Commentary on the Four Gospel Books
The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
G001 The Word Was God,
Existing Eternally With the God
John 1:1-2

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All New Testament verses quoted in this article are from the English Majority Text Version, and Old Testament verses are from the King James Version, unless otherwise noted.

John 1:1-2

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with *God, and the Word was God.

2 He was in the beginning with *God.

The phrase ″in the beginning″ in John 1:1-2 is also used in Genesis 1:1. However, ″in the beginning″ in Genesis 1:1 refers to the time when God began His work of creation. That was about 6,000 years ago, when God created the heavens and the earth, along with all the creatures in them.

For scientists, the earth was formed at least 4,543,000,000 years ago; the sun at least 4,603,000,000 years ago; the moon at least 4,530,000,000 years ago; the Milky Way at least 13,610,000,000 years ago; and the universe at least 13,787,000,000 years ago. Of course, scientists have very reasonable methods of weighing, measuring, counting, and calculating, but their results are only relatively accurate within the physical world.

God’s work of creation is a series of miracles, each miracle happening in a moment within a day. A miracle is a spiritual act that can create or change matter without following the laws of physics. For example, God created mature human beings in a moment on the sixth day of the creation week, not through a process lasting about 30 years. One moment before, there were no humans. One moment after, humans existed fully formed with the body and mind of an adult about 30 years old.

The Lord Jesus turned water into fine wine in a moment during a wedding feast that was running out of wine, not through a process lasting several decades or hundreds of years. One moment before, the six stone jars contained only water. One moment after, the water in the six jars had turned into very fine wine, which, according to science, must be carefully made from high-quality ingredients and stored for decades or even centuries.

In fact, God created the sun, moon, and stars in a moment on the fourth day of the creation week. But from that point onward, the continued formation of the planets had to follow ordinary physical laws, meaning it required a long period of time. Similarly, after God created humans in a moment, from then until now, humans have multiplied and developed over time.

According to the information in the Bible, the work of creation was done by God about 6,000 years ago, not tens of billions of years ago. We cannot use science to explain miracles because miracles operate under spiritual laws that are different from and beyond the physical laws of science.

The phrase ″in the beginning″ in John 1:1-2 is used to refer to the time of the existence of the Triune God. This moment is infinitely eternal in the past, existing from before all eternity. Even if we had the ability to travel backward in time at the speed of light (300,000 km per second), we would never reach the moment called ″in the beginning″ in John 1:1-2.

Although God has given humans the concept of eternity, our minds cannot truly imagine the infinite eternity in the past or in the future.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 records:

″He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has set eternity in their heart, without which man cannot find out the work that God makes from the beginning even to the end.″ (Literal Translation of the Holy Bible)

″Eternity″ means endless existence. Because God placed eternity in our hearts, we invented positive and negative numbers. Through these positive and negative numbers, we have the concept of eternity.

If the number 0 represents the present, and the numbers after 0 — 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. — represent the days to come, we immediately realize that we cannot count all those future days. Similarly, if the numbers before 0 — -1, -2, -3, -4, -5, etc. — represent the days that have passed, we also realize we cannot count all those past days.

Thus, although we have the concept of eternity both in the past and in the future, we cannot imagine their infinite endlessness. We cannot truly imagine everlasting existence in the past or in the future.

From the eternally infinite past, there is one self-existent God in three persons, equal and identical in every aspect. Through the Bible, we know that the three persons of God share the same title ″God,″ and the same proper name, ″I Am.″ The 2012 Vietnamese Bible Revised Edition and the Ngôi Lời Translation render God’s proper name as ″the Self-Existing and Eternal One.”

Also through the Bible, we learn that each person of God has a distinct title in the relationship within the Trinity. These titles are: God the Father, the Word, and the Spirit. Each person of God also has a distinct title in relation to humanity. These are: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The details about ″One Triune God,″ meaning one God revealed in three persons, and the meanings of God’s titles have been presented by us in the series of sermons about God.

John 1:1-2 introduces and affirms to humanity the existence of God in the person of the Word; then in verse 14, it confirms that God in the person of the Word became incarnate as a human being. The rest of the Gospel of John reveals to humanity that this incarnate God is the Lord Jesus. He died on the cross to atone for the sins of all people.

Anyone who sincerely repents of their sins and believes in His atoning death will be saved—that is, forgiven of all sins, which are violations of the God’s commandments; delivered from eternal punishment in hell; restored to the status of a child of God; and granted eternal happiness in the Kingdom of the God.

In the original Greek of the Bible, the verb ″was″ in John 1:1-2 is the verb ″ἦν″ (ēn – G2258) /ane/, which is the imperfect tense of the verb “εἰμί” (eimi) meaning ″to be″ or ″to exist.″ The imperfect tense in Greek is used to describe an action that began at some point in the past and was ongoing or continuous during that time. Thus, in John 1:1-2, ″ἦν″ emphasizes the continual existence of the Word from the past onward.

″In the beginning was the Word″ means: from before all eternity, the Word existed and continues to exist. The existence of the Word is self-existence. The continuing existence of the Word is everlasting existence.

″The Word was with *God″ means: the Word is self-existent with the God and continues to exist with the God.

″The Word was God″ means: the Word is God and continues to be God.

In the original Greek of the Bible, the phrase ″The Word was God″ is written as follows:

θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος

θεὸς (G2316) God (without a definite article, used for any Person of the Trinity)

ἦν (G2258) was

ὁ (G3588) the

λόγος (G3056) Word

According to Greek grammar, a subject with a definite article placed before it can also appear after the verb. Therefore, in this sentence, the subject ″the Word″ appears after the verb ″was.″ The meaning of the sentence is: The Word was God.

″θεος ην ο λογος″ can only be accurately translated as: ″The Word was God.” Let us examine the different meanings of the following sentences:

1. ο λόγος ἦν θεός = The Word was a god.

Meaning: The Word was one of the divine beings created by God. This is the teaching of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

2. ο λόγος ἦν ὁ θεός = The Word was the God (the Father).

Meaning: The Word and the God are the same person. This is the teaching of the Oneness Pentecostal Movement.

3. θεός ἦν ὁ λόγος = The Word was God.

Meaning: The Word is God just as God the Father is God, and just as the Spirit is God.

Thus, we can understand John 1:1 as follows: From before all eternity, even before the beginning of all things, the Word existed and continues to exist. The Word was with the God and continues to be with the God. The Word was God and continues to be God.

What does the name ″the Word″ mean? The noun ″word″ (G3056) in the original Greek of the Bible, literally translated word by word, includes the meanings:

• spoken word, that is, the expression of thought through speech;
• a speech or written text;
• thought and reasoning.

About 500 years before the Common Era (the Common Era begins at year 1), this noun was used in Greek philosophy to mean discourse on reasoning. About 20 years before the Common Era, this noun was used in Jewish philosophy to mean the spoken word, distinguishing the spoken word from the word still in the mind.

Between the years 50 and 67, the Apostle John, inspired by God the Holy Spirit, recorded in John 1:1 the proper names of two persons of God in Greek.

The first proper name is ″the Word,″ formed by the combination of the definite article (G3588) with the noun ″word″ (G3056).

In the original Greek of the Bible, this proper name refers to the second person of God, also called the Son. The second person of God is named the Word because He is the ″Word″ through whom all things were created in the work of creation.

In Genesis chapter 1, the words of God are recorded seven times as bringing things into existence out of nothing (Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24).

He is also the One who uses words to reveal to mankind the truth about the God, the salvation that the God grants to humanity, and the God’s eternal plan for mankind.

The second proper name is ″the God″ (the Father), formed by the combination of the definite article (G3588) with the noun ″god″ (G2316).

In the original Greek of the Bible, this proper name is used to refer to the first person of God, also called the Father.

In addition, John also used the noun ″god″ (G2316) without the definite article before it to refer collectively to the three persons of God.

English Bible translations typically render both “the God” and “God” simply as “God,” which can be confusing because it does not distinguish between the first person of God and the collective reference to the Trinity.

The translation that differentiates between ″God″ and ″the God″ helps us understand that the title ″the God″ refers specifically to the Father, while the title ″God″ refers collectively to all three persons of the Trinity.

In John 1:32, the proper name of the third person of God is recorded as ″the Spirit.″ This proper name is formed by combining the definite article (G3588) with the noun ″spirit″ (G4151). When the Spirit dwells in a human physical body, He is called ″the Holy Spirit″ (G3588 G4151 G3588 G40), to distinguish Him from evil spirits that enter human beings and from the human spirit (John 14:26). This distinction is necessary because the Bible uses the same noun ″spirit″ (G4151) to refer to angels, evil spirits, and the human spirit.

Deuteronomy 6:4 affirms that God is one God:

″Hear, O Israel: The Self-Existing and Eternal One, our God, is the One Self-Existing and Eternal God.″ (The Word Version)

The adjective “one” in this verse implies that the oneness of God is the unity of the three persons of God in one Godhead. This unity is equal and co-eternal in every aspect and indivisible.

God in the person of the Father represents the will of the Triune God. God in the person of the Word represents the will of the Triune God expressed in speech. God in the person of the Spirit represents the will of the Triune God expressed in action, following its expression in speech.

The person of God the Father represents God in terms of authority in establishing all laws, receiving submission, worship, and service from all creation, and making covenants with humanity. He is the Heavenly Father of all who believe in God’s salvation through the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The person of the Word represents God in terms of action in creation, revealing God to mankind, carrying out redemption for mankind, and ruling over all creation. He is the Everlasting Father (Isaiah 9:6) of all creation because He directly created them. He is the Everlasting Father to those who believe in God’s salvation through His atoning death.

The person of the Spirit represents God in terms of power in creation, preservation, empowering all creation, and governing all creation. He is God, dwelling in the bodies of those who believe in God’s salvation through the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Father who gives new birth to believers (John 3:5-8). He helps mankind have intimate fellowship with God and to worship and serve God.

However, the title “Father” is mostly used to refer to God the Father.

The Father is the person of God the Father, representing the Triune God, who reigns in heaven. He begot the human physical body of the Lord Jesus in the womb of Mary; therefore, He is the Father of the Man Jesus and the God of the Man Jesus. He also begets the new physical bodies of those who are redeemed, making Him the Father in heaven and the God of the redeemed.

The Son is the person of God the Word, representing the Triune God, who became incarnate as a human being. His human physical body was the first physical body begotten by God; thus, in that body, He is the only Begotten Son of God. When the redeemed are likewise born of God, He becomes the Firstborn or the Eldest Son. Since the Word of God became flesh, He has remained both fully God and fully man forever. In His divine nature, He is equal and co-eternal with God the Father and God the Spirit. In His human nature, He submits to God the Father and calls Him ″Father.″

The Holy Spirit is the person of God the Spirit, representing the Triune God, who came into the world, regenerates the spirit of believers, and dwells in their physical bodies after the Word completed the work of redemption for humanity. He dwells in the bodies of the redeemed so that their bodies become the Temple of God. He represents the Triune God to comfort them, teach them about the Lord Jesus Christ, guide them into all the truth of the Scriptures, convict them when they sin, bear witness to them about the promises the God has made and fulfilled for them, intercede for them regarding the deep, unspeakable things within them, and give them spiritual gifts so they may serve God.

When the Spirit dwells in the bodies of the redeemed, He remains God, equal and co-eternal with God the Father and God the Word. In the building up of the Church, He submits to the Father and the Son.

Thus, in the work of building a holy lineage among humanity (Malachi 2:15), the Triune God has delegated authority to act and govern the Church. In this delegation of authority, the Son submits to the Father, and the Holy Spirit submits to both the Father and the Son.

The noun ″the Word″ is also often used in the Bible to refer to all the spoken words of God that have been recorded in Scripture. Thus, the title ″the Word″ is used in the Bible both to refer to one person of the Triune God and to refer to the Scriptures themselves.

After the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, the title ″the Word″ was also used for His human person, as recorded in Revelation 19:13:

″And He is clothed in a robe having been dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of *God.″

Because He remains forever the voice of the God, the One who reveals all the thoughts and will of the God to mankind, to the angels, and to all other created beings.

John 1:2 once again affirms an important truth stated in John 1:1:

″In the beginning, He was with *God.″

″He″ refers to ″the Word.″

The Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle John to solemnly affirm for the second time that: From before all eternity, the Word has always been with the God, to dispel any notion that…

• The Word was created by the God.
• The Word was born of the God.
• The Word is also the God.

The eternal existence of the Word with the God includes the following implications:

• The Word is co-eternal and continually exists with the God.
• The Word is equal and co-authoritative with the God in every aspect.
• The Word is in the God, and the God is in the Word, in unity (John 10:38; 14:10-11).

The truth is: From before all eternity, the Word has always existed with the God and continues to exist forever. The God is God, and the Word is also God. The existence of the Word is co-eternal and continual with the God, in equality and co-authority in every aspect.

We conclude this lesson here.

May the Holy Spirit guide us into all the truths of God’s Word (John 16:13). May the Word of God sanctify us (John 17:17). May the Faithful *God of Peace Himself sanctify our spirit, soul, and body entirely, without blame (1 Thessalonians 5:23), at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Beloved Savior. Amen!

Timothy Christian Huynh
Priscilla Christian Huynh
08/13/2022

Note:

About Using “*God”, “the God” and “holy spirit”

Wherever the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts of the Bible use a definite article with a noun to denote GOD, we translate it into English as *God or “the God” to refer to God the Father. We understand that “God,” without a definite article, was used as a collective noun for all and any of the three Persons of the Godhead. And “God,” with a definite article, was used to refer to God the Father.

In the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, the term “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) without the definite article “the” (το) is used to denote the power of God, which is given by God the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit” (το πνευματι το αγιω) is God, and “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) is the power that comes from God.