By Guest author Steve S
Reading John 1:1-3
In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. (2) This one was in the beginning with God. (3) All things were made through him1, and without him was not anything made that was made.
Does it say Jesus? No. Should we infer it does? No, unless we want to put dogma before truth. (Hang on with Rev 19:13 – we’ll get to that)
What does it say is with God? The logos, or the word. (Notice the word is not a name, but a descriptor. We’ll get to ‘was God’ soon)
Is this logos an ‘eternal son’? No, there is zero indication of that notion. Let’s stick to the details presented to us by John.
Was it flesh before it became flesh (v14)? No.
Was it Jesus before it became flesh? No.
Was it Jesus WHEN it became flesh? Yes.
When did it become flesh? Through Mary’s conception and her baby boy.
Is the word a ‘person’ before it became flesh? No.
How do we know? Because John explains in 1 John 1:1-3
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— (2) the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us, that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you… 1 John 1:1-3
What is the logos before it became flesh? Not a person – ‘which’, ‘it’.
which was with the Father and was made manifest – not ‘WHO’ was with the Father.
The logos is the expression and presence of God – which is why John says the ‘word’ was God and also with God. Not literally GOD, but representationally. Just as Jesus represents God as His image. Everyone knows, our image in the mirror does nothing of itself – just as Jesus, did nothing of himself. Being the image of God is not being God, any more than the inanimate word is – but both represent God perfectly and are as good as God. We see angels speaking in the first person as God, not because they are God, but they represent Him as if God was literally speaking the words.
Joseph2 was not Pharaoh, but he fully represented Pharaoh. Just as Moses represented God and would be ‘god’ to Pharaoh etc. But none of them are the one they represent.
We can see the word ‘was made manifest’ – same as ‘the word became flesh’ and points to the beginning of Jesus as this new living representative of God’s word, the last Adam.
The ‘inanimate word’? Remember it is WITH God, just as wisdom was with God – they both represent God perfectly and so ARE God–representationally.
Wisdom is referred to as a woman – no one thinks this is an actual person.
The son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature Heb 1:3
Once IT becomes flesh – Jesus begins as the person called the ‘word’ which is affirmed in Rev 19:13 ‘his name is called the word of God’. When did he receive this name? When he was born, when the word became flesh. Was the word a person previously? It should be patently clear that it was not according to John’s deliberate words.
And so, the evidence is clear; the word, ‘in the beginning’, is NOT YET Jesus.
There is no pre-existing Jesus or ‘eternal son’ based on reading John. (or anywhere else except by inference and conjecture).3
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Attempting to validate the theory of Jesus’ pre-existence with John 17:5 is contradicted by numerous passages. Jesus was asking for the glory to be given him – he presently did not have it, and he doesn’t ask for it to be given back.
As Jesus was the essence, the cornerstone, of the entire plan of God for salvation – which would be impossible without Jesus. Jesus is the way in which all creation would realise its intended purpose – he is the means through which all creation comes to completion. Not because he made anything at Genesis, but because Genesis reaches its conclusion and intended purpose in Jesus. Eph 1:10, Col 1:16-, Rev 5
Jesus was to be glorified in that initial plan and Jesus knows what is set before him after the suffering and death has been completed – the glory that he had in the plan of God from the beginning whom God ‘foreknew’ and planned to be in advance. This is the glory Jesus is asking for as an encouragement to suffer the crucifixion. Which was against his own will – but he trusted and obeyed his God to do HIS will instead of his own. John 5:30.
1 It says “him” because logos in Greek is masculine and it forces a pronoun “he”. Not because it’s an actual person.
2 Re. Joseph and the authority granted him to be ‘as Pharaoh’ – Gen 41:42
Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand,
This is the same kind of authority given to Jesus as the ‘living word’ and be as God and with God, like the logos was ‘in the beginning’.
3 Jesus, being without sin, can be rightly called ‘divine’. This should not automatically imply deity. Jesus has the same God we do, whom he defined as the Father alone, meaning Jesus cannot possibly be God. As there is no differentiation in Greek regarding God and god, the publishers take the decision to capitalize God when referring to Jesus which adds unnecessary confusion. Jesus may rightly be referred to as a god as he is in a few places, but he cannot be THE ‘only true God’, Yahweh. John 17:3
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