard, as one of the disciples of Jesus.  He wanted you to hear the truth about Jesus from the horses mouth, so to speak.  Oh, many people would tell their version of who Jesus was, and history would record Jesus many different ways.  John wanted to make sure that we understood what the disciple's thought and taught about the person of Jesus.  He was not just a good teacher, or a good man, or a political activist, or a Gnostic archon, He was God in the Flesh.

In fact, he wanted us to understand the divinity of Christ so much that he posed a second argument.  One that maybe we can follow easier.  It an argument from Logic and it would appeal to any Jew or learned man who came across it.  It goes like this

Premise 1) God Himself created everything.

Here is our first premise, GOD CREATED EVERYTHING. There was no doubt in the Jewish mind about this premise.  All of John's readers would agree that in the beginning GOD created EVERYTHING.  No question about it.  Not even a doubt.  There were 2 things John's readers knew for sure of 1-God Himself was eternal and therefore not a creation and 2-everything else besides God was a creation. 

Premise 2)God through Christ created everything that has ever been made.

John gives us the second premise...God created everything through the WORD, so that nothing that has been made was made without Him.  Now this is important, John wanted us to know that everything that was created was created through Jesus.  God and Jesus together created everything.  John is hoping you will see clearly what he is trying to get at.

Conclusion: If Jesus was with God when God created EVERYTHING, clearly Jesus was not created.  This is the conclusion John wants you to come to about Jesus.  Maybe John can't explain how Jesus preceded all of creation, but he knows He did.  And he wanted his readers to know that as well.  John had heard others talking about Jesus.  Some in John's day said he was just a man, some said Jesus was an angel, some said the Christ came upon Jesus for just a little while on the cross.  All the stories we hear today, they had most of them back then.  John had heard them all, and he wanted us to know his position on the matter. As far as John was concerned, God and Jesus, who also was God, created everything together.  And without them, nothing came into existence, nothing.  They both existed before creation.  

John's logic is so clear, there is something special about Jesus.  He was there in the beginning, and it was through Him that everything was created.  If you read the rest of the Gospel of John, and the letters that he wrote to the Churches you will have to agree on one thing.  The person of Jesus was of primal importance to John.  Read those verses again and I hope you can agree with John....you are not sure how, but somehow Jesus is God and was with God when everything was created.  For John, the first lesson we need to learn is the divinity of Christ.  The rest of the book needs to be read with this understanding, for apart from it you may miss very important parts.  

Pray with me: "Lord Jesus, I am not sure how all this fits together, but I do know that John claimed you were God - help me to understand all of what he wrote.  I can understand God being before everything, but God was with Jesus and Jesus was God...it makes no sense, but its what you wanted him to write.  Help me understand how special Jesus was and is, as we go through the rest of the Gospel of John.  I open my heart to your teachings and ask that you reveal yourself to me.  Amen"