In the beginning, there was the Word

  • Thread starter Thread starter leonie
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
L

leonie

Guest
Okay, I’ve never really understood this Title for our Lord

John 1:1
The Word Became Flesh ] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Help, what does it mean?
 
I recall “the Word” (Logos in Greek) as meaning “the reason” or “the purpose”. With that concept, I can understand this inital statement of St. John as there was a reason, an intention, a purpose to creation. I believe this is at least part of the intent of the beginning of John’s Gospel.

In the beginning there was the Logos, and He was with (as in face to face and with the same intention…) God, and He was God.

At least this helps me. At weaker times, I’ve asked God (prayerfully I hope!) “why?”. Why creation? Why me? etc. But as I read John’s Gospel, it is hopefully enough that God sees a point in His creation. To me, His point is to demonstrate His nature and His Love for us.

Hope this makes sense and helps a little. God Bless you,

Steve
 
leonie said:
Okay, I’ve never really understood this Title for our Lord

John 1:1
The Word Became Flesh ] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Help, what does it mean?
Click to expand...
Some times a word is just a word… this time… not! The Word is simply another title for Christ… I think that it is a functioning title: Jesus is God; His Word is pronounced and all of Creation came to Be; His Word sustains Creation; His Word gives Life; in His Word we Hope and we Live and we Move (Spiritual existence); His Word is Jugment; His Word is the Kingdom of Heaven…

Interestingly enough, in Apocalypse we find that though He has Risen some of the old titles are applied: the pierced one, the Lion, the Lamb, one like a Son of man… why would the Risen Christ still be called by these titles? …well… he is the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega, God Almighty and in Him there’s no change!

Maran atha!

Angel
 
take this from the Haydock Bible Commentary in consideration with with the overwhelming evidence answers already given

Ver. 1. In the beginning was the word:[1] or rather, the word was in the beginning. The eternal word, the increated[uncreated?] wisdom, the second Person of the blessed Trinity, the only begotten Son of the Father, as he is here called (ver. 14.) of the same nature and substance, and the same God, with the Father and Holy Ghost. This word was always; so that it was never true to say, he was not, as the Arians blasphemed. This word was in the beginning. Some, by the beginning, expound the Father himself, in whom he was always. Others give this plain and obvious sense, that the word, or the Son of God, was, when all other things began to have a being; he never began, but was from all eternity. — And the word was with God; i.e. was with the Father; and as it is said, (ver. 18) in the bosom of the Father; which implies, that he is indeed a distinct person, but the same in nature and substance with the Father and the Holy Ghost. This is repeated again in the second verse, as repetitions are very frequent in St. John. — And the word was God. This without question is the construction; where, according to the letter we read, and God was the word. (Witham) — The Greek for the word is Logos, which signifies not only the exterior word, but also the interior word, or thought; and in this latter sense it is taken here. (Bible de Vence) — Philo Judæus, in the apostolic age, uses the word Logos, p. 823, to personify the wisdom and the power of God. Logos estin eikon Theou di ou sumpas o Kosmos edemiourgeito. By a similar metonymy, Jesus Christ is called the way, the truth, the life, the resurrection. — And the word was God. Here the eternity and the divinity of the second Person are incontrovertibly established; or, we must say that language has no longer a fixed meaning, and that it is impossible to establish any point whatever from the words of Scripture. (Haydock)

Ver. 2. The same was in the beginning with God. In the text is only, “this was in the beginning;” but the sense and construction certainly is, this word was in the beginning. (Witham)
 
Tobinstark,

how often do you update the readings on your site?
 
Still not getting it. :o

I’ll ask the Holy Spirit to increase my understanding and intelligence.

And, I’ll keep reading…
 
The “Word” is the term John uses in his prologue to refer to Jesus in his Divine Nature as the Second Person of the Trinity, or God the Son.

That is why he says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

This packs into a few words some important truths:

The Word is the Divine Logos, the perfect expression of the Father “speaking” his knowledge of Himself, yet a distinct Person. The Word was not only “with God,” the Word “was God.” Jesus and the Father are distinct Persons with one single divine nature.

Finally he says, “The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.”

Here he shifts from speaking of Jesus as a divine being to speaking of the incarnation: the eternal Person of the divine Word taking on a human nature, and dwelling among us as a human being–or rather a divine person with both a human nature and a divine nature.
 
leonie said:
Still not getting it. :o

I’ll ask the Holy Spirit to increase my understanding and intelligence.

And, I’ll keep reading…
Click to expand...
…let me offer a few passages to assist you:

St. John 20:26-29
St. James 1:5
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Hebrews 11:1-40

May the Holy Spirit enlighten your mind and heart!

Maran atha!

Angel
 
leonie–

Don’t feel bad…I don’t get “it” either:blush: I don’t think we’re suppose to get “it” all the time.

My way of trying to understand “it” is this…

When I look back at the book of Genesis the very begining like chapter one verse one…what do you see?

Genesis 1 (King James Version)

** 1** In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

we see God the Father

** 2** And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the** Spirit of God **moved upon the face of the waters.

we see the Holy Spirit

3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

we see the “word” of God before He came in the Flesh.

It is no accident that the Book of John and the Book of Genesis both begin the same;) it’s a clue! Everytime God speaks something happens! The word of God is powerful! We know that because we couldn’t pay the price for the sins of our first parents (Adam and Eve) that God promised us a redeemer. Well that old saying is “If you want something done right you gotta do it yourself” So God came in the flesh to pay the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. And if you keep reading…

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

we see the Blessed Trinity.

Go back to the Book of** John** and what do we read?

John 1 (New American Standard Bible)

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

coincidence? I don’t think so.

2 He was in the beginning with God.

interesting the word “with” does this mean “next to” or “in” or “coming from”?

3All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

4In Him was life, and the life was the** Light **of men.

interesting even more in Genesis the word of God gives us light…Here the Word of God is the Light.

5The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

God never wanted us to be in the dark did He? He gave us the sun,moon, and the stars and then Jesus!

keep reading the Book of John…

** 14** And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

It gets even more interesting when you think about the **Ark of the Covenant **and what it held inside.

The written word of God — The Ten Commandments

The bread that fell from heaven ----the manna that God fed His people with

The staff of Aaron, a high priest.

The Church calls Mary the Ark of the new Covenant for within her was

The Word of God that became flesh

The Bread that fell from heaven

The High Priest

Jesus

sooooooooooooooo way coooooooooooool!:yyeess:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top