The Word in Creation

People get a mite confused about the Word. The word Word has several meanings, whether in English or usage in the Bible — you have my word on that. Christians refer to the Bible as the Word of God, and Jesus is also identified in the same way. Sometimes it helps to add written Word when referring to the Bible.

What was the apostle doing in John 1:1? Was he assigning a new title to Jesus? After all, we know that Jesus is the Creator (John 1:3, Colossians 1:16, Hebrews 1;8), and in Genesis, God spoke words when creating. Some of us simply accept it that Jesus is the Word, but there are reasons.

John 1, Unsplash / Anthony Garand

John affirmed that Jesus is God and the Creator, and it turns out that Scripture refers to the Word as a person in other ways, and he is part of the Trinity. All this links back to Genesis. To determine these things requires knowledge of the original languages, and help can be found by consulting some ancient writings. We don't need to do all that, thankfully. Simon Turpin did the hard work for us.

The Apostle John opens his Gospel with the words, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). The words “In the beginning . . .” echo Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” The major difference between John 1:1 and Genesis 1:1 is that John refers to the Word (logos). John describes the Word as eternally existing (John 1:1a), having an eternal relationship with God (John 1:1b), and as being God (John 1:1c). John also states that the Word is the Creator of all things (John 1:3). But does the Old Testament teach that God has an eternal personal Word, and is that Word involved in the events of Genesis 1?

The rest of the article is found at "In the Beginning . . . John 1:1 and Genesis 1:1."

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