John 1:1-3 - Christ: the Logos of God (Rev. Erik Veerman)

John 1:1-3 - Christ: The Logos of God

Our sermon text this morning is John 1:1-3.

If you read our weekly email, you may have seen that originally, I was planning to cover verses 1-5. I backed off a little because there is so much packed into the first 3 verses.

That probably scares some of you because you’re thinking, “is this going to happen every week? And if so, are we going to be in the Gospel of John for years?” Well, I can’t say that this will be the last time that I narrow our focus to just a couple of verses. However, I will note that Jim Boice, the late pastor of Tenth Presbyterian church, preached 270 sermons in the book of John. Doing the math, that’s over 5 years. I’ve planned about 70.

Ok, turning our attention to these verses, you’ll hear the word “word” three times. That is referring to Jesus Christ. We know that from verse 14 where John writes that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” So, as I read, be sure to make the mental connection between the Word and Christ.

Reading of John 1:1-3

Prayer

“We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal…” Those legendary words bring us back to the very founding of our nation.

Or how about this on: “I have a dream” Those words take us back to Martin Luther King and the struggle of segregation in the 1950s and 60s.

Or perhaps you recognize this: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Those are the opening words of Charles Dickens’s book The Tale of Two Cities. It takes us back to the French Revolution and the stark contrast between London and Paris.

Each of those opening phrases is packed with meaning and significance. They each capture our minds and our hearts. In some ways, they transport us through time and space and turn our attention to lofty ideas or significant events.

Well, the opening words of John’s Gospel do something very similar. For one, they are renowned. But also, their poetic language and expressive words raise the significance and consequence for the reader… and really for the whole world.

Perhaps these words don’t bring us back to a specific place, but they transport us to the very creation of the world. “In the beginning.” In the very beginning of all time and space “was the Word.” Does that not raise our senses and our curiosity and even our wonder at what is being communicated?

As far as familiar opening words in the Bible, John 1 is only second to Genesis 1. And those are iconic words. Genesis 1 certainly ranks up there among the most famous in the world. Genesis 1:1 says “In the beginning, God created the heavens and earth.” Those 10 words reveal several things about God.

·      First, that he is one God. It doesn’t say, “in the beginning, the gods (plural)...” No, rather it’s a definitive statement. “In the beginning, God…” There is one God.

·      Second, Genesis 1:1 posits God as existing before the beginning of time itself – he is eternal.

·      And third those 10 opening words of Genesis speak about God’s nature and work. He is the creator God of all things - things in heaven and things on earth.

And I think you have probably already made the connection in your minds. The opening words of the Gospel of John are very similar to Genesis 1. They start with the same three words. Of course, one was penned in Hebrew – that would be Genesis – and the other was penned in Greek.

But the connection is unmistakable. Really, the connection between the opening of Genesis and the opening of John’s Gospel even further expand our understanding of God’s nature and the ministry and work of Christ - God the Son.

In Genesis 1, we’re told of God’s creative work and in John 1, God reveals who accomplished that work and how.

So, let’s jump into these opening three verses of John.

As far as an outline, I want to highlight 3 things about Christ:

1. Christ’s Identity as the Eternal Logos

2. Christ’s Deity as One with the True God

3. Christ’s Work as the Agent of Creation

Let me say those again if you are taking notes. We didn’t have room in the bulletin this week for an outline.

1. Christ’s Identity as the Eternal Logos – I’ll explain the word Logos in a minute.

2. Christ’s Deity as One with the True God – Deity meaning his nature as God.

And 3. His Work as the Agent of Creation. It is through the agency of Christ that God created all things.

So, let’s work through those.

1. Christ’s Identity as the Eternal Logos

And the first thing to understand is the word “word.” In the original Greek, it’s the word Logos. Maybe you’ve heard that word before. Logos is one of two words that are often translated “word.” The other is the more common word, rhema in Greek, merely referring to words on a page or spoken words.

But the word logos, on the other hand, is packed with meaning. Yes, it’s basic meaning is a statement or speech – you know, a “word” spoken. But the word logos also includes the idea of a charge like I’m charging you with something… and the idea of cause like speech that causes something to happen. It’s a word spoken that is effective. It accomplished something.

Now, the Greek culture of the time used the word Logos as well. But their use was more of an abstract idea. Their logos was the rational order of the cosmos. It was used in an impersonal way. There was no being behind a Greek use of the word logos. Nonetheless it was still a powerful word. By the way, the Greek word logos is directly related to our English word “logic”… you know, a reasoned explanation.

And sometimes you’ll hear pastors try to apply that philosophical and rational meaning to the Logos of John 1.

But remember from last week that John is writing to a Jewish context. He was Jewish himself. And the word logos in the Jewish community had been used for centuries. The Greek translation of the Old Testament uses the word logos hundreds of times. Our call to worship this morning was from Psalm 33. It says in verse 6 “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made.” Logos to the Jewish community was understood to be personal and declarative and often associated with God himself.

That is very different from the Greco-Roman understanding.

What I am arguing is that John is not borrowing the word Logos from the Greek culture. Rather, he is contrasting that impersonal understanding with the divine and personal understanding of Logos. He’s revealing that the Logos of God is far superior to the Greek’s rational concept of logos.

We see that right there in verse 1. It says, “In the beginning was the Word.” From eternity past, the Logos existed – Christ existed. The verb is very important here. It’s the English word “was” …you know, a form of “to be..” In the beginning “was” the word. And it’s verb tense is the imperfect active. It means not only did Christ already exist in the beginning, but also that his existence continues. English does not have a good equivalent. The word “was” in English is past tense. But the Greek has a much broader meaning. “already was and continues to be”

What we learn in these verses is that the Logos of God is eternal. He existed before the beginning of time and space and he continues to exist. Furthermore, he is not some impersonal rational concept about the ordering of the universe, but rather his eternal existence is personal. He has being, as the verb reveals. He is none other the person of Christ, again as verse 14 tells us. The eternal Logos of God.

Now, in a few minutes we are going to further see how the word logos relates to Christ’s work. That will be point 3, But let’s move on to point 2 - the rest of verse 1 and verse 2.

2. Christ’s Deity as One with the True God

So, #2. Christ’s Deity as One with the True God. – I’m saying it that way for a reason. He is God and he is One with God.

The Logos mentioned here is not some force that God is harnessing. No, this Logos, Christ, is God himself.

Look at the end of verse 1. It says, “the word was God.” It’s the same imperfect active tense. The Logos already was and continues to be God. Now, that seems super clear, doesn’t it? “The Logos was God.”

Some of you know this, but about twice a week, you will see two of Jehovah Witnesses just outside of our church office. They are just standing there on the corner of Main Street. And if you ask them about John 1:1, they will say that it should be translated differently. They translate it as “the word was a god.” They say that Christ was like a god but not God himself. They argue that because there is no definite article before the word “God” (Theos), therefore Jesus is not being described here as God himself.

However, they are wrong for two reasons.

·      Number 1, Greek scholarship is fairly unified on the translation. For those of you who are grammarians (you like grammar), the phrase is a predicate nominative. Greek predicate nominatives establish a shared essence between the subject and the predicate – especially when the predicate is placed before the verb as is here. In fact, predicate nominatives in the Greek usually do not use a definite article for the predicate. So, Christ is not being described here as a god, he is being identified as the God - fully and completely God.

·      And number 2. This identification of Jesus Christ being God himself is all throughout the Gospel of John. We considered that last week. Several times Jesus identified himself as one with God the Father. He said as much: “I and the Father are One.” We also considered all the I AM statements where Jesus identified himself as Yahweh.

Furthermore, look at the phrase in the middle of verse 1 and in verse 2. They are very similar. It says, “And the Logos was with God… He was in the beginning with God.”

This is one of the beautiful truths about the God of the Bible. God is personal and relational. Within the Godhead, as we say, there is a relationship between the three persons of God. The Father, the Son (who is the Logos), and the Spirit.

This is something that the Gospel of John makes clear throughout. I also mentioned that last week. By the way, one of the things I plan to do as we work through this book, is to connect each section and paragraph to the broader themes. And this is one of them. Jesus teaches not only about his equality with God the Father but also his role as God the Son and the role of God the Spirit whom he and the Father will send. As I put it last week, this book is full of theology – the doctrine of God – Theos. And it begins with these profound words.

You see, these opening words, especially verse 2 are not teaching that there are multiple gods. No. These verses are quite clear about that. Rather when they say that the Logos was with God from the beginning, they are revealing that God himself has relationships within himself. It’s an amazing thing to consider. As humans created in God’s image, we have been given the capacity and desire for relationships. That relational characteristic that every human being shares… comes from the Trinity. The Father, Son, and Spirit. One with each other. All eternal and all God.

So, the Logos, who is Christ, is one with and in relationship with the eternal God. He is God.

3. Christ’s Work as the Agent of Creation

That being us to point 3: Christ’s work as the agent of creation.

This third point is very much related to the word Logos. Christ is creator. He is the one through whom the universe has come into existence. God’s act of speaking his Word (his Logos) comes through the work of Christ.

Going back to Genesis 1, the phrase that is used over and over is “God said.” “God said ‘let there be light’ and there was light.” Every act of creation happens through God’s word. God spoke, and it was so.

Back to John 1. In verse 3 it says, “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made”

All things in the entire universe were made through Christ. Every galaxy, every star, every planet; every cell and molecule and atom and proton and neutron and quark. All things came into being through him.

That may be something new to you. We don’t often think of or speak of Christ’s role as God’s agent of creation. That’s because we most often think and speak of his role as redeemer. And there is plenty of that in the Gospel of John.

But just like in verse 3, several Scriptures passages speak of Christ’s role as creator. Besides John 1, we read from both Colossians 1 and Hebrews 1 this morning. In Colossians, “…by [Christ] all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

In Hebrews 1. “In these last days [God] has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.”

Or consider 1 Corinthians 8:6, which says, “there is… one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”

God spoke through his Word, through his Logos, who is Christ, to bring everything into existence.

I remember when I learned this for the first time. I was amazed at the glory of God in his work of creation through Christ. Our Savior is not only our Lord, but he is our creator.

One thing is very very clear in these verses. Christ was not created. No, he existed before creation and he is the one through whom God created all things.

Conclusion

He is (1) the eternal Word of God, (2) As God, he is one with the true God, and (3) the creator of all things… visible and invisible. That is what we learn in these verses.

Now, I want you to imagine something. Imagine that you grew up in a Jewish community in the western part of Asia Minor (maybe Ephesus or Smyrna).  Imagine it’s the later half of the first century. You studied the Torah in school and your knew the history of Israel. Your family was a devout Jewish family.

Besides your Jewish education, you had always been intrigued by influences from the neighboring culture to the west - Greece. People from Athens often travelled through your city. They not only brought their wares, but they also brought their philosophy and gods. They loved to talk about the latest philosophical theories and ideas. They used the word logos often. When they did, they spoke of the ordering principle of the universe, you know, the force that structures all of nature, as they described it.

So, you have that in the back of your mind, but you also know what you have been taught from the Hebrew Scriptures. God speaks into existence all of creation, like it says in Genesis and Isaiah and the Psalms.

Now, imagine that you are reading John’s Gospel account for the first time. One of your neighbors had a parchment and he let you borrow it to read.

And so you read these opening words for the first time. “In the beginning was the Logos and the Logos was with God… and the Logos was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.”

And you are enraptured. These ideas are coming alive. You had been intrigued by the travelling philosophers of Athens, but this concept of a personal Logos who has eternally existed from all time and who is God is gripping your mind. And then you get down to verse 14… and you read “and the Logos became flesh and dwelt among us.”

As you had been reading the first couple of paragraphs, you had been asking, “who is this Logos?” And then you find out from these words that the Logos has dwelt among us. He has lived among us.

You had heard of a man named Jesus. But up until this point you had never understood why he was so significant or controversial. But now you knew. And your heart was leaping because not only are you reading here that he is and has always been the eternal Logos… but all of a sudden your mind is being flooded with all the things you had learned in your Jewish education. You begin recalling all of the promises and prophecies of Christ - the Messiah of God. Light bulbs are going off all over the place in your mind and heart. This personal, eternal Logos being written about is the Christ, the eternal promised one, and he has come to us in the person of Jesus. It’s a life-transforming realization. You can’t put the parchment down because every word and sentence and paragraph is speaking to your mind and heart. The Word of God, Christ, is becoming real to you in a way that you had never experienced before. He is changing your heart.

I know that is just a thought experiment, but as we work our way through John, I want us to enter in to the lives of the first readers and hearers and those whom Jesus encountered. I want us to enter in to their situation. Through that lens, I believe these words will become living words for us.

Maybe this is all new for you. And as you hear it, maybe your mind and heart are being drawn in with intrigue and wonder as you come to the understanding of who Christ is…. in his eternal nature as God and as the one through whom all things have been created.

If that is you, as we go through this book, may you hear and grasp not only who Christ is, but what he has done for you.

But maybe you’ve been a Christian for years… and these words are very familiar to you as they are to me. If that’s you, may your heart and mind be re-ignited by the depth and clarity and wonder of God in the person and work of Christ, who became flesh and dwelt among us.

As we go through this Gospel, may we all see him, our creator and Savior and Lord, the eternal Logos of God.