Commentaries:
John 1:1 and Genesis 1:1 are two accounts of the same event—the original creation of the universe. They both reveal that these two Supreme Beings of the God Family created all things.
The Greek word translated into English as "Word" in John 1:1 is Logos. It can also mean spokesman, or one who speaks. It was actually the Logos, the "Spokesman"—the "Word" of the God Family—who said, "Let us make man in Our image" (Genesis 1:26), thus executing His awesome office as the executive of the God Kingdom. Everything was created and made by the divine Being who later became the human Jesus Christ!
What It Means to Be Born Again
In the very beginning, before all else, there existed two living Beings composed of Spirit, possessing supreme mind, intelligence, and power, and of perfect, righteous character. They are revealed in the biblical book of John, chapter one. One was named the Word (the Spokesman—the revelatory thought). The other was named God. The Word ultimately—almost 2,000 years ago—was born as Jesus. The Word also was God—the second personage of the God Family. As a human, Jesus was "God with us"—or God in human flesh, born of a virgin woman, but sired by God.
"All things" were made by Him. In Ephesians 3:9, it is revealed that God created all things by Jesus Christ.
The Word and God lived. What did they do? They created. How did they live—what was their "lifestyle"? They lived the way of their perfect character—the way of outflowing love. When Christ was baptized, God the Father said, "You are my beloved Son." God loved the Word. And the Word loved God—obeyed Him completely.
Two cannot walk together except they be agreed (Amos 3:3). They were in total agreement and cooperation. Also two cannot walk together in continuous peace except one be the head, or leader, in control.
God was leader.
Their way of life produced perfect peace, cooperation, happiness, accomplishment. This way of life became a law. Law is a code of conduct, or relationship, between two or more. One might call the rules of a sports contest the "law" of the game. The presence of law requires a penalty for infraction. There can be no law without a penalty for its violation.
The very fact of law presupposes government. Government is the administration and enforcement of law by one in authority over the law. This necessitates authoritative leadership—one in command.
When the only conscious life-Beings existed, God was leader—in authoritative command. Thus, even when the only conscious life-Beings were God and the Word, there was government, with God in supreme command. Since they created other conscious thinking life-beings, this very fact of necessity put the government of God over all creation, with God supreme Ruler. Bear in mind the government of God is based on the law of God, which is the way of life of outflowing love, cooperation, concern for the good of the governed. And this law of God produces peace, happiness, cooperation through obedience.
Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986)
A World Held Captive
"The Word" in this passage is translated from the Greek logos, which means "spokesman," "word," or "revelatory thought." It is a name there used for an individual Personage. But who or what is this Logos? Notice the explanation in verse 14:
"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."
When he was born as Jesus Christ, he was flesh and blood, materialistic, and could be seen, touched, and felt. But what was he? As God—as the Logos? That is answered in John 4:24, "God is a Spirit," and spirit is invisible. We know what was his form and shape as the human Jesus. But of what form and shape was He as the Word?
The Word, then, is a Personage who was made flesh—begotten by God, who through this later begettal became his Father. Yet at that prehistoric time of the first verse of John 1, the Word was not (yet) the Son of God. He divested himself of his glory as a Spirit divinity to be begotten as a human person. He was made God's Son, through being begotten or sired by God and born of the virgin Mary.
So here we find revealed originally two Personages. One is God. And with God in that prehistoric time was another Personage who also was God—one who later was begotten and born as Jesus Christ. But these two Personages were spirit, which is invisible to human eyes unless supernaturally manifested. Yet, at the time described in verse one, Jesus was not the Son of God, and God was not His Father.
Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986)
Fully Man and Fully God? (2001)
What poured out of Jesus Christ while He was here? Words—God's words, which are spirit and life (John 6:63). What are God's words, in total? The truth! The truth makes us free (John 8:32). Where does the truth lead? To eternal life! Put all of those concepts together, and we come to what John says so succinctly: "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men." How do we get to the Kingdom of God? By following God's words—the Light (see Psalm 119:105).
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Preventing Deception
Other commentary entries containing this verse:
Genesis 2:2-3
Exodus 31:12-17
Isaiah 56:2
Isaiah 56:6-7
Matthew 8:3
Matthew 12:5
Matthew 12:12
Mark 1:21
Mark 1:41-42
Mark 2:27
Luke 4:16
Luke 4:31
Luke 5:13
Luke 6:6
Luke 13:10
John 5:17-19
John 7:37
John 10:4
John 10:14
John 10:16
Library resources that contain this verse:
E-mail this page
