John 1:1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1 is a very famous verse that points to Jesus being God. But, how exactly does it work? We know that the Word is Jesus. Therefore, we know Jesus was with God and we know that Jesus was God. Sounds good, but seems rather simplistic doesn't it. It is quite a leap. Aren't there many verses in the Bible that point to Jesus' lack of perfect omniscience (all-knowing) or subservience to the Father? How does that work? Through this passage and others, I plan to show how our models and ways of explaining the Trinity fail to meet the challenges of the skeptic. I will start, however, with providing a model that does not.
Our question should not be "Who is the Word?", rather "What is the Word?". There are various interpretations of "the Word" or "Logos". These include reason, knowledge, etc. Trying to wrap the old coconut around this can get a little hairy. Therefore, I am going to offer a different perspective. We can best understand "the Word" as "the Message".
Jesus Christ is God's message of love to us. God's Message was there at the beginning. God's Message was with God, God's Message is inseparable from God to the point of being God. Think of it like this: "Only thing we have to fear is fear itself". Who was that? "That was President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, of course!", you say. Oh really? Looks like words on a blog to me. But, think about it. Aren't those words synonymous with Roosevelt? When you hear that message it actually is Roosevelt. It is his message of calm, his revelation of his leadership, his call on Americans to not be controlled by fear.
Jesus Christ is God's Message of love, hope, and redemption to His people. As we will see in future passages, Jesus is in perfect union with God, the Father. Therefore, the Message is actually God. God with us. Jesus Christ is the personification of God's Message and being in perfect union with God and emanating directly from God, He is actually God. However, since Jesus Christ is God's Message, he is subservient to God and is not required to have perfect Omniscience (not knowing the day or hour of his return, etc.). I hope to show how this works throughout scripture and will help passages of the Bible to come alive in a whole new light and understanding.
Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)
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