John 1 - Day 243 (link to reading plan)
Scripture: John 1:1 Commentary: The Word of God and Creation (1:1–5) 1 “In the beginning” recalls Gen 1:1. But it relates here not to the act of creation, but to what existed when creation came into being, namely the Word, who was with God and was God. As Haenchen pointed out (116) the subject is surprising; one expects to read, “In the beginning … God,” but it is “the Word”; yet it would be impossible to read in its place any other title that has been appropriated for Jesus, e.g., “In the beginning was the Christ,” or “the Son,” or “the Son of Man.” Not even the lofty title “the Lord” or the more ancient “the Wisdom” could adequately convey the associations of the following utterances, for the connotation of “the Word” is unique; and it is without parallel in the languages of modern culture. Its richness has to be searched out and conveyed by explanation (see above, pp. 6–10). πρὸς τὸν θεόν = “with God,” in the sense, of “in the presence of God” (cf. Mark 6:3), or “in the fellowship of God” (1 John 1:2–3), or even (as the next clause suggests) “in union with God.” καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος: θεός without the article signifies less than ὁ θεός; but it cannot be understood as “a god,” as though the Logos were a lesser god alongside the supreme God; nor as simply “divine,” for which the term θεῖος was well known (in 2 Pet 1:4 believers are said to be θείας κοινωνοὶ φύσεως, “sharers of the divine nature”); nor as indicating the exercise of divine functions without possessing the divine nature; rather it denotes God in his nature, as truly God as he with whom he “was,” yet without exhausting the being of God (observe that the Evangelist did not write καὶ λόγος ἦν ὁ θεός (“and God was the Word”). The divine nature of the Logos is seen in his activity in creation (1–5), revelation (5, 9–12, 18) and redemption (12–14, 16–17); in all these God expresses himself through the Word, hence the dictum of Bultmann, “From the outset God must be understood as the ‘one who speaks,’ the God who reveals himself” (35). Beasley-Murray, G. R. (1999). John (Vol. 36, pp. 10–11). Dallas: Word, Incorporated. Application: Whenever I read this passage I feel compelled to drop to my knees and worship. Prayer: Lord, words fail me so please listen to my heart.. Comments are closed.
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January 2024
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