What was John saying in 1:1-2 about the Word (logos)? I, like others, do not think I can capture the Greek concepts in English. I will try, but what I notice is that many commentators get hung up on the individual word issues and miss the broader cultural understanding of speaking that lies behind John’s imagery.
Issues
“In beginning”: indicating temporality or causality is not as important as the fact that John is thinking of Genesis 1:1.
“Word” (logos): can mean word, speech act, reason or plan, etc. The context of a speech act that alludes to Genesis 1 matter.
“With God”: the preposition pros can have a wide range of nuances; appropriate to the context here is a nuance of extension and an expression of relationship.
“Was God”: 1) Mormons want to translate it as “was a God” because there is no definite article; however, 2) the predicate noun stated first can be definite without the definite article; but more significantly 3) it could be qualitative, as in “fully divine.” [See Net Bible for a discussion.] Again, the context matters.
Cultural Concept
Understanding the cultural concept of the speech act is more important than debating the words individually. In that culture, when someone spoke, that person did so by their very life essence, their spirit or breath (Hebrew: ruach; Greek: pneuma). As a result, the utterance was something real and “tangibly” of the speaker. One can even feel words breathe out of the person’s mouth. This is why words of blessing and words of cursing were taken as real and powerful as the speaker.
In Genesis 1, of which John is thinking, God utters forth creation: “God said … and it came to be.” God’s utterance divides light from darkness. God’s utterance divides order from chaos. God’s utterance brings about life. God’s utterance in creation was understood to be continually efficacious, maintaining the creational order in the presence of chaos. God’s utterance was of the very life essence (Spirit) of God.
Application
John’s parallel to Genesis 1 is identifying Jesus as that creational ordering, efficacious utterance of God that is itself (Himself) inseparably of the essence and person of God.* Through this Utterance, “All things through Him came into being; and apart from Him nothing has come into being” (1:3). Here is a paraphrase, inadequate but maybe helpful, of 1:1-2:
In the beginning, was God’s Ordering, Life-giving Utterance [the Word].
And the Ordering Utterance was the extension of God.
And fully expressing the Divine was the Ordering Utterance.
This One was from the beginning the extension of God.
As I think about Jesus, I am overwhelmed by the realization that the Divine Utterance became flesh, became a person. This is the Christ. This is the Savior of the world. The world came into being through Him. I came into being through Him. I am moved to worship.
Lord, Jesus, I am yours. Amen.
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*Although I am not saying that John was attempting to give a theological metaphor for the Trinity, if I was to put words in John’s mouth, I would use the image of God the Utterer (Father), God the articulating Breath (Spirit), and God the Utterance (Son) – all of the same Godhead, all distinct, all in unity.
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