“And the word was with God”

Peter Lewis writes “these words contain supremely important principles for all truly Christian faith: that the word was a distinct person that the word was uniquely related to God that the word was himself God.”

Firstly that the word was a distinct person. Again Lewis writes “the word is all that God is, yet, although part of the Godhead, he is in someway distinct from God”. As the Nicene creed states “Jesus Christ the only begotten son of God begotten of the father before all the worlds God of God, light of light, very God of very God begotten not made, being of one substance with the father by whom all things were made.” Jesus is God (as we shall in the next study) he is fully part of the trinity yet at the same time is his own separate person so as it can say he exists with God.

Wayne Grudem writes “the fact that God is three persons means that the father is no the son they are distinct persons…and it means that the son is not the Holy Spirit.” Jesus as a separate person but equally on as the same as God is a difficult concept to grasp as how can one be the same as three yet remain one. This is a truth that cannot be comprehended but should rather be received. When God created us he gave us a degree of intelligence which we can use to reason part of that reason refutes the idea of the trinity. But the reason we do have is not large enough to understand God in all his fullness therefore the truth of the trinity should be received as truth that goes beyond our understanding but is none the less real and true.

Secondly the words denote a unique dynamic relationship with God due to the way the words are constructed in Greek and the specific words used the words imply a more active dynamic relationship. Leon Morris translates this part of the verse “the word continually was” implying an active not static existence. So Christ had an active role in eternity it is not as if he was around and then decided to do, he was a being before all time.

Commentators have spoken of this active relationship by translating the verse “the word was face to face with God” Basil Atkinson. This implies an intimate relationship of love and communion.

So the word for all eternity was intimate fellowship with God the father and God the Holy Spirit.