John 1:1-3 He's been here all along

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.
 John 1:1-3

Earlier this week we noted that John wanted us to understand the truth of who Jesus was; to be overwhelmed by the fact that majesty came to earth. He also wanted his readers to understand that Christ was the "Logos" -- the Word.
John says some other really important things in this small passage; he packed a lot in here!
Let's dig in!

The first thing John speaks of in these verses is timing. Specifically, the time that Jesus has existed, has lived, has been. Did you notice that the first words of verse one are the same ones that begin the book of Genesis? That's not just a coincidence - John planned it that way. The first thing he wants us to know is that Jesus created the world we know, and the other worlds that make up our universe. So before there was any created "stuff," there was Jesus, the Word, the Son of God. John places Jesus as being in existence before time. Jude says the same thing in Jude 1:25, when he says, “To the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. We can take it for granted, then, that before there was firmament and water, before there was light and darkness, before there were any living things on the earth, there was the Word, Jesus.  

 

At the end of verse 1, John says "the Word was God."  Wow! What a short, clear, momentous statement! In the simplest of terms, John is telling us about the Trinity. Well, he's laying the groundwork, anyway, by telling us of Jesus and God the Father.  The Word who became flesh and dwelt among us, He who we call Jesus and Savior, was God. He is God. Let's not get enmeshed in theological discussions about the Trinity . . . Satan loves for us to be in discord and disunity -- and the most important things are the ones that we can discuss and agree about. We know by seeing with the eyes of our faith that there is God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Spirit, our comforter. We know that at Bethlehem we worship Jesus as God and Savior. We know with our hearts that we can confess as Thomas did, "My Lord and my God!" The joy and wonder of this makes it clear -- throughout our studies in John's gospel, we are going to spend day after day getting to know God -- because we are getting to know Jesus.

 

Here's the next leaf on the clover, as some have preached about the Trinity. The Word, Jesus, was "with God," and He is God. This is the mystery: Jesus is God, and He has a relationship with God. He is the image of God; He reveals perfectly all that God is, and yet He stands forth in all eternity as a distinct Person. There are three separate centers of consciousness; two are mentioned here: the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit will be introduced later in the gospel. 

 

Paul told us in Corinthians that we "see in a mirror dimly" and we know only in partial ways, so don't stress about this mystery. Don't fuss, fret, or fume, and don't allow anyone to harm your faith by making you try to explain it! But at the same time, don't ignore it. If Jesus Christ is not perfect, sinless God, He cannot save us (Hebrews 2:14-15). He is our Redeemer!

In verses 2 and 3, we are reminded that as God, Jesus is our Maker. All things were made through Him . . .That same Jesus who became flesh and dwelt among mankind, who taught the disciples, healed the sick, rebuked demons, protected us, loved us, and then died and rose again -- FOR US -- it is He that created all of the awesome universe. The mercy and the majesty are overwhelming, when we remember that He said He will be our Savior, Lord, and Friend. 

Powerful stuff, huh? And we're only in the first three verses! I hope you will join me as we continue next week in John's gospel.