Two Words

Devotional, June 5: John 1:1“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1, NASB95)[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=“yes” overflow=“visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=“1_1” background_position=“left top” background_color=“” border_size=“” border_color=“” border_style=“solid” spacing=“yes” background_image=“” background_repeat=“no-repeat” padding=“” margin_top=“0px” margin_bottom=“0px” class=“” id=“” animation_type=“” animation_speed=“0.3” animation_direction=“left” hide_on_mobile=“no” center_content=“no” min_height=“none”][caption id=“” align=“alignleft” width=“143” caption=“Click for Dr. White's booklet!”][/caption]John 1:1 is a great verse of scripture teaching the deity of Jesus Christ.  Using the Greek word logos, John describes Jesus as “in the beginning” and “with God” and, in fact, “was God”.  This verse tells us of the pre-existence of Jesus (that is, He existed before He was born as a baby in Bethlehem).  It teaches of the divine nature of Jesus (that is, He was and is God, and this is His eternal state).  It even teaches of the Trinity (He was both with God and was God, expressing the “one essence, three persons” of God).Some mistakenly interpret this verse to combine Jesus and the Scriptures into one, eventually saying that the Bible, as truth, becomes equal to Jesus, the Truth.  This not only is a misunderstanding of the text (one that is prohibited in the Greek language, but becomes available in English thinking), but removes the “personhood” of both Jesus and the Holy Spirit.In this Scripture, when John says that Jesus is “the Word,” there is no connection between that and the written words of Scripture.  While we might say “open the word to such and such a passage,” we do not mean that the word of God and the Word who is Jesus are one in the same.  In English, printed word, spoken word, and figurative word are all the same “word.”  In Greek, logos means “expression” and graphe means “printed word” or scripture.Jesus is the logos but not the graphe.  Jesus is one of three unique persons of the Trinity.  Jesus is the Son of God, the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, and the Scripture is the inerrant revelation of God in printed form.  Take care not to make any of them one and the same!In His Grace,Randy White[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]