1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5
Since only God is eternal, everything else in the universe must have a beginning. Two books in the Bible start with the words, “In the beginning…” That’s comforting for us because at least we have a place to begin to unravel the mysteries of life that confront us every day.
The theory of evolution, which rejects the truth that God is the creator of everything, can only guess at where it all started. However, it doesn’t matter how far back they try to go, the evolutionists cannot answer the question, “Who or what began the process?”
So, best we trust what the Bible says and move on from there.
How did it all begin?
Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God…”
John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word…”
So, God created by speaking.
Psalms 33:6 NLT
[6] “The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born.”
John, however, explains Genesis 1:1, that God’s spoken word, in Scripture, is a person. Everything that God does comes about through a person.
John 1:1-2 NLT
[1] In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He existed in the beginning with God.
That person is God, the one who made everything God created happen.
John 1:3 NLT
[3] “God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.”
Colossians 1:15-17 NLT
[15] “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, [16] for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. [17] He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.”
He came to earth as a human.
John 1:14 NLT
[14]”So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”
This Word accurately represented God’s Word on earth. Everything He said and did was God’s Word in action. Jesus testified to this truth…
John 12:49-50 NLT
[49]”I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. [50] And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say.”
… so that He always spoke, not in His capacity as the second Person of the Trinity but as the living Expression of everything the Father had spoken. Thus He could say,
John 14:6 NLT
[6] “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
because He came to embody the word…
John 17:17 NLT
[17] Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.
Jesus is the life because…
John 6:63 NLT
[63]”The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”
When Jesus speaks, He speaks the very Word of God because He is the Word, not the “logos” of Greek philosophy but the “torah”, the teachings of divine wisdom.
Proverbs 8:6-7 NLT
[6] Listen to me! For I have important things to tell you. Everything I say is right, [7] for I speak the truth and detest every kind of deception….
[12] “I, Wisdom, live together with good judgment. I know where to discover knowledge and discernment…
[27] I was there when he established the heavens, when he drew the horizon on the oceans….
[30] I was the architect at his side. I was his constant delight, rejoicing always in his presence….
[35] For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord.
So, John has set the scene for his presentation of Jesus, in his gospel, as the Son of God.
To be continued…