Word Up

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome^[a] it.

So begins the 4th gospel. It is beautiful in it's complexity and simplicity. It explains the most basic thing that all of humanity needs to know about Jesus, Christian theology and the one true faith. It is this.

Jesus Christ is God.

When Christians think of the Word, we tend to think of the Bible, God's inspired and written words. Other people tend to think of a unit of language that explains or describes or names things. The Greek for "word" is "logos". "Logos" was pregnant with meaning for the Greeks. Logos was a unit of language, but in Greek philosophy, logos was also a divine idea. Divine ideas, ideas from the gods, carried with them power and that power was creative. When the gods thought or spoke in their heavenly realm, things would happen in the physical world. The "word", the "logos" of the gods, created events and things in real space and time. 

Hebrew theology adopted this approach to explain God's actions in the Old Testament. Philo made heavy use of this idea. For him, "logos" was a bridge between heaven and earth. God was able to intervene in space and time in our reality and make things happen. He could reveal Himself to His people through the use of this Word. How? Through answered prayer, through healing and through revelation - the written Word.

John combined both of these approaches in an effort to make Jesus appealing to both the Jew and the Gentile (Greeks) of his time. In some ways, this still works well.

If you look at the other books of the Bible that start with, "In the beginning..." or something like it, you will find there are only two; Genesis and 1 John. 

In Genesis we read that in the beginning God created as His Spirit moved over the creation. How did this work? God spoke. Yes, God spoke and things, physical things, came into existence out of nothing. Do you see where I'm going here? The Word of the Lord made the material universe. God spoke and there was light. God spoke and there was earth and water. God spoke and life itself came into existence. Finally, God spoke and humanity was created.

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,^[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

²⁷ So God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

Do you notice anything different in verse 26? God said, "Let US make mankind in OUR image, in OUR likeness..." 

The question arises, who is US and OUR in this verse. If God is One, then who are these others? Some have said it is the heavenly host that are helping in the creative process; angels. Others have said that God is using His Kingly prerogative like Queen Victoria saying "we are not amused".

John would want us all to know that "we" and "our" here in Genesis 1:26 is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. If you read the entire first chapter of Genesis, You see God speaking, God creating, His Spirit moving, but the creative force of His Word Is His One and Only Son creating that bridge that Philo talked about, bringing together the spiritual and physical realms as He creates.

It is a beautiful picture of the three aspects of the one God. Jesus is the Bridge. While He is equal with God and is also fully God, He is also a man in submission to God, serving His Father's will and actually making it happen.

Jesus is the Divine Logos, the living word and revelation of God. He is the face of God to humanity.

As Paul said in Philippians 2:

⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

⁶ Who, being in very nature^[a] God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature^[b] of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

This is my God. Who is your God?

Start living, really living. Take hold of the bridge rail and start your journey toward Glory.