There are obvious parallels between this verse and the opening of Genesis, (Gen 1:1). “In the beginning was the Word”, this emphasises the eternal nature of Jesus. He is not a created being. We will look at the term logos in a moment or two, but let’s first consider other parts of the verse.
“the Word was with God” can mean the Word was faced towards God, implying an intimate relationship with God. This is the point made by the end of the prologue (1:18, part A’ in the chiasma).
“and the Word was God”. Now the Greek here is kai theos en ho logos. The important point is that there is no definite article before theos (God). John is not saying the Word is the God, ie this is not a unitarian statement. Rather he is saying that the nature of the Word is God, ie if you could carry out a chemical test for “godness” on the Word you would get the result 100% God. The trinity is absolutely vital. Otherwise ask yourself where does love come from? Where does relationship come from? The threeness of God is vital. Relationship and love existed before the creation of the world.
Now let’s focus on Word. Why does John use this term? The key aspect of the Word, or logos, is reason or logic. There is meaning to the world. It is fascinating that the likes of Dawkins seem to think it is a wonderful thing that the universe, from their perspective, is meaningless and is a product of blind chance. Surprising then that they are so keen on boasting of the supposed rationality of their approach. Where does this rationality come from in this meaningless and random universe?
The Bible, on the other hand, states that the universe, and you and me, were created out of reason and with a purpose.
No comments:
Post a Comment