In the Beginning

In the Beginning
By Shirley Mitchell

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”

John 1:1-5

When I first read John 1:1-5 as an adult, this passage was such a mystery to me. Now, through the teaching of the Holy Spirit and many godly teachers, this passage is now a treasure to me. When I read it now, I no longer stumble over the words and let their meaning fly by me. I have begun to understand the bountiful riches that they hold. God has written these Scriptures on my heart.

John knew that the beginning of the story started before Jesus’ Jewish lineage. So unlike the Gospel of Luke and the Gospel of Matthew, he takes us back to the beginning, “In the beginning was the Word.” John 1:14a tells us this person, the “Word,” came and made His dwelling among us, thus revealing the identity of the Word as Jesus. Jesus is the Word. Jesus was in the beginning, Jesus was with God, and Jesus was God. Then, Jesus left the glory of heaven and put on the cloak of flesh to dwell among us. He is the source of all life. This Life is the light of men. This Light shone into the darkness to destroy the darkness.

Before we go further, let’s understand what the name, the Word, means and why John used this name. The Greek word for the “Word” in these verses is Logos. A “word” means “a visible or audible expression of a thought. It embodies a conception or an idea.” The divine Word, Jesus, is the expression or the revelation of the thoughts in the mind of God. He is the bridge between God and us. Logos also had a special meaning for the Greeks. A man named Heraclitus of Ephesus decided there was an invisible force of reason that sustained everything. For the Greeks, the Logos was an impersonal force that steered the universe and kept its forces in balance. It gave meaning to all things. For the Jews, the Word was a way of referring to God. “The Word of God” occurs over 1,200 times in the Old Testament to refer to the message of God. John uses language understood by pagan, Jew, and Christian to say that by the incarnate life of Jesus a new revelation of God had been given to mankind. God made Himself fully known to us.

Jesus made it clear to His followers that He existed before He was born from His mother Mary’s womb. In John 8:58, He declared to the crowd, "Before Abraham was born, I am!" In John 10:30, He says, “I and the Father are one." John 6:46, He says, “No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father.” The crowd reacted violently to His outlandish declarations. Twice they tried to stone Him. Twice He escaped their grasp. He had committed blasphemy in their eyes. Yet, in His Father’s eyes, He was telling the truth that would save them from their sins.

John begins his Gospel with the very same words that are in Genesis 1:1 which says, “In the beginning.” John is referring to Genesis concepts. The Old Testament was written in the Hebrew language. The Hebrew word for “God” in this verse is Elohim. El would have been a sufficient name for the creator God, but adding the ending “im” makes it plural. When I first learned this fact, I felt like a person on a treasure hunt who had struck gold. There is another clue in Genesis 1:26. God says, “Let US make man in OUR image, in OUR likeness...” (Emphasis mine) God left a testimony in Scripture written by Moses to show that Jesus participated in creation. Genesis 1 occurred 4,000 years before Jesus came to earth. Later in the New Testament, Paul proclaims in Colossians 1:16, “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.”

Many writers of the New Testament – Paul, Peter, John, Matthew, and the writer of Hebrews – state Jesus is God and that He existed before the foundation of the world. They also tell us an important decision had been made before God created the world. Revelation 13:8b says that Jesus is the “Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.” 1 Peter 1:18-20 says He redeemed us through His blood as the unblemished Lamb who was chosen before the creation of the world.

Before the creation of the world, it was decided that Jesus would die on the cross as payment for man’s sins. Payment can only be rendered by innocent blood. In Genesis 3, after sinning, the first thing Adam and Eve did was to use fig leaves to cover their bodies. Now, they had knowledge of good and evil. God took off the fig leaves and clothed them in garments made of animal skin. If an animal’s skin is taken to cover a human, the animal had to die. Man attempted to cover his own sin with the works of his hands, but God said it was not enough: our works are not sufficient payment for sins. Only the blood of innocent life pays for sins (Hebrews 9:22). It will never be enough to be the best Christians we can be. Only through Jesus’ bloodshed can we approach God.

Before Elohim, Creator God, created the world, the plan was already in place for Jesus to be the Lamb slain to redeem humans from their sins. Before God ever breathed life into man, it was decided that Jesus would die on the cross. Before Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, God had made the eternal blood covenant. God was not surprised that they sinned. He expected it because He holds and knows the future. Because God foresees, God plans. Because of His great love for you and me, we are redeemed from sin’s penalty, power, and presence. We have eternal life. Hallelujah! Worthy is the Lamb!

Pray with me: Oh, Elohim! We praise You! Thank You, Jesus, that before the creation of the world that You chose to be the Lamb who shed Your blood to redeem us on the cross. All things were created by You and for You – things in heaven, on earth, visible and invisible. You are worthy, You perfect spotless Lamb of God! We long for the day when we see the fullness of this and behold You face-to-face, the Lamb exalted and seated high on Your throne! It’s in the Name of the Lamb we pray, in Your Name, Jesus, Amen.

Excerpt from the Jesus Lives Bible study,
Copyright ©2009 Christ Compels