Gospel of John 1:1-5, 1:14-18

In The Beginning Was The Word

John 1:1-5
John 1:14-18
Jesus - The Word
Jesus - Both Man and God
Preeminence of Christ
Published

Fri, January 06, 2023

Modified

Fri, January 06, 2023

Jesus - The Word

Note

Jesus is ‘The Word’ referred to in this portion of Scripture. See verses 6-18.

John 1:1-5

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.

arché

  • Jesus existed in the beginning with God, at the creation of the world. (Genesis 1:1)
  • Jesus was with God
  • Jesus was God

The Greek word for in the beginning is G746 arché.

G746 - arché

Strong’s Concordance

  • rule (kingly or magisterial)
  • plur: in a quasi-personal sense, almost: rulers, magistrates
  • beginning

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance

magistrate, power, principality, principle, rule

From archomai; (properly abstract) a commencement, or (concretely) chief (in various applications of order, time, place, or rank) – beginning, corner, (at the, the) first (estate), magistrate, power, principality, principle, rule.

HELPS Word-Studies

746 arxḗ – properly, from the beginning (temporal sense), i.e. “the initial (starting) point”; (figuratively) what comes first and therefore is chief (foremost), i.e. has the priority because ahead of the rest (“preeminent”).

  • As God, Jesus has preeminence over all creation.

Logos

  • Jesus is the expression of the Father’s thoughts through the Spirit.
  • He was with God
  • He was God

The Greek word for Word is G3056 logos.

G3056 - logos

Strong’s Concordance

  • a word (as embodying an idea)
  • a statement
  • a speech
  • a word, speech, divine utterance, analogy

HELPS Word-studies

3056 lógos (from 3004 /légō, “speaking to a conclusion”) – a word, being the expression of a thought; a saying. 3056 /lógos (“word”) is preeminently used of Christ (Jn 1:1), expressing the thoughts of the Father through the Spirit.

[3056 (lógos) is a common term (used 330 times in the NT) with regards to a person sharing a message (discourse, “communication-speech”). 3056 (lógos) is a broad term meaning “reasoning expressed by words.”]

Jesus - The Creator Of All Things

John 1:3-5

3 Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.
4 In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.
5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

  • As Creator of all things, Jesus has preeminence over all He has made.

Jesus Became Flesh

Verses 1 and 18 tell us that Jesus was God. Now in verse 14, we are told that He became flesh; meaning He was born into His own creation as a man.

John 1:14-16

14 The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 John testified concerning Him. He cried out, saying, “This is He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’”

Jesus - The One And Only Son

John 1:14-16

14 The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 John testified concerning Him. He cried out, saying, “This is He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’”

John 1:16-18

16 From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.

  • John the Baptist testifies to Jesus’ preexistence as God
  • John the Baptist testifies to the deity of Jesus
  • Jesus is unique in that He is the one and only one who is both God and Man.

The Greek word for one and only Son is G3439 monogenés.

G3439 - monogenés

Strong’s Concordance

  • only
  • only begotten
  • unique

HELPS Word-Studies

3439 monogenḗs (from 3411 /misthōtós, “one-and-only” and 1085 /génos, “offspring, stock”) – properly, one-and-only; “one of a kind” – literally, “one (monos) of a class, genos” (the only of its kind).

In verse 17, John the Baptist also contrasts the Old and New Covenants.

  • The Law was given through Moses
  • Grace and Truth came through Jesus Christ

In verse 18, the Greek for at the Father’s side means in the Father’s bosom.

G2859 - kolpos

Strong’s Concordance

  • sing. and plur: bosom
  • (sinus) the overhanging fold of the garment used as a pocket
  • a bay, gulf

HELPS Word-studies

2859 kólpos – properly, the upper part of the chest where a garment naturally folded to form a “pocket” – called the “bosom,” the position synonymous with intimacy (union).